[StarfireArizona]

My 6 month old colt has been in "training" since birth.....but now he is getting kinda bored with the basic stuff. We did the imprinting the day he was born so handling him is so very enjoyable.

Work we have aced:
leading
tying
feet cleaning
backing with me & away from me
yielding forequarters & hindquarters
breaking at the poll-in increments to the ground
flexing head to girth-both sides
throwing lead over his back & dragging it back
tossing lead around all legs & under belly
walking around him laying lead across his butt onto opposite side & gently pulling to get him to turn
moving away from pressure at girth & ribs
has worn bareback pad & walks calmly
takes bit on his own, chews it & doesn't want to give it up
has walked over ground poles
has jumped over low pole
de-spooked to bags, cans & other small objects tied to halter/tail & large umbrella
trots with me on cue, slows & stops on cue when I do
sending exercises & circling for short periods on a line


At this age is there anything else I could be doing with him ? What other items do you use to sack out your babies ? He is such a dream to work with, and he really does seem to enjoy being with me & gives his all to please. I look so forward to taking him to his full potential......

[amchorses]

HAve you exposed him to water and crossing through puddles or poolsof water.

My yearlings swim to get fitted up for Halter so, I teach them water at a young age so they are used to it. Also good for trail riding down the road.

It sounds like you have done a wonderful job with your weanling!!

[accphotography]

WOW!!! Is there anything else? I'd say that's ALOT for a weanling. There is pretty much nothing left but a saddle and that is not a good idea at that age. I think you may have been a bit over-ambitious and crammed 2.5 years worth into 6 months and now you have nothing to do. Talk about a boring 1.5 years to wait before the real training starts. I hope you can hold out. The soonest thing I would go to next I wouldn't touch until he was a long yearling, so yeah, nothing left for now.

ACC

[StarfireArizona]

Originally Posted by amchorses

HAve you exposed him to water and crossing through puddles or poolsof water.

My yearlings swim to get fitted up for Halter so, I teach them water at a young age so they are used to it. Also good for trail riding down the road.

It sounds like you have done a wonderful job with your weanling!!

Unfortunately in the desert of Arizona there isn't much water to expose them too .....but when we empty the water troughs we spill it right where they have to walk & stand. With the ground being so dry & slow to absorb, the water stands for sometimes a day....and with them all standing in front of the troughs stomping at flies, there is quite the dent in the ground making a nice fairly deep pool. Not much in the way of crossing streams & such.....but at least a vague idea

I have also laid down sheets of wood to get them used to the sound & feel of wooden bridges.....and walking across a couple different size & color tarps. I have also walked him (and my adults) on a lead with a tarp dragging behind us. Probably the next step is tying the small tarp to my colt's tail.......and LEAP through the rails of the fence !! But if he reacts anything like he did this past weekend with the cans/bags/umbrella sacking out, he will just stand there looking at me as if bored

[Amber.Molly]

Wow Starfire you've accomplished even more since the last time I heard of your weanling!! he sounds like he's coming along wonderfullY!!! I can't even think of anything you could do with him... I'm about half as far as you are now! I'm still working on those excercises you initially gave me (they work great!!). That's cute that he's still wanting to take the bit in his mouth! LOL He sounds like quite the character.

Molly always looks bored too when I try and 'sack her out' hahahaha! My boyfriend is always like "isn't she supposed to be scared??" Oh well! Anyway... I really don't have any suggestions right now... I'm kinda following your lead so to speak. If I think of something I'll let you know ! Thanks for the update!

[imacowgirl2]

One thing I didnt see listed (may have missed it though) is grocery bags -- aka evil horse eating monsters LOL -- if you've done it and she's fine with it in your hand, you can tie 2-3 on a twine string on a semi-windy day and let them blow in the wind (all height levels...chest, legs, head, etc) at her...more closely stimulating what it will look/feel like when one inevitably does that on the trail

Other than that, I'd just let her have a break...that's what we're doing with our yearling, as she is so smart she caught onto everything instantaneously when she was younger. So we take her out about once a week and work on leading and tying and one other lesson she has already aced just to keep her up on work...other than that she gets to just be a baby, which IMO is best for them at this stage anyways

[StarfireArizona]

Originally Posted by Amber.Ali

Wow Starfire you've accomplished even more since the last time I heard of your weanling!! he sounds like he's coming along wonderfullY!!! I can't even think of anything you could do with him... I'm about half as far as you are now! I'm still working on those excercises you initially gave me (they work great!!). That's cute that he's still wanting to take the bit in his mouth! LOL He sounds like quite the character.

