3yo competing in dressage-thoughts?

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peaceandquiet1

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I noticed that a pony i know to be 3 is entered in a local unaffiliated dressage competition. The rules state horses must be 4 or over. What do people think of this?
 
Rules will mean if they are 4 in the calander year then they are 4. Mine competed in her four year old year, though I think it was actually after her birthday.

Depending on the horse in question it could be fine.
 
Its taken from the 1st Jan of the year in which they turn. So unless the pony was in fact 2 they haven't broken any rules. As long as they turned 4 before 31st Dec than they count as four all year.
 
The pony was shown in in hand 2 and 3 yo classes this year so will not turn 4 until next year. I am not competing, I just wondered if other people find it acceptable. The rules for the class are horses to be 4 and over.
 
peaceandquiet1 said:
The pony was shown in in hand 2 and 3 yo classes this year so will not turn 4 until next year. I am not competing, I just wondered if other people find it acceptable. The rules for the class are horses to be 4 and over.
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That sounds as if the owner/handler doesn't really care about age restrictions. It can't be both 2 and 3 yrs old in the same yr. If it bothered me, I would contact the secretary of the dressage comp and suggest that its passport is checked. If the pony were mine I wouldn't want it to be put under pressure at comp venues until it is old enough to be there legitimately.
 
Sorry should have been clearer, the classes were mixed age 2 and 3yo in together, but the pony is definately three still and won't be four til 2018. It is maybe nitpicking but in my eyes it is still a baby and it is too early to compete under saddle but I am not intending to do anything about it, it is a matter for the conscience of the person who is entering it.
 
I don't have a problem with it and I don't think it's your place to intervene unless it's a genuine welfare issue. It's going for a spot of flatwork, it's hardly Badminton.
 
If you see it as only a matter of conscience for the person entering it - why raise it here? Absolutely rules are there for a reason - but the animal in question will officially turn 4 in 21 days time? I can't personally see any magic difference in their physical development between now and 1st Jan. There is a debate about the point at which you should start working youngsters and folk have different views on that. But would it bother me that a horse was entered for an unaffilliated class - presumably not a major qualifier for anything - 3 weeks before it actually turned 4? No - not really.
 
It would never occur to me to compete a 3yo under saddle in any sphere hence wondered what other people thought. I was simply interested in what others thought given that the rules of the competition are being broken even if as you say only by a few weeks. I don't see why i can't raise it here? I personally think the pony is too young but quite appreciate others may think differently.
 
The rules are there for welfare reasons - a three year old pony is still growing and developing in both body and mentally at three. To be ready to enter a dressage competition at 3 (even at intro/prelim level) means that it has had a lot of schooling work to prepare - too much for a growing youngster. I do hope the owners realise that they could be setting up a lot of physical problems in the near future and the pony could then not make old bones.

IMHO the 4 year old on 1st of Jan rule does our ponies no favours at all (Many years ago it used to 1st May apart from racehorses); pushing breeding forwards in the year to get early foals, confusion on ages and development with late foals (an August foal for example is not actually 4 until 8 months after the age rule changes. There is of course a sensible way round this, wait a year................
 
Well considering it was probably backed over summer and turned away for a few months it’s hardly much effort for it to go and do a simple walk/trot test. It’s most likely being used as a outing so horse gets used to being ridden with other horses and general experience.
It’s an unaff show, low stress low requirements and most likely a low key small show to get it out. It’s 4 in a matter of days - would you be as annoyed if it was competing in the same class on the 1st January?

I had billy doing an affiliated prelim & novice dressage class at the end of January as he was 5. It was an outing to get him used to other horses being idiots around him (he’s very sensible and sane) and to just get on with things. Proved to be a great experience and he learnt to settle and concern himself with only himself. Earlier this year he was used as a stopping point/bumper for an out of control retaining racehorse at a comp - annoying for me & him but it helped that horse stop and settle and we were still able to work and compete with no upset.
Any outings as a young horse can be beneficial!
 
