When talking about the human-to-horse relationship, more often than not, the big questions are all about riding.
When can you ride? Why aren’t you riding? If you’re not going to ride, what is the point of a horse? While we could get stuck going down that rabbit-hole of a question (i.e. the horse is a sentient creature in its own right, not just a tool for us humans to use) let’s just focus on one thing at a time - training your horse to be ridden.
More traditionally, it is referred to as “breaking in” a horse but as that term tends to come with some harsher training methods, the phrase “starting a horse” is much preferred. It may not seem like a nuance worth highlighting, but connotations of the language we use goes a long way in affecting our attitudes and behaviour.
In the horse industry, it is not uncommon for horses to be started at ages as young as two or three years old, or even in some cases, as a yearling. While there is a lot of debate about both the ethicalities and practicalities of this, I want to point towards one specific question:
When horses can live for decades, why do we rush to ride them?
In a lot of ways, it likely comes down not only to tradition but also to fulfilment of what we - the person - want from the horse. People want to ride, to compete, to race, to work up the levels of a particular discipline. The sooner we can sit on our horse’s back, the sooner we can achieve our goals.
Let’s be perfectly honest - riding is for you, not for your horse. We have domesticated and used our equine friends for years in the service of transportation, farm work, sports and competition, or pleasure riding. If it were up to our horse friends though, this isn’t necessarily the choice they would make. Do horses want to be ridden? No, probably not. There are exceptions to this, of course, as by tactfully using positive reinforcement and consent-based training your horse may, in fact, say “yes” to you riding them (Looking at you Adele Shaw!).
Whilst, no, riding is not an inherently bad thing, it is only fair to consider both sides of it equally.
Even though many horses are started before they reach even 3 years old they aren’t actually fully developed physically until several years later, at least 6 years old. Factors such as breed, nutrition, and gender (males tend to take a little longer then females) all play a part in equine development as well. Six years should be viewed as the minimum age, as some horses' spine won't fully develop until they are around eight years.
So starting a two year old horse under saddle would essentially be the equivalent of asking a toddler to pack their bag and head to high school for the day. Oh, and make sure their backpack has at least 20kg of weight to it as well. Not exactly ideal, is it?
This doesn’t mean that their training should be neglected altogether. There are still a lot of important things the young horse needs to learn to be able to thrive in the human-made world. It is a good idea to work on some basic foundational skills that they can continue to use their entire life. Foundational skills include:
• Basic handling and allowing someone to touch them all over
• A handling focus on their feet and legs in preparation for the farrier
• Wearing a halter and responding to a lead rope
• Desensitisation of being given medications including topical creams, oral medicines, and injections
• Trailer loading and unloading
Essentially, a horse should be prepared for the day-to-day interactions, any health or medical needs that may arise, and emergency situations. Beyond this, let’s not rush the training of young horses and push them into ridden work when they are neither physically or mentally prepared for that workload. The first few years of a horse's life should be for developing physical and emotional maturity.
Is your horse 'just' out in their paddock and you feel like they're going to waste? Fear not, that isn't the case and your horse definitely doesn't think so. A paddock with varied terrain and free forage that encourages grazing behaviour is going to naturally help build your horse’s muscles and conformation.
Plus, your horse is happy to just be a horse! Being in the paddock with their horse friends is what they do best. They’re not worried about whether they can jump this high or run that fast. The best thing you can do for your young horse is ensure they feel safe, have access to enrichment, and are happy and healthy.
They have their whole life ahead of them to help you achieve your riding goals. Take the time in their first years to develop a relationship with them that is built on trust and connection. Besides, strengthening your relationship will never be wasted. Quite the opposite, it will actually be of help when starting your horse under saddle years down the line. So, slow down, let your horse be a horse, and don’t worry about getting there quickly. There is no finish line in the game of life, so you may as well enjoy the moments as they come.
References
Infographic “Progression of Equine Skeletal Development” by Naomi Tavian @/equinaomi https://www.instagram.com/p/CRGjpSQny9y/?hl=en
Skeletal Maturity and Exercises for Young Horses, Horses Inside Out https://www.horsesinsideout.com/post/skeletal-maturity-and-exercises-for-young-horses-with-gillian-higgins-horses-inside-out
Timing and Rate of Skeletal Maturation in Horses. 2008. Dr Deb Bennett. http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf
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