As I continue training, I continue learning. Gammy said I would and that I needed to feel my way through it and figure it out on my own once she showed me the basics. And she, as usual, was right.
So, I now have my foal training schedule figured out so that I can keep my babies in tip top health (read no exhaustion) and get them all ready for Futurities. Our ranch has always had a tradition of competing in Futurities and I want to continue that. I don't necessarily think it is a fool proof predictor of how a horse will continue to compete, but it is one of the tools in the box.
Anyway, I have figured out my training routine through trial and error and so now, I will share it for you to do with what you will.
I start with no more than 20 minutes of training per day, as I start my foals immediately after delivery. Literally on day one or two if I can. And we start by just letting them get used to the halter and slowly working our way up to wearing it. I do nothing else the first month, except lots and lots of grooming. Even if the foal is completely used to it and very cooperative with putting it on by week 3 or so, we still just work with the halter every day for 20 minutes.
Next, I train them to lead. Again I start slow, just allowing them to see and smell the lead and snapping the clip a lot so they get used to the sound and then clipping it on, slowing starting to move them and so on. Again, that is all we do in month 2, along with the grooming and no more than 20 minutes a day.
Month 3 is teach them to stand tied. Now, I might move them up to 30 minutes, depending on how well they tolerate it. I want them to have enough energy when their training session is over to still be able to go out and run with their friends and feel good, so that training never becomes something they don't want to do. So, I watch their energy levels very carefully and most of mine can handle 1/2 an hour at this point, although some days they really fight the training, so we do less. I also continue the grooming and quite often am able to also get them started with learning to trailer up in this month.
Month 4, we finish up loading and, now comes the big change, we stop training for a while. Oh, we will review what we have already learned and I will have the hands continue grooming every day, but I have decided, there is no need to race through ground training in the first 6 months. I am not going to start them under saddle until they are two and I still have a LOT of time to finish up ground work. I want them to physically be able to handle the extra mental and physical stress of now having a sack on their back or tack put on. So, I will not start with the sack until they are 6 months old. Then, I will work on tack at a year old, seeing as the saddles I have are too large to really fit them until then anyway. Then, we will begin ground driving at a year and a half. In the meantime, grooming and review of what they already know will continue, but thankfully, I can turn that over to my very well trained employees.
This is a work in progress, but I think it should work out very well. The other part of their routine is to spend pretty much all their time in the pasture except for when they are being worked with. I think it really helps them to develop fitness and there is so much they learn through play and the discipline of their mothers and the other mares in the pasture. Learning good manners from the other horses is as important to a well rounded horse as learning manners around humans.
So, there you have it, my refined training schedule. I hope to update you on how this works out as this crop of foals continues to grow. I find this also gives me the extra time needed to work with my older show horses and the new babies as they come along. And time is an extremely valuable commodity around here!
PS: Netty is now and Intermediate champ and has moved into Advanced classes with Ruby. Laiko is also pulling in points every month and recently snagged his first 2 point major!
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