What age do you start your horse under saddle?

[Enfys]

This is following on from a post by emmajanerushton in the Gallery and a comment posted there.

I know it all depends on age,type,mental/physical maturity etc but would you consider it harmful, or educational, to walk a youngster (talking 2-3 year old here) out on quiet lanes or in fields in tack and with a rider on?

 

[pixie]

Hmm, I know that before I got my youngster (aged 2 1/2) she had been walked along roads (main road out of town which we lived on as there weren't any others!) and paths with tack on (but no rider as the owner was too heavy, hence her selling to me!) and she had also jumped loose as a youngster when her dam had been jumped. I think I started sitting on her and being led around about a month or two before her 3rd birthday (she was 14.2hh and I was about 6 stone) and it didn't harm her in any way at all.

I think it should be done on a case by case basis. I mean if its a fairly calm animal and a very lightweight rider (depending on the horse's build of course!) then I think a gentle walk up a path shouldn't do it any harm.

 

[Elmere]

I'd wait until 3 and i mean proper 3 not what they are as of the beginning of the year, it can seriosly damage them any younger, even at 3 you should just be hacking out, nothing too strenuous and by that i mean even schooling, young horses find it extremly hard to go in a nice outline due to the fact their spine only sets in to place at 4 maybe even later for the larger horses, i certainly don't see any rush to start doing this, get an older pony if you really can't wait to ride!

 

[Tia]

I didn't expect this to be the content of this post to be honest. I thought you were going to comment on how young a lot of folks back horses over here.

Anyway, I think the younger the better personally. Our babies are walked out at 6 months and by 1 year they will have had tack on and probably a child will have leaned over them and sat on them in the field. By 2 years old you end up with a very sane pony who is respectful and does not create a fuss whenever you do new things with it.

Now my horses - well over here they are very gently backed at around 18 months to 24 months. That is the norm around here for western horses. Generally by the time they are 3 or 4 years old, most will have cattle-working experience and are usually totally unflappable.

 

[Elmere]

Eeer, yeah, i know thats the norm over there but you obviously don't think about the ponies, just the trend, my stallion is the quietest you'll ever find one and only broken at 9!!!

 

[Chex]

At a young age its good to do a lot of things, but I think the actual weight of rider shouldn't be introduced until they are 3 and half or thereabouts. But before then definately walking out on hacks, introducing all sorts of scary things, tack etc. I just prefer them to be backed later, but not left in a field until they are 3 doing nothing!

 

[Tia]

No it makes complete and utter sense to me to do it this way. That is why I have adopted this as part of the training for all of my horses. I don't own any loons, all of them regardless of age will trail out alone/company without any issues whatsoever. I take them all into new situations constantly and they do not bat an eyelid.

We could start a pantomime skit here

......."no he's not, my stallion's quieter than yours", LOL!

 

[Tia]

If it's any consolation, I don't break mine until they are 4 years old but all of them are backed at around 2 years old.

 

[Elmere]

I'm not saying mine are quieter just that mine are quiet as yours are but are probably less likely to have problems with their backs e.t.c

 

[Halfpass]

Ok so i'm new to all this youngsters thing but my plan is to have my horse backed at 3 1/2 - 4. Fo the following reasons:-
she was a late foal (june)
she was weaned at 4 months which I feel is far to young and prob missed out on a lot of nutrition
I want t o be the first to sit on her so would like her to be older due to the weight thing. I'm not heavy but not 6 stone!!!
Having said that by the time I back her I plan to have her long reining on the roads lunging have had tack on etcetc.

 

[peapod]

I agree with Tia - our babies begin their education at two - they learn long reining and lunging, have a saddle on, have a rider on; when they are happy walking on a lunge they do one short trot on a lunge and then are left until the following year, where slightly more is done, after which they are left again to be properly "broken" at four. Does them no harm, and we have a great bunch of happy, healthy ponies.

Incidentally they all go out to shows as yearlings as well; so have boots/rugs etc on.

 

[Enfys]

I had hoped you'd comment on this Tia, I haven't been around here long enough to really comment on it but have to say that all mine are totally unflappable and two are only youngsters.
I was just a little startled at the ferocity of WHY's post to an innocent "We went for a walk today" thread and wondered if everybody would condemn gentle backing before three.
I have certainly had all my youngsters tacked, rugged and with a child/lightweight up by that age IF they were ready for it and certainly not a case of do it all in one day.
I worked at racing yards where we were backing TB yearlings (by that I mean 18/20 months old), getting them going on, and sending them back to Newmarket when they could canter around a corner on a track ready for their 2 year old careers. Some of those horses I felt it was criminal to back and we were always very slow with those, but better us than them be sent to other places I knew of that did the same job, poor things would have been better going back out to grow for another 6 months. That's TB racing for you though.

 

[magic104]

Hopefully horses have years of riden work in-front of them, so no I would not want to start riding b4 3yrs no matter how big they were. No problems with long reining or loose schooling with tack, but I would not back b4 3yrs. I do not see the rush to push a youngster who is still growing & developing. A 3yr old horse is roughly = to 10.5yrs human wise, so what would you expect from your 10yr old child?? As for race horses they dont race much past 5yrs except those that stay sound enough to go over hurdles/fences.

 

[WHY]

OH what a good debate!

