# Need Online horse trainer



## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

Ok ill be frank, free would be great I have no money. I have a colt that I need help with training. He is my first colt and I need some one to guide me through the proses day by day week by week month by month. I really don't want to screw up and have him turn into a monster. He is a two month old quarter horse. He is gelded, halter broke, picks up his two front feet fine, and lets me fully saddle him. For more information and if you are ever so kind and would be interested please PM me


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

My advice? Get a real trainer....
look up popular trainers online such as stacy westfall, clinton anderson, chris cox, the parellis (if youre desperate) some of them have free online videos showing some nice techniques.

But nothing will help you so much as an experienced adult that can physically be there to help and show you.


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## BreanneAlter (Jul 2, 2014)

Go to horseshow.com. They offer online lessons (and horseshows!). You send a video and they critique it. It isn't free though.

When i first started out, i actually taught myself. There wasnt anywhere to get lessons for 120 miles. I knew exactly how riding should look, it was just a matter of comparing it. I would ride until i felt confident, take a video, watch it, note my flaws, fix them the next time around, ride until confident, record, watch, and try again. 

When i felt exceptionally confident, i would throw it to the wolves on horse forums and let them pick me apart. If you have thick skin, it is a great way if a trainer isn't an option. 

It was just as effective as a normal trainer, just took 10x longer to get anywhere. Rather than immediate correction, you need to wait until the next ride to fix the problem. 

Then i found horseshow.com. I had one lesson there and loved it. Its also good for people who want to show, but because of distance, it is impossible. You still pay entry fees, but can win big money from winning.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BreanneAlter (Jul 2, 2014)

Oh i am sorry, i actually just read the title and answered that. As for training a horse, an untrained horse is not a project for a first time trainer, imo. It is different if you have access to a trainer (in person - hands on learning is nothing to be compromised here), but if you don't, i highly suggest not taking on this project. Being 13 years old, that horse is going to throw you around, frusterate you to no end, and may turn you sour to the idea of training. Not because you are bad at it, but one bad situation can subconciously make you resent everything about it. Make your first experience a good one. Wait until you can afford help.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## oobiedoo (Apr 28, 2012)

I really hope it was just a mistake that your post says he's a two month old quarter horse and you can saddle him. Please say it ain't so.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

oobiedoo said:


> I really hope it was just a mistake that your post says he's a two month old quarter horse and you can saddle him. Please say it ain't so.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


According to the OP's other thread, the horse is a 2-year-old.

Now, whose bright idea it was to get an unbroke 2yo as a first horse for a 13yo kid who doesn't appear to have much experience at all is another question entirely...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I am not a wolf. I'll give an honest crtique up to the level if my knowledge limits .
We aren't so bad. 


Question: gelded at two months. ? Isn't that very early ? Can one be sure both testicles have dropped by then?


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm thinking she meant 2 yr old. She had another thread asking for help...again...for a 2 yr old colt.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ian McDonald (Aug 24, 2011)

When you reach the age where you'll have to work for your money you'll begin to see why professionals don't give their time away for free and remain professionals for long. Instead of trying to get something for free you should be asking a different question like "what can I do to earn what I want". A membership to Giddyupflix.com could be a good way to start if there are no teachers near you. It's only a few dollars a month, which is a drop in the bucket compared to what it could end up costing trying to go it alone with a two-year old as your first attempt at training anything. But if that's not possible then just walk the horse out around your neighborhood providing you can control him okay. Yes, just like a dog. Read the ancient text "On Horsemanship" by Xenophon. He talks about these kinds of things and the education of horses. That's something you can find free online! And going for walks is tougher to mess up and will get you farther down the road than longeing when you don't know how to longe, or trying to back a colt when you have no experience backing colts. Or you can keep asking the same question in different ways until someone gives you an answer that you like.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horseNpony (Sep 27, 2013)

How much experience do you have? Sorry if i get this wrong but I'm just going to assume very little judging by your posts. Now, why would you buy a colt and yet have no money for a trainer? Before even buying a horse you should have thought about costs, and in that, a trainer. No one is going to train a horse for free, sorry if its harsh but its the truth. The only solutions i see is either pay for a trainer, leave the horse untrained, or sell the horse and buy something that will be better for you. You would do much better with a 15-20 year old, well broke horse.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

bethanyandrain said:


> *I have no money*.


