How do you know they weren’t lame, or at what age if they were? How far back are you referring to?
There’s also a big difference between getting on 2yos and working them in straight lines, whether racing or checking 100s of acres of fence lines, and making a “finished” horse by the time he’s 3, fully capable of working a reining pattern, or doing barrel racing even at a low level.
What does it matter how far back it was? This is starting in 1978 -2010 ( roughly) when I had more contact with multiple horse owners, different trainers, and boarding training barns.
I knew they weren’t lame because they were not lame and in fact they went on to be sound and happily doing their jobs for years to come with no issues.
I have never approved of getting a horse walking, trotting and loping at 30 days as can be common with some trainers and that was communicated in my post what I thought was appropriate for a 2 year old.
It mattered how far back because I think way too few people realize how many horses were “washed up” by their early teens because of lameness issues. There was a very long period of time when horses were commodities, nothing more. They needed to be doing a job early on, couldn’t afford to feed and maintain a “useless” horse until they were 4 or even 3.
There’s a whole lot of context that goes into starting a 2yo, than just the fact that they were started, and that matters a lot too.
So here we are with more knowledge, starting horses later and we are still having soundness issues but now it is even before the horses are even close to their teens( as evidenced here on COTH).
Fast forward to today. How many people maintain " useless horses" before they have even been able to actually use them?
It’s still not that simple. LOTS of horses are bred who shouldn’t be, because their parents weren’t conformationally correct. LOTS more people have horses without any education on how to correctly train them, so while they may have safe horses who w/t/c quietly and when asked, they’re ridden upside down and become lame as a result.
You can un-sound a horse you start at 6 by riding poorly, just like you can un-sound them at 2 by working too hard too soon
LOTS of horses have craptastic hoof care and saddle fit - that makes lameness inevitable.
If the horse had incorrect conformation and, or had the piss rode out of him, it’d most likely still be unsound regardless of age started.
Starting a solid two year isn’t a death sentence. It’s one factor out of many that contribute to long term serviceability.
Traditionally, ranch horses were started at 4/5 year olds and worked hard.
At that age they were mayure, but had spent all those growing years on maturing as a pasture horse, not fit to be a riding horse.
They were considered old and worn out at ten.
Today, many started in two year old programs, are still going strong into their late teens, some made into rodeo performers, at the top competitions into their 20’s.
Like a kid growing up playing with other kids and roaming the streets, not into any sports games activities.
Take a kid growing from vey young in all kinds of sports programs and ss an adult turning pro, is easy.
Muscle memory, work ethic, being a good team player, all those years have taught that kid physically and mentally to be a sport’s ace.
The kid growing up steet wild would have a much harder time as an adult to become any kind of competitive sportman.
Similarly that horse started early has grown into that athletic ace we expect horses to become, mentally and physically and with years of experience.
Injuries? Those can happen at any age and if not started properly.
Several decades of studies now point to horses started properly early do have better physical and mental parameters than those started later.
One meta study of many of those studies was published ininby the government saying just that, horsesvstarted early have less injuries and live longer and healthier into old age than those started older.
On the phone and don’t have the link, but has been posted here before.
Some times, we should not believe what we think, do check around to confirm it, or on this topic learn our old strongly felt ideas manot have been correct.
Proof is all those old horses in all disciplines, reiners out there still showing into their 20’s and doing well, we had two, one that still won championships.
Best of all, is your horse, your choice.
As a reiner or racer or other very competitive discipline, think, there is a reason they do what they do, is what brings desired results.
OP’s colt is already behind as a future reiner once he will be competing, for many reasons, one the better trainers generally won’t be interested in training him, they already have great prospects filling their slots.
Ehhh… the methodologies “back in the day” were to ride through problems, that today would be flagged as “have you had him checked by a vet.” I don’t think we have more soundness issues, we have just become more aware of them and have better diagnostic tools to find them.
I agree that there is more diagnostic ability on the part of certain veterinarians and that many horses and owners have reaped the benefits but from what I see ( I may be the only one) people are using that as a crutch when they should be riding through certain problems.
