Breaking a 2 year old warmblood

[monalisa]

For those who are experienced with the young ones, I have a question for you.

I have a 2 year old filly (turned 2 in April) and she is very big (almost 16'2 now) but very easy (has a great mind like her mother).

I was planning to take her to be broken in June (the person I want to use is 3 hours away). He told me that he quits training the babies in the summer (mid July) due to the heat and the ground getting so hard. So he said I have to bring her either by May 15th or wait until Sept. 1st. He keeps them 2 months.

I want to use this guy and I will have a tough time getting her their in May due to my work schedule (not impossible but not easy either).

What is the theory behind breaking the babies? Is there an ideal time to do it? Should I wait longer because she is so big? She was bred to be a hunter and is a full WB.


Thanks for any insight. I bred this one to keep since I own her mother and I am not an experienced breeder as you can tell.

[classicsporthorses]

Like others I raise a lot of WB foals and train a lot youngsters-WB, TB and any combo thereof. At age 2 mine and those I get in for training are just learning to lunge lightly (W/T) and their voice commands and ground driving. I never ever back them until they are over the age of three and most typically long 3 year olds. Prior to that they learn all of their ground manners and are just allowed to be babies!

Horse's bodies mature "basically" from the ground up. Her spine will be one of the last things to "mature". Let her grow, reinforce good manners and take your time. There is no rush is there?

[monalisa]

No, there is no rush.

I was going to have her broken and then turn her back out until 2009.

[monalisa]

And I hestitated to lunge her since that too can be hard on the joints.

[classicsporthorses]

lunging is not about running them around. I do very little lunging but to teach them their voice commands. Walk, trot, whoa, and change of direction. It's very short sessions and maybe 2 times a week and they do it in a relaxed forward moving fashion. Once they have those we move right into ground driving.

They don't learn to canter on the lunge at this age. That is how I do it.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Personally...I wouldn't break her until the fall at the absolute earliest. If they get tack on and maybe backed...that is more then enough for a 2 year old. They will not be behind as three year olds if they have been well handled as 2 year olds. Then I would break her as a three year old.

I have a large WB/TB cross. He was just a hair under 17 hands as a three year old. We had put tack on him as a two year old but did not back him. I broke him myself the summer of his three year old year and he was super easy. Spent most of the three year old year just hacking out. That is mostly what he is doing now as a 4 year old. With these big guys...you want to take your time. If they have good ground manners there are lots of other things you can do. My guy was ponied a bunch out xc starting as a 2 year old and that has done a ton for him.

[Leena]

I have 2 big guys turning 3 and frankly I was looking at them last year and felt they had so much to grow so I left them in the pasture.

I did teach them a bit of ground work, basic education but that was it.

I am going to start them next month and I am convinced I did the right thing; both are nearly 17 hands right now.

So it really depend on the horse; some maybe ready to be broken at 2, but some needs more time to achieve growth and even 3 yrs is still very young.

Good luck !

[monalisa]

I think I will wait for the fall and then turn her out until spring and start her up again when she is 3. She is very easy to work with. I body clipped her yesterday and she could have cared less. I have put a bridle and saddle on her, again no problem. I have not started driving her yet but sounds like I should work on the voice commands part next.

Thanks for your insight. I really appreciate it. I want to do this right for her.

[Mozart]

I personally think fall of the three year old year is plenty early enough. If you really want to start already I would wait until fall. Why not wait until spring of her three year old year? If she is easy going I don't think she is going to get any harder to start if you wait 'til then.

[Hunter_Rider]

I understand many people want to wait to break their baby when they are 3, however I would at LEAST get on at 2 (especially if it's a big baby) and at LEAST walk and trot. I don't mean circles and acual work. You don't want to be "backing" a 17 hand 3 year old. It is much easier to get them broken to tack and weight when they are smaller as most 2 year olds are. My coming 3 year old was 16.2 as a 2 year old. He is now 16.3 1/2 and I would hate to have to break him as big and powerful as he is now.(As a 3 year old) It was much easier at 2 when he did not have the size and strength. He was in a 52" girth last spring, this spring he is wearing a 56". I truly would not want to be the one sitting in the saddle, on a horse of his size, with that much power underneath of me (or anyone else) trying to break him!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I think I will wait for the fall and then turn her out until spring and start her up again when she is 3. She is very easy to work with. I body clipped her yesterday and she could have cared less. I have put a bridle and saddle on her, again no problem. I have not started driving her yet but sounds like I should work on the voice commands part next.