You are speaking frankly .... therefore so will I. 

Horses are a luxury item. If you have no money, you need to evaluate if a horse is right for you. Namely, a horse will get hurt at sometime in its life. I can't remember having a horse that didn't have some sort of injury or health problem that cost money. Eventually, it will happen. Do you have the *money* to pay for vet bills when that happens?



bethanyandrain said:


> I have a colt that I need help with training. He is my first colt


Secondly, you are training a colt by yourself for the first time. Murphy's Law dictates that you will get hurt. Yes, it is possible you might get lucky and have an "easy" colt. It's possible. But not likely. Do you have the *money* (or insurance) to pay for a trip to the emergency room, or the doctor?



bethanyandrain said:


> I need some one to guide me through the proses day by day week by week month by month. I really don't want to screw up and have him turn into a monster.


If you truly don't want to screw him up, you will let him sit in a pasture for one year until you can get a 2nd job and save money to hire a trainer to help you. 

I'm not saying you have to ship him off to a trainer, but I am saying you need to have a trainer present with you when you work with him. 

He won't learn any bad habits being turned out in the pasture. He WILL learn bad habits if you continue to work with him and you don't know what you are doing. 

Would you fly in an airplane with someone who learned who to fly the plane _online_?
Would you get into a care with someone who learned to drive_ online_?
Would you play for a basketball coach who learned how to play basketball _online_?

It really, really baffles me when people think it is acceptable to learn how to train a horse online. You need HANDS-ON help. Period. 

The #1 key thing to training a horse is *timing*. You cannot learn timing from any video, book, or article. You learn timing from having a trainer standing there with you in person saying.... "No, you didn't release soon enough." ..... "Cue the horse now!" ..... "Give more right leg cue." ..... "There! Did you feel that?" .....

You need someone giving you instant feedback on what you are doing, so you can learn. 

In additional, horses communicate through their body language. If you don't know what to look for you are going to miss when the horse flares its nostrils right before it puts its head down to buck. You are going to miss when the horse turns its ears back right before it goes to nip at you. And so forth. Having a trainer their with you can point out the things a horse is doing so that you learn how to read the horse's body language. 

You have a horse. *A horse is a luxury item.* Find a way to pay to have a trainer help you. It may just save you from getting hurt, because trying to ride a 2-year-old colt for the first time when you are inexperienced is a great way to use up your insurance deductable (if you even have medical insurance).


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

ok im gunna say some stuff. If I would have to hire a trainer.. I would half to pay for it out of MY pocket, which is empty cause I just bought a saddle. Though I do have a dad who is loving enough to pay vet bills. Im not asking for someone who is super professional. Im asking someone to help from the kindness of their heart. Also im not scared of getting hurt. if I do, I do.

also I have trained a horse before. But never a colt


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

also... THAT WAS A MISTAKE IN THE POST! HE IS 2 YEARS. not to make it seam like im mad, just so people see


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

bethanyandrain said:


> ok im gunna say some stuff. If I would have to hire a trainer.. I would half to pay for it out of MY pocket, which is empty cause I just bought a saddle. Though I do have a dad who is loving enough to pay vet bills. Im not asking for someone who is super professional. Im asking someone to help from the kindness of their heart. Also im not scared of getting hurt. if I do, I do.
> 
> also I have trained a horse before. But never a colt


 
Well, if you can't afford it RIGHT NOW, then I would advise not riding and waiting till you can pay half. I just posted on your other thread.

OR ask your dad to pay for now, then pay him back.

Messing with a horse this young is not a case of "if I get hurt I get hurt"... you are not only risking yourself, but you are also giving this horse a REALLY unfair and bad start to his training.

Everyone wants to get on and be pro active, but you need to be sensible and think of what is best for HIS training and your health.

It takes two seconds to learn bad behaviour, and a life time to try and get rid of it.

An online trainer, or reading all the info you possibly can will not prepare you for everything you need to learn. it's timing, it's picking up signs... it's not something that can be read, it needs to be hands on advice.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

bethanyandrain said:


> also I have trained a horse before. But never a colt


If you ask me, training a horse is training a horse.
Colt=Horse
Not quite sure why it'd be any different?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Iseul said:


> If you ask me, training a horse is training a horse.
> Colt=Horse
> Not quite sure why it'd be any different?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Since the OP didn't go into great detail, it could mean two very different things. 

