4 years too young?

definately
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Yes, far too young physically to cope with such demanding work. This level of work needs to built up gradually over a period of time. Whilst 4 years is not too young to start endurance training it will take many many months for your horse to reach the desired strength and capability to expect him/her to rides such long distances over such a long period of time.
 
of course you could...if the fitness programme was adequate before hand.

horses race and show jump at this age.
 
why not??

20 miles per day...say 4 miles an hour in walk and trot, 5 hours.

no problem for a fit horse at all..and as the OP has said, it's non competitive, so limited stress.

as for racing and show jumping, the preparation to get them "match fit" is very intensive, so yes i still say a 4 yr old could quite happily pootle along at 4 miles an hour.
 
I would say maybe one day at that kind of distance, taking it slowly and with planty of prep, but 6 weeks?? I'd say def to muchh for a four year old!!
ETS but how many racehorses trained that hard that young then go on to have soundness issues later? Also depend on breed, some mature much younger than others...
 
i'm not sure where the OP will be going EVERYDAY for 6 weeks? across the sahara maybe, so i'm guessing she has maybe made a mistake in the post...but i still say a 4 yr old could do long distance without be detrimental to their health.
non competitive it would be the same as hacking out for 4 hours everyday, something a 4 yr old is VERY capable of doing.
 
I guess it very much depends on the breed of the horse and its workload to date. 4 years old is still quite young if its a non-competative endurance ride then I'm guessing the horse has not been involved in much high level fitness work upto now. Emma_C makes a valid point about race horses suffering soundness issues later in life but thats probably due to the speeds as well as distance involved. Either way, endurance riding is a whole new ball game and does require a certain level of preparation if a horse is expected to cover that distance daily for 6 weeks. I presume it will get one day off a week.
I've done some endurance riding on my mare who is 14 now. I did a 12 mile ride with her when she was unfit and about 9 years old. I took it steady but definitely would not have asked her to do that every day.
 
Still significant long bone growth in a 4 year old - end plates haven't fused - and verterbral end plates don't fuse until 8 years old. You might be able to do it, but I wouldn't vouch much for the horse's long term future.

E
 
Depends on what level your horse is at now.
Start with daily road hacking, building up a few minutes a day at a walk, add some trot work in week 2-3 and build that up daily for a couple more weeks, add some hill work in week 4/5 and in week six add trotting up hill and build that up over a few more weeks. I used to ride a hunter daily to fitten up before the hunt season and that was the programme I was given. It takes at least 6 weeks of daily work to get a horse reasonably fit. But for endurance you're talking longer - possibly 3-6 months if you want to do 25 miles a day for weeks on end. If you plan on doing endurance I would presume your horse is physically fit in all other ways, if you are not sure then ask your vet to give your horse the once over. I would also recommend some lunging work to improve muscle tone as well as schooling to work muscles that might not be used fully on hacks. I always give one day off a week for my mare when endurance riding and training.
 
Well don't worry, I haven't bought anything yet! Just saw a lovely 4 year old and had my doubts - which you've now confirmed. Thank you for all your help! the search for a more mature mount continues...
 
Good luck- hope you find something -personally I would look for a 6-8 yr old for this type of riding and one that has been worked at a reasonable level already.
 
I'm looking ideally for something between 8 and 12 - its just a lovely 4 year old came on for sale and tugged at my heart strings...however, I don't think its fair on the horse to overwork it at a young age, so am going to continue looking for something fully developed! Thanks for all your comments.
 
We did a coast to coast up here and did 200 miles in 6 days, on a very fit (in training for months) 13 and 15 year old.

I wouldn't have used a 4 year old. Its very hard, its a lot of different places and a lot to ask of any horse, and I wouldn't have done it (my personal view) on anything under 6 years.

Fit enough, I'd do a 25 mile pleasure ride on a 4 yo but only every now and again ie no more than once a month.

Again, its a personal view but I'd say no.
 
Good point!!! Depends how long you take to plan the ride.

I think you PM'd me didn't you?

My advice is plan, plan and plan some more and get some local horsepeoples advice on every stage of your ride! Bridleways groups are a good start.

Whatever you do - don't assume that because its on a map (a bridleway) thats its safe or passable.

We learned THAT the hard way...
 
[ QUOTE ]
Still significant long bone growth in a 4 year old - end plates haven't fused - and verterbral end plates don't fuse until 8 years old. You might be able to do it, but I wouldn't vouch much for the horse's long term future.

E

[/ QUOTE ]

Hear hear!
 
20 - 25 miles EVERY day for 6 weeks??! I wouldnt do this with any of my horses! Let alone a youngster. The only thing Id consider with a 4yo is doing the occassional pleasure ride (like 12 miles) just for experience.
 
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