Professional trainer

Question
Hi,
I am going to be sending a Filly to a pro trainer the trainer is natural and I am just wondering what the best age would be to sent her at ?

Answer
Kimberley,

This will probably come as a shock to you but I wouldn't send her before she was at least 3.5 yrs. old.  I, personally, think 4 is best.  This is if he's going to be training her for riding.  I assume she's had all the necessary ground work already.  I she's going to need that first then 3.5 would be fine.  

Most people don't realize that a horse is simply not structurally ready for riding until they are 4 or nearly so.  I know, I know, they do it with racehorses but they also aren't looking to have them usable for anything when they are older.  Dr. Deb Bennet determined that horse's skeltons are not fully grown until they are 8!  Like humans, horses get most of their growth between birth and 3 yrs. but the structural strength is not there yet.  So, if you want a horse that is still usable at 15 you'll wait until she's grown enough to do the work she's going to be asked to do.  

Patience is the key with youngsters.  Patience to let them grow and mature and patience to teach them what they need to know for the use for which they are intended.  You can do a lot before she goes as far as teaching her and getting her ready for training.  

You don't say how old she is.  By 6 mos. they should have good ground manners, know how to walk nicely on a lead beside you, tie and stand quietly for grooming.  I teach my youngsters the words "walk", "stand", "whoa" and "back".  They learn about clippers and blankets.  At 2 I start working with them for short periods on the lunge line.  There they learn to trot on command, even canter a little and I start doing some ground driving with them.  I like to teach my youngsters to drive at about 2.5 yrs.  and then I drive them for a year or so.  Lets me put a mouth on them, teach them manners and do some light work with them on trails to get some condition on them and teach them about the world.  They go out with company, either another horse being driven for them to follow or with horses that are ridden.  They encounter all kinds of stuff on the trails, learn to go through water, etc.  By the time I actually put a saddle on them it's very much a non-event.  At my age that's important because I don't bounce well anymore!   :).  

I invest a lot of time in the horses I train which pays off in the long run with well-behaved, well trained horses that remain sound most if not all their lives.  Sorry if this seems like I'm preaching but this is a sore subject with me.  I will not take a horse for training if it is too young and will not put solid deadlines on benchmarks because each horse learns at a different rate.  

Lyn