# what age to colt start a horse.



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

A lot of people (including me) don't like the idea of any weight at all on a horse's back until they are 3. Some even wait as late as 4 or 5, so the horse can just "be a horse", and fully mature before putting strain on them.

It really varies from horse to horse and depends on what you want to do with them, but I'm not a trainer, so wait for the ones who start horses to pitch in.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

My opinion, you are working with baby mind and body, you do a little and then let them be to grow up and be a horse. At 17 months as long as they can lead and tie, get their feet done and take their meds, I'm good. I think more damage can be done by doing too much with a youngster, especially if you are not experienced in dealing with them, than doing to little. At this stage I would kick her out with a group of horses and let her grow and mature. I'm a 3 year or maybe 4 year starter, depending on the horse.


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## Kyro (Apr 15, 2012)

I belong to the group of people who wouldn't do anything with the horse until he/she's 3 (except picking up feet, haltering and leading - basic things). Ok, at 2 years old you can teach lunging, maybe put the saddle on for just a minute. But only on the ground. I wouldn't let anyone on their backs yet (not good for the spine and joints, that are still growing at that age)

Usually horses that young have a very limited attention span as well, so try to make the lessons short: 10-15-20minutes. Otherwise (not all of them, but still a lot) they might become irritated/frustrated and might be more difficult to work with in the future. 

I like that a horse can just be a horse during his "childhood"  He will have to be a workhorse/ridden all his life anyway. And he'll be mentally and physically ready. (Though, it all varies from one horse to another, some haven't matured enough until they are 5 or 6.)


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Thank you guys for your opinions. This filly has lived in a pasture with at least two other horse with her since she was born so she is already out with other horses. Do you all have any ideas of what I can do with her until she is older?


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Best thing, take her for lots of walks in hand, let her see all sorts of situations, and to learn that nothing is worrying.

Apart from that just reinforce all the basics, leading, tying, moving away from pressure, walking and trotting in hand to a voice command.

If you have access to a trainer you can teach her to load, if not practice sending her through a door way, through a squeeze space and if you can get her stepping up onto a low platform on command.

A sort session everyday, 10 or 20 mins is better than longer sessions less often.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

A lot depends on the horse. I don't have an issue with lightly starting a young horse at 2, but it will be late in the 2 y.o. year, and the key here is 'lightly.' And that's if he looks mature. If he's still unbalanced and gangly, wait. If he seems to get overwhelmed quickly, then mentally he's not ready. My neighbor had a nice filly a few years ago that she sent for 30 days with a good trainer in the fall of her 2 y.o. year. The filly's default ended up being to throw herself over backward. Trainer recommended she turn her out for another year, then bring her back. Problem solved. That filly never did it again, and the issue was that her brain hadn't caught up to her physical look, and she just wasn't ready for the pressure of even gentle, easy training. Rather than get after her for it, a year of growing up solved the problem. She trained easily and well, and is a great mare. If you're unsure, you certainly won't do any damage to your filly by waiting until she's 3 or 4 to ride her. Better to be late than early and overface her. 

Groundwork, saddling, mounting, walk, trot, canter, stop, turn, back up. That's it. Usually you can get that in 5 or 6 rides. Then chuck the horse back out into a pasture for another six months to a year. At that point, you can do a little more; easy trail rides, riding for 20 minutes several times a week, etc. Once the horse is four, you can get him going daily and won't have to worry about hurting him with longer rides and more intense work. 

Breed is important, too. Some breeds mature much more slowly than others. Andalusians come to mind-- rarely will you find anyone doing more than groundwork until Andies are 4 or 5. A friend's 3 y.o. PRE filly looks like a yearling. She will blossom into a swan over the winter, I expect. You can tell there's a quality horse in there, but she's definitely maturing slowly physically and mentally. I can't imagine trying to ride her yet!


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Thank you. She actually does load into a trailer very well. All I have to do to load her is walk her up to the trailer gate and point inside and there she goes. We take her with us when we go to the arena and lead her around and I have gotten her used to doing the basics when she is away from home. I will try taking her for more walks when we go places. I guess I need to work on her trot as it takes a little urging right now.


