In his colt-starting series on Horse&Rider OnDemand, Miles Baker takes us through his entire colt-starting process from saddling to first rides. In this series of videos, Miles breaks down hand-use fundamentals on a colt to set them up for success in the future. He shares the importance of rewarding small improvements and how skipping these steps might confuse your colt down the road.

1) Hand-Use Fundamentals on a Colt

How exactly should you use your hands and feet on a 2-year-old in the early rides? Miles Baker explains how he develops the feel he looks for in the Relentless Remuda program. Miles describes how he rides with his hands in a box to insure that everything he does connects the hind end and the front end.

2) Teaching a Colt to Follow Its Nose

Once you are using your hands correctly to maintain softness, you need to teach the colt to follow his nose. Miles demonstrates how he uses his hands to teach a colt to move around in a circle by following his nose and how he begins to introduce leg pressure. All these small details will set the colt up for success down the road.

3) Before Asking for a Stop on a Young Horse

Miles Baker doesn’t pull on two reins on his colts until they’ve developed the feel and responsiveness with each rein individually. The fundamentals discussed in the previous videos are what Baker puts on each colt before ever asking for a hard whoa.

About Miles Baker

Miles Baker, who partners with 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile on dozens of horses each year, grew up starting young mounts in the pasture and the feed lot. The 2021 Prairie Circuit champion header exposes his prospects to cattle early and often in real-life ranching situations to provide them with the perfect foundation for the roping pen. He and Brazile have made and sold some of the top young rope horses in the sport.

More From Miles’s Colt Starting Series

• Tying Colts with Miles Baker
• Early Saddling Fundamentals
• 30-Day Bit Progression
• Cutting Out the Nonsense with Miles Baker

Horse&Rider OnDemand

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