Thanks for your insight. I really appreciate it. I want to do this right for her.


If you've done this much already and she was easy....just wait until next year. I wouldn't send her to a pro for two intensive months this year....I did that once and will never do it again. If she was my own....I might back her but I would do it myself. By what you described...she probably could be backed very easily without much stress. But sending her to a pro for 2 months a breaking I think might be too much. Wait until she is three....she really doesn't need much more now as a big 2 year old.


That said...I didn't sit on my gelding as a 2 year old. But broke him summer of his 3 year old year as an almost 17 hand very athletic boy. He was easy as can be. Maybe three lessons on ground work/ light lunging...and then I got on him. He WT the first day I backed him. Cantered the 3rd time undersaddle. Took about 2 weeks in the ring....maybe 6 rides total (I didn't ride everyday)...and he went out on his first hack.

But this is just my opinion.

[Jesse'sMom]

hunter rider- well said.

My 2 yo is being broke as we speak. For the hunters, keep in mind the hunters has 2 yo & young hunter classes-even the IHF has 2 yo U/S championships at the KY finals, and as 3 YO they have them jumping as well - and if you really think about it, in Europe most of the stallions do their tests at 3 in Germany-that's pushing it.
I see nothing wrong with sitting on a 2 yo and teaching it to walk-stop-left-right, trot canter halt, stand etc. MIND YOU I am not talking about jumping courses-just the basics.
I think its on a horse by horses basis, for example another one of my yougsters wasnt even broke until he was 4, but he's well over 18.0 at 4. big difference!

[Waterwitch]

For the hunters, keep in mind the hunters has 2 yo & young hunter classes-even the IHF has 2 yo U/S championships at the KY finals, and as 3 YO they have them jumping as well


:no:

[Bibble]

IMO two is far too young to be "breaking" a horse. Warmbloods are not done growing until they are at least 5 or 6 years old. Doing light ground work for several months is far more important than getting on their back. They have to trust you, respect you and know voice commands. There should never be any rush in starting a young horse as the basics are the most important foundation for the rest of their lives, and determines so much for them and their rider(s). The most I have ever done with a two year old after doing light ground work for a period of time, is I have gotten on them for about 30 seconds once (MAYBE twice) in the fall make it a very positive experience for them and leave them alone to grow until the spring. They retain all the information and are easy to get back to work. They need time to mature and not have their joints, bones, and muscles stifled. They grow so fast! Also, it is my opinion that the bigger young horses need even more time to grow and mature before starting work as they have more pressure on their joints than a more modern type horse and can be much more gangly. Just because they "look" mature doesn't mean that they are! They need the most time to catch up.

I'm certainly not knocking anyone, everyone has their own methods, just wanted to share my experience. I have started quite a few warmbloods and waiting and starting them under saddle when they are three (some even later) has never been a bad thing. I suppose the most important thing is "listening" to your horse to feel when they are really ready to be ridden!

Good luck!!

[123]

I have a 2yr old that I sit on bareback in the paddock while he eat's his hay. I only do it about once or twice a month for maybe five minutes or less. He could care less about it. I dont plan to do any riding until he is 3.

[idlemoon]

I waited...I will always suggest to folks to wait. I started my hanoverian @ 4.5 yrs of age. I've had him since he was a foal, I did everything BUT get on him. He is huge, he finished out at 17.1+, with significant bone. There was no way this guy could have been started at 2. He was no where near physically ready, he could not even canter with out getting his legs all jumbled.

I had no problems starting this big youngster at 4. I think waiting with him was a much better option (IMHO). I would have been fighting with his physical limitations/immaturity any earlier.

His sibling (same dam) was well started @ 2 yrs. he ended up being taller, maybe 17.2+, but leggier, lighter boned. He ended up being euthanized b/c of severe navicular changes, arthritis, a myriad of other ortho issues to the point he was not even pasture sound @ 7 yrs. Bad luck? Maybe, but not worth me taking the risk. I want my boy to be sound and around @ 20. Lisa

[Hocus Focus]

If you must, be sure to use a very light rider and think a lot more about straightness than circles.

[Marieke]

If you truely want to know. There was a study in Europe that studied the effects of on long term soundness when starting horses.

Started at 2 in fall, more then 60% were out of service by age 7 due to long term lameness.
Started at 3 in spring, as reference
Started at 3 fall, behind in performance early on, better long term soundness then the previous group and better x-rays. Performance caught up after 1 year, most competed at higher levels jumping by age 5.