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Thank you SilverMaple. So you think if I just ride her at a walk around the round pen for say 10 mins or less when she is 2 that that would be alright? And she is a American paint horse/ Quarter horse. I have read that Andalusians and Arabians do take longer. It is nice to see what different people have to say I am eager to start her but, the last thing I want is to hurt her. She is pretty easy going and not too spooky. I am not expecting her first ride to be a big deal, she trusts us a lot and pretty much anything we do with her she is just like "whatever".


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

koda2004 said:


> Thank you SilverMaple. So you think if I just ride her at a walk around the round pen for say 10 mins or less when she is 2 that that would be alright? ".


See this is the problem with the internet, @SilverMaple gave you a whole lot of criteria to use to decide if you can sit on a horse at 2, and immediately you pick up on that one person saying it is OK. You totally missed out all the provisions of making sure the horse is mature both mentally and physically., and that is something we can't possibly comment on.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I have started a few horses as two year olds, lightly,but also because they were entered in some fall futurity, otherwise, I waited until the spring of their three year old year, or perhaps, put a few rides on, just before winter, of their two year old year
There is no reason to be in a hurry, esp when you have no given agenda, time wise
Seems like you have done lots with her, but I do not think you need to be concerned about under saddle training at this point
If you wish to give her exposure, experience, show her in some in hand classes, getting her used to being clipped, washed, and to become more 'crisp' in hand, as you say she lacks that.
Showing her at halter and showmanship would get those skills on her, plus I always found it was easier to show a young horse under saddle those first few times, if he had been shown in hand as a yearling or two year old


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

I was not trying to ignore everybody else. I will definitely take into account the mental and physical side of it. My father just happens to be a veterinarian and I have talked to him about it. If somewhere in between her 2 b-day and her 3 b-day I want to ride her but, I look at her and she doesn't have much muscle yet, still is very small, or is not mentally ready then I won't ride her. I just want to know that if she does seem mentally and physically ready at that time that other people have had experiences where they got on them at two hand it was ok. I very much appreciate your advice and everybody's and I will take it all into mind when it comes time. And if I do end up riding her sometime when she is two it will be no more than mounting and dismounting and as she gets closer too 3 I may ask her to walk around the roundpen very slowly.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

It isn't the muscle it is the closure of the joints. While some horses will mature muscle wise they pretty much all have the same timeline for skeletal growth and mentally it just depends. Many QH and Paints look fully mature and ready because their muscles develop and build quickly but their joints aren't ready for weight or hard work. Mentally they may or may not be ready. My preference is to do what you have done so far and then let them be. By the end of 2nd year I will have put a light saddle on them and taught them to lunge, if they are work horses then ground driving is part of the program. They may also be ponied but no weight. Not even that of a young child. Come 3 if they are mentally ready then someone much lighter than I mounts and gets them moving but no hard riding and what is done is limited but I prefer to wait until they are 4. They go back out until they are 4 or 5 depending on mental state. I have two that were started at 5 and 6 because mentally they just weren't there. The worst accident I have ever had was with a 2 y.o. that belonged to someone else and the owner had her hooked in a team on the road. Mentally she wasn't ready. She panicked and luckily no one with us was injured. Neither were the horses except for some bumps and bruises. Can't say the same for the owner and I. I bought that mare and a couple of others that were started that early and they all have arthritis issues. Not bad but enough to think even when driving waiting is the best bet. Those that I have started later aren't showing the signs that the others are yet they are all closely related.


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## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

Check out this article. Please note that while this is great information to consider, I don't think this "proves" that you should or should not start a horse at 2. Just some info I thought was interesting and worth considering.

_"I often read with the mass coverage of social media, how starting a horse as a 2-year-old or a coming 2-year-old will “cripple” them. "They will be done by the time they are 5." "Poor thing won't be able to walk at 10." We see lots of generic horse owners have their outside perspectives and opinions that showing them as 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds is too early. We read/hear you should wait to start them until they are at least 4 year olds. However, I beg to differ for many reasons the big one is science and proven facts. So sit down and take a read.

The famous Wolff’s Law. Don't know what it is? Let me explain a little. It’s not an opinion, it’s not a hypothesis, it’s a law that’s been proven time and time again across all animals. Developed by the German anatomist Julius Wolff in the 19th century, states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed. Bone is constantly being formed and resorbed. Bone growth occurs when calcified matrix is formed faster than it is resorbed. Diameter growth occurs when matrix deposition occurs on the outer surface of the bone. Linear growth in long bones occurs at epiphyseal plates. These plates are between the epiphyses and diaphysis of the bone. Columns of chondrocytes on the epiphyseal side divide continuously causing this growth.

