The 30, 60, 90 Day Horse: Is It Enough?

Many horse owners make the smart decision to send their young horse off to a professional trainer. The tough decision is for how long! What should you expect in 30, 60, 90 days? And is it enough? Unfortunately, that’s not an easy answer.

Often, it comes down to cost, time, and expectations. Good training isn’t cheap, but it’s also not quick. A solid foundation can take months to achieve. It also depends on the horse- their age, temperament, breed, and previous experience. It’s essential your expectations match reality!

Typically, an unstarted horse will take much longer than 30 days before they’re ready to be handed back to their owner. The goal is to set you and your horse up for future success. At 90 days, you can expect to have solid basics down, but it’s unfair to assume your horse will be beginner safe after this amount of time. A well-broke horse can actually take years to develop.

Consider the following:

1. Good training isn’t cheap, but neither is a well-trained horse.
2. Find an honest trainer and listen to their advice.
3. Treat each horse like an individual.
4. Be prepared to spend months (possibly years) training your horse.
5. Evaluate your own skill set and keep learning!

You can’t rush horse training. It’s normal to want fast results, but the reality is horses need consistency and patience.

The 30 Day Horse

The first 30 days begins with groundwork. This may include desensitizing, yielding, controlling the hindquarters, and saddling. Eventually, your horse should progress to time in the saddle. The basics of standing while being mounted, the walk/jog/lope, and various figures can all be started. Your horse won’t be a master though!

The 60/90 Day Horse

With more time at the trainers, your horse can develop better stamina, balance, and confidence on the ground and in the saddle. Your trainer should have better control of the horse’s body. New maneuvers may be introduced with old ones cleaned up.

The more time you give your horse to learn the basics, the better off they’ll be in the future!

Make sure to check out ‘20 Groundwork Exercises To Master With Your Horse‘.