When to "break" the young horse

[hunter-jumper-rider]

My TB colt will be 2 in May. When I got him he was a rescue and was emaciated, wormy and just flat out unhealthy. After just 3 months of a TLC overhaul he looks like a completely different animal.

Do you think it is acceptable to send him off for training to break him this summer (late summer) or should I really just let his body play complete "catch up" and wait until next year when he is 3 or almost 3??

I work with him every day and most of his groundwork has been established so I would only be sending him to a facility that breaks TB's for riding, not the early basic stuff. I plan on turning him into a hunter *eventually*.

Here are some before/after pics just so you get the idea of his condition (Yes, he has the evil green eyed monster look from the flash LMAO).

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/hunter-jumper-rider/DSC00618.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/hunter-jumper-rider/111620075.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/hunter-jumper-rider/010820089.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj83/hunter-jumper-rider/010920082.jpg

[EqTrainer]

Honestly? I would not even think about starting this horse at two. He's SUCH a baby. And what's the hurry anyway?

Food for thought: My three year old turned three LAST August. He is ready to start riding (training wise). My vet saw him last week and went on her rampage, to be sure I did not intend to ride him at more than a walk and the ocassional trot until he matures. His teeth are very immature and his knees wide open. I was not offended; I did not intend to do more than walk and trot around the farm.

I think she would say yours is even more immature. Take your time.. you have plenty of it.

[hunter-jumper-rider]

I have no issues at all waiting. There are plenty of horses for me to ride at the barn. Just a question of morbid curiosity more than anything. Of course in the back of my mind I am super excited to ride him, but I would NEVER risk his health/soundness for it :yes:

[Invite]

My giant warmblood baby(mature 17.3-18hands) is coming 3 at the end of Feb. She still looks like a big yearling. All legs and very babyish. My vet wants me to wait to start her until August or September, ride her for 2-3 months and then give her the winter off OR just wait until the spring of her 4 year old year. I am 100% on the same page as my vet.

OTOH, my best friend, a h/j rider, breaks everything at 2 and has them jumping courses with swaps at 3. We just agree to disagree.

[Hunter_Rider]

I would wait until he has developed more muscle, to be quite honest. Mine was broken at 2, but he had the body of a 3 or 4 year old and was very mature at his age. I would wait and see what he looks like towards the end of summer.

[LivviesMom]

My TB is three this year. She longes lightly( started when she was about 2 and a half) and has had all tack on. Other than that I don't do much but play with her.. shes shown on the line. I just started to back her last week by leaning on her. I am going to get on her this week to back her lightly, but she is booked in with a trainer for April when she turns three for 2 months formal training. She'll show on the line again this year but no major undersaddle work.. take your time.. it's worth it in the long run

[Home Again Farm]

I have mine started lightly at three. If they have any issues at all, I wait longer. :yes:

[Cinnybren]

A friend sent me this recently and it was quite interesting.

http://www.equinestudies.org/knowledge_base/ranger.html

[eqsiu]

A friend sent me this recently and it was quite interesting.

http://www.equinestudies.org/knowledge_base/ranger.html

The problem with that article is that is doesn't take into account that the horse doesn't need to be absolutely completely mature to start work. Physical activity is good for them, and light work helps remodel their bones and make them better able to take the stress of riding. No, you don't want to start them really young, but lightly at 3 and moderate at 4 is fine for the vast majority of horses. Would you prevent your kids from playing sports before their bodies are fully mature at 16 or so? No. Neither would you expect a ten year old to play at a professional level. There are degrees to everything, and horse training is no different.

That said, I would wait until your boy is 3. He looks like he's still a bit gawky and probably not coordinated enough for riding to help his training.

[Cinnybren]

I just found it an intresting read. ;) I completely agree with your perspective

I took from the article to not push too hard too fast when looking toward the long-term soundness of the horse. I will most likely back my guy somewhere between 3 and 4 depending on how he looks. :)

[thumbsontop]

If you're a lightweight rider and he's mentally able to handle it, I don't see anything wrong with walking and doing some light trotting now and then. Not "regular exercise", but more to practice some steering, etc. I don't think I'd send him off for training as that would likely be more intense.

[sanctuary]

Well, y'all are making me feel much less guilty!!

I have a lovely TB mare that is just turning 5 in February. We longed, backed, and rode her around the ring at a walk at the end of her 3 year old year. Then, due to time issues, I wasn't able to get back to her until the end of this past summer. By the beginning of fall, she was w/t/c and starting small crossrails. All with a good frame of mind and soundly. Then winter hit, and I have a SMALL indoor, so I didn't feel it was fair for her to have to cart my big butt around, so we've back off, but I still mess with her occasionally because she's being a pain in the butt at the moment and needs to go back to work. I thought I was way behind, but now I don't feel so bad.

I will say that just this past year she's really come into herself and looks like a nice horse. Until now, she's been very lean, lanky and awkward looking.

Hopefully by waiting we'll have a sound, sane and happy mare for years to come!

[eqsiu]

I just found it an intresting read. ;) I completely agree with your perspective

I took from the article to not push too hard too fast when looking toward the long-term soundness of the horse. I will most likely back my guy somewhere between 3 and 4 depending on how he looks. :)

Exactly! Unfortunately I've had too many people shove it down my throast and tell me I'm ruining my 3 1/2 year old. I ride 2-3 times a week for 20 minutes (right now we're working on moving in a straight line :lol:), and I'm pounding her into the ground, apparently. I do think many people expect a young horse's training to be far more advanced, but don't realize that except for the few brilliant ones, you can't push them so fast. Then sellers start them sooner to get them ot that point, etc. It becomes a cycle and the horses lose. I am always appalled when 6-8 year olds need regular joint injections to stay sound. Teenagers who've worked hard, sure. But the young ones shouldn't be having those problems!

