Birthdays

[Whoopit]

What age do people actually use as a horses birthday?

If a horse is born in say June 2018, would it officially be 3 as of January 2021 or it’s June birthdate? Or do people use the January date to suit, for example breaking and riding?

So I’m reading a book on going horses by Ingrid Klimke and she frowns upon trainers who break and ride horses younger than 3 years (leaving racehorses out of it, the poor mites) but it made me wonder if “those trainers” (whoever they are) use January as all-horse-official-birthday so getting round the age on what you could view as a technicality?

 

[eggs]

For affiliated competitions the horse is aged from January so a horse born in February 2015 would be classed as 5 until December 31 2020 as would a horse that was born on 28 October 2020. The people that I know who compete also follow the same logic.

A lot of horses will be backed in the spring of their third year even if they are born later when they would be classed as a three year old.

 

[Whoopit]

For affiliated competitions the horse is aged from January so a horse born in February 2015 would be classed as 5 until December 31 2020 as would a horse that was born on 28 October 2020. The people that I know who compete also follow the same logic.

A lot of horses will be backed in the spring of their third year even if they are born later when they would be classed as a three year old.

Aaaah so I just have misread it then? I understood it as the inference being trainers were on them at 2 year olds as of , say, January 2021 even though they turn 3 in say the May/June 2021 or whatever.