And for young horses you HAVE to ride circles to acquire straightness. If you go 'straight ahead' you don't devellop straightness. That happens when you ride inside leg to outside rein, which a young horse can ONLY learn on big circles, and when used to lunging with side reins. In Europe, most young horse trainers don't even '*think* about a straight line, until there is balance, which you can only acquire when the horse is between all 6 aids.

This does explain why I see so many unstraight horses in the hunters. Many are over the outside shoulder, and have the inside hind in. If this is how people think in this country then this doesn't surprise me at all.

As to size, the bigger the horse, the longer you wait. When they have those long legs, it takes time to find their balance especially with a rider. When they have trouble finding their inherent balance and you disrupt that even more by putting a rider on you increase your chance of injury, and when it already feels so bad to them, the riding won't be fun, and you easily create sour horses. Just because they are big, you shouldn't ride with less finesse. Vices adn problems develop from bad management and riding, not because of size. You don't wrestle a horse into submission. You teach him co-operation. What ever you MAKE them do, you will have to MAKE them do again and again. If you teach them how it works, you can actually devellop a horse. Much easier for the rider

[ise@ssl]

I would NOT send this horse now - wait until the fall. The other concern I have is - do you know this person? And do you TRUST that he will start her correctly? I'm concerned that he thinks it's fine to put training on a horse that's just turning 2. Especially a warmblood. At 2 we already have them used to all the issues of grooming (vacuums, clippers, etc.), the know the grooming procedure in the aisle, walk to and from the pasture mannerly and will free school in the arena. We put a headstall and bit in their mouth with a halter over it to work them in hand in the arena - no small circles. We put a pad/surcingle and then a light saddle with girth on them and the same routine in the arena. We stand them by the mounting block and lean on them. That's enough until the fall and we back them around January or February. Same routine as we've been doing - then add the rider.

[Oakstable]

Ingrid Klimke says in her book to start warmbloods at 3.5 years old.

I don't care if they are behind in performance, they have the rest of their lives to be riding horses.

[tri]

I start all mine at age 3.5

That said, how do some of you reconcile the conflict of market between the U.S. and Europe? Buyers of riding horses go to Europe often citing that the horses are better trained and much farther along than the same age riding horse in the U.S. Also, during the 100 day stallion testing, several people discussed how the europeans coming over to evaluate the stallions talked about the horses not being trained up enough and not over the back enough as the same age horses in europe.

If you are looking at the same age horse - say 3 year old - in Europe and in the U.S., it seems the european horse is farther along. Is that because they started sooner or is it because when they did start them, they require more out of the young horse quicker?

[horselovr121]

Well I plan to breed my mare in a few years, and her baby will be 1/2 TB 1/2 Dutch WB. This is what I plan to do with it:

3 - start tacking up, very minimal lunging at the walk and trot only 2 or 3 times, sit on it 2 or 3 times
3.5 - start walking and trotting
4 - start cantering
5 - start jumping

If it was a full warmblood I wouldn't even lunge or sit on it until it was at least 3.5, I probably wouldn't even really trot it til it was 4, and I might wait til 5.5 to start O/F.

I would never even think of breaking a WB at 2, I wouldn't even break a TB at 2 and WB's develop much slower! If you want a performance horse that will stay sound, take things slow!

[Ladybug Hill]

I start mine as 3 year olds. I used to do my own, but with age and fatness I now send mine out to two incredible trainers. Neither of these trainers has any issue with a 3 year old being 15.2 hands vs. 18+ hands. A good trainer will not be intimidated by size.

[risingstarfarm]

Well I plan to breed my mare in a few years, and her baby will be 1/2 TB 1/2 Dutch WB. This is what I plan to do with it:

3 - start tacking up, very minimal lunging at the walk and trot only 2 or 3 times, sit on it 2 or 3 times
3.5 - start walking and trotting
4 - start cantering
5 - start jumping

If it was a full warmblood I wouldn't even lunge or sit on it until it was at least 3.5, I probably wouldn't even really trot it til it was 4, and I might wait til 5.5 to start O/F.

I would never even think of breaking a WB at 2, I wouldn't even break a TB at 2 and WB's develop much slower! If you want a performance horse that will stay sound, take things slow!

Not to single you out, but if I followed your schedule, my stallion would NEVER have gotten his permanent approval through performance by age 6 - if ever.

