Why our horses’ foundation shapes the remainder of their life.
The one constant that kept me in business when I was working out of my family farm was this -there were a lot of horses with little to no foundation of training on them. Or oftentimes they were started well, and then sold to people who didn’t foster that training, so the foundation became weak. The first ride, first 30 days, even first year of a horse’s training will either set them up for success or failure. It’s like the foundation of a home. A house built on a strong foundation will last and be able to endure storms. A house with a weak foundation will crumble with time. The same concept applies to our horses.
Specializing in colt starting and re-training horses really opened my eyes to just how many people struggle with their horses. And it’s often not the horse’s fault, but our own. They are a byproduct of us, a reflection of how we treat them. But in many instances, I would quickly realize that the horse had very little basic knowledge. Simple things that should've been instilled as a 3yo, were completely missing. Again, not the horse’s fault. What happens more often than not is we try to build on a thin foundation. So the horse doesn’t have any lateral suppleness, and we try to teach the side pass. Or we have no hip control, and we want a lead change. This is a recipe for disaster, and it’s extremely unfair to the horse.
Before you know it, the horse is frustrated and confused, the rider is frustrated, and more rides become unsuccessful and unproductive. In more extreme scenarios, the horse begins to resent his job and becomes dangerous. It turns into a downward spiral quickly.
So what’s the solution? If you’re looking to buy, find out how the horse was started. Try to understand what that looked like. Was he rushed into his career at a young age because of his natural ability? Or did somebody take their time with him, teaching him how to enjoy learning at whatever pace was best for him?
If you own already and feel that you could relate to some of what I said above, don’t fret! It’s never too late to help further our horse’s education. Even if that looks like taking a few steps back to build from the ground up again. I promise it’ll make the world’s difference.
My best girl Macchi. I taught her everything she knew, and she became my horse of a lifetime.
How I can be so sure about this is because I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I’ve trained horses with poor fundamentals, and I’ve trained ones that had a great start to them. The difference in willingness and trainability is night and day. The colts I’d start myself became dependable and secure mounts for their owners. Not because I’m better than the other horsemen out there, but because I understood the importance of instilling a proper education in these young horses. Gaining control of their entire body, from the poll to their tail. Teaching them how to be responsive to the lightest of aids. Teaching them how to be brave and think through scary situations. All of this takes a tremendous amount of patience and time because the horse is just starting to learn. He doesn’t even know how to learn in the early stages of riding. But by doing right by him in this infant stage, he’ll prosper into a happier and overall more enjoyable partner.
The best part is, it doesn’t matter the discipline or breed of horse! A solid foundation applies to it all. Often, you’ll see beautifully bred Warmbloods go to a cowboy for their first 60 days of riding. That cowboy has the same generalized approach to those Warmbloods as he does his Quarter Horses. While there are obvious factors to consider and respect, the overall picture remains the same: get the horse quiet, responsive, and respectful, with formal education that’ll set him up for whatever is next.
One of the most rewarding things I’ve experienced was being a part of the colt’s learning. Seeing them evolve into an entirely different animal, in a relatively short amount of time, never grew old. Knowing they have a strong start and have their whole life ahead of them to prosper, is what makes this sport so unique. I will continue to stress the importance of this part of their lives, for the sake of the horse and its people!
If you’re reading this and have thoughts or questions, feel free to inquire via email. I’m always happy to talk about this topic more!