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The answer to this age-old question is not simple. There isn’t one answer that is right for every horse. Horses are individuals. They mature at different rates. They are raised different, bred different and expected to do different things. Determining the right time for your horse to begin his training should be influenced by these differences.
What’s your horse’s growth curve?
A horse needs to be strong enough and big enough to take training. In general, taller horses mature slower than smaller horses. It takes longer for bigger horses to fill out and shape up But it doesn’t take them much longer to reach most of their height. Research has shown that most well fed thoroughbreds and stock horse breeds reach 90% of their mature height by one year of age.
“Well-fed” is the key. Horses on a marginal or severely limited plane of nutrition mature at a slower pace than horses fed for maximum genetic potential from birth.
The better the care the sooner the horse is capable of handling training. This fact is evident from the history of the horse in the old west. In the 1800’s it was said that a range- raised horse was not strong enough to be ridden until he was 4 or 5 years of age which leads up to the second question.
How will the horse be broke?
In the past, breaking was likely to an extremely stressful, physical ordeal for the young horse. Today many trainers break young horses gradually using minimal force with frequent days of rest. These techniques are conducive to breaking younger horses. If you believe in the “old school”, it is probably be better to wait till the horse is stouter and stronger.
What will happen to the horse after being broke?
The age of breaking should reflect the future job of the horse. Horses expected to do heavy work immediately after being broke should be older.
How heavy is the rider?
Weight is important. The younger the horse the lighter the rider should be. This factor is highly emphasized in the breaking of racehorses. It is traditional for young thoroughbreds to be broke in the fall of their yearling year. This hopefully allows the precocious members of the crop to be ready to race by June of their two-year-old year. In an attempt to reduce concussion and stress on these younger horses, the riders for these young horses weigh less than 125 pounds.
How mentally mature is the horse?
The idea that a horse needs to have reached a certain level of mental maturity before entering training is one that is frequently overlooked. For us, a horse that is mental maturity enough to take training means that it is willing to accept new ideas with a minimum amount of resistance.
We believe that most young horses are receptive to the idea of accepting control from the rider somewhere between 18 and 24 months of age. In order to take advantage of this early window of opportunity it is necessary to manage horses so that they will be physically mature enough to handle the stresses related to training. It is also necessary to make concessions for the horse’s young age.
Training sessions for young horses should be short - 10 to 15 minutes at the most. In the initial stages, the intensity of the work should be low with most of the exercise done at a walk or trot. Keep the weight carried by the young horse to a mimimum especially when cantering is part of the program. Limit cantering in the young horse between 18 and 24 months of age.
For us, once the equine student has accepted weight on his back and is willing to take direction from the rider our initial goal has been acheived. At this point we evaluate whether or not the horse is mature enough to continue in training or needs to be turned out and allowed to more time to mature and develop.
This is a reoccuring question which needs to continually be addressed during the early training of a horse. How well you make this decision will ultimately determine the physical and mental performance of the young horse. |
