The beginning stages of having a young horse can be a challenge, from picking out the perfect prospect to determining how hard the beginning training regimen will be. Many trainers in the industry today are focusing on the two and three-year-olds and preparing them for futurity classes at big shows all across the nation.
Brian Baker, of Baker Futurity Horses in Ohio, recently talked with GoHorseShow about his training ideals when starting young horses and the success he has had with those techniques.
“I look for one that just naturally wants to do it themselves. I’ve had a lot of success with siblings too. You always want to keep your eyes open for just a good individual and an athlete. I look for talent. You want a natural jogger. That’s a pretty tough gait. They can either do it or not. With the lope, you can help them. That seems to be easier to deal with than one that’s not square at the jog.”
Baker believes taking your time is vital when starting out. Patience is key at the beginning with young horses. It can prevent injury and issues from occurring in the future.
“Take your time and go slow,” Baker said. “That’s the biggest thing. Some people may criticize this, but I try to stay ahead of injury. If you wait until something shows up, then you have waited too long. You don’t have to be super aggressive about it. If my two-year-olds show promise, I’m going to at least have my vet go in there and look to make sure nothing is wrong. A lot of times we deal with pain and aches. A simple little injection here or there can help that.”
Young horses can be fragile in both their body and mind. Baker recommends earning their trust when starting out young horses to get them on the right track.
“In the first 30-60 days, I want to earn their trust and have them trust me,” Baker said. “I don’t want them to be scared of me. You kind of go from there. They are young and won’t always be perfect. If they do get in trouble, they need to understand why they got in trouble. Be a teacher, don’t be a fighter. Try to follow that philosophy the best you can.”
Every trainer has their favorite horses they have started from the ground up. Baker listed a few of his, but also mentioned how grateful he was for all the good horses he has had the opportunity to put the foundation on.
“I’ve had a lot of great ones,” Baker said. “I haven’t always gotten to keep them. GoodCowboyMargarita, No Doubt Im Lazy, Only Ever After and Only A Summer Breeze are just a few of the many. All the Breeze mares were a lot of fun. You always just enjoy a good horse.”
Baker can usually be spotted in the Congress Masters Maiden Two-Year-Old Western Pleasure class. This year, he is showing a son of one of his previous Masters horses, No Doubt Im Lazy. The prospect for this year is a sorrel gelding called, No Doubting Me.
“I have realized that this horse fits me,” Baker said. “I like him. It’s also neat to come back and show an offspring of another horse I have shown and done well on. Sue Sancken owns him. It was a collective effort. We bought that horse through a sale and between myself, Sue, and Jackie, we all agreed he was the one we wanted to try. Knock on wood so far it’s working out. He’s a very talented individual with a ton of self-carriage, and he’s got a lot of self-presence to him.”
Baker has a great team behind him and would like to thank all the customers and the support group. He was recently inducted into the NSBA Quarter Million Dollar Club, shortly behind his wife, Dawn. We wish him luck at the Congress.
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Photos © Eric Hardesty
About the Author: GoHorseShow writer, Courtney Hall is a graduate student at Missouri State University. She is obtaining a Master’s Degree in Agriculture with research in Agricultural Communications. She started showing the APHA & AQHA all around circuit as a youth and continues today as an amateur.