As the collagen layer thickens, older collagen calcifies and older chondrocytes deteriorate. Osteoblasts lay down a bone matrix on top of a cartilage base. The shaft lengthens as new bone is added at the ends. As long as the epiphyseal plate is active, long bone growth continues. Bone will constantly remodel throughout life. It is necessary to tell the bone where the areas of stress are going to be so that it can remodel and strengthen in preparation for the event. Riding a horse in general as a 2 year old the bones start to feel where the weight is being applied and the body goes to work. Bone cells, in particular osteocytes, are extremely sensitive to mechanical stress, a quality that is linked to the process of mechanical adaptation. Bone remolding consists of two stages, resorption and formation. During resorption, old bone tissue is broken down and removed by special cells called osteoclasts. Once this has been done, bone formation begins and new bone tissue is laid down to replace the old. This task is performed by special cells called osteoblasts. Osteoblasts produce collagen, enzymes, and other proteins that make up the organic portion of the bone matrix. Vigorous exercise and healthful diet with adequate calcium, protein, and vitamin D are essential in achieving sufficient bone mass during the bone adaptation process. Just like muscle, bones respond to certain kinds of training by hypertrophying. By putting enormous stress on bones, cartilage inside bones may become bones, causing plates to close. The actual amount of growth in a bone depends upon the NEED for it. As force is applied, the bone will remodel itself to better handle the force. In a reining horses, for example, the bones of the legs and feet strengthen to handle the impact of stopping a turning. Although this will alter throughout life, the main effects will be seen during the period of growth, when remodeling is most evident. It is in this period that the actual length of a limb bone is being determined. The actual amount of growth in a bone depends upon the need for it. In order for horses to be strong throughout life they need the dense bones which only happens when exercise, weight and pressure is applied. In relation to soft tissue, Davis’s Law explains how soft tissue remolds itself according to imposed demands as well just like the bone.

You can look at it this way, if you had a child and that child only roamed around the house until they were 15 and then you put a 30lb back pack on them and asked them to run to the other end of a football field they would break a bone or tear a ligament before they hit the 10-yard line. Why? Their bones are thin and weak along with many other things in their body. Their body leaned during their growing phase there was no pressure the bones only grew for house hold walking, not sports. I hear and see constantly people who wait to start their horses until they are 6,7, 10 and they think because they are mature now they are ready to be started, so because of their age they start them into a training program as if they have been rode their whole lives and what’s the first thing that happens? They go lame, they tear a suspensory, they break their coffin bone, they break their sesamoid bone, spiral fracture of the cannon bone, soft tissue damage. Why does this happen? Because they were the kid who lived in the house till they were 15 that had a backpack put on and where asked to run. Even with a slow start the chance of injury compared to one started as a 2-year-old are massive. There is significant study and proof of horses raced at the age of 2 compared to being raced at 4 sustained far less injuries to the 4 year olds who frequently came up lame and many sustained career ending injuries.
Exercise, pressure and weight are major essential tools for bone growth. There are a few other things that are your best friend lets talk about those.

Ever wonder why people are so high on the Theraplate? The vibrating platform works by triggering bones to generate tiny electric fields. These tiny currents may turn on genes that affect bone remodeling and growth. That’s when a series of experiments showed that bone is piezoelectric, meaning that bending or deforming its crystal structure creates local electric currents. These currents where quickly linked to bone growth in studies that seemed to explain why exercise strengthens bones(riding) and immobilization (being left in a pasture) weakens them. So, when you done with your ride for the day or a great way to warm up the body to exercise is to put them on the theraplate.

Ultimately You can still sit and attempt to judge someone for starting a 2-year-old or a coming two-year-old but it all boils down to science and knowing what you’re doing. They are individuals after all. Some can take a lot of pressure and some cannot. Bone growth however no matter what comes from exercise and weight in order to building and strengthening the bones needed for that horse’s career path. And that starts at a young age not when they are 5. Along with this, many people's personal opinions most with no experience raising horses from conception to riding let alone starting horses automatically think a 2 year old being started means they go into some rigorous 5/6 day a week 45-60min work out. When In fact it's more around 2-3 days a week for 2-5 mins for the first 30-60 days in which the program goes to 3/4 days a week for 10-15 mins and steadily climbs from there. A horse being started as a 2 year old is not being rode as a horse with a year or two of riding on it. People like to ignore that or just don't know. That's again where each one is an individual and you have to listen to what they are capable of handling. Other things do play a large roll in a strong horse for a long healthy life such as nutrition. So let's break this down even more.

