This message is from: Jean Ernest <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Well, I did it both ways..Never had horses until I got my first fjord in 1986. I bought a mare in foal, Stella, a white dun who was 9 years old at that time. She was ridable (when I got a saddle that didn't hurt her) but obviously I needed another Fjord to ride as she would be too pregnant and then nursing a foal, so I bought an older trained gelding, Bjarne, who was 11 when I got him in 1987. I learned a lot on Bjarne, started riding Stella when Bjorken was a few months old and then had both the older fjords to ride while Bjorken grew up. Bjorken was my buddy from the start, I was there at his birth and he was "imprinted" on me altho I knew little about formal imprinting training at that time (before the book). Anyway, when he was three or so I was ground driving him in the corral, and saddled and rode him a bit in the corral at age four. However, after falling off when he merrily chased after the others, I decided I didn't have the skills to properly train him so turned the task over to a talented Instructor/trainer who trained him and gave me lessons on him once he had the basics. He has turned out to be a wonderful horse who is very bonded to me, doesn't mind leaving the others to go out on the trail or anywhere as I am "part of the herd". A few years after Bjorken was born I decided I wanted another one out of Stella, but wasn't successful in getting her bred. Instead I bought her 2 year old GRANDDAUGHTER, who had all the genes and characteristics I wanted and now she is 8 years old, trained but inexperienced for riding but will eventually become my main riding and driving horse when Bjorken, who is now 16 becomes too old. Even tho I didn't raise Adel from a baby, she is VERY bonded to me also, (and very jealous of my attention to Bjorken.) She also seems to be happy to leave the others and go off alone with me, not herd bound at all. As I am myself in my 60's, I intend to try to continue to ride or drive well into my 80's! LOL. After all, there was that lady who just recently fell off her horse at the age of 101, ending her life! She was an active rider and instructor up to that time! Now that is the way to go! Jean in Fairbanks, Alaska, where the sun has already set after only 3 hours and 45 minutes, but the sunset is still glowing.
>As much as I thought of the experience and bonding of raising a younger >horse, I have no regrets at all of changing my mind and paying for the >older been there done that horse. When you purchase your first horse at >the later years in life, you don't want to deal with the foolish younger >years in the yearlings life. ************************************************************ Jean Ernest Fairbanks, Alaska mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