I have a pony here who was started by a pro at 3 1/2, lots of hard lunging, and schooling at walk and trot. Fast forward to age 9 and she is crippled.....hock problems, back problems...
 
its wrong wrong wrong. back at 3 if its well grown and turn away. begin training at 4 don't do much . its bones don't all finish closing toil its 6 and it fills out until its 8. 3 is way too young.
 
peaceandquiet1 said:
I have a pony here who was started by a pro at 3 1/2, lots of hard lunging, and schooling at walk and trot. Fast forward to age 9 and she is crippled.....hock problems, back problems...
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And that's the same as taking the pony to one unaffiliated dressage competition how?

Jeez you'd think the OP had said the pony was being taken Kentucky.
 
SpringArising said:
And that's the same as taking the pony to one unaffiliated dressage competition how?

Jeez you'd think the OP had said the pony was being taken Kentucky.
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I don't see the problem to be taking the pony to a competition more the amount of work it will have done to get there as a 3 yo or perhaps really at 2.75 actual years if is was born later in the year.

Mine won't be ridden until he is really 4 years old not the 1st of Jan in his 4th year. A horse born say the end of May is not 4 on the 1st jan it is only 3 years and 7 months.

If someone wants their horse to have experience at a show then take it there to watch or show in hand
 
The rules say 4 so the pony should not be going.

So what if it's only a matter of days away? How is it acceptable to break the rules?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I often wonder why we have any rules at all, so many people seem to think that they are not important.
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The average Joe doing walk, some trot and a touch of canter (no idea what the pony will be doing but I somehow doubt it's schooling at PSG level...) isn't exactly going to cripple the thing.

The case is more likely to be it's going to be a walk/trot test for all of five mins. The pony might only be ridden once a week - there's no point assuming it's been hammered into the ground to get it to its first show!
 
paddy555 said:
I don't see the problem to be taking the pony to a competition more the amount of work it will have done to get there as a 3 yo or perhaps really at 2.75 actual years if is was born later in the year.

Mine won't be ridden until he is really 4 years old not the 1st of Jan in his 4th year. A horse born say the end of May is not 4 on the 1st jan it is only 3 years and 7 months.

If someone wants their horse to have experience at a show then take it there to watch or show in hand
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agree
 
A rising 4 year old being taken to do a little walk and trot test wouldn't bother me..

What is the date of the competition? TBH, for the sake of 3 weeks, there are better things to worry about in life IMO. Especially at low level unaffiliated type stuff.

If you're really that bothered, contact the show secretary. I wouldn't waste my time TBH, its a baby entering a small show, its not like her PSG trained horse is showing up to do a walk and trot test.. she may be entering HC for all we know..
 
Too much too soon, but apparently it's seen as acceptable by some people. Yet more evidence of how lazy and impatient society has become. Nothing is worth waiting for anymore. Regardless, if the rules state four and above, then nothing under four should be taking part. As others have said, why bother having rules at all if no one cares about adhering to them?
 
Rules should be rules.

Irrespective of the rules, I wouldn't do it with a three year old of mine. Too much too soon, imo.

And to answer all the 'but it's legal in only x days time, I wouldn't be taking any horse ridden competing until after its actual fourth birthday at the earliest.
 
Why the rush? Horse will not be physically mature, as has been explained above.
Unless of course it is going to be sold with a supposedly impressive list of stuff it has done to someone who wants a "ready made" horse...
And as another poster has pointed out, no regard for the longer term future of the horse.
 
Not overly worried by the pony being ridden but if the rules say 4 years and over then they are breaking the rules - assuming that they weren't breaking the rule when they did the 3 year old in-hand showing class.

It could also be that they don't understand ageing for competition and the pony was in fact four this year but that at the time of the showing class the pony hadn't actually had their fourth birthday (ie. They shied him as a three year old when he was actually four as far as ageing on 1 January gies)
 
SpringArising said:
I don't have a problem with it and I don't think it's your place to intervene unless it's a genuine welfare issue. It's going for a spot of flatwork, it's hardly Badminton.
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Exactly. And on the continent young warmbloods are doing GP movements at 2 and 3. Its not going to kill it, and ponies mature earlier than horses.
 
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