Young Horse Development

Build foundations. Develop confidence. Prepare for a lifetime.

Building confident, capable horses through thoughtful, progressive education.

Every stage of a young horse's education lays the foundation for the next. Rather than asking young horses to accomplish as much as possible in a short period of time, this program is designed to support their physical, mental, and emotional development over multiple years.

Traditional colt starting often focuses on preparing a horse to carry a rider within a predetermined timeline.

While many horses are capable of doing that, I've found that the strongest foundations are built when education progresses alongside the horse's physical and mental maturity.

Rather than asking, "How quickly can this horse be ridden?" I prefer to ask, "What does this horse need to learn right now to prepare them for the next stage of development?"

For me, that foundation extends beyond teaching individual skills. It also includes developing trust, clear communication, and a relationship that allows the horse to approach new experiences with confidence. By working together over multiple stages, I have the opportunity to build rapport with each horse year after year rather than simply introducing the next task.

Just as importantly, the time between training stays allows young horses to mature physically and mentally while owners continue reinforcing the foundation at home. 

The result is a horse that isn't simply prepared for the next milestone, but equipped for a lifetime of continued learning.  

Why I Work This Way


Development Is a Journey

Horses are developed over years.

Each visit builds upon the last.

Each lesson creates the foundation for the next.

Instead of rushing through milestones, we focus on developing confidence, understanding, healthy movement, and lasting partnership.

What This Journey Can Look Like

Foundation

Handling.

Leading.

Relationship to contact.

Trailer loading.

Body awareness.

Movement.

Tack.

Mounting process.

First sit.

Walking quietly with a rider while being led.

Building Understanding

Review previous lessons.
Relationship to the bridle.
In-hand work.
Advancing longeing skills.
Balance.
Steering.
Transitions.
Early riding skills.

Developing the Riding Horse

Building consistency.
Strength.
Healthy biomechanics.
Confidence in the aids.
Expanding ridden skills.
Advancing body control.
Partnership.
Preparing for the horse's future career.

Supporting the Whole Horse

Every stage of education is supported by thoughtful management and collaboration.

Throughout the program we consider:

  • Nutrition

  • Hoof balance

  • Dental care

  • Saddle fit

  • Functional movement

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Appropriate workload

Because developing a young horse isn't only about what happens during training sessions.

It's about supporting the horse as a whole.

Young Horse Development is a collaborative process.

Between training sessions at Horsynergy, owners play an important role in reinforcing the horse's education at home.

You'll leave each stay with clear priorities, exercises, and goals that prepare your horse for the next stage of development.

The result is a horse that continues learning throughout the year rather than only during the weeks they spend in training.

A Partnership With Owners

Investment & Program Structure

Young Horse Development is intentionally structured differently than a traditional monthly training program.

Rather than charging one flat monthly training fee, sessions are billed weekly based on the work completed. This allows each horse's schedule to reflect their individual stage of development, giving them appropriate time to learn, recover, and integrate new experiences without feeling pressured into a predetermined number of rides or lessons.

Most horses participate in 3–5 individualized sessions each week, depending on their age, goals, and how they are progressing through the program.

Each week, you'll receive an invoice accompanied by detailed session notes so you can follow your horse's progress, understand what was introduced, and continue building on those foundations when your horse returns home.

The following costs are billed at the beginning of each month:

  • Board: $150

  • Base forage and foundational nutrition: $200

Training sessions are invoiced separately each week based on the work completed during that week.

Monthly Investment

Young horses are growing rapidly, and the decisions made during these early years can influence their health, movement, and soundness for years to come.

For that reason, every horse in the Young Horse Development program is maintained on an anti-inflammatory forage diet throughout their stay. This provides a consistent nutritional foundation that supports healthy growth, nervous system function, tissue development, and learning.

If your horse is already eating a forage-based diet, they will simply continue on a comparable feeding program while they're here.

If your horse is not currently eating a forage-based diet, a gradual transition will be completed during their stay.

Changing any feeding program should be done slowly to support digestive health and allow the horse time to adapt safely. Because this process requires additional planning, daily monitoring, and individualized adjustments, a Guided Forage Transition fee is applied.

By the time your horse returns home, the transition is already complete, making it much easier for you to continue the new feeding program with confidence.

Nutrition for Lifelong Development

  • While not required, HTMA is highly recommended for young, growing horses.

    Growth places significant demands on the body, and balanced mineral levels play an important role in healthy skeletal development, muscle function, nervous system regulation, and overall physiological resilience.

    HTMA provides insight into your horse's mineral patterns, allowing nutrition to be tailored to their individual needs rather than relying on generalized recommendations.

    By identifying imbalances early, we can support healthy development before small deficiencies or excesses become larger concerns. It's an investment in prevention, helping lay the strongest possible foundation for your horse's future health, performance, and longevity.

