Bubba, my 11 month old colt

Question
Hi,
  I have a Colt around 11 months old and i was curios what I should do for training. He hasnt been trained this whole winter because we didnt really have a place do train him in, and before that he was just doing the basic stuff like walking and trotting on leadrope, being groomed, he's been hosed down 3 or 4 times, and etc.  If you could give me some ways to get him back into training and some more things to train him it would be really helpful.
                              Thanks,
                                Nicole
P.S- we dont have a trailer.

Answer
Hi Nicole!

I goofed on my vacation dates!  I am sponsoring a Ricky Quinn clinic at my barn this week with lots of out of town guests and horses!   Yikes!  I should have set my dates for several days earlier...my bad!  

I really want to answer this question with quality and that will take me some more time.  So, I'll have to answer when I'm done with my clinic.  I'm so sorry and I don't want you to think I've forgotten about you!  Hang in there for a few more days and I'll get an answer to you.  Right now I really need to concentrate on learning more good stuff!  You will benefit from this as well, i guarantee it!

Thank you for understanding!  I'll get back to your answer on Tuesday!

Smiles, Denise

Hi Nicole!  Thank you SO much for being patient!  It was a great clinic with 5 wonderful colts to start and a great group of horsemanship riders!  I'll have pictures posted on the website soon for everyone to check out!  

I'm really not a fan of doing a bunch of stuff with colts.  I like the less is more approach.  I like to start colts at 2 and just get going from there.  The are so much more pure and don't have any braces.  If Bubba is your only horse and you just need something to do start teaching him how to yield his hind quarters, get him good with a flag, tarp and slicker.  Get handy with controlling each foot, work on trail horse obstacles, toss a saddle pad over his back.  All of these things will be good for him and will help him to build a good foundation for when you start him.  No lunging please!!!  This causes the horse to counter bend and creates a brace as well as stress on joints and tendons.

I would like you to watch the "Colt Starting" DVD by Buck Brannaman as well as his "Ground Work" DVD.  This will show you some of the things you can do with your colt if you are not familiar with this style of horsemanship and if you have never started a colt before.  You can also find tons of information in my past answers that may really help you.  Let me know when you come across specific problems in your work and I can help you with them.  

Good luck and have fun!  

Smiles!  Denise

Hi Again Nicole!

I went back and looked at your question again...YES you horse HAS been trained!  Every time you walk out and touch him it is training!  HE is learning something about what you expect from him, about his world, about your relationship EVERY time you touch him!  This is the chronic mistake I see people make in their horses.  They just don't realize that with every touch, with every time they halter their horse or every time they walk into the pasture, it is training!  You don't need a "place" to "train" your horse.  When you get together with your horse where ever that is...that is your place to train!  How lucky for your horse in so many ways.  He is not trapped in a stall with only an arena to be in.  I must admit, it is nice to have an arena and a round pen...but you don't really have to have them.  Drag your colt with you everywhere!  If you have to weed flowerbeds, take him, if you have to go get the mail (my mail box is a half mile away from the house) take him, if you have fencing to do, hay to move, make Bubba part of it.  Give him a job!  Make your expectations of him clear.  If you want him to trot and hurry to get somewhere, fix it up so he can trot, do what it takes to get the change.  He doesn't have to keep trotting, he just has to try!  One day when you ask him to trot, he will keep going until you ask him to do something else, but for now, as a kid, he just has to try.  This goes for anything you are asking of him.  You are looking for him to put in some effort and to try.  You may only get a step or two or maybe even as little as him shifting his weight, but that is something you can build on.  If he is trotting and you want him to slow his feet and walk...same thing...fix things up so it can happen.  For example:  if he is trotting off and you want him to walk and slow his feet, don't yank on his halter, maybe roll him over his hind quarters and yield his hinds until you feel him soften and he walks.  You are not MAKING him walk, you are just fixing things up so that he CAN walk.  Horses learn from the release of pressure NOT the pressure which is why yanking on his halter to make him walk creates a brace and rolling him over his hinds makes him THINK and SEARCH for the answer, which is walking.  Do you see what I mean?!  

Try this out.  Let me know how things are working for you.  Watch the DVD's I suggested and give me a holler!

Smiles!  Denise