My yearling has been ridden!

[TheMule]

He could easily still be in the yearling year in that first photo. I've gone back to previous 3 owners and found out from the 1 before I bought him from who aged him as a yearling in May 2019 and she was surprised to see what he had done prior to her owning him. I'm sure he will be OK moving forward as he's now out doing nothing other than being a horse, I was just a bit surprised at his history given his *known* age.

You've referred to your yearling- how old do you propose he is now? He would be 2 now, according to your timeline, but then you've referred to him as a yearling in May this year. And you bought him as a supposed 3yr old?

 

[throughtheforest]

You've referred to your yearling- how old do you propose he is now? He would be 2 now, according to your timeline, but then you've referred to him as a yearling in May this year. And you bought him as a supposed 3yr old?

Right so you know there are 12 months in a year, so I estimate he was a yearling in December 2018 probably towards the 14 month mark, 2 vets have aged him recently, one in July as a yearling, the other last week as a rising 2 year old, farrier agrees. However at the July time I thought he was around 2 having been advised by the seller he was 3, which I likely new was wrong. So now I believe he's coming upto 2 years. He was seen by a dentist in May aged again as a yearling by a previous owner which indicated that he would be rising 2 now, having spoken to that previous owner last week. That is the time line.

 

[TheMule]

Ok, but in horse language rising 2 would mean 2 next year. Given foals are born between March- September due to mares being long-day Breeder (with the exception of expensive mares put under lights for Jan/Feb foals)

 

[be positive]

So if he was born late 2017 he would have been technically a yearling in 2018 so is now a 2 year old, he will be 3 in 2020, if you want to show him in hand he will be in the 3 year old classes next season.
As you do not know his exact date of birth, and probably never will, it makes no difference to what you do with him in the future so put his past behind you, leave him to grow and when you start working him forget what he may have done previously and give him the correct work appropriate for his age and condition.

 

[throughtheforest]

Ok, but in horse language rising 2 would mean 2 next year. Given foals are born between March- September due to mares being long-day Breeder (with the exception of expensive mares put under lights for Jan/Feb foals)

I don't think we are talking about a horse that was purposefully bred, he's most likely a foal born late or very early on in the year which ties in with everyone's estimation.

 

[TheMule]

I don't think we are talking about a horse that was purposefully bred, he's most likely a foal born late or very early on in the year which ties in with everyone's estimation.

That makes it less likely he was very late or early, mares don't cycle through the winter months, that's just biology, it's fact, unless humans intervene and artificially light them

 

[Shilasdair]

Right so you know there are 12 months in a year, so I estimate he was a yearling in December 2018 probably towards the 14 month mark, 2 vets have aged him recently, one in July as a yearling, the other last week as a rising 2 year old, farrier agrees. However at the July time I thought he was around 2 having been advised by the seller he was 3, which I likely new was wrong. So now I believe he's coming upto 2 years. He was seen by a dentist in May aged again as a yearling by a previous owner which indicated that he would be rising 2 now, having spoken to that previous owner last week. That is the time line.

Your time line is confused.
As The Mule says, foals are born usually earlier in the year (spring) than later. So by Dec 18 young stock would tend to be 6 months old, or 18 months old. Your picture is definitely NOT a 6 month old weanling - so the chances are he's at least 18 months there. Add a year (as we are getting close to December, and you have an age of 30 months - so 2 and 1/2 which would mean he is rising 3 in spring 2020. So he is AT LEAST 2 years old now. Add in the other giveaways such as tail length, croup height in comparison to front, general proportions, and I have no idea how anyone thinks he is below 2 now.

If you really want to believe that though, that's up to you. Working him won't have done him any harm - in fact there have been studies which suggest that it can prevent lameness (they were in Tbs though),

 

[SO1]

So the cob is under two years old and you are owner number 4. If you have managed to trace back the last three owners could you ask each of them how long they owned the cob for, that might help give you an indication of his age {that would of course rely on them being honest}

 

[ycbm]

Yep looked again tonight and no adult incisors. They're definitely those of an under 2 year old.

Are you reading our replies?. They aren't necessarily that at all. My definitely three and a few months year old that I mentioned above lost his first incisor milk teeth when at the yard which backed him for me. He was a pink papered KWPN, there was absolutely no doubt about his age. Yet he had no adult incisors, he still had his milk teeth.

