what age ...

[spotty_pony]

do you class a horse being young up to? if that makes any sense ...

I class any horse ages 8 and under as young.

 

[Tempi]

6 for me.........

 

[tormor]

7 for me

 

[sorona]

Prob under 7, but my horse is 9 and is still my baby! I think it depends when they wee backed and how much they have done as if they ahvent done much, they still need to be treated like they are babies as they dont understand what is being asked of them. If it is manners though, they stop being babies at 2!

 

[johnsongreyhorse]

I have a 6yo that has matured alot but still has quite a way to go!! mentally more than physically that is

 

[Blackhawk]

Usually anything under 8 but it depends on the horse really. My 8 year old is very sane and sensible but I've seen others that aren't.

 

[4whitesocks]

I would say under 6 it can still be used as an excuse for babyish behaviour....LOL! But don't think a horse is fully mature until about 8 - check out the ages of international sj horses (never usually under 8) and dressage horses under 10 is young....

 

[vicijp]

I would call a 5yo old.

 

[Salcey]

I have an 8 yo that was only borken in at 6 and still very green so always refer to her as 'young'. I guess generally though I think you up to about 6

 

[riotgirl]

Same here. My 10 year old was only broken last year so I refer to her as young. Get some odd looks though!

 

[SillyMare]

By 6 they should be old enough to know better (assuming they were started at 3 or 4).

There was one particular incident last summer when I was minding my own business waiting in a collecting ring on Lexi (who was 4 at the time), insisting she stood politely and watched the class. I got chatting to the girl next to me who was on a bad mannered thing that was napping, head all over the place, refusing to stand still etc. etc. (you know the type). She kept apologising for her horse's bad manners and saying it was 'just a youngster'. Anyway, it emerged her horse was 8 and she had owned it since it was 4!! I didn't tell her how old Lexi was.

I think that bad behaviour is bad behaviour and people generally use the excuse of a horse being young for far too long!

The term 'green' means something different to me - that is irrespective of age and relates to level of training at the job in hand (so a 10 year old advanced dressage horse could still be 'green' cross country).

 

[kirstyfk]

I would say 6 or 7 at the oldest. It does really annoy me when people let there horse's off with bad manners or only doing minimus for years as there horse is only 5,6, young, 8! And they think their manners will get better with age with never telling their horse off as its only young?

Like sillymare said there is a difference between young and green!