Breaking and starting horses?

Question

When I was growing up, people believed a horse should be started under saddle at five years of age when they were done growing. Now people are starting them at two years or younger. Doesn't anyone start horses at five years anymore and why not? Isn't there any REAL horse trainers anymore?

Answer 1

The economics of Thoroughbred racing today are skewed towards precocious runners.

It costs a fair amount to buy a Thoroughbred racehorse. The Keeneland September Yearling sale, at which approximately 3000 yearlings are sold, is a good barometer of the cost of a yearling Thoroughbred. In 2004, the average sales price was $96,411, and the median price was $37,000. http://www.keeneland.com/livesales/mediaguide/yearlingstatistics_db.asp?salemth=September

The cost of keeping a Thoroughbred boarded at a farm or training facility is going to run over $500/month, with additional costs for shoeing, vet bills, and excercise/training. This adds up fast. And all this time, the horse is not earning any money.

The owner of the horse wants to try to get some return on this investment, and the earlier, the better. He wants to know if the horse can run. If it can't, he wants to cut his losses early and sell the horse.

All of this contributes to the pressure to put a Thoroughbred into training so that it can run as a 2-year-old. The expense side of the ledger is typically awash in red ink before a Thoroughbred ever sees the inside of a starting gate.

On the income side of the ledger, there are lucrative purses to be had for two-year-olds. Maiden special weights races at the major tracks can carry a purse in excess of $40,000, of which approximately 60% goes to the winner. If the horse is a quality horse, it can aim for stakes races, which can carry purses over six figures. Also, if a horse wins or places in a stakes race, its potential value as a breeding animal goes up. A fast, precocious two-year-old colt that wins a Grade I stakes (the most competitive stakes are graded Grade I) can have a value at stud of several million dollars. A filly that wins a Grade I stakes as a 2-year-old can have a value as a broodmare of several hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars. All very powerful incentives to try to race early.

Maturity-wise, a two-year-old can be capable of standing the rigors of racing if the trainer uses care. Typically they x-ray the knees of the two year olds before they go to the track to see if the epiphysis is still "open" (i.e., is the colt or filly still actively growing), and the trainer monitors the horse's soundness very carefully and will back off on training if the horse shows signs of problems.

There are horses that still race all the way up until age 9 or older, but typically these horses are geldings which have no future in breeding. With an "entire" (ungelded) colt, the big money is in breeding, not racing, if he's any good. Example: Storm Cat, the premier Thoroughbred stallion at stud right now, stands for a fee of $500,000 live foal. Bred to over 150 mares per year, he will get over 100 live foals. Do the math: $500,000 X 100 = $50,000,000. That's an awful lot of money.

Of course, not every horse is Storm Cat, but that's the brass ring owners are chasing when they buy a colt to race.

Even in the past, most Thoroughbreds were started as two-year olds and it was very rare to find one sound enough to race that had not made at least one start by the time it was three. Generally the only reason a horse would not be sent to the races as a two-year-old or three-year-old was unsoundness. Given the economics, generally if a horse isn't sound enough to race by age 3, his owner will unload him for non-racing purposes.

Those are the realities of racing. It's all about the money, and there is no money to be made in waiting until a horse is 5 to start it at the races. If it's sound enough to race, the two-year-old and three-year-old seasons can be very lucrative, and if the horse is any good, by the time it's five it will be at "work" as a stallion or broodmare.

Answer 2

In the Racing Industry, everything is FAST & everyone just wants to make a fast buck & most could care less about the horse. The animal is just a cash crop these days & you are absolutely correct about the trainers. There are very few true Horsemen left in this day & age. Most trainers are nothing more than stall rental agents who take will every last penny from a novice investor. It is sad, but it is a fact of life that is here to stay due to the greed & vengence of the people who have the power of authority & run the show & make the rules. Added later: To the person above me who gave stats regarding trainers & x-rays of 2 year olds to check the knees. It is rare that this ever happens because the results of the x-ray could cost the trainer to lose some of their monthly income from the owner of the animal. These types of things are usually done on the "sly" after regular work hours or off site in order to conceal the results. Many horses go to the track that should have never been allowed to have a saddle placed on their backs, let alone a rider!

Answer 3

Everyone is answering for throroughbreds but you also asked this under pets. In the quarter horse rings they also start early and they get many horses working collected by two and have blown out hocks by five or six whats the point of a crippled eight year old. But it is about money. I think the people who pleasure ride train later. The ones who aren't really horse people don't realize that they can wait, they see show horses doing wonders at three and four and assume that's how it should be done. They don't realize there can be consequences later. It just depends on what your long term purpose is for the animal.

Answer 4

Silver- A pony is a type of breed- Not an age group?!!

three to five I say- but the emphasis needs to be on the horse and it's capabilities, not the age. The horses mental and physical wellbeing needs to be considered first.

If the horse is still growing- no heavy workloads, short training sessions, and NO JUMPING! These are really important in ensuring your littleun enjoys his training and doesn't burn out (mentally or physically).

Groundwork should be the emphasis before then- there is so much you can do with your horse from the ground, and the benefits are sooo great.

I think as long as the horses individual needs and capabilities are taken care of, 3 is not too young to start light work, because they are more trainable (in my opinion) before the age of about 6, and we should take advantage of the opportunity to teach them while they love learning.

But, like I said- the individuals needs come first.

I also agree that the racing industry leaves alot to be desired with regards to horse care.

Answer 5

I believe in starting a horse under saddle at the age of three. No way am I a pro horse trainer, but that's my belief. Five might be a little old, but three or four would be the perfect time in my opinion! I mean ground work as a yearling is fine, and introducing two year olds to the saddle and blankets is great, but I think it's real rude to get on them before the age of three. They still aren't done growing and they probably aren't going to get what you want them to do.

Would you start making your two year old child learn to read and write?!? I think not! So why start a horse when they are still PONIES?!?

These are just my opinions, I like to give them! Don't take them too seriously if you don't want to, try listening to the horse and see if they think they are ready.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

There probably a couple out there maybe but probably very scarce b/c usually horses are used in shows at the age of 2 or 3 years old and by the time they are five they are only going to have 2or 3 years to show leaving the farm broke of no money to keep their operation going. Also by the time they are five they don't have the curiosity that a two year old colt would and they would probably be too old the latest you can go without a broke horse is 3 or 4I'm no expert on this but I'm just telling you my opinion on this. I actually want to run a breeding and training farm when I get out of college as a veterinarian.... but hey!!! I'm just a freshman in high school!! Oh yeah and I'm using a friends user name mine is [e-mail] E-mail me sometime

Answer 7

When you start a horse depends on the breed of horse.
Arabs are not started under saddle until at least three.
Thoroughbreds are racing at 2.
Thoroughbreds mature faster and get their growth faster than some other breeds so they start them sooner.
Depending on the breed and what the horse is going to do for a career depends on when they are started under sallde at least for me.
I have never started one under saddle at five. That would be a little old to be starting one in my opinion.