Expert: Lisa Kalp - 5/26/2009

Question
QUESTION: hi
ive just bought myself a irish draught colt, hes just turned 2,ive never had a horse this young before, could you tell me the first things that i should start to do with him first,i know that hes to young to start to back him etc, thanks
ceri

ANSWER: Hi Ceri,
         His breed matures slower so their bones are not closed until the age of 5. You will want to make sure that he has excellent ground manners. Things like leading, standing for the farrier, that he can be caught and stand tied. You want to teach him to ride in a trailer if he does not know how already. You can do some light lunging, teach him how to ground drive. You can also have him wear the saddle without weight. At his age do everything in moderation. Make sure that he has plenty of play time.

Lisa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi
thanks for getting back,,,
ive noticed that when i put his headcollar on he raises his head really high how could i stop him from doing that?
and he nips now and again, how could i teach him not to do it? and also when will he stop growing,is it at 5yrs,
im having him gelded in a few weeks time will that quiet him down,

Answer
Hi Ceri,
         Around the age of 5, his knees should fill in and close completely. The same for his spine. He should reach his full height by then.

I am a firm believer is gelding and in the difference it can make in a horse. It can take up to 2 months for all the testosterone to leave the body.  Another thing that can help calm down a hyper horse is to only feed them a pelleted feed and no alfalfa hay, as the sugar makes them hyper.


The best way to stop nipping is to not feed a horse treats by hand. They tend to nip as they want that treat. Do not allow the horse to nibble on you. If you already have a nipper then you will want to stop it. There are several ways. You can spray the horse on the muzzle as soon as they nip with a spray bottle. With some horses you need to give it a firm smack on the muzzle while saying no in a stern voice. If he tries to nip while you are leading him, then flip the lead rope at him and say no in a firm voice. Make sure that whatever you do is immediate or the horse does not know what he is being punished for.

I use clicker training to teach a horse to lower it's head. Every time he lowers his head, you click and give his a small treat that he eats out of a bucket. This will teach him that it is good to keep the head lowered. You might also want to make sure that the halter is not hurting him on the head.

Lisa