Hi Cameron. Join up puts the human in the alpha mares place in the herd. With a youngster like yours, that has never been abused, you should do 4 to 6 good Join ups. You do not seem to have any accreditations on the Uni. I have found the lessons & videos very helpful, even after more than 50 years with horses. Study the Uni, I have a 19 month colt & a 5 month filly. Both have been handled regularly from birth & both are great characters. However I am trying to help someone with an untouched horse of 4 years - see thread, now up to almost 150 posts, one with a problem horse & a third with an untouched 2 year old colt. It only takes 5 minutes a day to befriend these little guys & I know it's time well spent. My colt stood rock still whilst a tiny 8 year old child laid over his back a couple of weeks ago. This was not his training starting, he'll be 3 years before we do that, but he loves to try new things - no fear & complete trust. A joy to work with. Good luck, Jo

The great thing about Monty's methods is that you are doing join up every time you catch them in the field or working with them - its just not necessarily in the formal sense. For example: I was giving my gelding some free time at the end of a session of obstacles and tarps and then wanted to catch him again to turn him out- I simply walked back out into the centre of the arena(he had his focus on me then) and began the arcing movement and turning away slightly - he lifted his head and jogged straight from the corner of the arena out to "join up" with me. There is so much you can do with them. Have fun - lots to learn on here as Jo said!

Thank you all, it was very helpful. can any one tell me how to get accreditations

After each video session there is a test to take of your knowledge of the session... there are over 300 lessons available.

yes, watch the lessons from the beginning in order is the best way to build on your learning, when you've watched the video lesson, return the video to the small size & you will see a tab at the top of the video saying Monty's Challenge, click on that to answer the questions, there is also a section with extended notes you can read if you want more explanation of the lesson, that is on the right of the video.
When you've done 50 lessons, you will get your first ribbon.

Hi. Actually, your first ribbon is for 100 lessons, then one for every 50 after that. I read the notes, watched the lesson & took Montys challenge 318 times in in 3 weeks - enthusiastic or what? Now I go back & revisit at leisure. I've also got all the Backstage Pass episodes from Horse & Country TV to refer to. There is a recurring theme throughout. Be calm & relaxed whatever happens. Mistakes happen on both sides & that's ok. When something goes wrong go back to a point in the process where both your horse & you were comfortable & start again. Once you've established trust it is very precious. Cheers, Jo.

so my colt is not ready to ride. so i do 4 to 6 join-up's now along with picking up feet teaching with the dully etc. then wen he is ready to ride do i do join-up rite before i ride for the first time?

so it is Jo, 100 lessons before 1st ribbon, but it isn't the speed that you go through the lessons that count, but that you understand the lesson before you move on to the next that matters.

cameron, no, don't keep on doing join up with your colt, you will just bore & annoy him, it is a starting point for setting up communication, not an exercise that must be done all the time.
You just need to keep up different groundwork lessons to instil manners & the more imaginative you can make them, the better your communication will become.
Think through what you want to teach him & break it down into small parts, then teach him the first little bit before moving onto the next until you can put it all together.
If you have kept up the groundwork lessons, you don't need to do join up before introducing the saddle etc when you come to ride him as it will just be an extension of your daily routine, you will have saddled & bridles him before you get on for the first time, just make it a regular thing foe a while before that time, but i don't know how experienced a rider you are or if you have enough knowledge to back your colt yourself? Do make sure you have someone who knows what they are doing to help you!!!
Safety is the most important thing at all times!

Hi Cameron.audra. Yes, you do some Join up sessions, maybe 2 or 3 now. This establishes your place at the head of the herd. Work away, as you say, picking up feet, leading, stopping, standing, backing up, long line work. There is loads for you to do. Address spookiness, train to the mounting block, walking in traffic calmly. Farm stock, barking dogs, rowdy people. Remember, you have all the time in the world to set up your filly for success. Once she trusts you to be the safe place, when you do finally sit on her you'll be infinitely safer. Personally, I believe there is much to be gained by waiting for longer before sitting on their backs, 3 years minimum & no serious stuff until 4. But you can cover almost everything from the ground & even have them pulling a really lightweight exercise cart. All that preparation will mean your riding, once you finally get to it, is a partnership that could easily last 30+ years. My old gelding chose to take me across a field at high speed aged 37 & was so obviously very happy afterwards, snorting, jogging diagonally forwards & bobbing his head - just as if he was saying "I've still got it"!!! Sadly he's been dead for almost a decade by I relive that last gallop often & fondly. Cheers, Jo.

yes, indeed, lots of time before your baby is old enough to ride, at 16 months, lets remember that other than necessary handling for feet trimming etc, the rest of the time she should be out in the field playing with others & just being a horse.

Hi. Sorry - I wasn't clear. Some people start horses at 2 but although their skeletons are complete they still have growing to do & their muscles are still developing. They deserve time to mature. All the skills I listed can be taught, by taking just a few minutes regularly, leaving them the vast majority of their time to learn natural skills from their herd. By the time they are 3 they will have a good repertoire of skills to which you can add the saddle. Then, when they are 4 years old, you can confidently begin teaching ridden skills, safe in the knowledge that your horse is well mature enough to cope, both physically & mentally. And your success will be greatly enhanced by the bond you have spent years building up, over just a few minutes a day. Cheers, Jo.