A good breeder establishes the basis of trust by rearing and handling young horses correctly, which prepares then for subsequent work with a rider. Education begins as a foal. The first days and weeks set the foundations for later development of a trustful working partnership between man and horse, not by hours of aimless playing around with foals, but by winning their trust. This begins with them becoming accustomed to the stable. Foals are naturally inquisitive and after a while will investigate contact with people, but they are braver more quickly if one crouches down to their level and waits until the foal comes to you. This acceptance of human contact is developed by keeping low and stroking the foal at first, progressing to holding him with the left arm under the neck and lightly passing the right arm around the hindquarters. Through this he learns that existence in the world is not entirely a matter of being free. His inborn urge for freedom must be slowly but surely brought under control.
Posted in Rein-back is an exercise in which the horse steps backwards in a footfall of diagonal pairs, as in trot. It is not normally ridden in the first year of training, but at the beginning of the second year when the young horse can make full halts easily from walk and trot. It is too soon to ask for rein-back when a horse has not learned to take weight behind through halting correctly.
Getting used to the great outdoors
The basic training of the young horse should be varied and develop all his skills. Riding cross-country over varied ground and over small natural obstacles plays a very important part in this and teaches many horses to be worldly wise and sure-footed. Basically, the more the horse grows up in a natural environment and learns to work on varied terrain, the more confidently he will move. In our experience training a horse for cross-country can highlight his individual attributes, which can indicate in which direction his future lies, such as specializing in dressage or showjumping.
We will now examine the first steps of cross-county training, and continue by discussing how best one can introduce young horses to typical cross-country fences.