# Green broke



## Western (Oct 15, 2010)

With the horses I generally train, I expect them to know this by the time they are green broke:

Groundwork: Catching, leading, tying, standing, hobbled, and used to being introduced to new things. Should be sacked out with bags, tarp, rope, blankets, and clothing. Used to being bridled and saddled, stands for mounting. Picks up it’s hooves for cleaning and farrier, and can be trailered with ease. Can be lunged both directions with/without whip at a walk, trot, and lope. Responds to ‘walk on’ to walk, clucking to trot, kissing to lope, and ‘whoa’ to stop. Responds to verbal commands ‘easy’ to calm down and collect strides, and ‘come’ to walk to you. Moves away from pressure, and respects space.

Saddle work: Can be bridled and saddled with no issue. Horse does not move off when being mounted, and will stand quietly until given direction. The horse should initially start off at a slower pace until asked to speed up. The horse should walk, trot, and lope on command without problem in both directions. Should be beginning to collect in both walk, and trot. Backs up, side passes, and beginning to turn on haunches and forehand. Should be able to be ridden in both an English and a western saddle, and with/without riding crop and with/without lasso. (should be trained to stand for some roping). The horse should travel over trotting poles, logs, and obstacles with ease. The horse has been trained to do small jumps (1-2’), and to go around barrels. The horse has been taken out on trails 3+ times with no problems.


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## ErikaLynn (Aug 3, 2010)

you answered your own question


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## aintnocitygirl (Mar 12, 2010)

Wow! You really expect a lot from a green horse. Thats a good thing. 

To me, a green horse should:

Stand tied.
Accept the bit and stand calm for the saddling process.
Good stand still while the rider mounts.
Lateral flexion from the ground and in the saddle (With both halter and bit.).
Good transitions under saddle, on the lunge line, and in round pen.
Decent stop and knows the word "Whoa".
Backs up with halter and bit from the ground and in saddle. (I don't expect them to tuck their butt under or vertically flex just yet.)
Moves off leg pressure.
Thats all I expect a green horse to know. :wink:


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## ImagineThat (Sep 18, 2010)

Wow. That's an awful lot for a greenie. My answer would be it depends on how old the horse is... But I expect good ground manners in general, having at least an intro to desensitizing, and be able to walk, trot, canter, whoa, and steer pretty well at all 3 gaits. I also expect that they will stand tied, pick up their feet, and stand for batheing. 
I keep in mind though that a lot of folks don't know, care or do a lot of the stuff I do with all mine.... Such as more advanced ground work and more.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Western (Oct 15, 2010)

aintnocitygirl said:


> Wow! You really expect a lot from a green horse. Thats a good thing.


 

Lol, well, I do manage to teach them all that but it usually takes longer then 30 days for me to consider them green broke. I usually do about 50 days.


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## ImagineThat (Sep 18, 2010)

I guess it depends on your definition of green broke 
To me, that means started under saddle... not finished in any one thing. etc etc
You definition of green broke sound closer to plain ole broke to me. Not a finished horse but one you can start taking in any direction. There's just a few things missing from your list, but its close.

Now that I'm on the computer, I will give a rundown of what I do in 30 days.
Groundwork first..
round pen and/or lunging (CA style)
giving to halter pressure - laterally and dropping head down
yielding hindquarters and shoulders
desensitizing - hands and leadrope first, then saddle pads, plastic bags, etc
standing tied quietly
batheing
saddling and bridleing, along with some long reining

Under saddle...
stand quietly for mounting/dismounting
walking, trotting, cantering
stopping and backing
giving to the bit, usually just touching on that at the walk and during stop and back 
I always incorporate my legs from the get go... so they are starting to understand the concept of indirect leg aids.

I strive for all those things when I get one for 30 days, but don't always get that far. It all depends on the horse.


