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Breaking In
This is the term used when mounting the horse for the first time. After sufficient ground work such as handling, lunging and long reining have been done, then the breaking in process can begin, this way the horse will already have a basic understanding of wearing tack, voice commands, steering and stopping.
You Will Need
An experienced rider, assistant and the trainer, who should all be wearing hard hats, gloves and sensible footwear, and it is recommended that the rider also wears a body protector. You will need an enclosed arena that is free from jumps, cones and any other object that may have been left in there, a saddle, bridle, lunge line, a quiet day with plenty of time and lots of patience. Every horse is different to break in, some pick up things very quickly and are attentive, obliging and keen to learn, while others need a bit more time and patience until they feel happy with what you are asking them to do. The main thing to remember is, do not rush the horse, take your time to help the horse to understand and you will be rewarded later with an attentive happy horse who understands what is being asked of them.
- Start by lunging the horse and once warmed up allow the stirrups to hang down to accustom the horse to the feeling of having something at their side. Lunging will also help to relax the young horse and make them responsive and attentive to the voice commands given in preparation for mounting.
- The next step is to have the trainer holding the horse by the lunge line and standing still, and have the assistant give the rider a leg up so that they are lying over the saddle. This will accustom the horse to the weight of the rider as well as having the rider in a position to dismount quickly if required. This process of lying over the saddle can be repeated daily until the horse settles and is relaxed, once relaxed then the horse can be walked on with the rider positioned in the same way. This exercise may need to be done daily until the horse accepts the riders weight.
- When the horse will happily stand still with the rider lying across their back in halt and in walk then the horse is ready to be mounted.
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- The experienced trainer will hold the horse and the rider will be given a leg up by the assistant. The rider will place both feet into the stirrups while keeping their weight off the saddle. Once aboard both trainer and rider need to praise and reassure the horse and then the rider can gently sit down easing their weight into the saddle. If the horse is still relaxed then the trainer can ask the horse to walk on, for a few strides and then halt. If the horse is unsure then the horse should simply be asked to stand still with the rider aboard, to help to accustom him to the feel of the rider and then repeat the exercise the next day, this way you will gradually and positively build up the horses confidence.
- When the horse is relaxed with the rider onboard the trainer should ask the horse to walk on whilst still staying on the lunge on an approximate twenty meter circle, when the voice command is given to walk on, the rider should gently nudge with their legs to also ask the horse to walk on, then the trainer should ask the horse to halt and when the voice command is given the rider should gently apply pressure through the reins to the bit. The same can be done for trot transitions with the rider backing up what the trainer is asking for. This way of training the horse is ideal, as the horse is already familiar with walk and halt commands and the rider is simply backing this knowledge up further and helping the horse to understand what you are asking of them.
- When the horse feels ready then the trainer can take off the lunge line and the horse can be ridden around the menage, where steering and stopping can be practiced.
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