What age can a horse start jumping at?

No idea if it's been discussed before but hey, why not. I may have just bought myself a 3 year old Thoroughbred filly. I'm thinking you'd wait till she was 5ish before putting her over fences.. Cougar was started over low fences at 5 and a half. Seems to be a good amount of time to install a good base on a horse and let them physically mature. I'm all about slow and steady.

But that's just my opinion. Whats yours?

Yes yes yes wait at least untill she is 3 you want everything to mature before jumping, and when you do start her make sure you have jumping boots for her It's really important to protect those fragile Throughbred legs. I always have boots on my guy just for that extra protection

I wouldn't do a thing until 5. TB's are still growing until they are 6 or 7. No reason to damage a perfectly good horse by rushing things. There are a zillion flat work things she'll have to learn first to jump properly anyway.

omg 7 is the best age! 3 is wayyyy 2 young! your horse could chip a bone! ik this b/c one of my friends has a horse thats 4 and she has 2 wait until about 7 also

All horses, regardless of breed, finish maturing bone wise at 5. From The Great Age Debate | Suite101.com.

So most people wait until 4 or 5 to start jumping.

5 fr low as ones. wait til 7 seven for any real jumping, cause everythings closed then, I think the hocks close and fuse at 7

I'm interested on this topic too. Not looking into jumping anytime soon, but how old would they have to be to safely jump up to a 3 foot fence? As I said, not looking into jumping too soon.

5 year good jumping

i usually start light jumping at about 4. just a few small cross rails every once & awhile so they learn their job young.

Quote:
At the age of 1 year:
the horse's pasterns have fused

At 18 months:
his cannon bones are mature

At 30 months (2.5 yrs):
he now has stronger - but not entirely mature - knees (the small bones have fused), and his fetlock joints are mature

At 3 years:
the weight-bearing area at the base of the knees is fused, as well as his hindleg between hock and stifle

At 3-and-a-half:
the highest part of his foreleg, the humerus, is fused, as are parts of his femur, the area of his hindleg between stifle and hip

At 4 years:
the shoulder is fused, and the hocks and pelvis are now mature

At 5-and-a-half:
the growth plates over the centrum, which allows the spine to flex, become fused
Great post Upsidedown.

Majority of GP Jumpers don't start jumping their horses until 5, and that is very light jumping.

Majority of GP Jumpers, only jump once a week - where most uneducated lower level ridrers, jump more than that. I've even seen GP jumpers only jump their horses in the warmup ring before they go into the show ring.

Fact of the matter is, that jumping is hard on horses joints and ligaments and tendons. A horse only has so much jump, so that is why many Top Level Riders preseve their horses jump for in the competative ring.

And, the longer you wait, and the better you take care of your horse, the longer they'll last.

I would definately wait until 5 to start over small fences.