Hi Dorothy - you can get your youngster used to having things on his back by just putting on and taking off a saddle blanket or saddle cloth. Let him sniff it first, then start to rub him with it on his neck and his shoulder, gradually moving it towards his back, all the time making sure he is happy and relaxed. Eventually you can lay it over his back and leave it there for a while, then take it away. I read a book by Mark Rashid and he gets foals used to things on their backs by taking off his jacket and laying it over their backs for a while and allowing them to walk about and get used to it. When the time comes to saddle up they are already half way there and most are very accepting of the next stage.

Dear Dorothy. Personally I think that a yearling is too young for a saddle. The aim of this age should be that they can be handled to go to the veterinary and that they eventually allow the cure of the feet. In this age I visit them once a week on the pasture.
Other opinions?
Rudi

I'm with Rudi. A blanket, sure, but in all other respect; what's the rush? He's just a baby. :)

I am with Kicki and Rudi - let him enjoy his foalhood first! Just halter leading, picking and trimming hooves, tying up and lots of brushing, stroking and rubbing with a towel - the saddle can waite until he is ready for breaking in.

I agree, I should have added that in my first comment, no saddle for now, just blankets or saddle cloths or whatever to get him used to things on his back but nothing heavier.

hi i have a piebald cob who is very bolshy he is rising 3yrs and has been lunged,long lined and has had a saddle on his back and i have never had a problem with this.i purchased a dually and this has helped with his bolshyness but i have introduced a rider and he was fine with this until he takes three strides of trot and has a bucking bronco round the school throwing the rider every time can anyone help...

Make yourself a dummy rider to use instead of a person. I had rings put on my saddle to hook the dummy to so the horse can't buck it off. This is a great way to allow the horse to buck all he wants but not have the satisfaction of removing his rider. Once he accepts the dummy rider without problems then go back to a human rider.

ok i'll try that thanks for your help.

is this normal behaviour though as i didn't have any of this when i had my newforest pony.

It's nothing unusual, kelly. Lots of horses go bronco during their first rides, for all sorts of reasons. Can be tricky to figure out why they do it.
kleinne's suggestion is great. Whatever yo do, Stay safe!

This is normal for many horses and now that he's figured out that he can buck his riders off, it's a good tactic for him so he'll continue to do this until it doesn't work anymore.

ok thank you all for your comments and suggestions i think i will try and make a dummy rider and hopefully this will stop him doing it.

Last week I have been working with some young horses. I was putting a blanket and the saddle as proposed by Monty. But the blanket often slips away irritating the horse especially when they buck. So, I wonder why we don't put the saddle alone, without blanket, using the blanket only for shaping.
Rudi

Hi
Monty uses cavallo pads that don't slip I guess... Perhaps you could attach a saddle pad to the saddle before you put it on the horse? So it would be like one piece of equipment and wouldn't slip while bucking... I don't know for western, but english saddle pads can be attached to saddles easily
Regards

Isn't the pad mainly there to protect the leather of the saddle from salt and dirt from the horse's back?
Of course, it also levels some of the pressure and makes for a softer contact as well as stop the saddle from slipping. But if the saddle fits well enough without it, and there is nothing on it that can chaff or rub the horse, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to work without the pad at least until the worst bucking is over.

Young horses buck when they have something on their back because it is their survival instinct. For them it's a wild cat on their back and they must buck it off! Eventually they realize that the pad, saddle or jacket will not harm them and accept it. This is even more so if a ridder gets on the horse before the horse gets accustomed. Regarding the issue of the blanket/pad sliding which is very uncomfortable to the horse I recommend you get a blanket/pad that has a a small belt on the sides so that you can slide the girth through them before attaching it to the saddle. This way the blanket/pad will be one with the saddle and will not slide.

Thanks for the comments. Fixing the saddle to the pat is difficult in horses that are at risk to buck because you may not have the time for the necessary manipulation.
Rudi

True! But you can attach saddle pad to the saddle before you put it on the horse :) so that you put just one piece of equipment on the horse :)
Regards

What is the big rush? Let the horse grow up . You would not expect a child in grade 3 complete a math question of grade 5 , would you !? It's the same with horses. If you give them time there is no difficulties when they are 3 and 4 years old to saddle and bridle them and ride. When a horse bucks, there is a problem, either too young to understand or a health issue. Just not ready yet. Years later you will see that this extra years or two was nothing compared to the joy you will have in all future training and riding you horse. There are all kinds of ground work one can do when they are young, this can never be too much and the horse gets to know you and trust you. Hiltrud.

This is an interesting discussion thread.
A saddle pad has many purposes
It helps in many different ways, to protect the horses back and to protect the saddle as well, To help with desensitizing to lifting something onto the horses back prior to the saddle going on
Helps in teaching the horse to stand still when you want to put something on their back - all ideally in preparation for a rider, once the horse is physically and mentally ready for a rider and their riding career
If a saddle pad is coming out from underneath a saddle when you are working a horse - you need to really thing about WHY that happens - my first opinion would be that your saddle doesn't really fit your horse very well and there is to much space where the pad is and this allows the pad to move. The girth could also be too loose and there isn't enough pressure holding the pad in place!
Also really take into consideration what your pad is made of. you should always try to have a natural fibre against the horses back rather than a man made fibre. synthetic materials can really cause problems with the horses back interfering with sweating, the absorption of it, friction on the hair and the ability for the horses skin to breathe. Monty uses the Cavallo pad as mentioned earlier and the fibre against the horses back is merino wool and allows for breathing and much better contact with the horses skin. we have had many less issues with pads moving and reactions from the skin and the weight distribution and ease of use with these pad really helps in our training sessions.

Really take into account the age and physical suitability of your horse when you are starting or preparing from the first rider, every breed is a little different in maturity and mindset - there is never any reason to rush when starting your horse as you will need to get it right at the beginning ~ remember that if all learning is 1-10 the most important part is 0-1 so getting it right and having a horse suitable and capable of what you are asking is paramount. There is no rush to put the rider on - get the ground work and the basics right and prepare your horse properly and there will be far less issues later in their training.
Have fun learning from your horses - they will be your best teachers!

Thanks Maya for this detailed comment which I am sure we will all appreciate reading and thinking about - especially those with young horses.