I do not have the facilities to have my horses where I live, but they're only four miles away, which isn't too bad. They live at my friend's aging ex-dairy farm that she inherited from her grandmother. Any vision you have of a classy non-mud horse facility should be quashed with prejudice.
The younger horse is going to be two years old* at the end of March. While he is, kinda, being trained to ride mostly this is currently "master all of your in-hand skills" and "take walks in-hand away from the known while managing your emotions and behaving." Finn (the brown youngster is Finn, the mature, nominally-white gentleman potato is Bird) will not have a person sitting on him until he is four years old. From now until then, it's work in-hand, ground driving (horse wears a bridle with long reins, person walks behind or beside horse, steering him with the reins), that style of thing. I do not expect actual physical work from youngsters beyond understanding the ground skills and being able to manage their emotions in various circumstances. Mostly they need to grow up.
*But don't they race two year old thoroughbreds? I seem to recall that Secretariat was Horse of the Year when he was two. Like, he didn't just pretend race, he raced for real. Yep, they do race two year old thoroughbreds. And the stock horse people ride their two year olds in "Futurity" classes that display pretty darned finished looking horses. And if you have a horse who knows his job at two, then he probably was having people sitting on him as a long yearling.
Uhm. No.
This is two year old Bird:
This is four year old Bird:
As you can see, there is a lot that happens between 2 and 4. The horse just gets more solid, more rideable. I am not in such a hurry that I need to sit on a two year old colt.
no subject
The younger horse is going to be two years old* at the end of March. While he is, kinda, being trained to ride mostly this is currently "master all of your in-hand skills" and "take walks in-hand away from the known while managing your emotions and behaving." Finn (the brown youngster is Finn, the mature, nominally-white gentleman potato is Bird) will not have a person sitting on him until he is four years old. From now until then, it's work in-hand, ground driving (horse wears a bridle with long reins, person walks behind or beside horse, steering him with the reins), that style of thing. I do not expect actual physical work from youngsters beyond understanding the ground skills and being able to manage their emotions in various circumstances. Mostly they need to grow up.
*But don't they race two year old thoroughbreds? I seem to recall that Secretariat was Horse of the Year when he was two. Like, he didn't just pretend race, he raced for real. Yep, they do race two year old thoroughbreds. And the stock horse people ride their two year olds in "Futurity" classes that display pretty darned finished looking horses. And if you have a horse who knows his job at two, then he probably was having people sitting on him as a long yearling.
Uhm. No.
This is two year old Bird:
This is four year old Bird:
As you can see, there is a lot that happens between 2 and 4. The horse just gets more solid, more rideable. I am not in such a hurry that I need to sit on a two year old colt.