breaking 2 year old filly

Question
Three months ago I brought a part arab filly for my daughter, after her old pony had to be put down.  I have never broken in a horse though my husband has and was willing to help in his free time.  The filly is only 13.2hh and easy to handle.

I watched and some Parelli dvds and decided that I would try the natural horsemanship approach.

All has been going well with the ground work as the filly submits to light pressure backwards, sideways etc, though she is still touchy about having her legs picked up, especially the front ones.  

My daughter started weight bearing and the filly would just stand there and yawn.  She was fine with the saddle, though did buck once the first time I trotted her on the longe, though no problem since then with the saddle.  

My daughter has since got on bareback and we have walked her on the longe, backed her up and done lots of turns from the rope halter, without any problems.

My husband suggested that we attach sandbags to the saddle to trot and canter the filly for the first time.  The filly reared up and then bucked until the string broke which attached the sandbags.  I told my husband so he tied the bags on with rope and we tried again.  This time she bucked the saddle right off over her head, and then had to step out of it.  Since then we borrowed a crupper and have just put that on with the saddle the last few times, before we try putting the sand bags back on.

I am not sure if it is the right/wrong thing to put the sandbags on, or if they are causing more problems.  I am not keen to put my daughter on her, though I wonder if the filly would be more accepting of her (she has an independent seat) than the sand bags?

Answer
Hi Vicki,

I can understand you not wanting to put your daughter up on the mare!  I had similar problems when I first started retraining horses using sacks of sand or grain to gauge a horse's reaction.  Most of the time it was exactly as you describe, yet when I finally got the courage to get on I never had even a hiccup!!  HOWEVER, I cannot stress strongly enough that I am not suggesting that your daughter get on this horse.

Before you go any further check the saddle.  Have you used it on any other horses?  Does it leave any dry or rubbed patches on the mare after you have lunged her in it?  Have a look at the fit.  Does it seem to pinch or be too wide?  Quite often these problems don't bother the horse until weight is applied to the saddle and increases the pressure/pain.

If this is fine you have two options.  

1. Either you or your husband try riding the filly first.  If you husband isn't too big and heavy - say nothing over 70kgs(approx 140lbs) he could ride her lightly and for very short periods (up to 10mins) without doing any damage.  Otherwise, if you are a confident rider and are a better physical match for the mare you could try her for short bursts.

2. If neither of you fit physically or emotionally (scardy cats! Just kidding!) then I suggest getting someone to ride her for you.  If you find a good trainer or breaker they will most likely be happy to have a first ride for you.  You really only need to see whether she is going to turn into a mad bronc or whether it was just the sandbags. One or two rides by someone confident who knows what they are doing should do the trick.

You mention that your daughter has ridden the mare bareback.  These are all good signs that the mare will be OK and this is just a hiccup.  In my experience, sand bags etc have never worked, but it's certainly better to be careful.  No one needs bad experiences that can be avoided.

Good Luck!