Is my two year and three months old mare ready to ride?

Question

I have a two-year-old mare named Flick. She takes a bridle and a bit real well. And when I put the saddle and I tighten up the girth she doesn't care. I tried laying across her back (not all the way) she does not even pin her ears back. I even put my foot in stirrup she does not do anything but stand there. I am working of reining with two long loung ropes by going left and to the right. I think I am going to wait until she is three though. So what do ya'll think?

Answer 1

I've always heard that it is best to wait until a horse is 3 to start training. Icelandics often aren't ridden until they are full grown at 6. They are also rideable into their 30s and 40s I've heard.

I started my pony at 3 but I have only recently started more strenuous work.

Answer 2

Not to be unkind but your fiance is an idiot. And it seems there are a few more cerebrally challenged people in the mix. And the stallion was not ruined by one night. Not reasonable. The stallion did nothing wrong. The handlers and you were at fault in this situation. Regardless of what you were doing, you should not have left this horse in the hands of morons. I know you were busy but had it been me, first of all it would never have happened, but I would have gotten off my horse and taken person possession of my horse and taken care of him, given him the attention he needed and secured him in a safe place and threatened the bystanders with loss of their life. I have never heard of such at a "professional" facility. I would not give up the stallion. I would move him and geld him immediately. But that said, I have a lot of experience in starting horses and working with problem horses. If you cannot properly train the horse, you should sell him. I would not take one of those mares for him. That smells of a bad deal. I think what happened in the stall was an accident, totally. And when you lunged him, you were wrong. He has no idea why you were abusing him and it only confused him in the moment. He did not get it that there was some issue here. He did not relate the furious lunging and your obvious anger to his bucking behavior. He didn't get it at all. A horse's mind does not work that way. He was reading your body language and understanding that you were freaking out and angry and losing your mind, but he did not think it had anything to do with him because it didn't. He did nothing WRONG. From that point of reference, you seem to lack in understanding horses' perceptions and thought processes. They are very pure and honest in their thought and reaction. They do not scheme and connive and have clandestine thoughts or ideas. This horse is young and green and he is a stallion. He is going to act like a young, green, stallion. His behavior is no surprise at all. I think the surprise is that someone didn't get killed or seriously injured, including the horse. You repeatedly left this horse in the control of someone totally ill-equipped to handle him properly and this was not fair to the horse. As the fiance did not obey the first time, why did you think he would do what you asked EVER? Makes no sense but what's done is done. You even said the horse could not figure out what is right and wrong, so why try to punish him for your mistake and the ignorance of the masses? Not reasonable at all and an inappropriate response toward your horse. If you are ever feeling angry, frustrated, annoyed when around your horse, just stop, try to end on a good note, let him go and try again another day. Horse's can read everything before you even know you are feeling it and they are so sensitive, they multiply your anxiousness by a million and think something is going to kill them because you are so afraid. They never miss a thing so your feelings are never a secret to your horse. The slightest change in expression on your face, your posture, how you walk, it all screams volumes to your horse, but it means the same thing to them, that they may not survive. they think, if my owner is that upset, it must be really bad so I should be upset as well. You always have to consider these things. Again, move your horses, dump the idiot as he is total dead weight loser -not trainable, geld your stallion and move forward. Just in the interim, try to avoid anymore chaos like what has happened in the past. The stallion should have been gelded when you first got him. I don't understand why you would not have taken care of that before. It would have allowed the horse to have a much better quality of life and avoided the eventually fiasco. Oh well, anyway, hope you get it worked out and successfully resolve things.

Answer 3

ok for all you people that say 2 (oh its ok for race horses) you are NUTS do you even realize the damage that you can cause to their back and legs.i mean hello why do you think you always see racehorses with broken legs and all sorts of other horible injuries!!!and if thay are lucky and dont get hurt how many go on to race after about 6-7!!!! you should wait till shes 3 and llightly ride her until 3 1/2 or 4 then start really working on her. i know this might suck and take forever but if you take the time you will have a bomb proof horse that you will most lickly be able to ride until the day she dies.

Answer 4

Ask your vet what they think....mine gave me the ok to begin light work at 2. My horse is a big stocky QH with dense bone, so I'm not sure if that made a difference or not but I have been riding him since he was 2 years and a few months old. I don't do any hard riding of course....no jumping, no steep hills, sliding stops or galloping and I barely do any loping on him, so I'm taking it very easy. I really don't think light work would hurt as long as you are not a heavy rider and you don't push her. Let her 2 year old year be one where she can adjust to and explore different situations. My main focus during this time with mine (after he was good with left, right, stop and go of course) is getting him used to water, bridges, traffic, different noises and experiences since he is going to be a trail horse. This doesn't require hard work because you can do all these at a walk. Maybe this would be good for you too, because you can still enjoy and ride your horse without putting too much strain on her body, which is still developing. Good luck and I hope this was some help.

Answer 5

You could start doing light riding on her now, if you are a light person and don't do to much with her. Make sure her knees are closed to be safe. Many people break horses in at 2, I prefer to lightly start mine as a late 2 year old, once the knees have closed and then let them "soak" until the spring of their 3 yr old year before I continue any training on them or start to do more than real light work. If a horse is real immature as a late 2 year old, I wait on the horse.

Answer 6

I would start training her on the lunge with the saddle on. Then when she becomes good on that get on the saddle or someone who's very confident on a horse get on her and just walk her. Don't be on her to long but just enough everyday so that she becomes used to you on her. I have a 5 y/o paint and Ive been ridding him since he was 2 1/2. Hes a big boy though. But as long as she seems steady and OK with you being on her and your not hurting her then I see no reason why you shouldn't start to ride!!

Answer 7

You can start training a horse by the age of 2, and its normal for the first time getting on her that she doesn't freak out or anything but after a while that you start getting on her ( like after 5 rides) she might start to freak out, but after that part she well be fine. and horse training does take a lot of time, even if he has the wrong lead or something for the first time don't push him to get the right one, cos if you always make him stop when hes on the wrong lead he will think that hes not supposed to go, take you're time training and if you think you are not ready to train you're horse you might want to hire some 1 professional to train him, horses CAN be trained at the age of 2,

happy training and good luck to you:)

Answer 8

I have broken horses for years and use to ride for one of the top stables in australia and there horse where broken in a 2 most where fine but some need more time to grow and may not be ready ( to babay like ) if you are not to big for your horse and she is filled out then it would not harm her. keep it light and short or she will get sower you can not jump till for but light on the ground wont hurt give her lots of spells after she does the right thing dont end on a bad note.

Answer 9

It is ok to start riding horses when they are 2. What matters when you are riding is how long you are riding and the intensity. If you are riding your 2 year old, I would mainly walk and trot, and very little cantering for about 30 minutes at most. When they get older like 3, they are able to go longer and at more intensity. Imagine a young horse in a pasture. They are running, bucking, and doing a lot more then what you would be asking them to do. Just don't over do it to cause problems at a later date.

Answer 10

If she is trained well enough you can ride her ONLY A LITTLE BIT~!!!!! it is ok to ride a little bit if not her knees will not finish growing and she will be lame alot and have many problems down the road!! there will be a space between the knee and the bone where it didn't finish growing