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## aintnocitygirl (Mar 12, 2010)

ImagineThat said:


> I guess it depends on your definition of green broke
> To me, that means started under saddle... not finished in any one thing. etc etc


Thats how I see green broke also. Started under saddle & knows the basics. Nothing major just yet.
Everyone has their own "green broke" horse. It could be anything from doing a reining pattern in a halter to just barely letting a person put the saddle on their back. It depends on how broke people like their horses. :wink:


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

For me, I think their ground manners should be flawless. They've had the chance to be worked with on the ground for years since their birth, and groundwork should be already drilled into their heads.

Under saddle, they shouldn't be chewing at the bit but accepting of it, their headset should be in place after warming up and with encouragement from the rider, but it isn't automatic yet. The gaits should be relatively consistent and the horse should have a clear picture of what "Whoa" means. They should stand for mounting, saddling, and bridling. They should move off to different gaits with a leg aid and a cluck or kiss, depending on the gait, and come back to a lesser gait with rein tension, a verbal command, and the English/Western cue for a stop. Their balance usually needs a lot of work.


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

well I guess I have a lot to do before mine is officially "green-broke" lol


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## shesinthebarn (Aug 1, 2009)

^^ditto!^^
There are different levels or "shades" of green, that is for sure...


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

My lad will go for breaking in January, when I get him back 6 weeks later I would concider him green broke he will be doing the following:

He will stand for mounting next to any block or mounting from the groung. 

He will walk, trot and canter in a novice outline (i.e he will be on the bit but not highly collected).
He will strike off on the correct lead every time if asked in a corner or with good bend.
He will gallop on when asked and come back quietly.
He will hack out on his own and in company.

Basicly he will be ready to go out and do a novice show class, work in a reasonably correct outline and not embarass me when the judge rides.

Ground manners and letting me put the saddle/bridle on are thing I would expect from an unbroken horse. Reeco has been having a bridle on since he was 2 and i've recently started with the saddle. He will have those on before he goes for breaking!


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## NicoleB (Sep 17, 2010)

It depends on the horse. A woman I know wanted me to finish training a "Green broke" horse that wouldn't even stand tied in the beginning! The other "Green broke" horse she has let's you saddle and bridle him and get on, but he doesn't quite understand any of the cues to turn or stop. It basically depends on who you get the horse from, or your own definition of green broke. I expect a green broke horse to stand tied, let me bathe it, understand the concept of lunging, let me saddle and bridle it, let me get on without moving away, and at least mostly understand my cues, not only with the bit, but with my legs.


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## Snookeys (Sep 23, 2010)

Green can mean a lot of things... for example, there's a green western pleasure horse, a green jumper, a green trail horse... I consider "green" to translate as "inexperienced" and therefore if I am looking for a horse and see it's green, I don't expect it to know a lot. Or, what it does know, it hasn't done very much. So it varies horse-to-horse.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Western said:


> If you were purchasing a green broke horse, *what would you expect it to already know*? How would you expect it to behave, and what groundwork/saddlework would you assume to have been completed?


 
*Nothing!!!*


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## Snookeys (Sep 23, 2010)

Oh and I forgot to mention - when I am advertising a horse as green, I say that if I feel it needs fine-tuning and experience before it can be considered "broke".


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## Snookeys (Sep 23, 2010)

kevinshorses said:


> *Nothing!!!*


This only makes me laugh because your horse-level says you are green broke... hahahah what would you expect a green broke horse to know? NOTHING! Rofl, just kidding. I had to point that out though!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

momo3boys said:


> well I guess I have a lot to do before mine is officially "green-broke" lol


Made me laugh.... I agree though...

I call "green-broke" when it's introduced to the saddle/bridle, and knows walk-trot (may be some canter) and turn cues.


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## Western (Oct 15, 2010)

Snookeys said:


> This only makes me laugh because your horse-level says you are green broke... hahahah what would you expect a green broke horse to know? NOTHING! Rofl, just kidding. I had to point that out though!


 


LOL!! Just had to laugh at that one. All the different answers are interesting, but it's suprising that they really all come back down to the same thing. I happen to have one horse that has about a hundred and twenty rides on her.. and I still wouldnt consider her broke. Dammed thing likes to buck...


