Do you send your horse away for backing when the time comes?
When I was younger – and that’s many years ago now – you were often told never to back your own horse. That was something only an expert should do. I’m not sure if it’s as common today, but I do know it still happens. I’ve worked with several clients who felt unsure about backing their own young horses.
Personally, I never really listened to that advice. For me, it was obvious that no one else would ride my horse for the first time – I wanted to do that myself. I also thought a bit further ahead: the horse is going to come back home anyway, and then the owner still has to take responsibility for the riding.
Think about it from the horse’s perspective. It leaves its safe environment, its herd, and everything familiar. It’s taken to a completely new place with new food, new people, and new routines. In a short period of time – often just three months, sometimes even less – it’s expected to learn all the basics. Then it returns home and is expected to behave like a “finished” riding horse in all gaits, without any issues or unwanted behaviors.
More than once, I’ve heard horse owners say they were disappointed when their horse came back. The horse didn’t meet their expectations, and sometimes it had even lost weight or developed other issues. It’s important to say that this isn’t always the trainer’s fault – the horse may have been stressed, tense, or unwilling to eat. But from the owner’s perspective, it can feel like a waste of money, and unfortunately the trainer may get a bad reputation.
So how skilled do you really need to be to back your own young horse?
In my opinion, it’s not about competition experience or perfect technique. What matters most is balance, patience, and awareness. I backed many horses when I was younger, and I wasn’t a top rider by competitive standards. When you let go of the idea that everything has to be done in a very specific “correct” way, you often get much further than you think.
This might be a bit controversial, but I believe trainers should support horse owners where they are, rather than taking the horse away and doing the job for them.
Many people who hesitate to back their own horse are driven by fear. Fear of failing, of making mistakes, or of “ruining” the horse. They’ve heard it so many times: if something goes wrong, you could end up with an unusable horse.
But in my experience, a lot of this comes down to mindset. If you can listen to your horse, read its signals, and feel when something is about to happen, you’ve already come a long way.
And if you’ve had your horse since it was young – taught it to wear a halter, pick up its feet, be led, and all the basic handling – then why hand it over just when it’s time to sit on it?
I can understand it if you’re a breeder with many horses and limited time. But if you have your one horse, a horse you’ve built a relationship with, then you absolutely have the ability to do it yourself.
The money you would spend sending your horse away could instead be invested in a good coach or trainer to guide you through the process. That way, you keep the connection with your horse – and avoid the uncertainty of what you’ll get back.