Bones are a fascinating subject in general, from the wide general perspective we just covered down to the cellular level which can be genetic and what you are feeding them. There are two types of bones, compact and spongy. Compact being the dense hard bone and spongy being the cancellous bone which does not contain osteons. Then you have the four main principle types of bone cells in the tissue which are osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts. Then you have an abundant of mineral salts, primarily hydroxyapatite, some calcium carbon at and most of all calcium phosphate. These salts are the framework of collagen fibers which is a process we have all heard called calcification. Mineral salts confer hardness on the bone while collagen fibers give the bone tensile strength (bend to a certain point and not break.)
Now with compact bone you have something called osteons which is a community of cells called osteocytes, you have a central canal which houses the periosteal arteries and veins to feed and remove the waste and CO2 created by the cells within the bone. The nutrient artery sends branches into the central Haversian canals to provide for osteocytes. The arty continues into the medullae to supple blood for the marrow and osteocells via the epiphyseal artery. The periosteal arteries pass through the Volkman’s canal to multitude of vessels that supply the outer compact bone. Now while I’m sure this sounds like a bunch of crazy talk I want you to think about your feed program. Sweet feeds that are extremely high in sugar content, do what to the blood? They make the blood thicker and impair the flow of the blood. When the blood gets down to the periosteal arteries that feed the bone its nutrients needed for strong healthy bone growth they are minimized. Think of sucking water through a straw versus a thick milk shake. When the blood has a very limited flow through the canal to the outer layer of bone it can cause the bone to not fully develop leaving holes or as we dread to hear on a pre purchase exam an OCD. So when it comes down to growing strong healthy stock your number one concern should always be your feed program from in-utero to old age. Followed by them having the proper amount of exercise and weight to grow the density of the bones, tendons, and ligaments. Now yes, there are other things that can cause an OCD or cause one to not heal however nutrients in the bone is the biggest. Your feed program feeds into the overall strength and development of the skeleton from in-utero to the day they die.

I have always been a big advocate for the equine athlete. After all we are the ones asking them to perform. Just remember every horse is an individual. You can cripple a long yearling or a 10 year old the same it's all in how you ride them, grow them and care for them. Just because one can handle it doesn't mean the other can wether that's structurally or mentally.

Hope you enjoyed the read 😉
(Edit: This was a post to my personal wall, it's not professionally written or cited as it sure wasn't intended for the 800+ shares it has received so far. Therefor I listed some sources below) "_
Sources: 
- Professor John Adams
- Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 9th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.
- How bone remodeling works, Ryan Nguyen
- American College of Veterinary Surgeons
- College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Sorry I mean't to mention the joints in my last post but, I just put muscle I guess. For those of you who have mentioned it I will probably never compete on her or do cattle/ranch work. Even with our two grown horses we never do anymore than a short trail ride every or every other day. I will eventually do an occasional barrel pattern at a canter but, that is years away. I have ponied her on a couple fifteen minute trail rides and that is pretty much it. She actually does lunge or circle with direction changes quite nicely, but only at a walk. My dad helped break some draft teams some when he was younger, evidently as you said it can be pretty terrifying. We do not have flat enough land to have her pull something.


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

I very much appreciated reading the article. It brought a lot of interesting aspects into the picture. At this point I don't think anybody can tell you for sure whether it is right or wrong to start them at 2.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

If this is the 17 month old that you are asking about a possible roach, then I would be very careful.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

