How hard do you think it would be to get an 11 year old made into reining? I have a mare that would make an excellent reining horse and I’m just wondering if it’s possible
How hard depends on how naturally talented a horse is for the specific event. The more naturally talented the easier it can be. That being said, theres a lot more than just the ability to do the maneuvers- we have to take into consideration fitness, previous training experiences and the underlying fact that with a more aged horse it just may take more time that it would if we were training a 2-3yo that is stereotypically more influenceable. It is 100% possible to teach an 11yo to be a reiner. From a resource (time and $$) investment stand point, it would be a lot more ROI positive to work with a younger horse if one is really wanting to be competitive in the reining pen.
What’s the age/ riding timeline for a reining horse? How old would you recommend a horse be before you ride them ? And What age is appropriate to start sliding stops? I have a May 2019 stud colt I’d like to do some reining with.
Hey Guernsey, Quite often reining horses are started as long yearlings or two year olds. Of course when a horse is started really depends on the individual and when they are mentally and physically mature enough to be started. Even at 2 these horses are still quite young and have a lot of developing to do. So for a horse that was started at that age, many of the first months are quite low key (not that physically strenuous) and more focused on the mental development of the horse's of course while slowly building their strength. During these initial months it is about putting a solid foundation on the horse to where they have the mental tools needed and are learning the essential skills they'll need to be successful throughout their lives. As far as the sliding stops, that of course depends on the horse. Many horses will start wearing beginning sliding plates in their 2yo year just so they can get used to them. Some horses really are natural in that stop and the shoes can be helpful in reducing the rough impact the could have if they stopped hard on their own without the shows on because otherwise the would jam into the ground. That being said, early on the colts are just getting used to them, learning how to balance and what the feel of the shoes are like. Then as their foundation progresses so will their understanding of stopping and its a slow building process of mental, physical and emotional skills to help these horses reach their full potential.
How hard do you think it would be to get an 11 year old made into reining? I have a mare that would make an excellent reining horse and I’m just wondering if it’s possible
How hard depends on how naturally talented a horse is for the specific event. The more naturally talented the easier it can be. That being said, theres a lot more than just the ability to do the maneuvers- we have to take into consideration fitness, previous training experiences and the underlying fact that with a more aged horse it just may take more time that it would if we were training a 2-3yo that is stereotypically more influenceable. It is 100% possible to teach an 11yo to be a reiner. From a resource (time and $$) investment stand point, it would be a lot more ROI positive to work with a younger horse if one is really wanting to be competitive in the reining pen.
What’s the age/ riding timeline for a reining horse? How old would you recommend a horse be before you ride them ? And What age is appropriate to start sliding stops? I have a May 2019 stud colt I’d like to do some reining with.
Hey Guernsey,
Quite often reining horses are started as long yearlings or two year olds. Of course when a horse is started really depends on the individual and when they are mentally and physically mature enough to be started. Even at 2 these horses are still quite young and have a lot of developing to do. So for a horse that was started at that age, many of the first months are quite low key (not that physically strenuous) and more focused on the mental development of the horse's of course while slowly building their strength. During these initial months it is about putting a solid foundation on the horse to where they have the mental tools needed and are learning the essential skills they'll need to be successful throughout their lives.
As far as the sliding stops, that of course depends on the horse. Many horses will start wearing beginning sliding plates in their 2yo year just so they can get used to them. Some horses really are natural in that stop and the shoes can be helpful in reducing the rough impact the could have if they stopped hard on their own without the shows on because otherwise the would jam into the ground. That being said, early on the colts are just getting used to them, learning how to balance and what the feel of the shoes are like. Then as their foundation progresses so will their understanding of stopping and its a slow building process of mental, physical and emotional skills to help these horses reach their full potential.