Roheryn is my new horse, a 2 & 1/2 -year old Quarter Horse filly. I chose her because I saw how smart and curious she was, I thought she could be a perfect match with my gelding Brego, and it worked perfectly well. I really wanted a mare for quite a long time, as my intent was to show all the steps I go through when I start a young horse.
Table of Contents
- Name: Roheryn
- Breed: Quarter Horse
- Age: 2 & 1/2 year old
- Genre: filly
Starting a quarter horse | DAYS 1 & 2 | Catching and desensitizing
On day 1, we received her at the Landry stables and I introduced Roheryn to Brego. We had a very short session to teach the basics: Backing Up and Lunging. On the day after, it was time to start real work, back to the Groundwork Fundamentals naturally, but I also started to prepare her for the saddle.
Starting a quarter horse | DAYS 3 & 4 | First ride
On the third day, I just wanted to get her used to the saddle. I repeated all the Fundamentals on the ground, with the saddle, so she can feel the weight of the saddle, the movements of the stirrups and leather straps, etc. It went really well.
Day 4 was the big day: first time I get on her back. We worked the lateral flexion both from the ground and under saddle, and then we enjoyed our very first ride, walking nicely in the arena. I really like that connection we have, I think we’ll have a lot of fun together!
Starting a quarter horse | DAYS 5 & 6 | Our first steps under saddle
This second session in the saddle turned out to be very positive. The filly is attentive, sensitive to my slightest changes of balance, soft and relaxed. Too bad the weather could not be better, we are moving slowly, but after all: “We have all the time in the world”…
The next day, not willing to rush things, I chose to work her from the back of Brego, my gelding. We insisted on desensitizing, then worked simple manoeuvres before I led her along on a rope. This preparation will be useful later, when we hit the trail.