Baby's First Bank

Breaking baby horses can be very exciting. This is not just because you cannot really predict how babies are going to react to everything, but also because they are just oozing with potential. Harrison, our 3 YO thoroughbred gelding, is finally going to big kid work. Last year, he was a fresh naughty little guy testing all the boundaries. We started fussing with him including clipping, grooming, blanketing, but we sent him to a friend to get 'broke' because we didn't have the proper time to devote to him. Then he sat in a field for another six months waiting to grow up a little more.

This year is the year. He is finally looking like a grown up and acting a little more grown up.

The first day we took him out to the round pen he thought "what the ...?". You could see it in his face. He settled into work though pretty quickly. The first time we lunged him in the arena, he stood up and threw himself over backwards hard, tantrum style. He was shocked and not a little chagrined and I'd suspect pretty sore when we made him stand up and go directly back to work. He hasn't done it since.

The first day we sat on him, we decided to do it 'like the Indians do' according to Bill Mann. This maybe a total myth and it's probably wildly politically incorrect, but the suggestion seemed reasonable. The idea is that you first get on the horse in a pond so that it is harder for them to frolic (and the landing is undeniably softer). The success was debatable. He certainly didn't frolic, but on the other hand he didn't really move at all.

Now Harrison is walking, trotting, cantering around in the field. There's no power steering, and he still humps in his back sometimes, but it's mostly a bluff ('knock-on-wood'). AND it turns out he LOVES to jump! Yesterday, he jumped all the logs in the field. Then he walked up and down the bank like he'd done it all his life (despite his rider's trouble staying with him...)!

We have an amazing group of horses at Redbud right now. It's very exciting!