"Training a horse" could mean that you trained it how to sidepass, when it was _already broke to ride_. It could mean you trained it for simple lead changes. It could mean you trained it to neck rein. 

Whereas starting a colt from scratch who has never had a human being on its back before, is a completely different matter. 

So it depends what the OP meant. I'm assuming whatever horses she has trained before, have already been broke to ride, based on how she has explained herself thus far. She's making it sound like training a horse to ride is a new thing, unless she tells us otherwise. 



bethanyandrain said:


> I would half to pay for it out of MY pocket, which is empty cause I just bought a saddle.


That's fine. Then let him sit, while you get a job to pay for the trainer. A couple months (or longer) in the pasture isn't going to hurt a 2-year-old. 

Or ask your dad if he'd pay for lessons to help keep you SAFE. (I can't imagine a dad saying no to keeping their daughter safe .... all money aside, anyway.)



bethanyandrain said:


> Also im not scared of getting hurt. if I do, I do.


May I ask how old you are?

I do not mean any offense by this, but this is a very immature response and leads me to believe you are quite young and "invincible" like most youth are. You don't seem to understand that you can SERIOUSLY get hurt. For example, if you get bucked off, it is very easy to land in such a way that you break a rib. When your ribs break, you can easily puncture your lung. That is life-threatening and can KILL you.

If you hit your head when you fall off, it does not take much pressure at all to give yourself a concussion, or worse, a brain contusion with brain swelling .... again, life threatening. 

So to say that "I'm not scared of getting hurt" is a rather _stupid_ thing to say. Because injuries can every easily turn life-threatening when you involve a 1,000 pound animal with a mind of its own.

Yes, accidents can happen with ANY horse no matter how old the horse is or how experienced they are. But the RISK is the greatest when you are dealing with a young horse who has NEVER had anyone on his back before. Things can go wrong in the blink of an eye, if you are not experienced. (And sometimes even if you are.)

We are just concerned for your* safety. *


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Like I said before. In the middle of a training session your colt isn't going to wait for your "online trainer" to get back to you with your question. There are something's, like timing (which is probably the single most important thing in horse training), you just CANNOT learn over the internet.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

Beau, I would assume since she said it so matter-of-factly, she's insinuating that she's _ trained _ a horse before. I highly doubt she's trained an unbroke horse by 13 (I believe that's her age), but I wouldn't put it past someone of such an age to say so, I'm sure my cousin has said it before when she was taking lessons.

That's just how I took the comment though, I could very well be wrong.

I did forget to comment on the "If I get hurt, I get hurt" though. That is an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. I guess to put it bluntly it's true, but I sure wouldn't put it that way. Sure, I'm not afraid of getting hurt, but I'm most definitely going to try to avoid it or take simple precautions to it if I can (which you CAN in this case).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I'm trying really hard to not sound rude but online training is something you might use to learn how to knit, a new language, cooking......but not horses
You can find lots of video's and articles that are free and some that aren't too expensive that are worth having and studying, you can come here to the forum and ask for ideas and advice but it won't be the same as having an experienced person at your side to take over if something goes horribly wrong
The thing with horses is that mistakes can take a lot of correcting so its best to avoid making too many
Why not carry on with all the basic handling for now and give the horse a year before you break him and have some money saved.
You really do need someone assisting when you first start a horse under saddle


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

by "im not scared of getting hurt" I meant, im prepared for it to happen and I know it will happen. I know im not invincible but being around horses often means being to the ER a couple times in your life.

Also to the people wondering about the training in my other horse. When I got her she was nearly unridable and was a rude little brat. I have trained her to where now she is a pleasant young mare with so much respect towards me


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I'm also not /afraid/ of getting hurt, but that doesn't mean that I go out of my way to put myself in situations that will get me hurt. Horses /are/ dangerous, absolutely. But, if you're smart, you can avoid unsafe situations. At age 22, I have been riding for 15 years: I have shown, trained horses from the ground up (with help, of course!), and taken more lessons than I can count. The worst I have ever gotten from a horse or horseback riding was a cracked rib and have never gone to the emergency room. So, no, going to the ER isn't inevitable.

People on this thread just want you to be safe and be smart. The internet really isn't the way to get good at training. 
Do you have any more experienced friends that may be able to help you out in person?


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

Ok for some reason people think I am TRYING to get hurt. No im not. im avoiding it every way I can that's why I came here is for people to give me tips so I don't get hurt. why in the world would I try to get myself hurt? Im not saying I want to! im saying im prepared for it to happen!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Can you please be clear about what you actually want advice on because there are so many different stages of handling, breaking and riding


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

I just want some one who can help quide me through the process


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Instead of looking online for this help have you thought about looking around to see if you can work it off at a barn or trainer? Clean stalls in trade for help etc.

If nothing else then earn some money and get colt starting DVDs from the trainers I mentioned before.

And please for the love of god. WEAR A HELMET and don't try and back this colt without adult supervision.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

You are asking for a thousands-of-dollars worth of service to be provided (with constant input) from the kindness of one's heart, plus with liability issues which come from teaching an under age person ONLINE to train a young, unpredictable, untrained horse... Please, look at this situation realistically. The best you can do now is to turn your colt out in the pastures for a year or more (honestly, he won't lose a thing from that!) and, if even possible, look for a job to be able to pay a professional for a hands-on job later on!


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## Ian McDonald (Aug 24, 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzPJoRjvM2U&index=13&list=UUkpeEEUvrYZiKP5CeLYHm_A

She puts it so beautifully true. And if you don't like Carolyn, find another one!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

OP, nowhere in my post did I suggest that you are /trying/ to get hurt. What I am suggesting is that you are being careless, and don't seem to have an issue with that. I don't think your overly protective father would be too down with such behavior--but I could be wrong. I'm getting the feeling that you're not understanding the magnitude of the situation.

I'm not sure if someone else mentioned this (I think they might have), but maybe you could work out some sort of barter? You mentioned that you have trained at least green broke horses before--maybe there is someone in your area who will help you train your colt in exchange for services? IE-mucking out stalls, grooming, tacking, maybe exercise riding on occasion... 
Regardless, I think you need help outside of what the internet can provide... For free, no less.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

bethanyandrain said:


> Also to the people wondering about the training in my other horse. When I got her she was nearly unridable and was a rude little brat. I have trained her to where now she is a pleasant young mare with so much respect towards me


Trust me. Retraining a horse and training one from scratch are two completely different things.

My first horse was a retraining project. He was rude, pushy, spooky, and a handful under saddle. His owners sent him to my friend (who I worked for lunging her horses) to be retrained and because he and I clicked, she assigned me to retrain him from the ground up. I had her there to help me if I had an issue or a question, but I did most of it on my own. In the almost two years I worked with him, I transformed him into a quiet, respectful, easy-to-handle sweetheart that we used as a bareback lesson horse in a French link snaffle. Then, he was taken back by his owners.

My next horse (who I still have) was an untrained, virtually unhandled 2yo draft cross stud colt. I can tell you right now that training him has been absolutely and completely different than retraining my old gelding. With my old gelding, he knew what I wanted and what I was asking for. With my 2yo, he absolutely had no clue. The way I had to approach things was completely different. 

I still have my 2yo. He's now a 5yo and has great ground manners. It's not been easy and we're still working on saddle training. He's broke, but still VERY green (mostly my fault). It's been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and money.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

bethanyandrain said:


> I just want some one who can help quide me through the process


The fact that you can't even specify what part of the process you are at/ where you want this "training" to begin tells us that you don't even know what you are asking for and definitely don't know what you are doing enough to be going at this without a real life in person qualified trainer.

Let the horse sit in the pasture while you start saving up the money for one, if you must keep him. He will be happy there and won't get ruined in the process.


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

I have said where I am a couple times in both posts and ill say it again. He leads pretty good lets me fully saddle him and sit on him. sometimes lets ride (for a very short time of course) he picks up his two front feet fine and lets me clean them. right now im working on the back feet and desensitizing with a tarp


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

My question now would be why you're progressing to work under saddle when he's still having trouble lunging, and doesn't lead perfectly? With babies, it's very important to take one step at a time...


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

It was just to see how he would do and I was surprized at how good it was


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

So the steps you should be taking based on that is more ground work and manners....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

IMO I think this is disgusting. How people can offer advice in good conscious to a CHILD trying to break out a colt that has ALREADY HURT HER. 

Offering training advice in a dangerous situation without seeing the situation in full, to an inexperienced person, is DANGEROUS. 

Bethany, do yourself a favor and sell the horse before you get hurt.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Hope that's not at me^^^ 
I didn't know shed been hurt.

But really people are gonna do what the feel like regardless of what others advice.

The best you can do is advice the safest thing for them in the situation.....wear a helmet, never do anything alone....GET A TRAINER.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Roperchick said:


> Hope that's not at me^^^
> I didn't know shed been hurt.
> 
> But really people are gonna do what the feel like regardless of what others advice.
> ...


No no it's not directed towards anyone specifically. It's in general. An yes she has already been kicked by this thing once that she's told us


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

He kicked but it didn't hurt me. He barely got me


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Yup, she corrected her mistake, you just missed it. It's a 2 yr old. She came asking for help and got a bunch of lectures and criticism. If someone can take the time to write a lengthy dissertation finding fault, surely they can better use the time to offer her helpful advice.


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

Saddlebag said:


> Yup, she corrected her mistake, you just missed it. It's a 2 yr old. She came asking for help and got a bunch of lectures and criticism. If someone can take the time to write a lengthy dissertation finding fault, surely they can better use the time to offer her helpful advice.


 yes. See this people please listen to it ª


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Ok. Don't saddle/ ride until he is light as a feather on the end of a lead rope.

When he leads like you have nothing on the other end of your lead come back and we can discuss something else.

Training is building a good solid foundation. From your posts, he does not have a solid foundation at all. I'm not sure if he has three bricks as a foundation wall.

If he won't pick up his back feet, why think he us ready for the saddle? 

I think many people worry on giving advice to a minor who knows not much. I would feel hideously guilty if I said, "do x, y, z" and she did that but didn't see me doing x, y, z, so she missed the nuances and became mentally or physically disabled due to my online advice.


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## ojzab (Aug 6, 2014)

My 12 year old daughter takes groundwork lessons on-line, which means I videotape her and then she has a Skype session with her trainer and they watch the video together and discuss it + set goals. But she also has local people who watch over her sessions and do help if needed. She's given a lot of freedom, but she is never on her own. 

On-line lessons can be a wonderful tool, but they are not cheap, not cheaper than in-person lessons. We can afford them only 1-2 times a month, but because she has a lot of other support between the lessons, she's progressing nicely. 

You need to establish a local support network of people who would give you a hand. Start with your parents. At your age, they are (and should be) your first support. Talk to them about your goals and your needs and I'm sure together you can find a way for you to achieve your goals. 

Start volunteering. Find ways to help others. Keep on learning. Ask your parents to help you facilitate learning opportunities for you. Take baby steps in the right direction. Good luck.


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

Bring up to your parents that you need an instructor/trainer to help. offer to do chores and work it off if they will pay for these lessons.

colt starting isn't just something you can wake up and do. it takes years of experience and help from more experienced people to get it right. alot can go wrong and ruin a horse and rider in the process.

we all want to help, we all want you and the horse to be successful and we all want you to be SAFE. and honestly the safest thing is to get a trainer.

It cant hurt to ask your parents for help. that's what they're there for.


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## bethanyandrain (Aug 10, 2014)

ok if I asked for a trainer. my dad would probably say that we shouldn't even have a colt then, so, ya. and how do I get experience if I never have a first?


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

bethanyandrain said:


> ok if I asked for a trainer. my dad would probably say that we shouldn't even have a colt then, so, ya. and how do I get experience if I never have a first?


You get the experience by working WITH a trainer, who teaches you timing, feel, etc. You learn everything you can from someone who is there and is infinitely more knowledgable than yourself and can say "When he does this, you do this" right in the moment.

If your dad would say "We shouldn't even have a colt" when you ask for help with a trainer, why on God's green earth would he buy you an unbroke young horse in the first place? Methinks there's more to this story than meets the eye. Even my parents, who are about as non-horsey as you can get, know enough to know that a trainer is needed with an unbroke horse. When I told them that I pretty much broke my gelding in myself, I thought they were going to kill me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

Someday, you'll be more capable of training your first young horse. It doesn't have to be now, and it doesn't have to be soon. I know it's been said and I'm sorry to repeat it, but I think you've bitten off more than you can chew at this point in time. It's not that you'll never be ready, it's that you need a helping hand along the way, and if you don't have that right now then maybe you should try to wait until the point in your life where you do. Experience comes with time and hard work with the guidance of someone who has been there and done that. 

