Colt Starting vs. Fundamentals

Do you have a colt to start under saddle and aren’t sure if you should get the Colt Starting Series or the Fundamentals Series? It’s a common question we get asked by our customers, and the answer is, if you want to do a thorough job, you’ll need both.

If you’re on a tight budget and can only afford one kit at the moment, we recommend the Fundamentals Series to get started. The series will give you the tools you need to earn your colt’s trust and respect on the ground. The same groundwork exercises (plus additional exercises) are covered in the Colt Starting Series, just not in as much detail. By the time your horse is ready to start under saddle, you’ll have earned his respect and he’ll be a calm, safe horse. Then you can use the Colt Starting Series to prepare him for the saddle and his first ride and take him safely through the first three rides. You’ll learn essential skills such as introducing the colt to a hackamore and how to transition him over to a bridle.

In the Fundamentals Series, Clinton does not explain how to introduce the saddle to the horse, prepare a horse for feeling a rider’s weight, how to bridle a horse, etc. The series assumes the horse is broke to ride. On the other hand, the Colt Starting Series goes into great detail about all of those topics and much more, such as how to transition the colt from the hackamore to the snaffle bit, handling feet, bathing and riding the colt out on the trail for the first time.

Once you’ve started the colt and have the first three rides under him, then you can pick up the Fundamentals again to teach him the riding exercises that include steering, suppling the five body parts, backing up and the start of vertical flexion.

Learn more about the Fundamentals Series and the Colt Starting Series on our website.