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 starts 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, over bridges and out on the roads to the National Park and through it, and to the Pie Shop at Bakers Hill, which is a great ride along the track next to Great Eastern Highway. They are exposed to lots of different traffic, including trucks and motorbikes, plus lots of different animals including kangaroo's, emu's, dogs, sheep and alpaca's.

*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.

What do I need to bring with my horse?

If you would like your horse to be fed any 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 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?

All the horses are yarded and are fed as much great quality oaten hay as they can manage. This is normally a minimum of 6 biscuits, more if required. They are also fed a basic hard feed at night and in the morning if required, consisting of a maintenance pellet such as Liberty or Pony Maintenance, lucerne chaff, oaten chaff, flakey bran, Sweet Bulk 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 he 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 his different feed at your own cost, except in cases where your horse has specific allergies or conditions such as EPSM, in which case we will discuss a feed plan and will provide his feed.

We find that all the horses do very well on the feed we provide and we pride ourselves on having your horse come home looking better than when he arrives!

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. 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