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Opinions on Riding a 2yr old?

4K views 43 replies 23 participants last post by  Avna 
#1 ·
I was just curious on what everyone's opinion was on riding 2 year olds. I have nothing against those who do, I just personally think they shouldn't be ridden till they're 3 at least.

What do y'all think? I know you can start them but I just think they aren't mentally ready.
 
#5 ·
With my gelding, the only young horse I've ever ridden, I sat on him for the first time at 2 years old. He shot up and got very tall at 2 (often mistaken for a 4 year old), I was 12 and small ish, and the fastest I could get him going was a walk. So we worked on steering and giving to the bit and a lot of leg yielding.

Turns out he was much easier to get to a trot or gallop in a LARGE arena and I finally started riding him a bit harder the next year. And what I mean by harder is, head over to the neighbors arena, walk, trot, and gallop a couple times each direction, practice going over and up to obstacles and going home. I also took him to two 4-H 2-Hand shows.

By 4 he was working almost as much as my regular 4-H horse. He went to 3 2-Hand shows in the summer, and in the fall went to the County Fair and the State 2-Hand show. He also attended his first year at 4-H horse camp.

5 years old I was using him for 2-Hand and regular 4-H and pretty much doubled his work.

Geeze, here's my history, and take it for what it's worth... I'm no pro, but I do agree, no hard work till 3 or 4, but I also think it depends on the horse.

I will say it seems a lot of horses are started and showing around here at 2, so I'm a little out of the norm.
 
#6 ·
It greatly depends on the horse.

Some are not ready at 2 years old; others are just fine. I think it is important to listen to the horse. As far as physically, I think the riding should be relatively light at least until age 4 (late) or age 5.

My Shotgun has always been very quiet and easy going. I started him when he was 2. I put about 30 days on him (light rides, about 15 to 20 minutes a pop) and then left him alone for the winter. Rode him all throughout his 3-year-old year, lightly, working on basics and just getting him more broke. He got hauled along everywhere we went (good exposure for him). Started him on the barrels when he was 4 and just took it at his own pace, but he just continued to take everything in stride.

He got the year off last year since I had a baby. I'm excited to get going on him again this year (he's now 6) as he will be one of those horses that I can go win a barrel race on, and then turn him over to let my daughter ride him (when she's big enough).

He's one of those rare finds!
 
#9 ·
I think it depends on the breed and the horse. My coming three year old has 90 days under saddle but he has been on rest since. I've done ground work and been on his back a few times but he won't go back for another 90 days until the spring.
 
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#10 ·
I personally think that it should wait until later than two, four preferably. Horses are started sooner than four but it takes a lot of careful consideration of their growth when doing that. Personally, I'm waiting with my baby. I want her to be almost finished growing before I ask her to carry me. I feel like I can find plenty of things to do with her before I start riding her. Her mother grew another inch between the ages of 5 1/2 and 6 1/2.
 
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#12 ·
I'm quite heavy and I still rode Trouble at two. Actually, he had his first ride ever on his second birthday. The way I ride, I don't see any problem with it. Walking around working on steering and going for short trail rides isn't going to hurt him. However, I don't agree with putting two year olds through rigorous training. Trouble is three and still isn't mentally ready for any hard work.

Although this year (he'll be 3 1/2) I plan to put 50 miles on him, on the trail. This will be mostly walking/trotting and letting him experience life on the trail. So mostly mental work.
 
#14 ·
I don't particularly care for a time frame, I do futurity but I also don't push for it if the horse isn't ready. I agree that every horse is an individual.

However, I do start everything at two, bottom line. Even if they're the slowest, most mentally immature creatures in the world - Even if I have to spend the first month just getting them to figure out how not to trip over their own feet - And even if they're the rankest, meanest colt in the bunch.

As far as I'm concerned, the sooner they start learning, the easier life they will have. If I was killed in a car accident tomorrow, I would hate to have my family suddenly have to sell a bunch of unstarted two year olds. The more work I have into them, the better their chances of having a good life if something happened, or after they are sold.

If I have to wait four years to ride everything, then it's going to take me another year of riding to get them to their peak, and another year at least after that to get them started in a career. After that, you have another year of seasoning. So I have a seven year old horse who is still incredibly inexperienced, and the value decreases. When the value of a horse decreases, not only am I losing money, but I'm also increasing the risk that someone comes along to buy the horse who is looking for a quick turnover, or isn't a good home, or will not be able to feed the horse after a year. People who have the money to have good horses, don't buy them cheap. If someone can afford a valuable animal, usually they have the money to take care of it.

So if I start my horse at two, ride it for a year, it's already a solid citizen by the time it's three. So at three, you can start turning them towards a career, or seasoning them. So instead of a finished seven year old, you have a finished five year old. The value of that horse goes up. His chances of a happy life dramatically increase.

I want to be a part of my horses life from the time they are born so that starting them is not an issue. When they are babies, I will hold them, rub them, drag them out on the trail with me or tie them up at shows. I do everything I can to make my horses as valuable and seasoned as possible, because to me, that is how you keep horses from being neglected, abused, or sold to the wrong hands. By making them the best you can.

I keep all my flunks though. I have a horse who I loathe in my barn right now and have put thousands of hours of work into. She's a flunk in literally every way. Can't run barrels for anything. Can't cut a cow. Doesn't have any stop in her, and if you ask her to turnaround she'd just as soon throw herself on the ground in tantrum. Can't rope on her either, she's too small and regardless, she's terrified of the rope. I started three of her sisters and they all went on to be somebody's horse, all really good hearted creatures. She, however, is not one of them. I couldn't sell her because I have this feeling somebody would dump her at the nearest auction yard after spending a month with her. Unfortunate reality, but still, three years into riding her every day I am still trying to make her a horse I'm proud of. It's just not happening, and her value goes down every day she ages.

I will probably have her until she dies at this point, but I knew this early on in her career so I was able to accommodate that, and I can take my time making her into something. Maybe someday her "person" will come for her, but I haven't found one yet. The good news is, now she's so broke at six, I can turn her out all winter and she'll be the same when I get her out in spring - Because I've done my job and prepared her to be that horse, even if she was incredibly difficult. If I had "Turned her out to mature" at two instead of starting her, she'd be half as far along, and if she finally succeeded in killing me she'd most definitely be dog food.

That's just me though. I go out every day to do my job and at least take one baby step towards getting that horse broke. I don't believe in wasting time, but I don't believe in rushing either.
 
#15 ·
Personally, I would be comfortable doing saddling and long line work at w/t around 3, maybe getting the horse used to a saddle or surcingle and a bridle (and optional bit) around age 2.5 depending on their mental status. Start backing and sitting on, and being led or lunged with a rider on around 3-3.5 years. Doing this work maybe 2 or 3 times a week for 15 minutes. By 4, rider is guiding the horse at a walk trot and canter 3 times a week, for around 30 minutes each time. Use the next year + to do basics: Relaxation, rhythm, impulsion, straightness and connection, in that order (similar to the "dressage scale" or "scale of training") and to build the horse up to working every other day for 35-45 minutes. I wouldn't do more than ground poles at that age. Can start light jumps, higher speed, tighter turns, stops, etc by age 5 or 5.5, assuming the horse is growing properly and mentally ready. One can also start riding close to daily for even an hour if going out on trails or doing light work, again, assuming the horse is ready and fit.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
There are going to be many opinions. There are also cultural norms, and economic drivers which have shaped some of those norms. And then there are incontrovertible facts (not many, but they're significant).

Economic drivers: professionals have to earn a living, and they don't earn any money from bringing expensive young investments along gently and giving them lots of time to fully develop. All that time they are pouring feed and care into them and their owners are breathing down their necks and they still have to pay the mortgage. They can't think about how sound that horse could be at fifteen, or twenty-five, or thirty-five. They need to push those youngsters as fast as they can, get them winning money, making a name for themselves. This is true in many disciplines.

Cultural norms: if pros are starting at two and running their horses at three and four, why shouldn't you? Why would you do something different than a famous winning professional for pity's sake?

Facts: Horse growth plates start to close, beginning at the farthest extremities, at about 18 months, and finish closing with the vertebral plates, at between five and eight years. That's right, some eight year olds still have open spinal growth plates. Smaller, shorter, and female horses' plates close somewhat earlier than larger and male horses.

this .pdf is a classic article which begins with a discussion of the changes in TB racing (to the detriment of the horses) and ends with a discussion of 'Ranger', a young TWH, in an in-depth discussion of why growth plate closure matters.
 
#19 ·
There are a lot of great points in everyone's opinion.

Saddling and lounging are part of preparing a horse mentally so I have no problem with that. But I've seen people ride their 2 year olds really hard and it didn't seem right since they're still developing, but every horse is different.

Also, I heard you should never gallop and arabian till their 4 or jump a horse till they're 4 since their knees aren't fully developed. Is that true?
 
#20 ·
Well, I only weigh 110lbs and have for my whole life so have started all of the young colts and fillies in the summer of their 2nd year. Lightweight English saddle and no more than 15-20 minutes at a time. Never have seen a single one have leg issues because of it.


In the real world, most of the horse people in my area don't really think about the issue. I've seen them "send them off" to a trainer at a young 2 years old and expect miracles in 30 days! And most of the futurity trainers I know unfortunately, really push hard both for their own "winning" reputation and to keep their clients happy.
 
