Breeding is only part of what makes a horse great.
At this farm w
e initially imprint all of our foals careful to establish relationship without crossing boundaries. They are trained to lead, load and trim and all foals are vaccinated at 6 months when they are weaned from their mothers. The next six months are spent socializing with other weanlings with occasional human contact. Hoof trimming and de-bugging (exposing them to stimuli and teaching them to deal with fear and natural flight instinct) generally take place during this time.
We start the sturdy young horses under saddle at two years of age as they have strong bones and are large framed. All young horses are started with groundwork, leading to time with a surcingle and communication taught through long lines. They learn stop, go, left and right before ever being ridden. Time under saddle begins slowly and progresses into arena work and trail riding. They are exposed to a variety of obstacles such as hills, creeks, logs and as many forms of wildlife as we can find. When we feel confident our young horse is ready, it is then offered for sale.
Following is a brief outline of our 4 level training program:
Level 1:
- Leading
- Loading
- Clipping
- Bathing
- Feet trimming
- Desensitizing
Level 2:
- Ground driving: including rope tolerance on all feet one at a time left and right turn, to stop and backup.
- Introduction to bridle and bit (Argentina Snaffle).
- Introduction of back weight.
- Give at the poll left, right and collect.
- Ground tie
Level 3:
- Introduction to rider round pen only for short intervals 3 times a week at a walk – left, right, go and stop.
- Figure eight, negotiate obstacles (example: tarp on ground, logs, man made bridges, water crossing.
- Additional learning experiences added as needed.
Level 4:
- Finishing colt
- Leg pressure
- Neck reining
- Lead changes
- Rough terrain endurance
- Packing scary items.
Watch General Lee a five year-old stallion who has completed ‘Level 4′ training.
