Bluey’s post is perfectly how I feel.
Some horses are suitable candidates to be ridden, carefully, and skillfully, and intelligently, early. Some are not. If a horse is growing butt high at that age, I’d rather leave him unstarted until he at least is looking closer to being level. But if he’s level, well grown, well coordinated, well muscled, he’s a good candidate.
Warmbloods often lack the muscular and neurological development that TBs and QHs have at that age. The bones are equally immature in each breed, but as long as the training is done skillfully, that is OK, if the muscular and neurological development are there, like they are in most individuals in the TB and QH breeds. Because they have been selectively bred for this.
Young horses who develop soundness issues due to their early training were either trained incorrectly, or have an intrinsic flaw or fault that may have been previously unknown, which has come to light, and would have come to light eventually anyway even if the training had been withheld until older.
There are ways to correctly train and ride young, immature horses. Good race trainers know how to do this. Poor ones don’t. I had one local horse owner tell me how BAD it was to break and train a 2 yr old, because she knew someone who did it who weighed 200+ lbs and galloped the 2 yr old up a mountain daily. Duh, the horse developed hock arthritis as a result.
There is a difference between correctly riding an immature horse, and being greedy. Being greedy will usually result in damage to the horse. Training with the young horse’s long term best interest at heart usually won’t.
The advantages to the horse in beginning training as early as possible for that individual, the bone and joint surface development that can be achieved by careful stressing immature structures is well documented, and has been known by race trainers for centuries. Early careful training and riding is what makes these horses sound for racing, the most demanding of sports. And “surprise!!!”, also for three day eventing after their race career.
My own thoughts on this issue are that if a trainer does not know how to correctly start a long yearling or two year old under saddle, and elects to wait until they are four, or older… how do they magically know how to start an older horse? And now a horse whose immaturity and window of opportunity to remodel for maximum strength has been lost? Horses who do not have the muscular and neurological development at an early age to be able to be ridden (carefully and correctly) tend to be those who have soundness issues in later life. Thus, all the lame warmbloods you see, who have been broke as 4 yr olds by people who are trying to do the best thing for them (and not being “greedy”, like those horrible race trainers and owners are) and have had a life of trotting around in a riding ring, and do not have the excuse that an OTTB may have… that they have raced (high speed, high impact fiercely competitive discipline), may have been over raced at some point in their life with greed and lack of long term interest of the horse.
it’s not “early training” that damages horses, it’s poor training, lack of skill and poor decisions of a trainer. Many of us were indoctrinated as youngsters in the theory that young horses should not be ridden because it would damage them. But some of us have re-evaluated that opinion. It is possible to ruin a horse at any age. And more likely if a trainer is inexperienced, stupid, greedy or uneducated.
My first world title was in the Jumpers.