Beau Cheval Warmblood Stud

16/04/2022

Totally agree! It's worth the wait to set your horses up for long term success and a rewarding partnership.

'Backing Your Young Horses'
Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

"There is much info around which leads the reader to think horses age more quickly when they are young and slower as they get older. There is no evidence to support this. Why would the horse be the only animal in the world that ages in a non-linear manner? It doesn’t make sense and is used as an excuse for impatient owners to justify working their immature horses.

Sitting on a horse before maturity has many dangers. It is risking kissing spine, especially if the horse is not conditioned slowly. Sending a horse away as a three year old to go from unbacked to ridden daily in 6-8 weeks is a recipe for disaster. Riding in circles on three year olds damages the hocks. Jumping four year olds is asking for stifle injuries. Pounding the roads pulling traps with two year olds damages every joint in their legs. Any joints asked to take excess pressure before maturity increases the risk of irreparable damage. Maybe a young horse puts down more long bone in response to trauma, to work, but just because a child heals quicker than an adult it's no excuse to cause such damage. An adult is still fully capable of adapting to the work load, just slower, without the collateral damage to the rest of the body.

For every horse that is backed at three and lives a long working life until they are thirty, as a Vet I can show you thousands, tens of thousands that are euthanised before they hit their teens because their bodies are broken. The exception is not the rule.

Fact: A horse ages roughly three times faster than a human, so a 90 year old human is a 30 year old horse. Both very old, usually arthritic, don’t have many of their original teeth left, and very likely retired and enjoying the finer things in life.

A 25 year old horse is a 75 year old human. Some are still happily working but some prefer retirement and an easier life. Often depending on just how hard a life they’ve lived.

A 20 year old horse is a 60 year old human. At that point where the body doesn’t work like it use to but the brain is all there and wants to be active.

A 13 year old horse is a 39 year old human. Middle aged, prime of their life where their knowledge and physical ability are about equal.

So let’s get down to the babies and work our way back up:

A 1-1.5 year old horse is getting their first adult tooth, this happens at 6 years old in a human child.

A 3 year old horse is a 9 year old child.
A child.
Not ready for work by a long stretch. We have moved past sending children down the mines.

A 4 year old horse is a 12 year old child. Often will do odd jobs for pocket money, maybe a paper round, mowing lawns etc. Basically a 4 year old horse can start a bit of light work experience to learn the ropes.

A 5 year old horse is a 15 year old teenager. Think they know it all, cocky, and ready to up their work and responsibilities. Still quite weak and not fully developed so shouldn’t be at their physical limit but can start building strength.

A 5.5 year old horse has just cut their final adult tooth, this happens at 17 years of age in a human.

A 6 year old horse is an 18 year old human. An adult.
Ready to work

An 8 year old horse has achieved full fusion of their final growth plates. This happens at 24 years of age in a human. This is the age it is safe to push a horse for their optimal performance.

Pushing your youngster too hard too young will result in the failure of many body parts. Joints, spine, tendons, ligaments as well as their brains. Waiting another year or two at the beginning could give your horse an extra 10 years of useful working life.
Be patient with your pride and joy!

01/12/2020

Beau Cheval Destiny, such a lovely mare! So proud of you Destiny❣🐎❤

Beau Cheval Destiny

14/03/2020

A balloon having an "unplanned" landing right next to us on Thursday morning. All horses are OK, they didn't even blink an eye. Must be because we had so many water bombers flying over our place all day in December. Btw - all passengers were ok too.

03/02/2020

So very true. We've bred a few, but there's 1 that we've bred who stands out from the croud!

How do we recognize a horse with heart?

First off, let’s agree on what we mean by the term ‘heart’. Is it what you think of when you tearfully watch race horses battle it out on the stretch? A ranch horse who quietly, resolutely works her way through a long day in the branding pen? The horse who faces the puissance wall when he can see nothing but a solid fence looming… and still, he jumps? The plucky pony who, though challenged in size and strength, finishes the driving marathon stronger than when he started? The horse who never, ever gives up?