    If HTMA is completed, you'll receive individualized nutrition recommendations along with multiple supplement options whenever possible, allowing you to choose an approach that aligns with both your goals and your budget.

    ** Recommended supplements beyond the base diet are separate from the program investment.

Optional Enhancements

Investment Summary

Monthly Fixed Costs

  • Board: $150

  • Base forage and foundational nutrition: $200

Weekly Training Investment

  • Individual sessions: $60 per session

  • Most horses participate in 3–5 sessions per week

  • Weekly session notes included

Individualized Support

Guided Forage Transition (required for horses not currently on a forage-based diet)+$75

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (optional)+$215

Perfect for owners who:

  • Want to build a thoughtful foundation rather than rush milestones.

  • Value long-term soundness and healthy biomechanics.

  • See education as a process rather than an event.

  • Want to play an active role in their horse's development.

Is This Program Right for Your Horse?

  • Every horse develops at a different rate, both physically and mentally. My goal isn't to accomplish as much as possible within a predetermined timeline. Instead, I focus on building the foundation each horse needs for long-term soundness, confidence, and continued development. For many young horses, that foundation is better developed over multiple stages rather than all at once.

  • It depends on the horse, but typically one to three months, with goals tailored to that stage of development.

  • No. Each stage is valuable on its own. While the program is designed as a progressive journey, owners are welcome to participate in the portions that best fit their goals.

  • That's okay. Progress isn't determined by a calendar. If a horse needs more time developing confidence, movement, or understanding before advancing, we simply continue strengthening that foundation.

  • Yes. Young Horse Development is intentionally designed for horses that are beginning their education. While ages may vary slightly depending on the individual, the program is intended for horses that have not yet developed an extensive training history.

    Horses with previous riding experience, significant training gaps, or more established movement and behavioral patterns are often better suited for Integrated Training & Rehabilitation, where we can meet them where they are and develop a plan based on their individual needs.

  • Success isn't measured by how quickly a horse reaches the next milestone. It's measured by the quality of the foundation being built. My goal is for each horse to leave with greater confidence, understanding, body awareness, and readiness for whatever comes next. Sometimes that means introducing new skills. Other times it means strengthening the ones they already have.

  • Before asking a young horse to perform more advanced tasks, I want to help them develop balance, coordination, body awareness, and efficient movement patterns. These early experiences influence how the horse organizes their body long before more demanding ridden work begins.

    When a horse learns to move well, they are often better able to carry themselves, respond to training, and meet the physical demands placed upon them as their education progresses. Developing healthy movement patterns early also provides an opportunity to identify and address compensation patterns before they become deeply ingrained habits.

  • Yes.

    My goal is to support the horse's capacity to learn, not simply teach new skills.

    This capacity is influenced by far more than the training session itself. Comfort, movement quality, nutrition, recovery, and overall physiological health all affect how easily a horse can process new experiences, adapt to new challenges, and retain what they learn.

  • Every horse enters the program with a unique history, so I don't make assumptions about what they know based on their age.

    The program is designed as a progressive series of developmental stages and each horse begins with the foundational skills or a review of those skills. 

    A strong foundation isn't defined by what a horse has been exposed to. It's defined by what they truly understand.  

    If that foundation is already in place, we may move through the review quickly and continue building from there. If we discover gaps in the horse's understanding or confidence, we'll take the time to strengthen those areas before progressing.

  • Every horse in the Young Horse Development program receives a balanced anti-inflammatory forage diet designed to support healthy growth, movement, learning, and overall well-being.

    The base diet includes:

    • Coastal hay, with alfalfa added when appropriate for the individual horse

    • A forage pellet (timothy, alfalfa or sainfoin)

    • A mineral balancer (Vermont Blend)

    • A healthy fat source (chia, flax, or copra)

    • Loose salt

    These foundational components are included in the program's monthly fixed cost and provide the nutritional base that every horse receives during their stay.

    If additional supplements are recommended based on your horse's individual needs (whether from their history, nutritional evaluation, or Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)) those supplements are purchased separately by the owner.

    My goal is to build the strongest nutritional foundation possible while only recommending additional supplementation when there is a clear reason to do so.

Ready to Begin?

The beginning matters.

A thoughtful foundation shapes not only how a horse learns today, but how they approach new experiences for years to come.

Let's give your young horse the time, confidence, and understanding to build a partnership that lasts a lifetime.

START THE CONVERSATION

Service

Designed For

Young Horse Development

Horses beginning their education.

Horses needing assessment, understanding, and a foundation for moving forward.

Wellness Intensive

Horses with an established history that are ready to continue developing through a whole-horse approach.

Integrated Training & Rehabilitation

Horses needing physiological support, whether as prevention or alongside other services.

Nutrition Support