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.

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!

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.

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.

no way the earilest u can start breaking in a horse is about 4 years old.

We start training our horses between 1 and 2 years of age. We start to ride them at 3 and4.

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.

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.

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.

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.