I Broke My First Horse Ever!!! Our Buckskin Filly Tora

I've been showing pictures of this beauty since she was born and I have been anxiously waiting for the day I could hop on her back. It was a surprise to me that it happened so early! I got a call on Wednesday that the trainer is taking her on Monday. She's a little under 2 years old so I was expecting to still have at least 2 or 3 months to work with her before actually getting on her, but since she's so big he wants to do it now. We want her done so my sister can take her to 4H this summer and a few other summer shows.

Well anyway, there was a lot of work that I would have liked to have done with her, but I had to skip some of the ground basics like moving from side pressure since I had such short notice. I've worked with her in the round pen several times with a bit and saddle on, and I've put bareback saddles on her since the first week of her life. She halters well, and loads pretty darn good, ties, stands, picks up her feet, walks through anything you ask her to, including creeks. She's a really good all around horse and she's pretty level headed for being so young.

When I was down there on Wednesday morning she stood perfectly still when I saddled and bridled her. She even did a VERY good job of keeping her cool when the stirrup fell off the saddle and hit her in the side. She just jumped and stood there waiting for me to do something. I train by giving lots of praise, and I'm almost positive that's what she was waiting for. She was better saddling and bridling than her own mother!!!

I did some round pen work and hopped on! She took off kind of fast, but when I asked her to whoa she threw her head up a couple times and stopped right away. She was really awesome. She didn't give me any troubles other than she thought she couldn't walk with all the weight on her how rude.

Anyway, here's a few pictures. And yes my farm coat is from the early 90s




Here's an old picture of her if you need a reminder, Tora at a week old



And here's the very much anticipated video I'm sure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AIDHXY2kcQ



It may be a little less exciting than you were expecting, unless you were hoping I would live

Here are a couple updated pictures. She has been at the trainer's place for 2 months and she has a couple weeks left. She's HUGE! I'm just a hair shy of 5'7''




Thank you! I love her!

You hit the nail on the head! They are a lot of work and dedication! Most of all patience! I never had patience till I got a horse 5 years ago. You can't lose your patience or the horse will lose confidence and your training stops right there. Yep, she's got her winter coat in full force. My paint mare looks like a woolly mammoth right now!

Thank you!

Thank you! I agree, the cowboy way is a bit too intense for me. Using that method really doesn't work, in my opinion. You literally break the horse's spirit and in turn it's personality, it's trust, it's love, and it's compassion for humans. It took me an entire year of putting the saddle on my mare every day before she would stand calmly. She was trained the cowboy way and was terrified that I would beat her once I got the saddle on. It's been 5 years and there are still things that I'm working on because she's scared. She's a thousand times better than she used to be, but you can still tell she has had a traumatic life before me. She would rather die than go inside of a barn! I'm thinking someone tied her up in a barn and beat the heck out of her. She'll go in a barn with me leading her, but she will literally shake until she sweats.

Thank you! It was an amazing feeling!

Thank you! Most people wouldn't get on a horse or break it till it is 2 or 3, and I have received A LOT of really mean comments from people for it! Around here it is completely normal to break a horse at 2 years, and our trainer goes by a combo of age and physical maturity. I trust and like our trainer. He is a VERY gentle trainer and has some really amazing horses!

Thank you! She is awesome for me! She definitely behaves the best for me. I'm pretty sure it's because she trusts me and knows that I'm not afraid of her. I don't let her walk all over me, so she knows her boundaries with me.

I hope so too I love her so much, I wouldn't let her go for anything. She's 21 years old and deserves to live out the rest of her life in a good place.

Lol, that's funny about your horse!

The craziest story with my mare, happened a couple years ago. We were out riding and she jumped over a little tiny crick-she could have stepped over it-but she slipped and hit her face on the ground and I flipped over her. When she went to get back up her front hoof was on my chest, but somehow she knew that she was stepping on me and jumped off. I have no idea how she knew or how she was able to jump off in time, but all I got was a really pretty purple bruise on my ribs, nothing broke! I couldn't believe it! My sister was freaking out because she was watching it all happen.