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In the industry today, it can feel like everything moves faster than ever. Bigger shows, bigger expectations, and a constant push to prove progress early. But horses haven’t changed just because the industry around them has. They still develop at their own pace, physically and mentally. That reality doesn’t bend to timelines driven by budgets, show schedules, or social media.
That disconnect is at the heart of a conversation Sonja Ochadlik, show jumping rider and young horse producer based in Ireland, keeps returning to as a rider and producer working with young horses every day. “Horses do not take any less time to train,” she says plainly. “And the standards of them are higher than ever.”
The Long Road Before Anyone Ever Gets On
When people talk about producing young horses, they often start the clock at backing. In reality, the timeline begins years earlier.
From breeding through weaning and into their early years, Sonja emphasizes that her program prioritizes turnout, herd dynamics, and minimal but purposeful handling. “They need place to roam. They need forage. They need friends,” she explains. “I think they need to be in a herd because I think they learn manners from older horses.”
The time from breeding through the start of the three-year-old year, already represents almost four years of development. During that time, horses may learn to wear a halter, have their feet trimmed, and load on a trailer, but otherwise, their job is simple: grow up sound, confident, and socially adjusted.
“It’s really kind of boring,” Sonja admits. “That’s all that we do with them.” And that’s exactly the point.
Backing Is the Beginning, Not the Goal
When horses do come in to be backed, Sonja is intentional about language. “I prefer to say the word backing rather than breaking,” she says. The distinction matters. Backing is about introducing the idea of a rider—not demanding performance.
Early work focuses on basics: moving forward, steering, understanding balance. Jumping, when it’s introduced at all, is deliberately low-key. “The first time it’ll normally just be some sort of pole on the ground, maybe it gets up to a crossrail,” she explains. “They’re really just kind of learning how to be pushed off your energy a little bit.”
Even then, the horse often goes straight back to the field afterward. There’s no rush to keep them in work just because they’ve started.
Why Four- and Five-Year-Olds Are So Variable
If there’s a point in the process where patience matters most, it’s during the four- and five-year-old years. “Those are the most variable for us,” Sonja says. “You might have a four-year-old that as soon as you back them, they’re like a natural… and you might have another four-year-old that you sit on and go, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to stop at trotting in a straight line.’”
Both scenarios are normal.
Some horses progress quickly, taking breaks and returning as if nothing changed. Others need long pauses, repetition, and time to develop strength and understanding. The mistake, Sonja cautions, is assuming early brilliance—or early struggle—tells the full story.
“Normally by the end of the six-year-old, seven-year-old year, they’re all sort of evening out,” she says. “You might have a superstar five-year-old and a horse that doesn’t do anything exciting until it’s seven, and they end up in the same place.”
Mistakes Are Not Failures
One of the most damaging misconceptions in modern sport is equating mistakes with lack of talent. Sonja offers a blunt counterpoint: “We might bonk a rail for no reason. We might be ending up in a few awkward spots because our rideability isn’t amazing yet. And these are all things that people working within European production systems are quite used to seeing.”
She shares the story of a horse who had rails in nearly every class as a four- and five-year-old. “Everybody was like, ‘What are you doing with that horse?’” she recalls. But patience paid off. At six, the horse matured, went on to qualify for major finals, and later jumped at a high international level.
“I think these are green mistakes,” she explains. “I don’t think this is unfair for the horse.”
Expectations Haven’t Slowed But Horses Still Need Time
Horses haven’t changed, but the pressure surrounding them has. “It is not any less of a project than it’s ever been,” Sonja says. “And arguably, it’s more of a project than it’s ever been… because the expectations are to be so trained at the other end.”
That pressure often leads to frustration when progress doesn’t look polished early. But polish is not the same as preparation.
“If you want to be involved in this process,” Sonja says, “there’s going to be some not-pretty video.” Lead swaps, inconsistent contact, and rails are part of learning—not signs that something has gone wrong.
Realistic timelines aren’t about lowering standards. They’re about aligning expectations with biology, welfare, and long-term success. Producing horses well means accepting that growth isn’t linear and that the most important years often don’t look impressive from the outside.
“Horses take time,” Sonja says. “And if you enjoy the journey with the horse, that’s where the value is.”
Want more insight from Sonja Ochadlik? Listen to this episode of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