My youngsters wear tack at 1.5 - 2. They are lightly longed and long-lined from 2 to 2.5. Babies are backed at 2.5 - 3. I expect that 3 year olds will be able to go do a training level dressage test. Jumping is introduced at 3.5 - 4 yo. By 5 yo, level 5 jumping (4') is expected of the stallions.

That being said, my stallions have a very light show schedule. They spend 8-9 mos out of the year just hacking or doing light training. They also receive chiropractic work, massage, accupuncture, etc., to keep them sound and happy.

Here's Mr. Happy doing his job at the age of 5 1/2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-nFDb8zhDQ

[molliwog]

Since my goal is to have a horse that is sound to ride into their 20's, I can't imagine starting anything under saddle at age 2, regardless of what the folks who push all of the futurites for babies say.

I guess I got completely soured on this philosophy growing up around QH's, and seeing so many wonderful horses destroyed by doing too much too early. There was a fabulous article in Western Horseman magazine in the late 1980's ago alled, "Too Young, Too Fat, Too Fast". It was written originally to address QH halter horses, but many of the points were dead on, and transcend the barriers between disciplines. I wish I had a copy of it today.

I can't imagine doing anything with a 2 year old other than teaching it to be a good citizen from the ground, and perhaps introducing the concept of lunging- no more than 5-10 minutes, and certainly no cantering.

I didn't start my most recent project under saddle until early spring of his 4 y.o.year. By mid summer, I was showing him at training level where he scored in the mid 70's, and now, as a 6 y.o. he is ready to show second. He has progressed along because I waited until he was physically and mentally mature enough to start the work. When horses are in their rapid growth phase, constantly having to learn how to rebalance themselves under saddle can be both frustrating and painful for the horse. And my gelding is now more trained and happier in his work than other youngsters I know that were started at 2 and 3.

[okggo]

Here's Mr. Happy doing his job at the age of 5 1/2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-nFDb8zhDQ

HOT DAMN he looks good :)

I'm in the, I don't see anything wrong with lightly backing at 2.5 group. Short walking trail rides, long line work, etc. I can't imagine the "studies" that show backing early are actually referring to very very light and limited work. I'm not talking race training, jumping, cantering round and round in circles, I'm talking a leisurely walking trail ride. Good for the brain and the body, jmho. BTW there is also research to show the benefits of light work at an early age on the bone, etc.

Edited to add, I grew up helping break YEARLINGS (gasp) that went on to race over timber as 2 year olds. I wouldn't necesarily condone this as ideal, but these horses often raced to 7-9 years of age, retired from racing to fox hunting and hunted into their late years. I hunted an 18 year old that was broke at 1, raced from 2-10 over hurdles and then went into the hunt field. Sound as could be and not a blemish on him.

[WBLover]

I wouldn't even send her this fall, I'd start LIGHT ground work (long-lining, some LIGHT lunging 2-3 days/week) this fall. Give her a break over the winter, then in spring start up the ground work again. Then next summer or fall you could send her for 60 days training--not intense training, just get her lightly started u/s. Then the spring of her 4th year, start the actual training program.

ESPECIALLY with how big your girl is going to be!! I'm following the above schedule with my now 3yo guy, and he's only 15.2-15.3 right now. I expect he'll mature to 16.1 max. And he STILL looks like a gawky youngster, even though he's not a big boy.

[Valentina_32926]

The bigger they are the longer I take to put them under saddle - so I would wait until she is at least 3 years old - definitely NOT at 2 years of age or even 2 1/2. I also don't lunge very much - but at 2 she should be able to do walk/halt on the lunge and SOME trot (at END of lunge line and handler walking to make lunge circle larger) is fine. Once she's good with that add bridle then saddle and she'll be further along before you have to pay someone to put her under saddle. Just remember with babies (and she is still a baby) to go SLOW. When you expect them to have problems they surprise you - it's when you go at a "normal" pace (for an adult) and don't expect problems that problems arise.

[not again]

We start our young horses at 2 1/2 to 3 1/2. The two younger fillies who turn three this spring have had a month or two under saddle. Here is Lacey:
http://www.chronicleofmyhorse.com/video/video/show?id=1971868%3AVideo%3A59139
Here is Wendy:
http://www.chronicleofmyhorse.com/video/video/show?id=1971868:Video:76220
She will come home Monday, and Alexis will go for a month or two to be started. Lacey and Wendy are turning three and Alexis is turning four.
Lacey has been turned out since she came home last home, Wendy will go out when she gets back. The plan is that they will get started again in July with the idea of doing some hack classes or three year old under saddle classes.

