colt training

Question
Hi I have a two year old gelding who by the way is the sweetest thing! But I am wanting to train him on my own (No I have never done this)He has been around us since day one so he is very trustworhty of me I am able to sadle and mount him, he will go if someone leads him but i cant get him to move with me in the sadle.i have not yet got him to longe for me either. I dont realy know how to start. hope you can help !!

Answer

Ricky and Sky Hi Becky!

Congratulations and what a wonderful journey you are starting on!

I do need for you to understand that starting a colt is about like building a car from the asphalt up!  There is a lot to do and learn for both of you, horse and human!  I have been starting my own horses and learning from the age of 7!  I have spent the last 12 years learning the Buckaroo/Vaquero style of horsemanship and what truly good horsemanship is all about.  There is no quick or easy way to learn all of the things you need to learn to start a colt with quality.  It is a LOT of reading, watching, attending clinics, asking questions, and finding teachers and mentors that are totally fixated on quality horsemanship.  How I can best help you is to put you on a path to find the quality information.  This might sound simple, it is not.  There are so many people out there that may have good intentions, but that can really get you and your horse into trouble.  DO NOT accept second rate help.  Avoid  the folks that mean well, but really do not have a clue about real colt starting!  

Here is my plan of action for you:  Start by reading my past answers on colt starting.  Then I want you to start working your way through the resource list on my website, it is posted on the "training" page.  The most important information that I want you to memorize FIRST is the "Ground Work" dvd and book by Buck Brannaman.  It clearly illustrates the basics of good ground work and is exactly where you must start with your colt.  Then, look at the clinic schedules for Buck Brannaman and/or Ricky Quinn and attend a clinic.  If you can enter up on a colt starting, that would be best.  If not, start by watching a foundation horsemanship with either Buck or Ricky, I think Ray Hunt may be a little over your head at this point.  

Next, stop sneaking rides on your colt, you are begging to get bucked off!  It will not be your horses fault, he just won't know what is expected of him and you haven't shown him what to do with his feet and I don't want him or YOU scared!  Get into a round pen.  DO NOT LUNGE!!!  Get rid of your lunge line and read my past answers on lunging and why it is not useful in starting a colt as well as the history of lunging and what is really is used for.  In the round pen, start by hooking your colt on, sending him out at a good working walk and trot, hook him on, yield his hind quarters, get his front feet to step around his hinds to change direction, draw him in and back him up, all by using your presence, body position, and body language.  If you need to, use the tail end of your lead rope (get a good rope halter with a 12' tree line lead, Double Diamond makes a good one) to bring up the heat and add pressure to teach your horse to respect your body language and get him moving!  You are not getting him to lunge for you because he really does not respect what you are asking him to do and he is braced.  This is also why he is not moving off for you when saddled.

When starting a colt, you have to get control of the feet and teach the basics of ground work first!  Ground work is the colts first real ride.  You build this information on in layers.  First at liberty in the round pen, then from the lass rope, then from the rope halter and finally mounted!  The real first ride on a colt you have NOTHING on his head!  You are in a round pen after teaching all of your ground work, saddled, with quality, then leading your colt by on the fence, you mount half way up, rubbing your colt, and then swing on.  You can use your lass rope to help you in the mounting process so you can support your colt, but then the lass rope is removed and you use your coils to direct and support your colt, change direction and add energy to walk, trot and lope your colt in the round pen.  You do NOT use anything on their head to start because a colt needs to be able to MOVE and NOT be pulled on.  Colts need to get used to the feel of a rider and to learn how to balance and carry a human.   Your first ride, you are nothing more than a passenger, going with your colt where he needs to go.

Most people do not do this with colts because they can't really ride well enough to stay on and support the colt if things fall apart.  So, they sneak rides and create fear and braces.  I don't want this to happen to you and your horse.  If you prepare, do your ground work, really get your respect and leadership issues solved, you will be well on your way to starting this colt with real quality!

So, Becky you can see that there is a lot of information here that you need the details on.   That is why I want you to start with Bucks Ground Work DVD.  I can't spoon feed you the information, there is just too much and I would not be doing right by YOU or your horse.  If I tried to make this process seem easy and simple, it would not be the truth.  Quality takes time and effort.  As you read and learn, I know you will have many more questions, let me know and I will help you through them.  Get to a clinic with Buck, Ricky, Ray Hunt or Bryan Neubert.  They are world class horsemen and can really help you.  

Keep me posted on your progress, I here for help, direction and support!

Smiles, Denise