"Hard, but enjoyable work"
How I did it: I put her in with my young horse trainer 3-4 times/week when she turned three. After a month of ground work, she was ridden 2-3/week plus a jump chute session once/week. It ended up being three months under saddle (4 months training total) and about 10 jumping chute session to prepare for her testing.
You're chances of getting a green mare awarded elite are much higher if she can jump. My Pablo and my Ferro daughters both scored eight overall in jumping, which helped compensate for ride ability scores of 7 and 6.5 respectively. Their gait scores were probably a little lower under saddle than they would have been with more training. If your mare can't jump well, consider waiting until she's more experienced under saddle before taking the MPT.
Lessons & tips: Take your mare out to a schooling show or two, so the MPT isn't your first trip away from home.
Resources: The AHS Breeding course, my local Hanoverian breeding club, my professional trainer, vet, and farrier.
FYI: Not all trainers work well with unbroken youngsters. If your trainer doesn't have a track record in this area, it's worth finding a specialist with a long list of references.
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Oct 23, 01:38PM PDT
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