Thanks to Banjo, I can show you a real-time colt starting. Nothing is missing, nothings is hidden, the video also includes the boring moments ;o)
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The idea came to me after watching the Ray Hunt Colt Starting Series. Thanks to these DVDs, I have been able to start colts, following and studying that great man working four young horses. It actually lead me to meet my equine companion: Brego. All details were there, including these little moments which are not extraordinary but actually show important things to the beginners: Patience, consistency, ability to reward everything _ even the smaller efforts!
I do not pretend to have the tenth of the skill this horseman could share with us, but I think it can be interesting to have a view from the inside of the whole colt-starting process…
- Name: Banjo
- Breed: Solid Paint
- Age: 3 years old
- Genre: gelding
The horse is called Banjo, he is a three-year old solid Paint gelding. He had been saddled a couple of times last year, in 2014. Eight to ten months ago, a very heavy-handed cowboy wannabe pushed him hard along the round-pen, and the only result he obtained was a wounded hind leg! Since then, he has not been worked nor handled, he just spent months in the field with Louisiane and another young mare, which is as afraid as Louisiane is.
Colt starting | DAY 1
This video is the first part of a short series that shows a colt starting in real time, almost completely uncut. (I just removed about ten seconds of footage when I picked up my flag.)
The very first day has been dedicated to the basics:
- Groundwork Fundamentals
- Groundwork Foundations
- Desensitizing to the saddling
- First mounting
We have spent one hour and fifteen minutes in total and finished on a relaxed note from the saddle.
Colt starting | DAY 2
This second day has been dedicated to the safety basis from the saddle:
We have spent about one and a quarter hour in total. More than twenty minutes have been spent to untrack the hind legs from the ground, and from the saddle. Indeed, this day revealed a quite sensitive horse, having troubles to deal with his hindquarters and tending to kick! Untracking the hind legs helps the horse to get comfortable with his moves and gets all the kicking and bucking out of the horse peacefully.
And, believe me, you want to get rid of all this before you hit the trail!
Colt starting | DAY 3
During this third day, Banjo has been quite anxious and needed a lot of work to get used to me on the saddle:
- Desensitizing from the ground
- Untracking the hind quarters
- Moving the front _ basic feeling
- Walking peacefully
We have spent about one and a quarter hour in total. Due to technical reasons, the first twenty minutes on the ground are missing, that time was spent to desensitizing and lunging on the walk, and on the trot. Banjo is a very sensitive horse, unsecured, but does not need much to feel comforted and at peace.
This third session revealed all the wrong that had been done to him before by that brute. Unfortunately, many horses have to go through such bad experiences, and that is the reason why Natural Horsemanship is so important.
Colt starting | DAY 4
This session was the first real day under saddle for Banjo. This horse is much more spooky than initially expected but we ended the session peacefully walking in the bit.