What are your 3yeas olds doing

[Kindy_Kat]

Ive been a long time lurker and now I have decided to post. I was wondering what everyone's three year olds are doing. I have a mare who turned three in April. I've had about 6 rides on her and I can clip her, bathe her, she leads well, ties, and we have done a ton of long lining. What are everyone elses 3year olds doing?

[Wild Oaks Farm]

This is terrible, but mine is doing absolutely nothing. He mostly ties and sorta loads. You can usually pick his feet up (that has been much impoved since his come-to-Jesus talk with the farrier). Anyone can sit on him and be led around (he is pretty much halter broke but so lazy that he's not going anywhere).

He's a Belgian/Percheron cross. I am sending the trainer a deposit soon and he will go there when he's three and a half.

I have a pretty good excuse - I have a six month old human baby who keeps me pretty occupied these days.

[rideagoldenpony]

We have two three year olds that are "doing something" this year. They are showing at the Welsh shows. Along with being "show ponies" come important lessons like clipping, bathing, mane pulling, blankets on and off, hoods on and off, taking long and short rides in the trailer, and hanging out in new places.
http://www.welshponies.com/me.htm
http://www.welshponies.com/martina.htm

The girls took turns winning champion mare at a large Welsh show this weekend. That was fun! MeMe also toted around an adorable child rider and won the Leading Rein class. I think I got a cute picture, but haven't downloaded it off of my camera yet.

They are both going beautifully under saddle w/t/c. I hope to have enough time to get some serious riding on them so that I can get them in the show ring this year under saddle, but so far between foaling, breeding, haying, etc -- I've just not had the time.

[Equilibrium]

My filly just started under saddle and will stay lightly ridden all summer progressing along the way. I like to keep things, easy, simple, and most importantly, fun. She does some flat work, some easy rides around the farm, and ships to my sister in laws house to use her bigger arena. Also she has really quiet roads to get my filly used to road work and has trails through the woods.

Terri

[War Admiral]

I'm waiting until fall to get Quattro backed b/c I feel like he needs more growing time.

Meanwhile he long lines, ground drives, bathes, MOSTLY clips (except for ears - still working on that!), cross-ties, loads, hauls, wears full tack, has learned to wear blankets, leg wraps & tail wraps, knows spray bottles won't eat him, "parks out" on request (he's an ASB), stands quietly at the mounting block while we lie across him and pat him everywhere, has voice commands, steering & brakes, gets better at his bravery training all the time, and we ground drive around the property and on quiet roads so he can see a little bit more of the world. When the round pen is available we also work on his unfortunate tendency to cross-canter. He has a GORGEOUS canter when he remembers which order the legs are s'posed to go in! :rolleyes:

[jubilee43]

My 3yo APHA is standing groundtied for washing, (I throw buckets of water on her, spray her with the hose and sponge her anywhere.) Clips allover, is at ease with blankets on and off,flyspray anywhere, picks all her feet up and is good for the farrier. Ties to a ring quietly and is easy to saddle and bridle.Also trailers well- she is not going to get left behind like last year! She is going for short rides of 20-30 minutes thru gulleys, over creeks, walking over logs and dealing with pop up wildlife by herself. We are working in the ring on learning how to neck rein and she is quickly grasping the connection between my seat and whoa. I was very proud of her last lesson when she cantered her first half circle, stopped when I said whoa(no reins) and backed immediately when I said back(no reins) We are doing WTC transitions in a 60 acre field on a straight line with varied terrain. She is a girl tho- oh does she shake her head when we have to walk thru a slightly muddy field- ewww dirty feet....:lol:

[mtpony]

Mine has just started under saddle, with a whopping 3 rides, all at a walk, or stroll, really. I am in no hurry for him to going too much before the end of the summer. He did, however, go to shows as a 2 year old to show on the line, so he does all the clipping and leading and trailering, and all the good pony basics, just not the formal under saddle training. Plenty of time for that. I did the same with his sister, she showed on the line as a 2 year old, and by the end of her 3 year old year was walking and trotting, cantering a very little, and driving a bit. SHe is now doing little scholling shows, and jumping around and getting her changes.

[Woodland]

I brought in a sales prospect a few months ago. He was badly neglected and thin. Got his teeth done, dewormed, hooves trimmed, shots coggins and the lot. Now he looks INCREDIBLE! Lovely red dun large pony gelding.

Any way while he was on the mend he learned to clip, load, unload, bathe, tie, lead, set up, showmanship, lunge, ground drive, etc He is 4 weeks under saddle, W-T-C quiet but very green. Sensible and eager.

He is a SALE pony, so he can not wait he must learn it, learn it well and get SOLD - it is his purpose. He will be a talented and very fancy large hunter! But the o/f part will have to wait until he is grown more. I do not intend to be his owner that long - he is solely an investment.

[FatPalomino]

Our trail rides happily and walks/trots in an arena we trailer to. We walk over poles and puddles and things like that. We went through a river today in the mountain... I lead him through most of it, but, he enjoyed it and it was great exposure! I trail rode him lightly as a 2 y.o, but now we've had about 6 rides in a bridle, so we are just gathering power steering. Very little cantering... because I'm not riding fit, and he's so small there is just nothing underneath me. All the ground manners were well established as a yearling.

