FAQ
The following are some of the most common
questions we are asked. Please note that any training times given
are average times only as each horse is different and may require
more or less training time than indicated. These are to give a guideline
only.
With horse starting, the average time from start
to finish is around 4 weeks. That is a good average regardless of
whether your horse has had a lot or very little handling. After
that period of time you can usually expect the following to have
been achieved with your horse:
*Horses are taught to be very respectful on the
ground and to tie up solid, plus they will know the Parelli 7 Games.
*We leg restraint train most of the horses we
start or re-educate. This can greatly diminish risk of injury as
horses are taught to give to pressure. It also gets them used to,
and confident with all farrier work and leg handling
*Horses are taught to lead very lightly and are
also taught to lead off another horse and are ponied around our
farm.
*Horses are taught to stand still to be mounted,
and stand still whilst mounted.
*The mouthing system we use ( John O’Leary’s)
produces a soft, light mouth with fantastic "brakes" and
back up.
*Horses are taught to turn on the forehand and
to open gates.
*Horses are ridden out and about here on the farm,
through the dam down the road, over bridges and out on the roads
to the Heritage Trail. The horses are exposed to lots of different
traffic including trucks and motorbikes, plus lots of different
animals including kangaroos, emus, camels, donkeys, dogs, sheep
and alpacas.
*Horses are ridden out by themselves and also
behind and in front of another horses and in groups of horses.
*We teach the horses to work in a preliminary
dressage frame and to understand a contact, and to also work on
the buckle and be relaxed on a totally loose rein and to stop to
seat.
*Horses for starting and ridden re education are
all taught to leg yield and to be very light off the leg, and will
know a few steps of walk pirouette.
*We stock whip train the horses from the ground
and under saddle.
*Horses are taught to walk, trot and canter with
correct leads and are confident and consistent with all transitions
and in all gaits.
*Horses are all float trained and taken for drives
around the roads and onto the highway. Horses can be taught to self
load on the float if required, provided they have enough floating
experience.
*Your horse will come home with a very good basic
education and will be confident and happy to start his/her career
at home.
How long will re-educating my 'problem horse'
take?
It’s good to allow around two weeks for
addressing behavioral problems. Training will include re-mouthing,
leg restraint training, teaching to leg yield and then time for
lots of riding out to address the problem. It also includes time
for a handover period with the owner, which we insist on with any
re-education horse that we accept.
How long does re-educating
a standardbred horse take?
This is normally a similar process to re-educating
any horse, so allowing two weeks is generally enough time.
How long does re-mouthing take?
Re-mouthing a horse, depending on the reason why
and any associated issues, normally takes between one and two weeks.
How long will leg restraint training take?
We normally like to have around three to four
sessions to leg restraint train a horse. Each horse can respond
differently so it’s best to allow three to four days of training
time for this.
How long does general handling take?
General handling includes the following training:
halter breaking, leading, leading off another horse, tying up solid,
leg restraint training and float training. We normally ask for between
one and two weeks training time to achieve all of this.
How long does float training take?
Float training can take from two days to a week.
It depends on the reason why the horse is being difficult to load.
Once we have had a training session with your horse, we will be
able to assess the horse and give a guideline as to how long we
feel the horse will need. We also require you to allow time for
lessons with your horse here before he goes home.
*As mentioned at the top of the page, these training
times are to be used as a guideline only. Every horse is different
and may respond differently to training. Having said that, we don’t
like to waste anyone’s money so will always advise as to exactly
when your horse is ready to come home, regardless of the time he
has been booked in for.
Can my horse be fully rugged while he is staying?
Yes, we are very happy to rug, and your horse
will be un rugged every day, weather permitting. We are happy to
rug clipped horses and show horses with a reasonable amounts of
rugs. As above, please label all your horses rugs clearly.
Do my horses teeth, worming and vaccinations need
to be up to date before he comes?
We ask that your horse be up to date with teeth,
worming and vaccinations for tetanus and strangles before he comes
to us. If you are having trouble worming your horse, we can do that
here upon arrival. If your horses teeth are due and you haven't
been able to have them done, we will organize our dentist to see
your horse, however, please be aware that this can sometimes delay
training while we organize and wait for an appointment. Please see
our Agistment and Training Agreement for more information on this.
What will my horse be fed?
We feed unlimited oaten hay. We also feed a basic
hard feed at night and in the morning if required, consisting of
a maintenance pellet (or grower and weaner for young horses), lucerne
chaff, oaten chaff, flakey bran and molasses. The only exception
to this is if your horse is overweight or doesn’t require
a hard feed, such as some of the pony breeds, in which case they
will be fed hay.
If you would like your horse to be on a different diet while he
here is here, you will need to supply any alternate feed at your
own cost.
We find that all the horses do very well on the feed we provide
and we pride ourselves on having horses go home looking better than
when they arrive!
What do I need to bring with my horse?
If you would like your horse to be fed any alternate
feeds, special supplements or vitamins and minerals, you will need
to provide these. If you would like your horse to be rugged, please
bring his rugs with him. We do recommend rugging in winter as it
gets very cold here and the horses are yarded, so cannot create
their own warmth. If your horse has never been rugged before, that’s
fine as it will become part of his training to be rugged. Again,
you will need to supply a rug for him.
Please label any rugs clearly with your horses
name. Some people use plastic label tags which work really well
as they are removable and waterproof.
We ask that you don’t leave any head collars,
lead ropes or other gear here as we can guarantee it will be lost
by our kids or dogs. We have all the necessary gear for training,
including bridles and bits, and we will spend time talking to you
about any questions on bits or gear you may have while your horse
is with us for training.
Can I come and visit and watch my horse be worked?
You are welcome to come and watch your horse being
worked and we are also happy for you to come and visit before you
book your horse in, so you can meet us and have a look at our training
and facilities.
We do have some conditions on visits and require
appointments to be made. Please refer to our “Client Involvement”
section for more info about this.
What happens if my horse needs veterinary care
while he is staying?
We have two vets that we use in the Bakers Hill
area who both offer an on-call service 24 hours a day. In case of
an emergency, we will call the nearest available vet. For general
veterinary care, we are happy to call your nominated vet. See our
“Agistment Agreement” for more info about this.
Can my horses teeth, feet, worming, branding,
drenching, micro-chipping ect be done while he is staying?
Yes, all of the above can be done while your
horse is staying with us. With veterinary care such as branding,
drenching and micro-chipping, the vet will invoice you directly
and we ask you for at least 2 weeks notice to arrange it for you.
For farrier and dentistry care, we will invoice you as part of your
horse’s final invoice. See “Possible Additional Costs”
for more info on this.
My horse hasn't been float trained. How do I get
him to you?
We recommend an excellent horse transport company,
BEC Horse Transport. They are located in Serpentine, however come
up to Bakers Hill and surrounding areas every Tuesday and Thursday
when required. For Down South clients, BEC do a Down South run every
Wednesday. The horses are brought up to Perth on the same day, stay
at the depot overnight and are then delivered to us on Thursday.
We particularly recommend BEC Horse Transport
as Rick, the truck driver, is an excellent horse handler who takes
time and care when loading the horses. Fred always says that the
horses have their first lesson with Rick, and Melissa is incredibly
helpful with bookings and any queries.
Melissa and Rick at BEC Horse Transport can be
contacted on 9525 9333 or 0421 954 661.
Their email address is bechorsetransport@hotmail.com
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