training a 8 month old TB

Question
I am getting ready to buy an 8 month old TB colt. He has been turned out in a field and was not imprinted. He has a halter on and has picked up on leading within 15 minutes of working with him. I know he is going to be ALOT of work. What is your best advice to giving him good ground manners? Is there any safe way to get him used to traffic safely? Please give any advice you can. I have grown up around horses and I have broke my miniature horse stallion to drive so i have some experiance but a big tb is going to be alot sronger and im only 5'4" and 125 lbs. I just dont want to colt to take over. I am getting him gelded asap.. is this a good idea and should i take advantage of him being sore and train him while he is still sore? thanks, Tara

Answer
Tara,
the first thing you need to do with the colt, is establish dominance and respect. You need to show him that you are the dominant one...but that you will still respect him, as long as he respects you.
You have him at a perfect age to start that kind of training. For example, when you start leading him, it he starts pulling away, resisting or rearing, try to stop him, and once he does, walk up to him and rub him on the forehead, telling him he is a good boy...just simple things like that.
It is very important that you dont overdue the amount of time spent in your training, because he is still so young. At that age, they have a very short attention span.

To get him used to traffic...1st start be bringing him to a car and let him see it and sniff it. After he is ok with that, back up about 50 feet, and ask someone to start the car. If he is frightened, or tries to run, calm him down and keep the car running, until he is calm, then end it at that for the day.

The next time you work with him, start from where you ended. So ask someone to start the car, and drive around you and the horse.

Next time you work with him, bring him on a road where a little amount of cars pass. (make sure you show him to walk on the right side. )

Once he is fine with that, take him for a little walk down a busy road.
once he is ok with that, take him for walks around cars alot, and after a few times of doing that, he will be totally fine.

If i were you, i wouldn't take advantage of him being sore. (after getting gelded)...for the simple reason that the next time you go get him for training, he will remember '' it hurt me last time we did this''...and he might connect it to that for a while. So i would wait until he is better.
That will also show him that you respect the fact he is in pain, and that you are giving him that break until he gets better.

Good luck and have fun:)