HOW MANY DAYS ARE ENOUGH?

When you send your young horse off for training it can be challenging to understand how long he needs to be there. Is it 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days? Jacob Barry breaks down the basics of colt starting and what to expect within these timeframes so you can make the best training decision for you and your horse.

- JACOB BARRY, WITH MICHAELA JAYCOX

At one point, 30 days used to be the most common length of time for a young horse to go into training with a professional. But these days I see more horses staying between 90 to 180 days of training. The shift in time spent with a colt starter is an effort to provide the owner with a horse that they can confidently go home and ride, or help prepare the horse for the next step in his professional training and show career.

Each horse advances at his own pace, whether you put him on a 30-, 60-, or 90-day timeline. This means that one horse may be further along at the end of 30 days than another. It also means that by the 60-day mark that second horse could end up surpassing the first horse in ability. By giving your horse trainer ample time to work with your young horse you also give your horse time to develop at his own pace without being pressured or overwhelmed.

I’ll outline what you can do at home to prepare your horse before you send him off for training, and then go over some of the basic skills you can expect your horse to have after a certain period of time, so you can make an educated decision on what timeframe is best for your horse. Once he’s ready to come home, I’ll go over some of the things you can do with him to keep furthering his education.

At Home

Before you send a child to kindergarten, they know their ABCs, 123s, and can usually spell their name. You prepare them for school with these basic skill sets to make their formal education easier. The same logic can be applied to your horse. Working with your young horse at home prior to sending him to a trainer helps him transition into your trainer’s program a little quicker.