[3Spots]

My 2 yo is going out for training in May. He is a Appy/Trak gelding, 15.2h, expect to be 16.2h. I thought I was going to spend 60-90 days getting some of the basics in ground work (long-lining and ponying, being in a stall, livestock,daily handling, etc) then bring him back to my barn's pasture and not back him until next spring, when he is 3.

I've thought this because it seems "that is what everyone does." But here in SoCal, I'm finding that many think putting them back out in pasture is an east coast thing due to weather. Some trainers think that having a gap in training results in an athletic 3 yo who has forgotten much of what he learned and has become bratty.

I could go with continuous training if my trainer had pasture, but he doesn't, and I can't imagine this boy to be in a 36x36 paddock during his next year, when he's expected to grow 4 inches. It's bad enough that we have to stall the mature adults, but it breaks my heart to think of doing that to a baby. I don't mind him learning confinement as part of learning groundwork, but longer than 90 days seems really long. OTOH, I don't want a 16.2h 3yo monster on my hands either.

So am I being crazy? Do folks on the west coast also "turn them out til spring?"

I do believe that some work does help their bones; moreso than just pasture-hanging. Should I let him stay 6 months and get some backing done and then turn him out to pasture -- would a longer training time help it stick so that he'd remember when started later?

jan

[Zigea]

When I got my filly who is a TB/Clyde cross as a weanling I said "I will back her at 2", and when she was 2 she did not look ready at all then in the fall of 2 1/2 she still didn't look ready I just knew it so I played with her all winter lunging her lightly to acquire voice commands maybe twice a week if she was lucky.

I can say that I have now been on her 3 times now. Her trot on the lunge is very balanced and now she is offering without me asking a balanced canter on a 30 meter circle. I will continue the mounting and dismountng and walking around for the next month or so and maybe a few trot steps to get the idea.

I am proud to say she is the easiest horse to teach anything to. I feel so lucky.

[STF]

We breed, raise and break a lot of babies (mine and clients).
With our babies and ones I have from 2 on -
At late 2 yr old age, I will saddle them and play with them on the lunge or round pen. Not much, Im talking 5-10 min a few times a week.
At early 3 they learn to ground drive but again are not worked more than a few days a week. After they are understanding the ground driving, I get on them and ride lightly (again 5-10 min a few times a week) and they start serious work at 4 yrs old. Serious work is a whole "30 min work out".......

I find most are like kids (I have human kids too) and some learn faster than others as well as can have shorter attention spans, etc. Key is, listen to them, dont get in a hurry and it will all come together like a big puzzle.

[STF]

60-90 days getting some of the basics in ground work (long-lining and ponying, being in a stall, livestock,daily handling, etc)

I do the same thing at 2. Its called "kindergarden"...... but its LIGHT work depending on the mental ability. Dont ever scare or blow a babies mind, they are hard to get back. Play with them at two to get them an idea of what is to come.

[Fairview Horse Center]

Our babies only need to be lunged about 5 or 6 times before backing them, so we start them at 3, and only work them once a week. The last 2 or 3 times we add tack, then, LONG side reins. When we get on them, someone leads them around the first day for a few circles. The 2nd, we w/t for 5 to 10 minutes. The 3rd, we step into the canter 4 - 5 strides, or half an arena depending on how they feel. By the 4th or 5th ride, they are doing 15 minutes of w/t/c, and we just do the same thing for the summer - still once a week, maybe a bit outside in the big field.

I find that if we work more than once a week, we would be asking too much of them. Babies get bored so quickly, so if you do can't just do the same 3 laps of the arena at trot and canter daily. (We NEVER work the walk, but only use it as a ending to the ride, or for trails).

Within about 20 rides, we introduce some tiny (under 12") cross rails, mostly as a steering exercise. They seem to "get" it easier if there is a reason why. We will do about 4 to 5 "jumps" each ride to keep it interesting.

At that point, they have had about 25 training sessions, and I hope they are at least 3 1/2. They accept contact, are beginning to bend, could do a decent Training level test, canter a few tiny fences, and are doing everything I could possibly want a 3 1/2 year old to do.

Any additional rides would be trails, or hacking in the field.

[STF]

introduce some tiny (under 12") cross rails, mostly as a steering exercise

us too. Mostly to change it up cuz they get bored out of their mind with "circle work." We have land, so we ride them out, trail ride and try to haul them out to "see the world".......