#21 ·
It really depends on the industry. For myself, I have a 3.5 year old filly I'm starting. Granted, I am in no hurry, so I haven't started riding her yet. However, she has had the saddle on and we've done lots of ground work. We've been lunging her with the surcingle to work on bit contact, as well as ground driving. She is also growing...I'll go out to the paddock and her butt will have shot up in the air. So I'm not really interested in working her until she evens out a bit anyway.

I don't have any super lofty goals for her. Mostly a pleasure horse - see how she goes and maybe dabble in some dressage and do a few shows later on.

When she was two, she did have the saddle on and we had started working on the basics of lunging (no bit).
 
#22 ·
It's not true that "every horse is different" in the sense that all horse have growth plates, all horses' plates close in a specific order, and there is not all that much variation.

It appears that if you are hoping to develop a horse who has the best chance of being a healthy sound using horse through its natural life, a great deal of attention would need to be paid to how much strain you are putting on that young horse. How much weight, how long, how fast, how abrupt or strenuous the movements, all of that. Medically speaking, it would seem no horse should not be asked for a lot of exertion before the age of five or six, six being better than five.

That's not the norm, but science has been changing norms of horse handling for awhile now. And it usually takes a long time, especially when money is at stake.

But "when to start riding hard" is not the same question as "when to start training". There are a zillion things you can teach a horse without riding it at all.
 
#23 ·
^I was under the impression that there was quite a bit of difference (not in sequence, but in the timeline) between different "types" (draft vs light vs pony etcetc) of horses? I didn't read the pdf, but is there literature on that included?

Though it should be one of the driving factors, anatomy isn't the only factor to consider when starting a horse, in my opinion. I do think there are a number of things that depend greatly on the individual (what they'll be used for, their mind, how the trainer/owner designs the program, etc).

Ultimately, I agree almost wholly with beau.
 
#24 ·
I would also like to know why working horses is different vs. humans and dogs and other animals whose growth plates also need time to close.

I am of the opinion that the more I introduce them to work in their level of fitness, the stronger they will become. Just as humans, if you spent your whole life confined in your room until you were fully grown and then thrown out into the world - You'd probably have a hard time given that you have zero muscle tone or cardio.
 
#28 ·
It isn't all that different, is the answer. In Dog Agility, for example, most trainers will not start teaching any jumping or fast turns until the dog is over a year old, because of growth plate closure concerns. Longer for larger dogs. You can start teaching them the Agility moves and obstacles as soon as you like, but you don't stress those bones. You cannot enter a dog in an Agility trial if they are under 18 months of age. Because of growth plate concerns.

One significant difference between horses and other animals is that you are sitting right on the place which is the last area to mature in the whole skeleton. And, being ridden is not something horses evolved structurally to do -- dogs don't carry weight on their backs, and also, are at liberty when exerting themselves, which is a big advantage.

Heaven forbid putting a young horse in a box until they're six years old -- that horse would be ruined. For example, my horse, through no exertion or intelligence on my part because I didn't own her, was raised in a steep 35 acre pasture with other horses, until she was four. She got her hoof trims and her vaccines and was taught how to lead, tie, trailer, and be groomed, and that's all. More certainly could have been done, but it wasn't. She stayed in fair shape because she had to keep walking, and often, climbing, to feed herself (no supplemental feed nor hay, only grazing). She learned how to handle herself over rugged ground, and she learned how to be a horse in a herd -- life lessons which I appreciate being ingrained in her on every trail ride. She was backed as a long four year old, and the trainer remarked several times how she wished all the young horses she was given to start were of the age and had the background of my horse.

I can't speak to the human side of things, maybe someone else can.
 
#25 ·
I believe that it is important to work with youngsters...every time you interact with them you are essentially 'training' them. I do not believe in pushing young horses and working them hard though. Case in point is all the broken down horses you see that come off the track. Even in a barn where the owner erred on the side of caution when having his youngsters trained, we still had numerous injuries and breakdowns. If those horses weren't being worked, I can guarantee that they would not have had those injuries.

It's all a matter of perspective. Yes, I think that exercise is important in developing young horses (in addition to humans, etc). However, most young horses get the necessary exercise they need just romping around in the fields (if they are given the room to run & play). Same with kids - that is why they have gym class. However, there is a different between a child running around having fun and asking that same child to start weight lifting.
 
#26 ·
Exercise while bones are still developing is important for proper strength. The bones will remodel to become denser under increased loads. The concern arises with the risk of damaging the epiphysis. If that is damaged you end up with growth ******ation. That can be damaged through excessive concussion, torque, or trauma. There is the same concern with human youth athletes.

