Hi There - I have a a rescue filly whose age is basically unknown. She is around 2 years old give or take. She is growing well and is easy to work with. I am not sure if she will be a horse or a pony - she's about 14.1 hands now, she is in very good flesh (maybe a little too good :). I had a shorter lighter rider of mine get on her and the filly did just fine with the weight and was very calm. I've been long lining her and tacking her for almost a year so she seems ready. I know many horses are started in light work around 2yrs. I was wondering about what age others start riding young horses and what the pros and cons are to starting or waiting. How much weight is safe to put on a 2 yr ish horse?
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How much weight you can put on is an individual question, depending on the breed, build and physical strength of your particular horse. Before you put anything on the back of a (young) horse, you need to asses the amount of muscles it has. Bear in mind that it isn't used to carrying weight, so start as lightly as you can.
Even more importantly; A rider will shift the balance for the horse, and a young horse has no experience in coping with that, so don't put a very tall rider on a small horse. Unless the rider has exceptional good balance, the sheer height of him/her will put the horse even more out of balance.
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The other factor is down to how well the horse has developed skeletal-wise. The growth-zones in the joints from the hoof and up will close at different stages between year 1 and 5 (or even 6)and if the horse is put under too much(physical) pressure at a time when it has a growth spurt, you can cause damage to the joint in the way of excess cartilage, stress fractures etc.
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I think I have said this here some place before, but the time for mounting a horse varies a lot with breed and philosophy. I understand Quarter horses are mounted and ridden at 2, and thoroughbreds are raced at a very early age. I have a SWB, and while a lot of them are shown in all three gaits under rider in spring at the age of three, just as many won't even climb up on them before that age.
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**and what the pros and cons are to starting or waiting.**
The pros of starting early could be a horse that has started to train its muscles and brain early. If trained correctly, the horse will become a well trained athlete who has been built up carefully to withstand work under saddle for many years to come.
The pros of waiting is that you run less risk of doing damage that in the long run might shorten the life expectancy of your horse.
My personal opinion is that, either way, you need to travel at the speed your horse decides, and never ever be in a hurry.
Hopefully, your horse will be a companion for 20 years, so what's the big rush?
Hi Kicki, I like your detailed answer to horsygirls question. I just started working with a young colt (16 month), an Irish Sport Horse, who has been raised under very good conditions. He is quite tall already and strong with an opend mind and I guess he will be one who - as long as he enjoyes the training - will quickly ask for more input and challenges. I aggree - what's the big rush ? So if we stay together which would mean that he will be my first own horse, I think I will not mount him before he is three years old. By the way, have you or anybody here on the UNI ever heared of an Irish Draught or Irish Sport Horse who is mounted for Western Riding ? Have a great weekend, VioBerlin
Thank you, Vio Berlin. I was afraid it would be considered too long - I have a tendency to let things run away with me. :}
I'm pretty sure I've heard about Swedish Irish Draught in Western Riding, but I can't say for sure. (Maybe I'm thinking of Tinkers?)
Thanks to both of you! I got on her last week for the first time just to see how she would react and she was perfect. We just walked and did some start/stop stuff for about 15 min. She did fine with my weight - she's in that awkward phase where her front end is sooo small compared to the rest of her So I think i will keep doing our ground work and occasionally put weight on her back at the walk to keep her challenged while she grows and hopefully gains some muscle.
Congratulations, then, horseygirl! It's great that first time went so well. Wishing you all the best of success in the future with this!