Quote:
However in Europe, they start their horses at 4 and they're horses prime life is at 12.


Last year a European Grand Prix dressage rider stopped by my town for awhile, on her trip around Australia with her Aussie partner. I was lucky enough to get reeeeally cheap lessons from her once a week for a couple of months...

She commented then how many Americans and Aussies rush, rush rush. Breaking horses at two. She couldn't understand it, was horrified.

I don't agree with weight on a two year old. I've got a young man coming up and I fully, 110% intend to not have a bum on his back until he is three.

If all the ground work etc is done right, then mentally waiting another year shouldn't be the end of the world, and I believe it will be better for him mentally and physically.

I certainly don't agree with riding the crap out of four or five year olds. In my mind, they're still young green horses as well.

I noticed a while back that the local western riders were breaking their horses at two. I thought it was odd because before then, I'd only known idiots and racetrainers (cough cough) to break a horse that early.

I know people who will not even touch their horses until they are four OR FIVE, and these horses go on to be A grade showjumpers. They have a six year old "baby" who has only just started jumping training because they were only broken in the year before.

Their horses certainly don't seem to suffer from it!

I don't have personal expierence breaking a horse, but from the methods I have seen used by those people around me...the people breaking in 2 year olds are doing it because a) their discipline demands it and they give in to those demands for greed b) they are impatient asshats who don't care a whit about the mental or physical wellbeing of their horse.

^^^ That is just an obersvation of the people I know locally. Also probably because few local people who DO break in a young horse do so with minimal riding. So to me, riding = work. So I'd rather avoid the riding at all until I KNOW the horse is physically ready for it.

Oh, and jumping 3yos? Pssh. I know people around here jumping the barely 2yos :rolleyes One lot went to a small show and pretended they had their horses "older brother" so that they could show him under age. He was barely 2 and they were trying to pass him off as an over 3yo.

Some people make me sick! |I They later sold the pony, and the people who bought him I heard had to get A LOT of chiro etc work done on him because he his totally messed up physically...from being broken before he was two (I'm sure we all agree that's not right) to hard flatwork in harsh bits >: