# What to do with a yearling?



## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

IMO, you don't need to join up with him any more at-all. If you do it too often, it will become just another task for your colt, and he will get nothing out of it.

I'm a believer in join-up, but only as an introductory maneuver. Sort of a 'hi, how are you, I'm the boss, so shape up and we'll be just fine together' deal. It wasn't meant to take place of lunging, and really- if your colt is only a year old or so, he shouldn't be doing any form of lunging/joining up, etc- until he's done with his major growth.

I'd continue working with him at desensatising, though. Make sure he doesn't mind having his ears fondled, touch every inch of his body, run foreign objects over him, wave flags and bags around him, swing ropes, flick his legs with them- you want him as bomb proof as possible, because it will help tremendously later on.

Also, try carrot stretches and yielding. If you teach him to yield to pressure at the poll, the bridge of his nose, both shoulders, and hindquarters, he'll already have the basic riding fundamentals when you finally get on him.

Learning to pivot, back, sidestep, drop his head for a bit, and teaching him voice cues (walk, trot, back...I'd refrain from cantering at all until he's atleast two and a half) will come in handy.

You could also teach him to ground drive. In this way, he can learn to give to the bit, walk out confidently by himself, and take directions. Who knows? You might just want to train him to pull a cart later on ^^

Otherwise, I'd say just enjoy him. They're only babies once!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Look up the Parelli 7 Games you can play with your horse and PLAY with him. He's a baby and has a high play drive. The games will also be teaching him things but they are just fun to do with babies too. Get him big ball or Jolly ball and some traffic cones that can be in his pasture and that he's allowed to play with and toss around, he'll entertain himself for hours. Otherwise, just spend as much time with him as you can, building your relationship by grooming and loving on him. That's really enough for a youngster like that. 

If you have obstacles and a trailer, you can take him for walks and teach him how to walk over certain obstacles, how to load and unload on a trailer when you don't need to take him somewhere, take him into a wash rack and teach him how to stand there and be groomed, get him used to water being sprayed all over him, let him play with the spray and the hose...OMIGOSH there's a million things you can do with him that will teach him not to be scared of stuff and teach him to look to you for leadership and fun.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I would introduce him to clippers( I just did this with my yrling and she just stood there for the most part and in may you couldn't really get near her without spooking) also sack her out.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I would do some Clinton Anderson things. Yielding FQ/HQ, Lunging for Respect, etc. 

While I do agree with Endiku on the fact that lunging CAN be bad for a baby, but he's a yearling, and his legs aren't going to fall off and he's not going to drop dead if you do a little bit of working time  IMO Colts need the time to be building muscle, cause there is a big differance between lunging until they develop problems and lunging until they develop fitness (And respect!)

I would get him a little baby horse snaffle, start desnsitizing him to that and teaching him to supple up to the bridle. No harm in that, and if they are supple as youngsters then theres a benefit. You don't need to do this every day, just once every couple months until he is two and then start really getting him ready for a first ride...Of course, depends on when you want to start him too. If you don't want to start him at two years, I'd just saddle and bridle him once and not touch him again until the year before you want to ride.


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## Lauren Woodard (Jul 7, 2010)

I'd like to suggest that "Join up" is just that. It's not some huge task that you only do once or twice. It's a way of being with your horse. While the initial moves to get it might be a bit of moving (I'm not espousing one way over the other) the idea is that the horse enjoy being with you and come when you want. This isn't something that you only want once or twice. You want this every time you're with your horse. Get past the idea that join-up is a task. There will not be a time when you go to do something with your horse and you want him to run off.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Look up the Parelli 7 Games you can play with your horse and PLAY with him. He's a baby and has a high play drive.


And then what happens when he is too big to 'play'? People get hurt because the horse thinks hes a lab. 1000 pounds is a horse, not a dog.

Sorry. 

As a yearling, they need manners - period. Too much fussing and futzing makes it difficult to train down the road. They don't understand the work ethic, they just want to coo and cuddle.