[Ladybug Hill]

I start mine at 3. If there were development issues--such as malnutrition any time in the past then I would proceed very very carefully.

I personally don't have any problems with light to moderate work at 3. Mine even did small jumps in very very good footing. She was only ridden about 15 minutes daily and not schooled into the ground. All work was kept mentally light too. I will put her back into serious work this year.

I would not start any 2 year old. I do put saddles, bridles, etc on them as yearlings and two year olds. They can learn so much before you ever sit on them.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

You will get people with various ideas and experiences. I personally would at least sit tack on him and maybe back him (sit on, walk do a little turning) late this summer. But you have to play it by ear with each horse (some I would just sit tack on, others long line, others sit on). You should be able to put tack on and sit on them without stressing them....but I will never again send one of my horses out for breaking and instead, I do it my self or with the help of someone I trust.

I want them going out for hacks as three year olds and in light work and light showing as 4. But some might need it slower.

I can say that the most problematic horses I've ever known and ridden (both from a work ethic and physically) were ones started late. They were not very strong and very very opinionated. They seemed to have more then average lameness issues...where horses that were started younger but not super stressed (as in not in race training) had fewer problems, liked having a job and easy to bring along. So this is probably why I prefer to start them young. I also do not buy the argument that they mature differently if they are warmbloods v. TBs. I spoken with several vets on this point and they all say that the breed doesn't matter...some may LOOK more or less mature but physically and internally there is very very little difference between the breeds.

These are all generalizations and just because you start a horse younger doesn't mean they are going to be lame or have soundess issue (or even that they will not have soundness issues) and just because you started them later doesn't means that your horse will stay sounder.

[sporthorsefilly]

I start mine at 3. If there were development issues--such as malnutrition any time in the past then I would proceed very very carefully.

I personally don't have any problems with light to moderate work at 3. Mine even did small jumps in very very good footing. She was only ridden about 15 minutes daily and not schooled into the ground. All work was kept mentally light too. I will put her back into serious work this year.

I would not start any 2 year old. I do put saddles, bridles, etc on them as yearlings and two year olds. They can learn so much before you ever sit on them.

I fully agree, you can do so much with a youngster on the ground. Saddle and Bridle plus long line work at a walk to learn steering! I also work in hand with turn on forehand, haunches, side pass, backing, really helps! The second time I rode my one filly at 3 she was doing side pass under saddle, as she already knew it from the in hand work! Long Lining is fantastic, it teaches them to stay straight, obey voice commands, circle, back etc. Try it!

Your boy looks great, I hope he always returns the love and caring that you put into him. Thanks for taking good care of a horse who really needed it.

[Black Forest]

I fully agree, you can do so much with a youngster on the ground. Saddle and Bridle plus long line work at a walk to learn steering! I also work in hand with turn on forehand, haunches, side pass, backing, really helps! Long Lining is fantastic, it teaches them to stay straight, obey voice commands, circle, back etc. Try it!



Just what I was just going to say! Sensible long lining late in the se4cond year is brilliant, I used to take my youngster out in hand to see the trails, cars, tractors, the river etc - then introduced long-lining when he was 2 and a half, just once a week at the most, first with a surcingle then with the saddle, and went out with him that way. It does pay to be taught how to long-line correctly and get some practise with an established horse first though if you are not too used to it before starting with the baby, but essentially there is SOOOO much that can be done with the long lines without putting any great strain on them, I actually long-line before I lunge - because I think lunging puts way too much strain on the system of a baby.

And the ones that were long-lind tend to have a good mouth, are used to tack, commands etc - and are a complete doddle to back when 3 +

[mustangtrailrider]

Call me stupid...I know some of you will, but we have started our mustang gelding ourselves. He was saddled as a yearling, backed as a 2 year old, ridden lightly as 2.5 yo, ridden again lightly as a 3.5 year old, and now being ridden regularly at walk trot only. He is a big brute of a mushtang. He is great and easy. What a lug!

Our twh gelding is 20 months old now. He has already been saddled, longed lightly, long lined with a rope halter, accepts weight lightly in the stirrups on both sides, accepts someone above him, goes over obstacles at a walk and trot, accepts tarps, balloons, pool noodles, and is ready to go. He is the only horse I have ever seen that is ready to go NOW! It is hard to remember that he is only a baby! He would do it now. LOL.

I know he is only a baby, but it is so tempting. He is growing on pasture now. I am waiting at least another year on him....I HATE WAITING. The price of doing it right....

Just wait...they will grow up. LOL.

[RTBSH]

I would wait until he is at least three. He looks under muscled and very growthy. If you want him to be sound for a long time, wait. In hand work (long lining, ground driving) would be good for him this summer to help build top line muscle and increase bone density. I waited with my Pablito mare until she was four to back, breed her and now at six she is in training (after her baby was weaned).. She was slow to mature. Here is a link to her video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khJGgtdfbI4&eurl=http://www.nasporthorses.com/sale_horses.

She was started in regular work in mid November and is progessing quickly because she had time to grow and develop before hand. He looks like a lovely boy, best of luck with him, but please give him to to develop.