I still personally think that 2 is far too young to be breaking a pony in!
I also know from another forum that this has not just been going on in the latter stages of him being 2 but all through the summer where he would of only just turned 2.
If he has been shown at a lot of county shows as it says in the other thread then surely that is enough life experience for a pony of his age!
I do not and would never break a pony or horse in before the end of it's 3rd year as then the joints would have stoped it's growth spurts and be able to cope. but how many 4yr olds do you still see with stress splints?
If an animal has the potential to pursue a successful career why rush and risk the chance of ruining it?

 

[WHY]

[ QUOTE ]
Hopefully horses have years of riden work in-front of them, so no I would not want to start riding b4 3yrs not matter how big they were. No problems with long reining or loose schooling with tack, but I would not back b4 3yrs. I do not see the rush to push a youngster who is still growing & developing. A 3yr old horse is roughly = to 10.5yrs human wise, so what would you expect from your 10yr old child??

[/ QUOTE ]
Well said!

 

[Evil_Cookie]

I don't know if this is what I would plan, but our new mare will be 6 by the time she is brought on to be ridden. It puts my mind at rest though, at least I know she can cope physicly . I wouldn't want to ride them before they are four though, as they aren't mentally and physically mature enough in my opinion. Plus the more groundwork (not lunging) you can do before riding begins, the more prepared the horse will be so during their third year I would concentrate on that.

EC

 

[magic104]

I now understand the reason for this post having read about the Sec A. Everyone harps on about flat race horses which are raced at 2yrs, therefore started as young as 12mths. This is due to money, the cost of keeping these horse is far greater then us normal horse owners. These horses are very well looked after in the main, but it is still not right to put a horse under the stress of carrying a rider at such a young age, & it is down to money nothing else. These horses usually finish racing by 5yrs old, some if they have stayed sound will carry on over hurdles/fences as per earlier post. You dont hear about the 100's that break down etc, so I really do not think that using racing TB's is a very good example or justification in putting a 2yr old under saddle. Also I have yet to read rules for a show where it is permissable to be riding/competing on a horse under the age of 4yrs, but I am sure someone will correct me on this.

 

[vicijp]

All my horses are backed at 2. All horses are different, some may just be sat on for a few days, some may go on and do one piece of fast work before being turned away.
As for racehorses not staying sound when treated in this way, did you not know that the National Hunt horses are broken in at 2yo as well? Everyone in the industry knows that 3/4yo 'unbroken' doesnt exist. The ones that go the sales as such have nearly always been broken in at 2, found to be crap and hence they are sold.
Nothing will mature a horse faster than proper food and work, the change in some of my animals is unbelieveable between 2 and 3. They always mature far quicker if they have done a bit as a 2yo.

 

[M_G]

My lass was backed and ridden away at 2 1/2 very gentle 10minute walks to start with leading up to 2 hr walks by the time she was 3 she never once objected and it was all taken at her pace

Each horse is different if she had been a fine little thing or if I had been carrying more weight then I would have left it longer she is 6 now soon be 7 and is a very well rounded individual.

 

[Theresa_F]

I have just backed Chancer at 2 1/2. My vet and physio both checked him first and confirmed he is physically mature enough. He was long reined and led out off Cairo all summer first.

We are doing things very slowly - 15 minutes every other week and will build up to do short hacks this year and start a little schooling next year at 3 1/2.

His breeder always backs them between 2 and 2 1/2 but does not do any schooling until they are 3 - 31/2. She advised me that it easier to start them this way.

 

[magic104]

"Everyone in the industry knows that 3/4yo 'unbroken' doesnt exist." That is just not true, I knew a trainer in South Yorkshire that did not start he NH horses until they were 3yrs, so they do "exist". It does not alter the fact that these horses are brought on because of money. The cost of breeding them in the 1st instance, does not make it viable to keep them off the track until they are 3yrs. That is a fact. And as I have said the trainers I know of look after their horses very well. My comment was that these horses should not be used to justify putting a 2yr old under saddle. Fine if the work is kept short, they are not asked to work 20mtr circles, & have a light weight rider & then they are given time out to grow up & mature. Even so I choose not to, because as already stated they will hopefully have many years under saddle why take away their baby/childhood.

 

[vicijp]

[ QUOTE ]
"Everyone in the industry knows that 3/4yo 'unbroken' doesnt exist." That is just not true, I knew a trainer in South Yorkshire that did not start he NH horses until they were 3yrs, so they do "exist".

[/ QUOTE ]

You just justified my point there.

 

[MagicMelon]

I dont think any horse should be worked under saddle until its 3 1/2 personally. Although if Im doing the backing I prefer not to sit on them until they hit 4.

 

[Gingernags]

Well this is our 2 1/2 year old

We don't lunge though have taught her the basics, she's learning long reining, is bitted and wears tack. My sister (her breeder/owner) has sat on her now a total of 4 times since she turned 2, and has done not even a 5 min walk around the yard.

She won't be hacked until 3 - and only lightly then. Will be turned away for a few months and start in proper hacking work at 4.

I think if you are sensible there is no problem starting them this way at this age, but I'd never school this young, or do more than 10 mins of "walk" - well, pretty much what Theresa said she's doing with hers.

We did the same with Asti who was very mature at that age, and I would always do that unless I had an underdeveloped youngster that needed more time - but I'd always assess on an individual basis.

 

[magic104]

Well I would not knowingly touch a horse that had been sat on & walked around at 2yrs. Sorry dont see the justification for it.