Our yearling loads, ponies on trail - including walking in water, stands tied, stands for grooming and hoof trimming, baths and will walk over the items we have out for trail training of our saddle horses. 

I have never 'played' with her and she has done all of the above mentioned tasks without questioning. She has daily turnout with an 'uncle' gelding who has been putting manners on my colts for the last 15 years.

I expect manners and respect from all of my horses. Our vets and farrier very much appreciate them. Bottom line, she's a horse and I treat her like one.


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## Hrankin (Sep 22, 2011)

Thank-you to everyone that has replied, i didn't think it would be read let alone people posting a reply.

Well i did it again (join up) today and he was the same. 
I looked up the Parelli 7 Games, but didn't get it. It just seemed to be bombproofing a horse. 
I want to start his proper training at two or two 1/2 so what bridle should i get him for now and how would i measure his mouth for a bit. He only has a tiny mouth. I want to jump him later, he has seen trotting poles and been over them in walk and trot and showed no interest just popped over them fine . 

Thankyou 

Hannah and Valentino 
xx


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

You could always use a piece of parachute string or cotton/nylon, fasten a clip to the bit you're using, and make loops in the string that goes around his poll every 1/2 inch or so. That way you'll have an easy release, cheap, adjustable bridle for him without spending $50 every few months. That's what I'm using for my filly, who up until now was taking the whole bridling process very poorly.

Lauren Woodard- to me, it doesn't make sense to continuously join up with a horse. I personally expect my horses to respect me and allow me to do whatever the heck I please with them, without having to remind them every few days who's boss (ofcourse, with a mare, I end up having to do it anyways, but it's usually just a well timed swat that will do the trick, not ten minutes of running around a pen). besides, at only a year old or so, this colt really should not be running every few days as hard (a good canter at-least) as is needed for correct joinup.

Sorrelhorse- I disagree. A very limited amount of lunging might be fine for a colt or filly, but I do not see a point in running them for 'fitness.' at this point, they're gangly and uncoordinated. Lunging is just another way to hurt themselves, as most colts and fillies are very clumsy when cantering at this age. If they want to run around in their pasture, fine. But regulated exercise in circles...I personally wouldn't do it. You may dissagree, but as I see it, you can condition and develope a horse just as well walking up and down hills and trotting as you can cantering. Maybe even more. I'd much rather do that with leg wraps for thirty minutes than run my young one for even five.


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

mls said:


> And then what happens when he is too big to 'play'? People get hurt because the horse thinks hes a lab. 1000 pounds is a horse, not a dog.
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> ...


 
I have to agree. I never got into the whole "game" thing with my filly. Honestly, I had to teach her that she was big enough to hurt me, so I treated her like a full grown horse on the ground. I never encouraged her to play with me. I wanted her to look at me as an older horse, like her dam, not like a play mate or another foal. It worked, she had a lot of respect. 

I taught this stuff my filly's yearling year:
-Tying (without pulling back or panic)
-Leading (forward, back, yielding hind quarters, etc)
-Brush everywhere calmly 
-Touching ears. Honestly I used to play with my filly's ears all the time to get her used to it. I could scratch them like you would a dogs.
-Pick up all 4 feet and clean them with a hoofpick (including "tapping" the sides with the hoofpick to get them used to tapping, in case they need shoes)
-Bathe calmly
-If I had a trailer, I would have taught her to load and trailer calmly.
-Basics of lunging. (mostly for respect)
-Controlling fear.
-Staying out of my space.
-Going for walks.
-Desensitizing to loud noises.
-Sacking out (blankets, bags, saddle, etc)
-Yielding head on the ground and basic bending
-Clippers (all over) including ears, feet, bridle path and nose.


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## Lauren Woodard (Jul 7, 2010)

The words "join-up" don't mean run around. You're missing the point there. And every time you get your horse you're asking that he join up with you as in: go where you want and do as you ask willing. That's what join up means.


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