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Green broke to me means that the horse accepts rider, tack & grooming without a fuss & will walk, trot & canter both directions under saddle. The groundwork; lunging, sacking, etc. is something completely different & ideally should be done much earlier, before the horse is backed for the first time. A greenbroke horse is not "confirmed" in anything & should be ready to learn more. Same type of thing to be greenbroke to the cart. A greenbroke horse should only be sold (or returned) to an experienced rider that is capable of continuing the horse's training.

Western, you asked the question then answered it yourself...what you have described seems like much more than green broke, you seem to be describing a horse ready for a beginer rider...


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## Western (Oct 15, 2010)

AnitaAnne said:


> Western, you asked the question then answered it yourself...what you have described seems like much more than green broke, you seem to be describing a horse ready for a beginer rider...


Not at all Anita. I start groundwork with my horses at two years old age, light backing at two and a half, and that is what I expect them to know by three years of age. I train all my own horses and thus far, any horse on my property with at least 50 rides knows all of that.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Western said:


> Not at all Anita. I start groundwork with my horses at two years old age, light backing at two and a half, and that is what I expect them to know by three years of age. I train all my own horses and thus far, any horse on my property with at least 50 rides knows all of that.


Maybe next time I won't start my own horse & send it to you Would save me a lot of time...I take a minimum of 60 days on a horse to consider it ready to send out, but I hate to rush training.

I must say, basically I consider any horse under 4 or 5 years as green too, only because their brain (aka thinking) is not mature yet & it is really easy for inexperienced riders to mess them up!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I consider a horse green broke when you can catch, bridle, saddle, and ride with minimal fight and very little chance of bucking. They should w/t/c comfortably, turn and stop well and be soft on the bit. If the horse was being called 'green' by someone else, I honestly wouldn't expect it to neck rein, be collected in any way, or know much past just your basic riding commands; go, stop, turn left and right.


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## Western (Oct 15, 2010)

AnitaAnne said:


> I must say, basically I consider any horse under 4 or 5 years as green too, only because their brain (aka thinking) is not mature yet & it is really easy for inexperienced riders to mess them up!


 
Pretty much same here. Anytime somebody says there horse is like three, four, or sometimes five years of age, first thing I jump to is inexperienced. The only problem, is that no matter how much that horse has been taught, the fact is that it's still young and unpredictable. Just because they know how to sidepass dosent mean it's going to sit tight for a little kid to clamber on, or for a shaky and green rider. They are still going to test you and see exactly how much they can get away with.. The three year old mare I have knows everything I stated above, and let me tell you, she is a brat. She wont let anybody but me climb into the saddle and she will sometimes buck the heck outa me. I'm really just plain sick of it!!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Western said:


> Pretty much same here. Anytime somebody says there horse is like three, four, or sometimes five years of age, first thing I jump to is inexperienced. The only problem, is that no matter how much that horse has been taught, the fact is that it's still young and unpredictable. Just because they know how to sidepass dosent mean it's going to sit tight for a little kid to clamber on, or for a shaky and green rider. They are still going to test you and see exactly how much they can get away with.. The three year old mare I have knows everything I stated above, and let me tell you, she is a brat. She wont let anybody but me climb into the saddle and she will sometimes buck the heck outa me. I'm really just plain sick of it!!


You are so right...a young horse is very unpredictable! 

Your mare sounds like a real challenge. I have found that whatever a horses resistance is, it will allways come back under the right circumstances. 

I had a mare like you describe & one thing I learnt was to not even try to ride her for three days while she was in heat. She was a holy terror on those days. i seriously considered having her ovaries removed to see if it would help, but just decided to leave her alone on those days. The other thing I did was to lunge the stew out of her AFTER I rode her. She sure learned to save her strength for "after the ride" and really did not want me to get off. Worked like a charm!


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## Kawairashii Ichigo (Jul 18, 2010)

When people tell me they're giving me a greenie to work with, I expect them to know nothing. I usually end up re-doing ground work (Depending on the horse and situation) and for riding depending on the horse can either of just had a saddle on it once upon a time (Not including the rider, or if I'm lucky they'll sit on it, no more) Or sometimes they'll know basic stuff, but really need a tuning up. My version on green anyways, it varies.


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