It's back to work for 2012 and the eventing season is already looming – just where does the time go?

After a couple of weeks' break over Christmas and New Year we're delighted with our two three-year-olds (now four-year-olds) who had been working nicely on the flat and hacking out. They returned to work as if they had not had a break.

I have always found that horses which are turned away "going well" come back almost immediately to where they were – it never ceases to amaze me, but in all the years we have broken our own and other people's babies we have never had a problem "re-breaking" or starting again.

The trick is, I think, to stop at a logical place in their training during their progression to becoming a grown-up. Our two this time were super on the flat and hacking, and had been constantly learning and progressing to the time of their break.

Re-starting the young ones

When we re-start the babies we are always ultra careful. We have two people to tack up and take care girthing up, in case of explosions – and then up to our little indoor school. Tighten up the girth slowly and carefully – and off on the lunge with no side-reins to start with. If all is calm and well I would then attach side-reins (we use ones with elastic insets) and with a little inside bend work a few circuits with them and then let the stirrups hang down. We always pull the stirrups down to flap with the babies before getting on – I would rather a buck is triggered off by them than by the jockey's legs.

Neither of our two Karandasj-sired babies batted an eyelid at any stage so Scott (their regular rider) was legged-up to lean across them. With no worries we walked on like that with no problem and then legged him on properly. To be honest, both horses had an expression of self-suffering that we were being so cautious and on we went to as nice a bit of flat-work in all paces as we had before their time off.

Over fences for the first time

Over the next few days we just worked on confirming the flat-work and riding up the lanes, and then we had the "big day", their first ridden jumping lesson.

All our homebred youngsters are occasionally loose jumped in our little indoor school in their early days as it is a good way to see their natural abilities, and it also teaches them to be a little handle-able and to have the idea of working around an arena in a quiet easy rhythm. Another article to come will be how we teach loose jumping. However, up to now our two Karandasj youngsters have both looked exceptional in their ridden jumping lessons. We started with a single pole on the ground at E or B – half way down the long side next to the wall. On that centre line we always have two showjumping fences built across the school with a gap in the centre line, so actually our pole to work over is naturally fenced in or winged – so no problem with nipping out of the side.

No arguments at the beginning

In all our early lessons I never want to cause a problem or argument and will often first time just have one of us to walk over the pole on our own feet and let the learner follow. Our most experienced "person on the ground" (usually me or Edward) just stands quietly by the take-off side to encourage stepover in a very similar way as we control on the lunge from the centre of the circle.

Even with a horse who has loose jumped, a pole suddenly appearing on the ground can strike terror to the heart. I feel it is important to remember the horse does think logically in his own way (although not quite with our IQ we hope!) and if a pole can suddenly be placed out in front of them, why can't it jump up and bite them? Natural suspicion will, taken and trained the right way, produce our safe and careful jumper.

Mustn't learn to stop

Right from this first lesson one of my most obsessive principles comes into play – they must not learn to stop. As a rider I had/have one real fear and that is of riding a stopping horse. Quite terrifying.

It is scary enough contemplating jumping some of the jumps we have to face without worrying if the horse is going to go or not. Right from the beginning we encourage look, think, assess, work out how to solve and quietly over – taking their time is fine providing the whole process involves calmly moving forward all the time.

Once our baby is stepping over the pole sensibly in walk, we move into trot. At this stage if they jump the pole I am delighted. The jockey needs to have their heels down (and be ready to pick up the neck strap which we always have on for the babies) in case the jump sensation causes a buck; which it can do and occasionally a real bronco fit. Quietly, the rider needs to be ready to keep the head up and the horse moving forward. Remember at the races the jockeys don't often fall off when moving down to the start; bucking off happens more often in the paddock at zero miles per hour.

All being well we proceed to a small cross pole and then a tiny vertical fence (literally – maximum 18 inches).

Our two Karadasjs' were brilliant – what a pair, and so exciting. There are times when all the weeks, months, years seem worthwhile – this was one of these times.