“I have got a two-year-old. I have bitted him and started lunging him. He’s very good at being handled, but he’s a pain to catch.

Any tips?

I’d also be grateful for any general tips for an 11.2hh two-year-old Welsh section A.

Thanks."
Morgan

Olympic bronze medallist Sharon Hunt replies: "Morgan, it sounds like you've made an excellent start with your two-year-old - regarding difficulties catching him, this can be quite normal for a youngster and really comes down to practise and rewards. You need to practise approaching him in the field, making a fuss of him and then walking away; or practise putting a head collar and lead rope on him, walking him around a little, giving him a tit-bit and then letting him go, as well as continuing to catch him and getting on with your normal daily activities - coming into the yard, lunging, grooming and so on.

Hopefully it's just a stage that he'll grow out of and with time and plenty of practise, it should come right. Regarding the two-year-old Welsh section A pony, this is not entirely my area as I am used to event horses. Nevertheless, given that he or she likely to be handled and/or ridden by children in his/her life, I would think that a lot of supervised socialisation with children is very important. On my own yard, all of the horses have been brought up and encouraged to be good with children, as I think this is really important as I have a young niece and nephew."

Intelligent Horsemanship's Kelly Marks replies: "Hi Morgan - I'm afraid your questions are far too broad for a quick answer. You should get hold of either Monty's book 'From My Hands to Yours' or my book 'Perfect Manners'. You would certainly find a lot of answers if you come along to Monty Robert's tour of the UK, in the autumn, which is dedicated to developing a willing partnership with your horse. You can find the nearest venue to your house on my website.

I hope you come along.

Kelly x"

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