.

 

[Leo Walker]

Your time line is confused.
If you really want to believe that though, that's up to you. Working him won't have done him any harm - in fact there have been studies which suggest that it can prevent lameness (they were in Tbs though),

The only thing thats not confused is the OPs complete belief that she owns a yearling, which is clearly not remotely true.

I've seen this a few times with other people. They like to have a really terrible back story of how awful things were before they bought their horse. Its almost never true, but the believe it whole heartedly

OP your horse is a almost certainly a 3yr old, or at worst a rising 3 yr old, but I'd put money on it being the first. The pony looks just like mine. She has the white ends to her tail now as a just gone 6yr old. Its to do with the blagdon colouring, but does look like foal tail if you arent aware of the quirks of that specific colouring. Either way the old photo is not a foal or in fact a yearling. As previously said teeth is an educated guess at best and there are always anomalies within that educated guess.

 

[throughtheforest]

Thanks for all your comments a previous owner has confirmed that she knew him from 5 months and he would be just rising 2 now, he was definitely broke etc as a yearling.

 

[Cortez]

You are not listening: multiple people have told you, but you don't want to hear. Having bred many, many foals I can tell you that using the teeth to age a horse is highly unreliable. I can stand you in front of a horse in my stable right now, hand you his passport and show you his teeth, which will give you a 5 year difference (I watched this horse being born, so there is no doubt about his real age, to the minute).

If you want a drama, knock yourself out. He's unlikely to have come to any harm; just look after him and ride him well and forget about whatever has happened previously: there's nothing you can do about it now anyhow.

 

[throughtheforest]

You are not listening: multiple people have told you, but you don't want to hear. Having bred many, many foals I can tell you that using the teeth to age a horse is highly unreliable. I can stand you in front of a horse in my stable right now, hand you his passport and show you his teeth, which will give you a 5 year difference (I watched this horse being born, so there is no doubt about his real age, to the minute).

If you want a drama, knock yourself out. He's unlikely to have come to any harm; just look after him and ride him well and forget about whatever has happened previously: there's nothing you can do about it now anyhow.

It's quite entertaining reading comments from people who have never met my horse who insist that he's a certain age, that he just cannot be. Who disagree with vets, and previous owners and various others so maybe you need to listen as I didn't even ask for comments on his age in the first place...

 

[Cortez]

It's quite entertaining reading comments from people who have never met my horse who insist that he's a certain age, that he just cannot be. Who disagree with vets, and previous owners and various others so maybe you need to listen as I didn't even ask for comments on his age in the first place...

I don't care what age your horse is, I'm simply pointing out to you that relying on the teeth to definitively age a horse is simply not reliable. I'd really rather not listen to you at all; you seem rather unpleasant.

 

[bonny]

It's quite entertaining reading comments from people who have never met my horse who insist that he's a certain age, that he just cannot be. Who disagree with vets, and previous owners and various others so maybe you need to listen as I didn't even ask for comments on his age in the first place...

Ok, in that case he was ridden and driven when he was months old and he will in all probability be damaged by that, he’s had 4 owners in his first 18 months which won’t have helped either. What do you plan for his future ?

 

[windand rain]

I agree with all the others he is at least rising 3 but that aside if you truly believe he is younger then you need to turn him away for at least 3 years to give him time to grow and overcome any damage he may have been done in his former lives. So chuck him out until 2022 just getting his feet and jabs done and give him a chance to be a pony preferably out 24/7 with young company

 

[Lois Lame]

looks the same to me as well, just in the clipped one there seems to be some grot obscuring some of the white areas.

Plus the camera is at a slightly different angle. I feel that the photos are 100% the same pony, with no photo-shopping.

 

[rascal]

We bought a heavy cob, many years ago, who had been working in a riding school at just 3. We bought him as an 8 year old. Gave him a long holiday in the field. He was sold a couple of years later, he was mine, but really did not gel with him. He could be grumpy, and with two not very old kids we could not trust him. I kept in touch with his new family, and they were pleased with him at fist, but then he became a bit stiff, and by 13 he was retired due to soundness issues, by 15 he was sadly pts. Their vet said it all the hard work when he was so young.

 

[HappyHorses:)]

Future soundness aside, three previous owners have failed to passport him yet sell him on which in itself is illegal. Surely he has a microchip, which is also a legal requirement, that would give his age?