A lot of youngsters are started at 18 months and are being ridden in hard, fast work by 2 years old. Think the futurity reining and cutting horses-- those horses are doing faster work as babies and carrying more weight than many pleasure horses ever will. Some of them hold up and are sound until they die of old age. Others are crippled by 5 or subsist on joint supplements and hock injections the rest of their lives. The difference? Generally the trainer who knew if his colt couldn't handle it physically or mentally and sent him back to the owner to let him grow up and point him in another direction. The type of horse to do well at futurities is a physical and mental rarity. He has to be able to handle the grueling training schedule and stay sound and mentally sane, haul, travel, and show in all sorts of environments without turning a hair. That's not something many horses can handle at that age. Part of that is knowing horses. How is he built? How is he bred? How is the surface he's being worked on? What's his mind like? Does he learn quickly and does he hold onto his training over a short break? Can his owners afford the healthcare and shoeing and costs of working a youngster this hard and keeping him sound? If he can't handle it or is injured, then what? Is he still useful for something else or is it worth ruining him on the chance he can excel? The horses you see winning the futurities and derbies are the exception, not the rule. How many horses intended for these early events couldn't handle the stress and are now someone else's project? How many of the baby Big Lick horses are crippled for life from the stacks and chains and training starting when they are yearlings? It's risk vs. reward, and good horsemen will put the horse first. 

Common sense, folks. Leaving your horse to mature doesn't mean keeping him in a stall, but instead turning him out to live in a herd in all weather, where his bones will adapt to the stresses of exercise, rough ground, etc. Ranch cowboys use their horses harder than nearly anyone, and most of them will put half-a dozen short rides on a long 2 y.o., do 30 days on them at 3, then not start riding them hard until 4 and those horses are usually sound under heavy work until their mid-20's or beyond. But those who start their horses at 5 don't have any more soundness issues than others. Some draft horse people will start yearlings in harness with light loads. Others wait until the horse is 3 or 4. Both can produce sound, healthy, sane horses-- it all comes down to knowing horses and how much pressure you can put on one without causing issues. The people who don't understand, or don't care are the ones harming the horses from asking too much too soon, or too little too late. If a horse is mentally and physically mature for his age, and his option is standing around in a stall or small pen with a few minutes of turnout in an arena once a day, or starting him under saddle, he might do better in the long run to be in training. If you have access too all-weather pasture and year-round turnout, let your horse grow up a bit first.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Yes , common sense, and light work for a young horse,is actually beneficial, as there has to be a certain degree of stress, to create a strong skeleton,done correctly, through interval training, never pushing a young horse, backing off when needed, versus medicating and pushing on
The idea that you dare not do anything with a young horse, work wise, is equally wrong, and does not create a future sound athlete. (sorry, Dr Deb Bennett, being a paleontologist does not make you an expert on equine sports medicine!
How about not asking your teenage son to do any work, until he is at least 21, does that create a strong skeletal system?
It has been proven that bone density improves with work. Thus, the mature two year old lightly ridden, having grown up with turn out,able to exercise and build a strong body,lightly ridden, will be way sounder then that horse 'too valuable to turn out), kept stalled as a young growing hrose, and only started later in life.
Balance, people, and look at the whole picture. That pasture pet, not started until he is five, perhaps having limited exercise, will break down sooner, then a young horse started correctly, able to move and play growing up, and with conformation that will stand up to work
I know many horses, mine included, started as late 2 year olds, that remained sound in their twenties


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Yes it is that filly. Could you possibly tell me how to post a picture?


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)




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## horseylover1_1 (Feb 13, 2008)

Can't see the picture @koda2004


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

koda2004 said:


> Yes it is that filly. Could you possibly tell me how to post a picture?



Here you go http://www.horseforum.com/horse-for...ustrated-how-attach-pic-directly-your-660305/


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Thank you. Here is the pic. Sorry I think it uploaded upsidown.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I don't recall Dr. Bennet ever saying don't work them - just that there are valid reasons not to put weight on their backs until they are older. This is an excerpt from her article. I bolded some of the article. It goes along with what SiverMaple was saying about allowing your horse to be a horse and not keeping the animal stalled in which case you will need to DO something to build that muscle and bone. Not saying jump on and ride but get them moving. Ramey says the same if you are to build good, strong, healthy feet. They have to be moving to build them. I am not in anyway disagreeing with horseyluver; I just feel there has to be balance between the two opinions and the facts they presented. Unless an owner dictates differently (within reason) I personally give them time. Like Smilie I encourage(d) them to show in hand at a young age if they wanted exposure and desensitizing.