[paruig]

There is no question....you should definitely wait at least until September. It does not matter how smart and how large, you should never start a warmblood until at least 30 months but preferably closer to 36 months. You should have the knees xrayed by a vet. This might seems to cautious to you, but if you want to do it right and minimize the chance of permanently injuring the horse, wait.

[Dalemma]

I think it depends on what your definition of breaking/backing is.

We introduce our youngster at 2 to the bridle, saddle, ground driving about once a week for a few months over the summer.........she was mostly out to pasture......in Sept at 2.5 she was backed......had a rider at the walk for 10 minutes for 3 days......then put away for the winder.........and we have just pulled her out of her paddock/pasture to get her going walk trot this summer....with a possible canter in the fall.

Dalemma

[onetempies]

With Chevy... who is now 18hh and JUST turned 5 earlier this month (May 6th).... my schedule was:

His 2 year old year he learned about a saddle & bridle, got turned out in the paddock with the "broken treed saddle".
Fall of his 2 year old year, my trainer led me around on Chevy.
As a 3 year old, I got led around on him maybe 3 times & he again got turned out with the "broken saddle".
July of his 4 year old year I taught him to longe & in Sept he went to my trainer. Spent the first 30 days longing then the 2nd month started to really ride him.

He turned 5 in May and he's STILL growing. His mom grew through her 6th year.
Based on how big his joints were/are, that is why I have waited as long as I did to get him started. I don't regret it one bit as I want him around as long as possible as my riding horse.

[PineTreeFarm]

There is no question....you should definitely wait at least until September. It does not matter how smart and how large, you should never start a warmblood until at least 30 months but preferably closer to 36 months. You should have the knees xrayed by a vet. This might seems to cautious to you, but if you want to do it right and minimize the chance of permanently injuring the horse, wait.

At what age do you advocate starting to show?
Was Torsinaa one of your horses?

[tri]

I am surprised at some of the posts on only doing a walk & trot after backing and waiting to do the canter. In my experience, that is very detrimental, making the "canter" all of a sudden being a big deal and asking for trouble. When you teach them the voice commands on the lunge or long line, you teach walk, trot, canter, change direction. When you back, you teach walk, trot & canter and change direction. It is a natural thing and clicks well in the horse's mind. When you get on the first time and tell the horse to only walk and trot, they think that is what is expected. Then to try and add the canter some months down the road, well, you are just asking for it!

I also start asking them to go over poles & little crossrails within the first 30 days of backing. It sets them up, tells them this is your job, you will walk, trot, canter and jump jumps when you are ridden for the rest of your life.

[Fairview Horse Center]

I would never delay the canter. Canter is WAAYYY to much like "buck" in the way the body moves. If youngsters come to expect that "riding" is w/t, they get nervous later when you DO want canter, and they resist, which makes it even harder to get them to step into it. Then you push harder, and get "explode" into canter, + take off because they are now scared.

We trot around the big arena, and then ask for bigger/more trot down the long sides, and relaxed trot on the short sides. That opens up the communication and within about 3 laps of doing that, most will just naturally "drop" into canter from a forward trot, the same as they would when free and they want to speed up. They also expect to slow down and relax on the short side, so they canter a few strides, and when you don't press, they drop back to trot easily. After a day or so of a few strides, you can help them stay in canter a bt longer and longer each day. Easy as pie.

What is MUCH harder on a young horse than riding is longeing/circles. You CAN ride a 2 year old (trails), but you will hurt them if you do the longing/circles to get them ready to ride out.

I delay breaking until 3 because I don't want to longe until then. I also only want to longe about 10 to 20 times as a 2 to 3 year old, so putting it together, minimizes repeating from babies forgetting.

[Texarkana]

I tend to think it all depends on the horse. Regardless of breed, some horses are physically/mentally capable of being ridden at 2, other horses are not. I don't know which category the OP's horse falls into. ;)

But, my two cents:

If you are sending the horse out to be started, I'd wait until she's older to be on the safe side. Even the best and most conscientious of trainers sometimes push the envelope a little to get babies going within a predetermined timeframe.

For example, if I'm starting my own young horse and think he needs a week off to mentally or physically regroup, no big deal. But if someone is paying me for a month's training, I'd be less inclined to lose a whole week of progress. Nor would I feel right taking someone's money for a month of training and missing a whole week.

You can never completely eliminate the risk of injury, but you can sure help reduce it by waiting until the horse is a little older. Especially if you're not up against a deadline.