# What ia the difference between 'backing' and 'breaking'



## Halfpass (23 August 2007)

After reading a recent post I am interested to hear what others feel the difference is.  
I have recently started my horse. By this I mean she is ridden once or twice a week for 20 mins in the school then either lunged or long reined once or twice a week. Other than this she is turned out 24/7. I plan to give her a few months off over the winter then begin further schooling next spring.
So my question is am I breaking or backing her?
I have never liked the term breaking and always when chatting say that I am 'starting' my youngster. When does backing end and breaking start?
Answers on a post card


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## Tia (23 August 2007)

Backing is basically getting on the horse and quietly riding out at a walk on trails a few times a month.

Breaking is where everything is taught; right down to schooling and putting in work ethics daily.


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## Halfpass (23 August 2007)

Thanks for the reply from the sounds of it then I'm doing a real mixture of the 2. I wouldn't say I was breaking her but its further on than backing. 
Having said that I won't start her proper schooling until late next year when she'll be at the end of her fourth year. 
I have found that by starting her as a 3 year old has really encouraged her to grow up. She's a big girl even now and I wouldn't relish the thought of getting on her for the first time next summer


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## MillbrookSong (23 August 2007)

this is what i take it to mean

Backing - Lunging, long raining, lying over and sitting on maybe walked round a stabe sat on

Breaking - happens after the above and just hacking and just generally going forward!

And would say anything after this - general way of going, jumping etc is schooling!


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## mat (23 August 2007)

I would describe backing as getting the horse used to weight of a saddle and then a rider on its back, maybe on the lunge, and then breaking is the "riding away".... as it sounds really!


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## JadeWisc (23 August 2007)

I think most people here just call any form of beginning to ride a horse "breaking"

Alot of people will also say "started under saddle"  "Green Broke" "gentling" (not often though)

Whatever you call it, it is all the same process. Some just choose to do it slower and more gentle and some just decide to move more quickly perhaps with a firmer method.

I suppose one could even go fast in a gentle way or slow in a firm way 
	
	
		
		
	


	










I suppose I would say "what's in a name" ?
Just do as you see fit and call it whatever you like.


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## saddle (23 August 2007)

I don't like the term "breaking" as I think it infers that you are breaking the horses spirit, &amp; always think that it refers back to when horses were broken by rougher means than are used today. 
I think that "starting" a horse or pony just gives a gentler nicer impression.


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## joop (24 August 2007)

This is what I think the difference between backing and breaking is.


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## Lobelia_Overhill (24 August 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
I don't like the term "breaking" as I think it infers that you are breaking the horses spirit, &amp; always think that it refers back to when horses were broken by rougher means than are used today. 
I think that "starting" a horse or pony just gives a gentler nicer impression. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally agree, I don't use the work Breaking at all when talking about training a youngster


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## Smash (24 August 2007)

So what is the interpretation of 'turning away?'

When someone says they back at 3 and then turn them away until they are 4, what do you understand that to mean?


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## StaceyTanglewood (24 August 2007)

Im going to back my monster at 3 (next May) then turn him away over the summer then start proper light work as you say ridden once/twice a week and lunged long reined over the winter then start proper work early 2009 !!! (god that seems ages away ) !!


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## Maesfen (24 August 2007)

Turning away is after the initial breaking/backing, call it what you will, you stop all training and turn the horse out, whether it's daily or 24/7, so that its mind and body have a break completely.  It is thought (which is usually right!) that the horse takes things in better when it is relaxed and not being asked too many questions.  Most times, when a horse comes back into work from being turned away - which is usually 3 months onwards up to a year sometimes - , it is more tuned, stronger and ready for proper work with a better willingness to learn and work too.  They always say - don't ask a boy to do a man's work, that is very true of horses too.


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## flyingfeet (24 August 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
I don't like the term "breaking" as I think it infers that you are breaking the horses spirit, &amp; always think that it refers back to when horses were broken by rougher means than are used today. 
I think that "starting" a horse or pony just gives a gentler nicer impression. 

[/ QUOTE ]

*VOMIT* OMG please don't 'PC' the horsey world. 
We all know breaking means training and nothing violent. Its like traffic wardens becoming parking executives.

Or I'm not short, I'm vertically challenged.... yuck yuck yuck!


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## Ginn (24 August 2007)

Honestly I don't really beleive in either, even though I use the terms for the sake of simplicity!

I beleive you "start" a horse, ride it away and then progress at whatever pace suits the pair of you to improve its education.

If I had to define backing and breaking then I'd say backing a horse is getting it use to a rider onboard and accepting the leg and hands. Breaking imo refers to the traditional 6-10 week turnaround of lunge it, back it, teach it to school/hack/jump etc and then go on to use it as a normal horse.

Just my 2 pence worth


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## Halfpass (24 August 2007)

IMO turning away is a period of time, be it weeks or months, for a horse to be a horse with no questions being asked of them. Alee will be turned away at some point over the winter, probably for 3 months. She will be turned out as much as possible and not ridden / lunged / long reined. She will then have a period of a few weeks where I will go over the things that I have taught her over the summer before I begin to bring her on slowly over next spring / summer ready for some basic walk and trot tests towards the end of next summer.
I am new to starting horses and Alee is the first one I have started from scratch so all these decisions are ones that I have come to after getting to know Alee, talking to instructors and generally researching with books and the web.


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## GinaGem (24 August 2007)

Can't say i know what the terms properly refer to but i tend to use the work backing or backed to refer to when my horses first accept a rider.  Everything after that to me is riding/working as the learning process is so long.  I don't tend to use the word breaking much, not sure why. xxx


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