at last someone has given a quote that i can help with

i am a pro rider and trainer, so i look out for issues like this

i normally start road work at this stage, on a lunge line, never put one hundred percent trust in any youngster i did that once and i had my arm broken in 3 places, not a good thing to do as they have never really seen anything before to accustom one self with it, so be careful

let them smell and get used to sounds make sure that they are sharp on the vocal commands as i promise you faithfully this will pay dividends later on, and also dont put any weight on the horse whatsoever untill they are 3 and make sure that oyu dont have the urge to lean over the horse at all as this is weight bearing aswell even for a few seconds, you can introduce a bridle with a rubber vulcanite bit at any stage as long as the bit is kind and then you can teach the youngster to accept this which will help you later on, cone work and poles etc is not really a good idea although walk round them alot dont be tempted to go over them as this can cause problems later on which is not good, make sure that the horse will work for other people as well as yourself horses can become really attached and you may not be able to be there all the time ie when you are on holiday which is when this will pay off.

i hope this has helped a bit, i would say enjoy him at the moment and then train later on, there is lots to do from the ages of 3-5 so enjoy these tender and young baby stages they are so precious and dont last for long

if you have any more probs then please feel free to email me on sdean_1983@yahoo.co.uk

take care and happy training!!!!!!!!!

sam