Every owner and trainer has to look at their end goals and make their own decisions. Do some push too hard, too fast while others wait too long and too late? Sure. Common sense. More need to use it. I know I keep scrolling when I see ads for (backyard) horses that have been started early. But if a reputable trainer had a horse they started lightly as a three year old I would take a look trusting they know their animal. I would probably even take a look for something started at 2 under those conditions if I only intended to pleasure ride. 

Excerpts from “The Ranger Piece”
TIMING AND RATE OF SKELETAL
MATURATION IN HORSES,
©2008 By Deb Bennett, Ph.D

Horses have more than one “growth plate”, there are multiple ossification centers pertaining to every bone of the body outside
of the skull, and that the schedule of growth-plate closure (which begins around the time of birth and extends until the sixth year, and is coordinated with the eruption schedule of the teeth) has been well known to veterinarians, paleontologists, zooarchaeologists, and mammalogists since the early 19th century.
Racing interests sometimes cite as justification for competing very young horses that “race conditioning is good for their bones.” *This statement is a mis-application of good research, which has shown that, indeed, the distal limb bones of young horses in training remodel in response t**o whatever stresses they’re faced with. *When bone-scans or postmortem studies are done on young horses that have undergone this “preconditioning,” it is found that the left sidewalls of the cannon bone shafts have thickened in response to the stress. This, however, has nothing whatsoever to do with the rate at which the bones mature, and it does nothing to accelerate (or retard) the schedule of fusion of the growth plates. Moreover, what happens during “preconditioning” is not the development of “super bone” — significantly more bone substance than there would have been without preconditioning — but merely the remodeling of the bone, which means that bone substance that would have been evenly distributed through the bone shaft without preconditioning, is merely shifted with preconditioning from one wall of the bone to another. Is preconditioning good for young horses? Only in relative terms, for the animal would have achieved equal or better bone substance and quality if it had simply been allowed to mature for a longer time before racing. *While growth in cannon bone length stops with the fusion of both growth plates at around 1 ½ years of age, increase in cannon bone girth does not taper off until close to 5 years of age, and essentially the same can be said for the girth of any other limb element, with those bones located higher up in the body maturing later.*
Another lesson taught by the present paper is that *most of the growth plates above the distal radius in a three year old horse are unfused, including, most importantly, those of the animal’s spine.* It is the spine of the horse that governs the overall coordination of the limbs and the animal’s running “style”. It is the spine, not the limbs, that the animal primarily uses to compensate for potholes, slick spots, and other irregularities in the track. *The higher the speed and the greater the physical effort, the more important it is that the animal have all of its joints mature and in good working order.* While catastrophic failures are uncommon, more subtle distal limb disease and chronic pain and dysfunction in two and three year old racehorses are commonly diagnosed and *this article is intended to give solid biological facts* in a form that would be easy for any owner, breeder, trainer, or lawmaker to understand. Let the reader, and our society at large, then make the best use of the information given. I began my reply to Ranger’s owner with comments on his conformation, but soon got “sidetracked into the main issue,” which is *about how to make the best decision as to when a young horse may be started under saddle.*

A General Look at Ranger

The first thing to note is that as a two and a half year old, Ranger is a “teenager.” He’s not mature physically, nor
will he be until he’s at least six. Despite a nice development of chest and a fine long neck, there is that
unmistakable lack of length and muscular fullness to the hindquarters and the little weakness or lack of arch at
the base of the neck that smacks of the gawkiness of subadulthood. The withers are not as high as they will
someday be, either. Note please however, that I have not said anything about Ranger having a big head – because
he doesn’t (compare length of head to length of neck; a horse’s head is not to be considered “large” until it is
longer than the underline of the neck). I like the so-called “old fashioned” head of the Standardbred, Morgan,
Saddlebred, and Walking Horse. An Arabian head is fine – on an Arabian, but the Arabian head shape should not
be the universal definition of “good” in heads. Ranger’s is an excellent head with sharp bony definition, a good
eye, and a real good expression. There are also solid reasons, having to do with the proper eruption and
functioning of the teeth, for preferring a straight or slightly arched head, such as Ranger shows, to certain types
of dished construction, and for preferring a longer face (as measured from eye to muzzle) to a foreshortened face.

