Starting a Half Draft Filly | Mesa's First Saddle Experience

Today we are starting our half-draft filly and saddling her for the first time, documenting Mesa’s very first introduction to a lightweight sawbuck pack saddle. This video follows the early stages of starting a young horse, focusing on groundwork, preparation, and confidence as we begin her journey toward becoming a future mountain and pack horse.
Mesa came to us about a year ago as a small, timid weanling from Wyoming, shortly after the loss of my husband’s mare, Timber. From the beginning, we knew she had the potential to become something special. Her dam is three-quarters American Quarter Horse and one-quarter Percheron, and her sire is a full Percheron, giving her the size, strength, and mind we look for in mountain horses.
Her first year hasn’t been easy. Mesa fractured her coffin bone last winter and required casting, a custom shoe, and months of careful rehabilitation. After making a full recovery, she later suffered a facial injury that required emergency sutures while we were on the road for work. Thanks to an incredible vet, amazing neighbors, and daily care, Mesa healed completely and is now sound, healthy, and ready to move forward.
This video is meant to document the process we personally use when starting a young horse and to share Mesa’s journey. It is for entertainment and documentation purposes only. I am not a professional trainer, and this is not instructional advice. I’m simply sharing my own approach, what we’re doing with our horse, and how she handled her first saddling.
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📍 VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Draft Cross Filly First Saddling | Starting Our Young Horse Mesa
00:30 Bringing Our Draft Cross Filly Home as a Tiny Weanling
02:45 Grooming a Young Horse + Mesa’s Backstory Before First Saddling
05:05 Round Pen Groundwork | Starting a Young Horse with the Flag
05:45 Adding Motion with the Flag | Building Confidence in a Young Horse
06:45 Centered Circles Explained | Groundwork for Starting a Colt
08:10 The Plan for Starting Our Colt Under Saddle in the Future
09:34 Distracted Colts and Groundwork | Teaching Focus and Attention
11:55 Rope Work for Young Horses | Preparing for the Cinch and Saddle
13:20 Bareback Pad First | Cinching a Colt in Small Increments
14:20 Colts That Freeze | How to Help a Young Horse Work Through Pressure
16:00 Consistency in Colt Starting | Why “Boring” Training Matters
17:04 Mouthy Colts | Handling Young Horse Behavior on the Ground
17:50 Adding Saddle Panniers | Preparing a Young Horse for Packing
22:30 Introducing the Saddle Pad | First Steps in Saddling a Colt
23:00 First Time with a Sawbuck Pack Saddle | Starting a Pack Horse
24:50 Tying a Colt While Saddling | Why I Wait and What to Watch For
25:30 Why Saddles Slip | Preventing Saddle Issues in Young Horses (Cedar’s Story)
26:50 Using a Breast Collar | Saddle Fit for Young Horses and Pack Saddles
28:00 Adding the Britchen | Preparing a Horse for Mountain and Pack Work
29:40 First Movement with a Saddle | Leading a Young Horse Saddled
30:50 Breathing and Horsemanship | A Quiet Moment with Our Foal
31:30 Property Search Update | Irrigation Rights and Why They Matter
32:30 Letting Horses Self Regulate | Plans for More Mustangs
34:46 Unsaddling a Horse for the First Time | Ending a Colt’s First Saddling
37:20 Café Mule | Our Horses’ Favorite Coffee Treat

⚠️ DISCLAIMER
Working with equines and outdoor living can be dangerous. Do not attempt what you see in our videos without proper knowledge, training, and experience. Our videos are for entertainment only and are not intended as professional advice.