In the meantime, if you insist on working with the horse, please be cautious... You may not be afraid of yourself getting hurt, but you can bet your bottom dollar that there are people who are.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

bethanyandrain said:


> ok if I asked for a trainer. my dad would probably say that we shouldn't even have a colt then, so, ya. and how do I get experience if I never have a first?


Most people who start their first colts do so under the eyes of a trainer. Or they work with a trainer and helping them start their colts. Or watch the trainer start horses. It's like learning to swim, you can't teach someone by throwing them in the deep end or chucking them in an ocean and just barking commands at them. They need to learn in the shallow end, with an instructor who will, if need be, give hand over hand instruction.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Roperchick (Feb 1, 2010)

so you'd rather go behind your parents backs and get ONLINE help????
because that always works out SO well.

Im sensing some gaps in this situation. as drafty said, how did you wind up with a 2yr old unbroke colt? do your parents have experience? aunt, uncle, grandma, anybody?

its not shameful to ask for help. go at it like a responsible young woman instead of a child afraid of getting her horse taken away.

you would like somebody there with you who can teach you safe techniques and progress your knowledge and learning.

you want to make sure its done right, while being responsible and safe so you and this horse can have a long riding career together.

you feel this would be beneficial for the future for both you and the horse and you are willing to work in exchange for these lessons.

proposing this to an adult with a positive attitude, having a well thought out plan, and showing responsibily can do nothing but help you in this case.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

bethanyandrain said:


> by "im not scared of getting hurt" I meant, im prepared for it to happen and I know it will happen. I know im not invincible but being around horses often means being to the ER a couple times in your life.
> 
> Also to the people wondering about the training in my other horse. When I got her she was nearly unridable and was a rude little brat. I have trained her to where now she is a pleasant young mare with so much respect towards me


Is this the same mare that runs to other horses, cars, and grandmas?


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## ojzab (Aug 6, 2014)

SlideStop said:


> Most people who start their first colts do so under the eyes of a trainer. Or they work with a trainer and helping them start their colts. Or watch the trainer start horses. It's like learning to swim, you can't teach someone by throwing them in the deep end or chucking them in an ocean and just barking commands at them. They need to learn in the shallow end, with an instructor who will, if need be, give hand over hand instruction.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Maybe this is not the best of analogies, as 30-40 years ago this is exactly how most children learned to swim in the Socialist Europe--by being thrown into the deep end. My husband was tossed into the deep end, and he swam out. I did have a light flotation belt when I was thrown into the pool, lucky me. 

This is not how I'd want to teach my children to swim, but there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say. And this relates both to horsemanship and swimming.

It is ideal to start a horse under a mentorship of an experienced and gifted trainer. The truth is, there are many trainers who are simply not experienced themselves and certainly the majority are not gifted. Still, people manage.

If the OP is determined and is willing to learn, her age doesn't matter much. If anything, age is at her favor. At 13 she is open to learning new things, while I've met too many 40 year old know-it-alls.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

It's certainly not safe or preferred to just throw someone out into the deep end and let them "swim it out". That's a great way to traumatize or kill someone, really. I agree there is more then one way to do most things, but would you want surgery by a someone who "just manages"? Would you want your car fixed by someone who "manages"? How about a new roof by a someone who "manages"? Training a 1,000lb animal is no joke. This isn't knitting or photography. It's serious. When a horse (or another person) is at the mercy of your hands you should want to do it the very best you can. I teach riding lessons, I'm never going to throw my beginner kids on an advanced horse and let them "ride it out". Anyone who is "managing" should be striving to do the very best they can because at the end of the day it the person/animals on the other end of the "managing" who get the short end of the stick. 

Can a 13 year old train a horse? Absolutely! Can a 13 year old with minimum experience training horse, a baby that's already been proven to be difficult and no resources train a horse? Sure, but at what expense? Her own? The horses? I don't see how this can end well. Anyone with half a brain can break a horse, but it take someone with knowledge to do it right! They don't have to be gifted or perfect, but they do need to have a "tool box" of skills to get the job done right.
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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

^ I think this was well said.


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