All Horses of All Breeds Mature Skeletally at the Same Rate

Now I want to discuss the concept of skeletal maturity and deal with that concept thoroughly. Ranger is not
mature, as I said, as a 2 ½ year old. This is not because Ranger is a “slow-maturing” individual or because he
comes from a “slow maturing” breed. There is no such thing. Let me repeat that: no horse on earth, of any breed,
at any time, is or has ever been mature before the age of six (plus or minus six months). So, for example, the
Quarter Horse is not an “early maturing” breed – and neither is the Arabian a “slow maturing” breed. As far as their skeletons go, they are the same. This information comes, I know, as a shock to many people who think starting their colt or filly under saddle at age two is what they ought to be doing. This begs discussion of (1) what I mean by “mature” and (2) what I mean by “starting”.

*When is a Horse Skeletally Mature?*

Just about everybody has heard of the horse’s “growth plates”, and *commonly when I ask them, people tell me*
*that the “growth plates” are somewhere around the horse’s knees (actually the ones people mean are located at the bottom of the radius-ulna bone just above the knee). This is what gives rise to the saying that, before riding the horse, it’s best to wait “until his knees close” (i.e., until the growth plates convert from cartilage to bone, fusing the epiphysis or bone-end to the diaphysis or bone-shaft). What people often don’t realize is that there is a “growth plate” on either end of every bone behind the skull, and in the case of some bones (like the pelvis or vertebrae, which have many “corners”) there are multiple growth plates.*
*So do you then have to wait until all these growth plates convert to bone? No. But the longer you wait, the safer you’ll be.* Owners and trainers need to realize there’s an easy-to-remember general schedule of fusion – and then make their decision as to when to ride the horse based on that rather than on the external appearance of the horse. *For there are some breeds of horse – the Quarter Horse is the premier among these – which have been bred in such a manner as to look mature long before they actually are mature. This puts these horses in jeopardy from people who are either ignorant of the closure schedule, or more interested in their own schedule* (for futurities or other competition) than they are in the welfare of the animal.

The Schedule of Growth-Plate Conversion to Bone

*The process of converting the growth plates to bone goes, in general, from the bottom of the animal up. In other words, the lower down toward the hoofs you look, the earlier most of the growth plates will have fused; and the higher up toward the animal’s back you look, the later. The growth plate at the top of the coffin bone (the most distal bone of the limb) is fused at birth. What that means is that the coffin bones get no taller after birth (they get much larger around, though, by another mechanism). That’s the first one*. In order after that:
Short pastern – bottom before birth; top between 9-12 months.
Long pastern – bottom unites with shaft at or shortly before birth; top 13 to 15 mos.
Cannon bone – top unites with shaft at or shortly before birth; bottom unites with shaft at about 18 mos.
Small bones of the knee – top and bottom of each, between 18 mos. and 2 years
Radius-ulna – upper weightbearing surface, between 15-18 mos.; distal surfaces, between 3 and 3.5 years
Humerus – bottom, between 1.5 and 2 years; top, between 3 and 3.5 years
Scapula – glenoid or bottom (weight-bearing) portion – between 3 and 3.5 years
Hindlimb – cannon bone, coffin bone, and pasterns same as forelimb
Hock – this joint is “late” for as low down as it is; growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals don’t fuse until the animal is 3-3.5 (so the hocks are a known “weak point” – even the 18th-century literature warns against driving young horses in plow or other deep or sticky footing, or jumping them up into a heavy load, for danger of spraining their hocks).
Tibia – bottom, between 20 mos. and 2 years; top, between 3 and 3.5 years
Femur – there are 4 major epiphyses on this bone, including the head that goes into the hip socket; they fuse between 3 - 4 years.
Pelvis – the hip socket is firm between 18 mos. and 2 years, but the rest of the bone does not stop growing until the horse is 5 or
more years old.
*....and what do you think is last? The vertebral column, of course. A normal horse has 32 vertebrae between the back of the skull and the root of the dock, and there are several growth plates on each one, the most important of which are those that cap the centrum. These do not finally fuse until the horse is at least 5 ½ years old* (and this figure applies to a small-sized, scrubby, range-raised mare. The taller your horse and the longer its neck, the later the last fusions will occur. And for a male – is this a surprise? – you add six months. So, for example, a 17-hand Thoroughbred, Saddlebred or Warmblood gelding may not be fully mature until his 8th year – something that owners of such individuals have often told me that they “suspected”).