You can easily spend big $$$ trying to find a soundness issue when all you have is a spoiled, disrespectful horse who lacks adequate handling/ riding.
I really and truly believe that horses were hardier " back in the day" and of better quality and sturdier stock. People too.
Western type horses decades ago were not picked thru for generations to be the best in their discipline.
After many generations, today’s horses are born talented, the rare old horse could do what with little effort those do today.
They are so good, is very competitive.
You can’t any more pull your every day ranch horse off pasture one weekend and do much good against horses purposely bred and carefully developed and trained from birth.
I have a gelding from a reining stallion out of a roping mare. The breeder kept him to be used around their cattle ranch and he was started as a late 3 year old with a pro for 90 days then sent home to be used to move cattle occasionally. I got him as a 4 year old and his mental immaturity is noticeable. He is willing and physically able but keeping him focused has been a challenge. He is improving but it took months for him to learn to focus for more than a few minutes.
One of my mentors has worked in the horse industry most of his life, has a related PhD, has taught at a university, etc. His belief is that you start a horse at 2 years old for 60-90 days then give them 30-60 days off and turned out. Work again for another 60-90 days and again off. He says that stressing a young horse’s bones and body will make it stronger as long as they are not worked overly hard and then given time off. His current show horse is 20+ and still winning cuttings.
What’s your goal for the horse? If it’s showing in the reining futurities now, you need to get him with the colt starter. If it’s sending him to a program as a 3 yo, you need to send him to the colt starter now.
There’s a lot of folks that disagree with riding 2 yo’s as a black and white fact. I personally believe in having horses in an appropriate program as early as possible (as yearlings, if possible), if the end goal is to be competitive showing. Learning how to live in a regimented schedule, accepting boundaries, etc - all of it is so much easier on them mentally when they’re young, versus waiting until they’re rebellious teenagers.
If he has space, I say send your horse.
I agree with this completely. Additionally, a reining trainer worth his or her salt will take time riding the colt to see if he has “futurity potential.” The futurities for 3 year olds are generally held in the fall. Depending on when your colt was born, he will definitely need to be in training by mid- to late spring as a 2 year old. I’m not going to get in an argument with people telling you to wait until he’s 3. There are wide difference of opinions by the veterinarian community on that one. A good reiner trainer will ensure your colt’s soundness health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL5xv5HCWrc Different styles - this is how the Maddens train their young hunter/jumpers. The beginning of the video explains what they do at 3 yo
Yall want to compare different breeds let alone different bloodlines within QH for starting age.
There’s bloodlines within QH that mature at a faster age and others that are known to be later maturing.
The difference between a Metallic Cat and a Freckles Playboy/Playgun bred horses is big within just the cow horse world.
NOPE. Horses are horses and they all mature at the same rate as a whole. Some lines may reach their adult height sooner than others, pony breeds tend to reach adult height sooner than horse breeds. Some lines MAY have growth plates closed several months for the average, but lots also close later than the average.
Breeds don’t make things different.
But no QH line has their back fully closed at 3, no pony has knees fully closed at 1.
Don’t confuse height, or muscling, or mental capacity, for what’s going on underneath it all
An acquaintance of mine had a nice youngster that she started at 2 in reining training. Horse’s hocks were shot by the age of 7.
I had and know of many reiners that competed and were good in Futurities, reined most of their lives and coming 20’s were still at it, healthy and sound.
Go to any reining show and look at their green as grass beginner, junior and the lighter classes and you will find many oldsters doing just fine.
Two of our horses were used in the interscholastic reining league finals, one was champion, in their late teens.
There is way.way more to how horses stay sound than the age they are started, truly.
Your baby looks nicely balanced for a 2 year old with good size for the age. In my experience, and I have sent 2 year olds off for training versus 3 year olds you might as well wait. The mental maturity of the horse is against you with the 2 year olds. He might be broke but you will be working against that “baby-mindset” that just makes the training a bit harder to “stick.” I’m 100% money ahead to wait until they are 3 years old because while they are in training, they are simultaneously getting “fit,” and it’s a whole lot easier for a 3 year old than a baby at the age of 2.
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