i was just wondering if anyone can give me any info on what types of things i can be doing with my yearling for example bit and bridle etc
my yearling is now 13.2hh at his withers and at the backend he is 13.3hh
what height might he make
he is 329kg in weight is this ok if not what should he weigh

You can do lots of general handling : leading, teaching him to back, move over, pick up feet, bathing, get him spook-proof by rubbing plastic bags all over him, walk past/round bin bags, put bin/carrier bags on fences and hedges so he gets used to them flapping about in the wind, walk over plastic sheeting, under tarpaulins etc. I've always bitted my yearlings, put saddles on them and lead them around, flap the flaps up and down - you get the idea! I only do something extra once, maybe twice a week and only for a few minutes but it gets them used to things quite easily. If you have the opportunity to lead out in hand on a quiet lane or road, that's good too but remember that you are not supposed to walk out in just a headcollar, it should either be a bitted bridle or a lunge cavesson.

Sorry i could being a bit dim here but why cant you walk them out with only a halter on?

You are deemed to not have enough control.

fi halters are a lot safer than headcollars you have a lot more control, headcollars are dangerous you have no control and i tihnk should be banned

I use to keep my ponies with a lady whos husband was a police man, and at certain intervals of the year we changed fields, this generally meant a walk in hand through our local village to other end of it. We ALL had to put bridles on (all our ponies were old enough to be bitted) as she told us it is actually illegal to walk a pony/horse on a public byway without a bridle on!!

It doesn't say anything like that in the Highway Code, just 'make sure you can control your horse'.


http://www.nfstallions.info/ . . . http://www.forestuprising.org.uk/ . . . http://forestchat.co.uk/