A horse or pony with ‘heart’ is a cut above. He or she—and this is so often a mare—chooses to use its considerable powers for good over evil. This is the animal that would go and go until it dropped dead with exhaustion. This is the horse that does not need to be asked twice. He or she will never scotch, refuse, cheat or run out. This is the horse of legends.

The first training of such a horse can be somewhat of a leap of faith.

The horse with heart is often a handful in its early years. Remember, this is the horse who never, ever quits. This same sheer grit that keeps it going can be the same resolve that resists our guidance.

“Oh, yeah?” this horse challenges us. “This is a good day to die!” Old-time horsemen used to say they could recognize these horses by ‘the look of eagles’, a gaze holding them mesmerized by something far beyond the distant hills.

This horse can fall through the cracks if it lands in the wrong hands. It can take a dedicated and knowledgeable rider to see this kind of horse through the stormy years, a person who believes it will all be worth it in the end. A person who, like the horse with heart, will not give up.

A horse with a huge amount of determination can be made to do things but oh, my, what it can do when it loves its job! This truism may apply to all of us, man or beast, but with tough horses, a job they believe in can result in magic. This is when we get the feeling that they don’t really need us, that we’re only holding the reins to fulfill the requirements to compete. The horse with heart can pretty much get stuff done on his or her own. Larger than life in many ways: quirky, opinionated, stubborn, without ‘bottom’… all can be used to describe this horse.

While such horses are often said to be honest, being honest does not necessarily mean a horse has a huge amount of heart. Honest horses will want to serve us, whether or not they have high energy. They’re just good folks. On the other hand, horses with heart make far better friends than enemies! These are the ones that you’ll want to have on your side because if not, they can effortlessly make you look stupid… and they’ll get a kick out of doing so.

Horses with heart seldom get frail or lazy with age. They have a fire that burns from within.

As you’ll have gathered, not all of us are needing a horse with epic will. Those who aren’t prepared to die in battle are usually easier to school and get along with. If we’re needing a competitive machine, though, or one with which to share long, hard miles, this is our partner.

When it comes horses with heart, the good news is also the bad news.... They will never. ever. quit.

29/01/2020

Wowser!!!

30/11/2019

06/10/2019

NSW dairy co-op, Norco, says their drought support premium payment will increase payments to farmers by 5 cents per litre over the next nine months.

04/09/2019

Love this post.

The good ones take time.

Watch quietly from the sidelines as those who try to shortcut with bridles, bits and gadgets become unstuck at the first sign of a challenge.

Get used to sitting with your head in your hands having to take deep breaths or halting in the middle of the arena to stare at the ceiling for fear that frustration will take the reins and undo everything you’ve worked on.

Allow him to question, allow him to protest. You have to be in this together, it has to be a partnership not a dictatorship so he has to know that he has a say and that you are listening. Mutual understanding and respect should be the foundations on which you build.

Be prepared to taste your arena surface.

Don’t allow others to convince you a “more experienced” jumper would suit you better or “he might never come right”. Trust your gut. You saw something in him, so work you ass off to prove it.

Do not be swayed by trainers encouraging you to just “try” the draw reins or the bigger bit. Don’t succumb to the pressure to “teach him whose boss”. When the clock is ticking, and the stride just isn’t there you have to trust each other, that isn’t going to come from force.

Give this horse your heart, I’m not saying he won’t break it because he will, but when the day comes that he accepts you into his, he really will go to the ends of the earth for you. But until then, have tissues and a playlist of sad songs at the ready.

And just when you think you can’t take one more ride, when you feel like you’ve given every part of yourself to this and you can’t physically, mentally or emotionally manage anymore. Keep going. Nobody said this was going to be easy...but it might just be worth it, because the most valuable thing you can give a horse is time...
..and the good ones take time.

18/08/2019

Excellent article, and the reason we wait to start our horses later.

This great graphic, which was posted by the Arkansas Equine Foundation on Facebook, is the best illustration I’ve seen that illustrates how long it takes for a horse to become fully mature & #…