Char S asked:
A man who owns horses at my stable has a 12 year old racing quarter horse mare who gave birth last april to a filly. The fillyis half paint. I was talking to him and told him that the filly was turing out really nice. He said yepand by next april she’ll be broke to ride and ready to start roping. She’ll only be 2 next april!!! isn’t that to young?
plus the man who owns her is probably 220 lbs…that must be too much weight for a 2 year old
horse owning
horse owning
yes it is far to young and he is far to heavy to back a youngster. I would leave her till she was three at least as you damage their joints if you start them to young. And a young horse finds it difficult to balence with a rider so the heavier rider the harder the horse will find it.
horse owning
Most people start riding their horses at 2 years old. They aren’t fully developed until closer to 4, so usually I do lighter riding on the 2yr olds and don’t really start pushing them to harder stuff until they are at least 3 (and wait longer for jumping). If you think about it, Thoroughbreds are race horses, and they race the summers of their 2yr old years. They run the Kentucky Derby at 3 yrs old. In the Paint circuit, they have 2 yr old western pleasure futurities. Its not too young at all, but you have to go easier on them. Depending on the size of the mare by this upcoming winter, 200lbs is not too much. Somebody that is a good rider will put less stress on the horse’s body than somebody that is a bad rider (moves against the horse instead of with the horse) that weighs a little less.
I’m sure the guy isn’t trying to damage the filly in any way, and he’ll probably explain it all to him if you ask. He probably isn’t planning on doing really hard riding, but lightly starting her under saddle next spring. Nobody should ride their horses before 2 though…I don’t know what poster said they started at 9 months!!! I hope they meant ground work and not saddle work!
horse owning
Way too young. Starting horses too early is bad for them in more than one way, but it will put them at an especially high risk for unsoundness later in life. I think that western trainers and racetracks work their horses too young, too hard.
horse owning
I think that is too early, because at that age a horse’s bones are still growing, and riding them (especially if you weigh over 120 pounds) will weaken their bones and stunt their growth. I think the right age for breaking a horse is 4. And you should weigh a little less less than 220 pounds.
horse owning
no way the earilest u can start breaking in a horse is about 4 years old.
horse owning
We start training our horses between 1 and 2 years of age. We start to ride them at 3 and4.
horse owning
That is far to young to be riding and especially for roping because of all the strength needed. The horse won’t have had chance to finish growing. We do harness racing and we don’t even start long reining them until they are 4 and then wait until they are 5 or 6 before putting them in the sulky. Then we don’t start racing them until they are 7 or 8. They don’t get any bad habits because they are all handled from on the ground and have tack laid over their backs when they are young. Personally I think that it is disgusting that people break their horses in and are riding and racing (or roping) them at 2 years old. That is why there are so many broken down horses at 5 and 6 year old. People think that they are to old to race at 9 but that way they are able to have a far longer racing career. That’s why there is hardly’s any stallions that still race while breeding, because they are broken down and only fir for breeding. We have a 17 year old stallion who still enjoys racing just for fun and is breeding mares in the middle of the race season. That just shows that by waiting until a horse is older it is able to race longer. If that man has that horse roping at 2 year old then he isn’t fit to own a horse. A roping horse needs great strength, and 2 year olds don’t have strength. It is just plain barbaric.
horse owning
Personally I would never ever back a two year old. I live in the U.K. We don’t back our riding horses until they are 3. Then we turn them away. We start their proper training when they are 4.
horse owning
That is absolutely too young. Possibly if she was being started in April and her legs were checked by the vet and her knees where closed it would be “Okay”…. But for him to say “she’s going to be broke and ready to rope” by then, NO WAY.
horse owning
You can start 2 year old, but I don’t ride them much that year. Just light training, getting them used to the saddle, and some reining.
horse owning
ohh wow thats actually pretty old depens on how much you way ask a vet.
horse owning
ur supposed to start breaking a horse at 2 but i think it might be dangerous considering the mans weight in the future she may have sway back
horse owning
yes it is. a horses bones dont set properly until they are about 4 yrs. old. this means that racing is really dangerous but a lot of people believe the younger the horse the better their performance will be. this is total bull. it destroys their legs. this is why so many racehorse’s careers are over by the time they turn 4 or 5. it is too young but in racing it is normal and is almost always done that way.
people can start to train horses at age 2 but it should not be more than ground work or really light training and certainly not racing. it is so hard on them. it ***** but that is the way it is. i dont really know what else to say but i hope this has helped to answer your question
horse owning
Yes, that is too young. I don’t give a hoot what Western trainers do for futurity preparations, nor do I give a hoot what TB racehorses are forced to do at age two. Two is too young for a riding horse. People are way too impatient to “get to the fun stuff”, at the expense of their horses’ minds and bodies. Whatever happened to letting kids be kids? Infuriating.
EDIT: For the record, “wildness” has nothing to do with the age at which a horse is broken! A youngster can be taught all sorts of useful things that do not involve somebody getting to go for ride a year or two earlier that they ought to. If your horse is “wild” because you didn’t break it at age two, then I think we can safely assume that you mistook “breaking” for “any kind of training at all” and didn’t bother to spend any time on ground manners.
another EDIT: Gaah, 220 pounds? That horse is going to have the mother of all swaybacks someday…what a shame!
horse owning
Yeah I’d say 3 or 4 is better.
horse owning
It’s perfect. You don’t want to wait longer than that they’ll be too head strong and set on being wild. There bones are pretty well developed as long as he doesn’t put someone that weighs 300pounds on it everyday!
horse owning
I wouldn’t say she’d be ready for roping, i know wp horses are already showing at like 3, so she might be ready to do some light showing, but riding wise, she should still be learning/ being broken.
horse owning
are you meaning 2 years old then no i have always started training my horses by 9 months old.
horse owning
I dont think it would be best to be putting lots of weight on the horse. Roping with the horse might not be the smartest thing either. I dont know..maybe you can start paints earlier…but he should probably just start her out lite. Hope I helped. Probably not much though..I’ve never broken a horse
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horse owning
You can break horses at 2,but it is too young because they are not fully grown.Their bones are not fully developed until 3 or 4.
If he breaks her and starts riding her at just two years old…it will put too much stress on her and she could go lame and be ruined for the rest of her life.Sad,but true.
Its best to wait until 3 years of age to break them.
horse owning
well my gelding is 2 and i ride him it matters on the horse