Young horse breaking

Question
Hi
I have a young Welsh B pony gelding (20 months).  He was gelded 5 months
ago as his behaviour was getting too aggressive.  He lives in a paddock on his
own with no access to other horses (although some are in view.)  He has been
shown since a foal and is capable of lunging with side reins and has been
wearing a bridle for quite some time.  Since gelding and a 3 month rest
following he has calmed down a lot and i have been considering starting to
break.  I have put a saddle on him and just lunged and he handles that quite
well.  I worry that i am moving too fast however he gets bored and seems to
enjoy this new training.  How young is too young to be breaking in?   
Kind Regards
Tamara

Answer
Hi Tamara!

It seems to me you are right on track.  A greenie should be longeing competently by the age of 18 months or so.  Able to do all 3 gaits, extend and collect on voice command.  Of course, special emphasis on "Whoa".  

For longeing babies I also like the Monty Robert's "Join-Up" method.  You can Google this and learn some about it.  I find this is an excellent tool for establishing real communication between horse and human.

For actual mounting, around 24 months is about right for 95% of the breeds.  Ponies included.

I suggest you have the vet out to do a once over and make sure he is fully physically ready for the rigors of breaking to saddle.  Discuss with them your general plan and see if they have any objections.

I like to follow longeing with longlining to cement the aids and responses to the bit.  All of this then transfers to when you are in saddle and makes everything so easy, breaking is a non-event.

Lastly, I suggest you mount him in a small, enclosed area that is safe for both of you.  Giving him too much freedom to go out into is just asking for trouble.  I 1st time mount all my greenies in my high walled, enclosed 20 meter round pen and ask for a nice walk, followed by a polite and obedient stop at my Whoa.  Once I feel I can control the baby, I ask for a few more things and then quickly and efficiently jump off.  It should last no more than 15 minutes.  I find that short, daily training sessions stick in their heads best.  They are like human toddlers with short attention spans.

Be firm, be patient an above all, be consistent  :-)

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange