3 year old horse (stud) need help with breaking to ride?

Question

We just got a 3 year old stud and we need help in how to break him for riding. Can anyone please give us some help in how to do this without the horse or ourselves getting hurt? Thanks for your time.

Answer 1

You don't necessarily have to geld your equine. I've had and still have several Studs that have been to the breeding shed plenty of times and don't display any dangerous or Stallion like behavior when they are handled. Many of them have won futurities, super-stakes, and several have world show championships under their belt. I have one stud that is ridden by a 5 year old at barrel races, pole bending contests, and play days.
My advice however is that if you have no reason to keep him a stallion- like if his bloodline isn't that great, he has any type of illness or genetic disorder, or if he will never be used as a stud or if you have no control over him even when on ground I would go ahead and have him gelded. I'd hate for you or anyone that comes into contact with your horse be at the risk of getting injured if he goes to display his stallion behavior and PLUS he'll have a more balanced and maybe even healthier life without the hormones surging and you'll have a great equine partner.

That being said- I wouldn't go about breaking him in yourself. I would get together with a trainer that you and your equine trust and can build a relationship with. You may want to look into finding a trainer that will let you help them with starting him under the saddle or let you watch so you can get pointers and evaluate how your equine acts under saddle. You may end up paying pretty big- but it's worth it so you can have an equine that is safe and easy to handle rather than taking the risk of spending money for hospital bills because of your inexperiance.

Hope this helps and happy trails.

Answer 2

I totally agree with silvaspur...not every stallion acts like a wild, crazed breeding machine. In fact, when I was 7 or 8, one of my lesson horses was a stallion. You would have never known, he was a barn favorite because he was such a sweetie. My first horse was also a stud colt. Again, no one even knew it because he is so calm and gentle. If, however, your horse isn't going to be used for breeding, there is no reason to keep him a stallion. I gelded mine, for that very reason. I think you will find your horse to be more cooperative as a gelding.

As for the training, don't try to do it yourself unless you are under the guidance of a trainer or have experience. You could end up ruining a really good horse or injuring yourself or your horse. Ask your vet, farrier or people who work at local tack shops for some good trainers....the horse world is great at networking and leading you in the right direction. In the meantime, I would start reading some good training books. I personally like John Lyons and Monty Roberts. I find their methods to be straight forward and easy to understand for both horse and trainer, but this is just my personal preference. Good luck with your new boy, I'm sure he will turn out to be a great horse.

Answer 3

Difficult questions without specifics but ...
First thing to consider .. even an expert horseman can get hurt.
and a green horse is skitish as you well know... soooooo
I would first suggest you get a professional.
If you are determined to go it alone try the old method.
Be sure your horse can stand quietly and is well mannered on the lead before you begin.
Then ....
First you let the horse sniff, feel the touch of whatever you might consider putting on his back first.
Blanket usually . When he's use to this try draping it his back .
Also gently swish it over his legs, head etc.
When he stands quietly every time you put the blanket on and leave it on you move onto the next step.

You will need a narrow enclosure in which to confine the horse sensibly then you start slowly .
When he stands quietly for this then use grain sacks his back.
It will take awhile usually for him to get use to the weight as most horses see a rider or weight being thrown onto their back as a predator attacking so be patient.
When he's accustomed to the weight, take him into the paddock and introduce him to the saddle.
I always use a western saddle as it's heaviest and he won't mind a bit later on when you put on a english .
Introducing him to the saddle is the same as you did with the blanket .
Don't girth him iniatially, walk him around a bit.
Be careful he may buck, try to run.
When he takes the weight and walks quietly then girth him little by little. Doesn't have to be all at once the first day.
Last but not least when he can stand for saddling and girthing quietly, walk without anxiety on a lead ... then pad yourself and put one foot in the stirrup. When he stands for this, get on but sit gently. No walking , just standing until you shift your weight while on him etc.
Best to work with a partner if you are breaking for the first time.
You may need someone to call for the ambulance.

