Raising a young horse

Question
QUESTION: I would like to buy a young horse to bring on and raise myself,to eventually be my own riding horse. I have read alot of information about working with foals from a young age, but the horse I am interested in buying is about 1 year old. He has been halter broken, lead and tied up and groomed but thats it. Will I still be able to bond with the horse and teach him manners etc from this age or has he already passed the crucial stage for developing such a bond? Thanks for your time and help.

ANSWER: If you are asking about "imprinting", then you have missed that window.  Imprinting, while highly controversial, can only be done as far as I know during the first few hours after birth.

If you are asking about a deep meaningful bond, the kind where your horse knows instinctively when you are on your way to see him, then this can be developed at any age.  This kind of bond is built upon dedication, love, and time spent with your horse.

Any horse at any age can be taught manners, tricks, etc.  The older a horse and more set in his ways, the more dedication required to change his behavior.  However, you can always retrain a horse, always.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response, I have one further question which is much more general. My horse is to be turned out in quite a large field with a couple of other horses (which are fine to catch). I have a friend however who has experienced lots of difficulties when trying to catch her youngster who also lives out. Do you have any tips on catching horses, stopping problems before they start and then solutions if they do become difficult to catch? Thank you again for your time.

Answer
Sometimes it is easiest to train the young ones by bringing in the whole group or herd at once.  The thing you must remember is to make it fun for the horse!  Sometimes this means a carrot.  Sometimes this means a special fun grooming or training session.  Each horse has his own idea of fun, so your friend will have to try a few things to figure her horse  out.  If your friend seems more exciting than the herd, then she should have no problems catching her horse.