Molly always looks bored too when I try and 'sack her out' hahahaha! My boyfriend is always like "isn't she supposed to be scared??" Oh well! Anyway... I really don't have any suggestions right now... I'm kinda following your lead so to speak. If I think of something I'll let you know ! Thanks for the update!

Amber....I am always delighted to see your name here .....you are such a peach...

Thanks for the confidence booster....and for letting me know I have helped you with your baby. As I mentioned to you in our first post meeting, I follow the Clinton Anderson suggestions for foals & weanlings. Sadly for most of it I was already ahead of what he was suggesting....should have watched the video first huh

From what I read & hear they ARE supposed to be spookish....but I haven't run into much of that with him. Although without realizing it I am working on it in an indirect way..... He was reacting negatively to the rustling of a large plastic bag while in the stall...so I tied one from the ceiling along with a wind sock. With "barns" down here being all open, this contraption blows around almost constantly....so it wasn't long before he didn't even notice it anymore. Now he doesn't seem to be bothered much with things over his head.....great relief !

Yeah....he is still chomping to TAKE the bit Even yesterday I walked up to him & just held it in front of him and he took it right in....and then it was a job to get it back out LOL If only it had been that easy with the adults LOL When it comes time to starting him under saddle I honestly don't think he is going to be much trouble. We lean across his back often & even went through the motions of putting a leg over....but of course that was before he grew taller than us !

Keep up the good work with your baby.....and email my if you have any questions about anything. I am far from a pro trainer, but if the success with my boy is any indication of love & determination, then maybe I can help out

Here is one pic from the umbrella sacking out....this defies all horse logic, and he is even asking for a kiss besides.....

[imacowgirl2]

Originally Posted by accphotography

WOW!!! Is there anything else? I'd say that's ALOT for a weanling. There is pretty much nothing left but a saddle and that is not a good idea at that age. I think you may have been a bit over-ambitious and crammed 2.5 years worth into 6 months and now you have nothing to do. Talk about a boring 1.5 years to wait before the real training starts. I hope you can hold out. The soonest thing I would go to next I wouldn't touch until he was a long yearling, so yeah, nothing left for now.

ACC

Not necissarily a lot for a weanling...ours was at almost that point at that age (wasn't giving to pressure on sides and no bit, but had everything else) simply for the reason that she flew threw everything, and we spent as much time as we could on something without her dying of boredom, and gave plenty of breaks, but she just flew right through it all. Personally I would rather get most of it done at that age if they tolerate it, as if a big problem comes up they are still young enough that they look to you and mom for a lot of guidance and aren't completely independent in their mind.

[StarfireArizona]

Originally Posted by imacowgirl2

One thing I didnt see listed (may have missed it though) is grocery bags -- aka evil horse eating monsters LOL -- if you've done it and she's fine with it in your hand, you can tie 2-3 on a twine string on a semi-windy day and let them blow in the wind (all height levels...chest, legs, head, etc) at her...more closely stimulating what it will look/feel like when one inevitably does that on the trail

Other than that, I'd just let her have a break...that's what we're doing with our yearling, as she is so smart she caught onto everything instantaneously when she was younger. So we take her out about once a week and work on leading and tying and one other lesson she has already aced just to keep her up on work...other than that she gets to just be a baby, which IMO is best for them at this stage anyways

Thanks so much for responding....

Actually I have worked on the small plastic shopping bags a couple of times....one being this last weekend. I tied one to his halter, then to his tail, and lastly to one leg.....NO reaction. Not that I want to, but he is tough to get a rise out of

Below is a pic of the large black trash bag we worked with. I started off tying it to his halter & then his tail. Once I saw he couldn't care less, I started waving it in the wind on a string. As you can see he is watching it, but doesn't shy away... He is something else

[imacowgirl2]

Originally Posted by StarfireArizona

Thanks so much for responding....

Actually I have worked on the small plastic shopping bags a couple of times....one being this last weekend. I tied one to his halter, then to his tail, and lastly to one leg.....NO reaction. Not that I want to, but he is tough to get a rise out of

Below is a pic of the large black trash bag we worked with. I started off tying it to his halter & then his tail. Once I saw he couldn't care less, I started waving it in the wind on a string. As you can see he is watching it, but doesn't shy away... He is something else

I'd still try tying them to twine and letting them fly on their own...our filly had almost no problem with the bags in our hands, but once they were moving on their own, she suddenly freaked (well, as much as she's ever freaked )