Traffic?
- Carmen Mero
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Horses learn in many ways, including by observation. We typically support a colt's first rides outside the round pen by accompanying them with older calm horses. Because this colt is intended to remain a stallion, much of his social life has been different. He has been isolated and has not developed herd social skills. We also skipped the ponying step, because we felt like it was more of a challenge to his progress than a learning aid. This set us up with the first rides out of the round pen where not only did other horses not give him confidence, they frightened him, so badly, in fact that he ran backwards kicking at an outrider horse on his first day out. We devised this drill to keep him busy in traffic until he learned that the other horses were not going to kill him. It's a little fast and jammy, and definitely not the normal process, but we were installing emergency survival skills!
Every horse has their own set of needs and none progress exactly the same. It is important to adapt to the horse.
Our typical colt-starting plan in the first 30 days looks something like this:
Week One
Basic handling, leading, touching, sacking, out, brushing, tying begins
Round pen work focused on control and voice commands, lots of walk-trot-walk transitions
Week Two
Lounge line is introduced in the round pen (this is the introduction to driving lines than will come later)
Saddling: focus is on confidence and acceptance, bucking is discouraged
Ponying. This step prepares them to drive forward while being controlled from a human above them. We establish three gaits, stops, turns and rein-backs from another horse. We also establish a connection to working alongside an older horse. This helps them transition away from the roundpen with a rider later.
Driving in the round pen with long lines
Week Three
Driving continues
Bouncing beside them on both sides in preparation for stepping up, stepping up in both stirrups
First round pen rides
Stop, turn both directions, back
Once they have enough fundamental control and confidence for Kaylee to open the gate to the round pen, they graduate to the arena, where Carmen meets them with the pony horse they are already acquainted with and confident in.
Week Four
Confidence grows riding with increased distance from the support crew until they are entirely independent. If they are quiet and confident, pasture rides (full of quail, wild, pigs, turkey, deer and random unknows) are introduced.
Walk-trot-walk transitions, circles, crossing over poles
Beginning work in the canter
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