young horse

Question
hi
i just bought myself an irish draught hes 2, i dont think the previous owers bothered with him much as we are finding it hard to put his head collar on him,,,he seems nasty to, im to scared at the moment to go into the field with him i stay in the paddock behind the wooden fence, i just dont know what hes going to do next,,hes nasty to the little shetland in with him when we are around and hes put his ears back and turned to kick at my 3 year child,, i think i need to have someone to have a look at him cause im getting no-where with him,, im getting him gelded this week,,

Answer
Hi Ceri!

Yes, you should stay away from him for now and especially your children too.  Yes, he should be gelded immediately and lastly, yes...you need to have a professional trainer come out and evaluate your situation.

Have the trainer out, discuss your goals and decide on a course of action that is best for this baby horse.

You did not say why you purchased an untrained baby...but, you must know that it can take years to correctly train him to be a trusted and trusting working partner.  I mean years.

This breed matures very slowly, both mentally and physically....so you need to be patient and be willing to spend the time and money to make him good and solid.

A professional trainer will also give YOU the necessary training so that you will be able to handle this baby with confidence...something you are lacking right now.

Make sure this is what you want to do for the next 2 or 3 years of your life.  Having this baby horse is like having a human baby...and I do not have to tell you how time consuming that is!  He will require your constant and consistent working with him so that he never backslides out of his training.

Get some hands-on help and allow the trainer to help you decide if this is something you really want to have the responsibility of doing.

Solange