Studies on racehorses have shown that their bones will remodel to lay down more bone on the left side of their long bones, the direction they race in. Other studies of various breeds have shown that all horse breeds will close within a range of 6 months of each other on average.
 
#30 · (Edited)
This. And also because exercise affects the tendons/ligaments/muscles and bone which adapt to use. This is also why I'm really big for turnout and hacking performance horses. One it's better for them mentally but it also allows their structures adapt to being in use. I think it's one of the worst things you can do is keep a horse in a stall 24/7, especially young ones. They're meant to move! I also wish I was still in Oregon because I used to take my horse on trail rides weekly when I was there, where I am not its a lot harder because it's a bit of a drive and I lack a trailer. But I also feel it's better to start some horses at 3 or 4 depending on their mentality and their how mature they are. Training isn't just training the body, it's also training the mind.

I didn't break my 3yr old until she was 3 and a half and we took about 6wks to break her because we take it slow. Conditioning mentally and physically takes time. I've had other horses we didnt break until 4 or 5. The 5yr old was meant to be broke at 4 but breaking him was a VERY long process and a bit on and off (he was really quirky) and in some ways we wished we started him at 3 instead of 4 because some horses when they've developed bigger and stronger are a lot harder to break because they're mentally less inclined to accept direction and are a little more confident in their ways if that makes sense? It's not true for all but some. But at the time we felt he was too small and weenie to break at 3 and also because he was a late baby (August). And winter is really not the best time for breaking babies, if you can help it :lol:

Also for a 3yr old program it's relatively light and simple. I ride my mare for maybe 20-30min 3 times a week. I'd like to go on more hacks with her but the weather has not been that agreeable. Plus when we hack her out, I need my trainer to go with me and we walk the fields side by side. I'm hoping to do a trail ride sometime in Spring and also take her to another barn for 2wks-month for exposure to new places. We also gave her quite a bit time following being broke and doing one day in a clinic (it was mostly walk and a shorter session).

ATM my (when I say "my" on these ones, I don't own them, I ride them) 4yr old I was riding has been sold so I don't have him going but he was broke as a 3yr old. And the two 5yr olds are going and work according to what they say they need. I ride them about 3-4 times a week and not for terribly long. Quality over quantity. Sometimes I'll ride for 15min because the objectives for the day were met and the horse had a good attitude and good responses. Other days will be more demanding. Sometimes it'll be like an intense ride at the walk and when I say intense, I mean mentally demanding and teaching the horse basic principles and mechanics and then be done or it'll be more of a drawn out, lots of walk and some transitions because it's more about introducing a concept or idea and training a reaction than pushing them to go around and around. To me there is no point to just go around and around. But other days we push boundaries mentally and physically and then follow up with a light, easy day. It's never push-push-push-shove-shove-shove, I think it causes horses to shut down that way. They have to enjoy their work and have fun that's number 1! The mind is just as important as the body for training. And for me I want all of my babies to be just as happy to work today as they are at 20 years of age.

The point is variety and gradual conditioning and training good mechanics. Everyday is not the same and they're not worked for the same period of time. Sometimes rides are more physically or mentally demanding and then the following ride is more confident building, light and sweet, it just depends on the day and the horse.

I'm not in favor of breaking 2yr olds, I feel like they're still too weenie but I also wont get nasty towards someone who does because I've seen people who broke their horses at 2yrs old and did the western stuff but the horses were still fine and going when they were older. So while I wouldn't break a horse at 2, I recognize it's not my decision.

But I also am STRONGLY in favor of working with babies from the time they're born on up. After being apart of raising babies and doing all the aftercare of being born and working with babies on up to breaking, it makes a HUGE difference if they've been properly handled or not. They need to learn respect from the get go and I think a firm but patient/understanding hand is absolutely necessary. You cannot allow bad habits to form because it lays the framework for the rest of that horses life. In taking a baby a person takes on a serious responsibility.
 
#29 ·
The young horse's that suffer problems are those that spend most of their life in a stall - usually because they're considered to be too valuable to risk turn out in case they injure themselves
A young horse that's outside in a decent sized field even if its just during the day is going to get all of the load bearing exercise it needs for good muscle and bone development. Half an hour or an hour of light work riding is going to do very little to improve that but carrying the weight of a rider and saddle before its skeletal structure growth is complete could have a very negative impact in later years
Our foals were handled from birth but only enough to have them compliant with everything that might be needed - leading, good manners when handled, shots, worming, grooming. The one's we showed 'in hand' were trained to load on a trailer and wear a bridle with a bit when they were older(UK showing) but no saddles on anything or lungeing and no bridles if they didn't show until they were broke. Nothing ever objected to having a saddle on for the first time so putting one on as a yearling wouldn't have speeded up the process at all
 
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