(Grin*)

Lizzie~

Answer 4

Do like a lot of people here have said. GELD HIM! Then send him and yourself to a trainer that can break him and teach you to ride. If you are having to ask how to break a horse, you need a pro to help. I know a lot of first time horse owners think things are like you see on TV, but is just is not that way in real life. A stud can hurt or kill you before you even know what has happened. No to mention the extra heavy fencing and stall you will need, and the fact that a lot of places (trail rides, clinics, etc. ) do not welcome studs. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Good greif get a trainer! And a vet to castrate this animal before you get hurt!!! There is simply no good reason for a novice horse owner to have a stallion...stallions can inflict serious harm and can critically hurt, even kill you! It takes about 2-3 months for the testosterone levels to lower after castration and you will be amazed at how wonderful he is as a gelding!!!

Again, get a good trainer immediately - work with one diligently and do not try to train a horse by word of mouth. A good trainer will not only train your horse, but you too by teaching the theory in what each step is, how to achieve the step, and the steps to build on.

Answer 6

I have to agree with silvaspur because i have worked with several studs that never truly acted like stallions. So you need to make the determination how gentle he really is. My friend currently has a stud that you can walk through his back legs and he is super respectful.
If he'e gentle, respectful and shows no aggression, he will be fine as a stud, if not, do like everyone else has said and geld him.
I understand that sending him to a trainer is very very expensive, and I have two suggestions for you. Firstly, maybe you could bring in someone else you know to guide you with the training, secondly, go to some clinics and involve yourself with trainers like John Lyons, Clinton Anderson etc, and start from the ground up. Although I'm not a huge fan of Pat Parelli, he definitely has a way of teaching through videos and hands-on with your own horse that can be invaluable to any first time "trainer".
Good luck, and if you have any further questions, please email me.

Answer 7

If you just got the horse, you need to spend time with him first. Get him used to you and to trust you. Spend time with him on a lead and brushing, etc during this time you can also be getting him used to you getting close to him and bouncing next to him and against him. That way he knows sudden movement and bumps aren't anything to be scared of. Once you have the horses trust, start getting it used to the sight and weight of just the saddle. It will take a few times of just saddling him and leading him around with the saddle to get used to the feel and movement of it. After he accepts that, start adding some weight and you stepping into the sturrip and back out. Do this more and more until you can safely swing a leg over and back down. This is in conjunction with other days of the weighted saddle. Evenutally you will be able to sit on him. Take him to an enclosed area and slowly let him get used to the feeel and movement of you on his back and give a light kick and verbal command until he understands what you want. It will take time but is worth the effort. Passive breaking leads to a better and safer relationship with your horse. They also respond much better and faster. Time, patience and repitition is key. Of course this is a very basic training schedule and you have to fill in the gaps for your horse and it's temperment, but you can do it. Working with a partner to help you is good too. They can help control the horse and it's actions while getting used to a rider. Good luck.

Answer 8

Send him to a horse trainer. Expensive, but it'll get done right. Otherwise, train him like any other horse. I broke my stallion to ride and then gelded him at 4 years and even though he'd bred a few mares he was a good riding horse.

Answer 9

1. Get him gelded immediately.
2. Send him to a trainer for about 6 months for professional training. (This will cost about $4500)
3. Start taking riding lessons on an old bomb-proof horse from a professional riding instructor immediately while he is at the trainers. (This will cost about $1,200 for 6 months worth of lessons)
4. When you get your "green-broke" horse back from the trainers, start riding him and see if you can get along with him. I'm guessing you will probably not unless you are a very experienced rider. Most horses are not appropriate for beginner riders until they have been ridden for many years.
5. Send the horse back to the trainer for another year or so so he can be trained appropriately for you. Repeat until you can actually ride the horse safely. (This may take about 4-5 years and thousands and thousands of dollars.)
OR
Sell the horse now, buy a nice older well-broke bomb-proof gelding for about $3500 that you can learn on and enjoy and not get killed on and save yourself a lot of money and headaches.

Answer 10

gelding is not required but highly recommended, we have a horse that was trained while still a stud. Really you just have to take it in small steps, put pad on one day, take it off, put it on again the next day walk him around, do this with saddle, and loose girth, do all kinds of groundwork with saddle on, etc