[redhotchilipepr]

I will keep working on the ground work. Do you have any specifc exercises for working them as a weanling? I know that I make sure she has a good amount of time just to be a horse too, i make sure she gets turn out and all.

[bnttyra]

Jessica, I think you are doing everything right with this little filly. She is gona make you a great little show horse!

I don't have anything specific for weanlings, just what I have already told you about. Enjoy her and take things slow and the rewards will be huge in the end!!

[redhotchilipepr]

Thank you I will do that, I will let you know how it goes and get some video's within the next week, if the weather lets me. I really appreciate your help...I am up to any other ideas too. I love learning new things about horses...i feel like I can never learn enough bout horses

[PinkHorse]

First thing to do is to get a copy of the rule book and read it. APHA will provide one for free with your membership if you request it. It's online at http://www.apha.com/forms/rulebooks.html Become an "expert" on the class procedures for LL & Halter (or any other that you choose to enter down the road).

The second thing to do is to contact your regional APHA club and get a copy of the Futurity rules. Find out what the eligibility requirements are, when the entry and payment deadlines are, and anything else that's required.

I didn't start my yearling on true LL training until April of her yearling year. There is no need to push your filly too hard right now. Teach her to stay relaxed and moving forward calmly on the longe. Do a lot of work at the walk. Walk, stop without turning in, cue to spin and go the other way. Encourage her to stay on the circle without coming in or pulling on the longe. Gradually ask for the jog and lope. My filly was taught to step it up a gear when I raised my leading arm and clicked or kissed to her.

I would strongly discourage you from putting a bit in her mouth and tying her face down at this (or any other) point in her LL training. Let her find her own spot. If she's a natural, she'll do OK. If not, you cause more problems down the road when you actually go to ride her. Tying her head with lines between her front legs is going to encourage her to be on her forehand.

There is no direct penalty for your horse playing on the longe but it takes away from the already brief time you have available to show off your filly to the judges. If 5 of your 15 seconds of lope include a buck or shy, the judges may only be able to see a few strides. It can count against you indirectly in that way.

This is a nice LL class done by a quality horse.

YouTube - Hez Onehot Invitation APHA Yearling Gelding For Sale

Your filly is very cute. I don't think she's going to do much in halter against the ginormous specialists though. If you want to do the futurity class for experience, that's great. Personally, I wouldn't waste my $$ adn would stick to LL with her. I bet she's a nice mover.

Good luck!

[redhotchilipepr]

Thank you for the video...is that how most of the LL horse's act when they are competing? I mean do they let some things "go" so to say

[bnttyra]

Originally Posted by PinkHorse

I would strongly discourage you from putting a bit in her mouth and tying her face down at this (or any other) point in her LL training. Let her find her own spot. If she's a natural, she'll do OK. If not, you cause more problems down the road when you actually go to ride her. Tying her head with lines between her front legs is going to encourage her to be on her forehand.

I am not saying she should do this with a weanling and your right, I didn't start any LL work or any work for that matter with my yearling until June of her yearling year.

As for the bitting up being bad, well, that I think is opinion. I have now worked with 5 different trainers, ranging from a cutting trainer, hunter/jumper, HUS/WP, speed event and reining and every one of them did this with all the horses they train. I don't think it teaches her to be heavy on the forehand but as it was explained to me, it teaches them to give to the bit and find the correct spot for carrying their heads as well as keeping their hindquarters moving up under them, but you need to make sure they understand the idea of forward motion first. I guess I should have explained that but I sorta got the idea she already knew that part.

Jessica, what I have learned on this forum is that you will get lots of different opinions and approaches to get to the same end. One isn't better then the other, just different. You will have to find out what works for you and your filly. As you have said, horses are a never ending learning experience and unless you close your mind to others ideas and thoughts, you will always gain something from someone else. I have taken advice on here and found out it didn't work for my horses and I have done what I was told to be a trainer and found that didn't work either. It is sorta a combination of the two as well as your own research and knowledge that will get you to where you want to be.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[bnttyra]

Originally Posted by redhotchilipepr

Thank you for the video...is that how most of the LL horse's act when they are competing? I mean do they let some things "go" so to say

Yes, they will. At the last show I went to watch at, the yearling that won the class had a buck and kick in the middle, but still had the best movement so they won. Remember, babies will be babies!

[Circle C]

I second finding a good farrier. She looks a little toed out on her right front and a little toed out on the rear end.

I agree...she is super cute!

[redhotchilipepr]

So it comes down to a halter class but on a lundge line so to say? Movement matters more then some of the obidence? But you need to have your horse moving to show its movement off to the judges.

I also know what you mean about different opinions...that is the nice and sometimes hard thing about the horse world. Nothing is set in stone on how to do things with your horse. There are millions of ideas and you have to pick and choose what works for you. I will try that when she gets older but I know she is way too young to try it right now. I will do what I can when I can with my horses but if it doesn't work I know that there is always something different to try and new ways for horses. Just got to keep an open mind and always want to learn. If you stop learning then you don't know anything and if you keep learning you can almost know everything. Atleast that is what I think about the horse world. You can have your ways but always be willing to atleast look on some other ways, that is how you improve yourself and your horses.

[Circle C]

Training on youngsters is a touchy subject. There are so many different opinions and views and ppl feel strongly about their opinions.

I don't bit my babies until spring of their 2yo yr.

I DO however back them at 18 months and b/c of this, I choose genetics that mature well physically & mentally. My yearlings already stand for farrier, stand to be saddled, lunge both saddled and unsaddled, flex laterally (from the ground), tie, clip, bath, etc.

I start backing them when they are 18months and I will back them maybe 6-8 times. Then, they are turned out for the winter and brought back spring of their 2yo yr and begin real training.

When I am backing my babies, I start out just climbing all over them, sitting on them and flaxing them in a rope halter. I start them all in a rope halter. By the last "ride" for the fall, I will be following another horse mostly walking with a little trotting, flexing and direction changing for a maz of 15 min.

There are a lot of ppl who will bash me for this... there are alot of ppl who practie this...especially track trainers.

This is how I choose to start mine and I have never had an unsound, neither physically or mentally, horse.