Judging pants on here I doubt the 'breeder' put much thought into him. They should have ensured he had a passport and was microchipped before being sold on.

I hope he has finally found a nice home with the op and that he has a long sound and happy life. No it's not ideal that he has been started young but what's done is done. You bought him knowing he had been driven and shod as young horse, albeit not as young as you originally thought, and bought him without a passport so you have to not worry about the past but now just think about his future.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

That makes it less likely he was very late or early, mares don't cycle through the winter months, that's just biology, it's fact, unless humans intervene and artificially light them

Or you have shetlands ... 😂😂😂

OP no matter what month the pony was born in the year determines it's age. Born in 2016 would be a 3yo - even if it was born in December. 2017 a 2yo, 2018 a yearling.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Thanks for all your comments a previous owner has confirmed that she knew him from 5 months and he would be just rising 2 now, he was definitely broke etc as a yearling.

OK, in that case and in answer to your original query, I predict that he will be fooked up and riddled with arthritis by the age of 6 . I hope I’m wrong, of course.

He does look like a sweet boy, but how come he’s been through so many homes already?

 

[Shilasdair]

Thanks for all your comments a previous owner has confirmed that she knew him from 5 months and he would be just rising 2 now, he was definitely broke etc as a yearling.

I'll try to make this simple.
If he is 'rising 2' now - this means he will be 2 years old in the spring.
So in the picture you showed of him in December 2018, you are saying he was 6 months old.
This is complete nonsense - but perhaps you want to be seen as a 'rescuer' of an 'abused' pony.

If you don't believe any of us regarding age (and there are a lot of experienced people answering you), then why would you believe us regarding the impact of work on a youngster?
Ask your vet/your farrier/your cob's previous owner who confirmed that she worked him as a 'yearling' instead!

 

[ester]

I hope this works
Taken by a previous owner in December 2018. The most current ones won't upload and I can't get them to a size for them to be uploaded.

For info, it is easiest to use a third party host like facebook for photos then insert the image location adding

to either end to make them show up.

 

[throughtheforest]

I'll try to make this simple.
If he is 'rising 2' now - this means he will be 2 years old in the spring.
So in the picture you showed of him in December 2018, you are saying he was 6 months old.
This is complete nonsense - but perhaps you want to be seen as a 'rescuer' of an 'abused' pony.

If you don't believe any of us regarding age (and there are a lot of experienced people answering you), then why would you believe us regarding the impact of work on a youngster?
Ask your vet/your farrier/your cob's previous owner who confirmed that she worked him as a 'yearling' instead!

I don't believe I'm a rescuer at all quite the contrary I believe the previous owner has been. Don't believe he was 6 months in that photo, I'll show you the photo of him in a trap that I believe he was 6 months old though.

 

[throughtheforest]

This photo I believe is him as a 6 month old from 2018... I would think he would have a reduced working life if he's not rested for the rest of his young days at least personally, the other information coming through is ridiculous, ie hunting and I do believe things aren't adding up but god knows, he's here now and has a nice home for the rest of his days.

 

[cundlegreen]

No he's definitely either 2 or under, I may get a 2nd opinion next year, however the owner before the previous has stated that their dentist felt he was a young yearling prior to May and she believes he would be 2 now... So, moving on now from that point... I was literally just wondering as per the original post if people have bought a youngster who has worked too young and gone on to have a sound horse in the future.

Red Rum....

 

[Goldenstar]

omg That photo is hideous

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes Benny one of your TBs long gone now racing at two was in training till I think it was 7 flat hurdles fences he ran numerous times I bought him after he had wintered out all winter recovering from injury he had not not done well .
We got him to work and he working till I think it was 24/.
He hunted did some low level eventing dressage a bit of everything .

 

[bonny]

Still doesn’t add up, that photo and the clipped one would have been taken at approx the same time and he looks like a different pony. Poor pony anyway, why has he had so many homes and no one wanted to keep him ?

 

[throughtheforest]

Yes Benny one of your TBs long gone now racing at two was in training till I think it was 7 flat hurdles fences he ran numerous times I bought him after he had wintered out all winter recovering from injury he had not not done well .
We got him to work and he working till I think it was 24/.
He hunted did some low level eventing dressage a bit of everything .

I guess it's a lot like a TB ex racer