Significance of the Closure Schedule for Injuries to Back and Neck vs. Limbs

*The lateness of vertebral “closure” is most significant for two reasons. One: in no limb are there 32 growth plates! Two: the growth plates in the limbs are (more or less) oriented perpendicular to the stress of the load passing through them, while those of the vertebral chain are oriented parallel to weight placed upon the horse’s back. Bottom line: you can sprain a horse’s back (i.e. displace the vertebral physes ) a lot more easily than you can displace those located in the limbs*. Here’s another little fact: within the chain of vertebrae, the last to fully “close” are those at the base of the animal’s neck (that’s why the long-necked individual may go past 6 years to achieve full maturity – it’s the base of his neck that is still growing). So you have to be careful – very careful – not to yank the neck around on your young horse, or get him in any situation where he strains his neck (i.e., better learn how to get a horse broke to tie before you ever tie him up, so that there will be no likelihood of him ever pulling back hard)

What Does it Mean to “Start” a Young Horse?

Let us now turn to the second discussion, which is what I mean by “starting” and the whole history of that. *Many people today* – at least in our privileged country – *do not realize how hard you can actually work a mature horse* – which is very, very hard. *But before you can do that without significantly damaging the animal, you have to wait for him to mature, which means – waiting until he is four to six years old before asking him to carry you on his back.*

What bad will happen if you put him to work as a riding horse before that? Two important things – and probably not what you’re thinking of. What is very unlikely to happen is that you’ll damage the growth plates in his legs. At the worst, there may be some crushing of the cartilages, but the number of cases of deformed limbs due to early use is tiny. The cutting-horse futurity people, who are big into riding horses as young as a year and a half, will tell you this and they are quite correct. Want to damage legs? There’s a much better way – just overfeed your livestock (you ought to be able to see a young horse’s ribs – not skeletal, but see ’em – until he’s two).

So, what’s to worry about? 

Well....did you ever wish your horse would “round up” a little better? Collect better? Respond to your leg by raising his back, coiling his loins, and getting his hindquarter up underneath him better? The young horse knows, by feel and by “instinct”, that having a weight on his back puts him in physical jeopardy. I’m sure that all of you start your youngstock in the most humane and considerate way that you know how, and just because of that, I assure you that after a little while, your horse knows exactly what that saddle is and what that situation where you go to mount him means. And he loves you, and he is wiser than you are, so he allows this. But he does not allow it foolishly, against his deepest nature, which amounts to a command from the Creator that he must survive; so when your foot goes in that stirrup, he takes measures to protect himself.
The measures he takes are the same ones you would take in anticipation of a load coming onto your back: he stiffens or braces the muscles of his topline, and to help himself do that he may also brace his legs and hold his breath (“brace” his diaphragm). The earlier you choose to ride your horse, the more the animal will do this, and the more often you ride him young, the more you reinforce the necessity of him responding to you in this way. So please – don’t come crying to me when your six-year-old (that you started under saddle as a two year old) proves difficult to round up. Any horse that does not know how to move with his back muscles in release cannot round up. Bottom line: if you are one of those who equates “starting” with “riding”, then I guess you better not start your horse until he’s four. That would be* the old, traditional, worldwide view: introduce the horse to equipment (all kinds of equipment and situations, with the handler on the ground) when he’s two, add crawling on and off of him at three, saddle him to begin riding him and teaching him to guide at four, start teaching him maneuvers or the basics of whatever job he’s going to do – cavalletti or stops or racing or something beyond trailing cattle – at five, and he’s on the payroll at six. *


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

koda2004 said:


> I have a very small 12 lb. kids saddle that I have put on her and my 5 yr old cousin has also been led around on her bareback. What is your opinion?



5 year olds make pretty good crash test dummies.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Dustbunny said:


> 5 year olds make pretty good crash test dummies.


:lol::lol:


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Was the question about putting a child on her back tongue in cheek? It's hard to tell with only text to go off of :')

I've started a filly at 2 1/2 - 3, pet clearance from her vet, farrier, and trainer. 
I think the advice and guidance of the professionals who work with you and your horse will be more beneficial to you than the advice of strangers on HF, especially because this is such a charged topic.


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## koda2004 (Sep 2, 2017)

Dustbunny, yes they sure do make good guinea pigs.


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