He's a rescue, and a late 3 y.o., and he's probably going to stay a tiny (and I'm not). I'm casually searching for a short trainer who knows their stuff to keep him going for a month or two when school starts back up. We'll need to find a good pony rider for him next year (anyone know a skilled rider looking for a neat horse to work with?)

He's got a great work ethic, is amazingly balanced and a great mover, so it's hard not to do too much with him. The name of our game is fun and forward... all I really want at this point.

I plan on bringing him to some shows, for the experience, and getting him well broke to clippers, and maybe learning a solid canter depart, and that will be all for this year.

I had a 2nd 3 y.o. rescue horse that we are just getting started under saddle. I didn't have much time to work with him, but he had a good foundation, and is a QH, so he's easy to work with. He's found a local adopter who's continuing everything we've done, and he's going great.

[Moocow]

Our three year old stallion was broke this past winter, ridden very lightly a couple times a week (w/t/c, even popped over one or two TINY 'x's) and he's been a super star! Natural lead changes, extremely balanced, listens to voice commands very well. On the ground he bathes, clips, ties, loads without any fuss. After he finished his u/s 101 he has been living out in the field growing up! He's got a very grumpy older Darco gelding to keep him in line - does wonders for keeping that young stallion attitude in check!

[JohnDeere]

Our 3 y/o is broke to line, lunge, lead, load, clip, and w/t. The canter wil have to wait. But hes the most willing horse in 3 counties. :yes:

Hes sort of a rescue--needs about 150 more lbs and about a hand in height, plus to get those tiny legs stronger. So right now hes turned out in a big pasture with a buddy to grow more, fill out, and play.

Plenty of time for this one. Waiting 6 months to get him WTC wont stop the earths rotation. Hes still a baby after all.

[trakehner013]

My 3 yr old is going nicely walk trot, and is now cantering. She is coming along nicely.

[Flypony]

Mine gallop2 miles a day. And run every three weeks.

[Beverley]

My young 'un is 4 now, so 3 yo is so 'last year.':)

But at three, we did ring work and trails, w-t-c, solo and small groups, up to 3-4 hours but on easy terrain, and she spent one day working cattle. And she won the neighborhood competitive trail ride last fall. She was started at 2 and had about a dozen rides on her when I bought her 14 months ago.

[Kitari]

mine walks trots, starting to canter, longes, ground drives and long lines, bathes, starting trails, free jumps 2' and under. farrier. Ridden an average of 3-4 times a week

[broughton_sporthorses]

My 3y/o was broken in at 2.5yrs, and now she is in foal, due at the end of the year. She will be 4 when she foals. Then I don't know if I want to start training her again, or put her in foal again, as she is lovely and has great bloodlines.

[starrysky]

I half-lease a 3 year old Haflinger. He is solid at the walk and trot under saddle, and his canter is coming along nicely, but needs work, especially to the left. He has popped over a few TINY x's... he's a great little horse. I took him to his first horse show in the walk-trot division (no jumping) and he was reserve champion!

As far as the other stuff, he leads, good for farrier, getting to be solid on trails even alone (a few things still scare him out there, but I haven't trail ridden him yet - his owner does quite a bit of it), you can clip anything but his ears, he lunges with one line or two (although we could use some work on this, mostly because I stink at it), he trailers well, etc.

[SOTB]

My 3 y.o. Rio Grande filly went into training with Olin Armstrong this spring. She can w/t/c in the big ring and hops over little logs occasionally. She needed a job and she's doing great in her little program!

[oldenmare]

Mostly, she hangs out in the field and exercises herself - climbs hills, gallops, jumps downed tree limbs after recent storm.

In hand - grooms, ties, clips, bathes, loads, started long-lining. Her knees are still wide-open, so won't consider starting her until Fall, and then maybe not until early Spring dependiing on how she grows (she'll be 3 next month & she's *only* 16.2h right now).

She has a great mind and learns quickly - we go for long walks around the neighborhood (live down a LONG private drive - so we go visit neighbors) - helps assure no separation issues and she gets to see kids on bikes, ATVs, neighbor on tractor, chickens, cows and the occasional deer.

[Hampton Bay]

Mine walks, trots, and canters (somewhat). I started him very very lightly at 2, maybe one 10 minute ride a month. I can give pony rides on him, but we are still working on the steering thing. He stops beautifully ;)

He is also working on accepting contact, and soon we will start some short trail rides. I have also walked him thru and over things, but no jumping. He still only gets ridden once or twice a month, but I'm fine with that. He's out 24/7 so he gets plenty of exercise.

[certifiedgirl]

Uh oh, mine is still hanging out in the pasture! He is just very immature mentally and physically so I decided not to start him until fall- he'll get about 30 days and then be turned out until next spring when we'll start more serious training. He is great to handle, bathe, and loads well in the trailer. I don't clip mine so that isn't something I've taught him.
Basically I guess you could say mine is just eating:)

[Bravestrom]

Our 3 yr old rio filly is 2 1/2 months in foal to pacific star. So her job is to just be a mom. She was shown on the line so she has good manners, lunges with tack, cross ties and trailers.