I love LaurieB’s response here.
The reason why we train young TBs the way we do has been explained here. The closure of growth plates throughout the body isn’t that much different between TBs and non TBs, but the maturity of the nervous system and muscle development is much different. A young TB tends to be much more coordinated than non TB breeds (WBs), and more muscle on them. This allows them to be able to be trained and worked earlier in life than many other breeds. This is what the “culling system” and directed breeding FOR racing has done for TBs, and continues to do for TBs. If the identification of “quality” of horses is not important, directed breeding in attempts to produce quality becomes unimportant, then these hard questions do not need to be asked of horses. We can just breed backyard horses who have nice colours and no particular talent, if we choose. IF, however, we watch the exquisite rare jewels that are brilliant athletes, from Secretariat to Winx and others, and appreciate that quality, it is necessary to test them, prepare them, try them at high level competition to identify quality, and cull the breeding population.
There is always risk involved in starting, training and working young horses, TBs and non TBs. It is not “risk free” to do so. It is also not “risk free” to allow bones and joint surfaces to mature without doing the remodelling training. And even in the best of training barns, with the best of trainers, riders and staff, accidents and injuries still happen. One equine sport discipline squawks and points fingers at another in criticism. Horses get hurt. Football players get hurt too, sometimes when they are 15 years old, blow a knee out, and are unsound for the rest of their lives, their dream of being a superstar athlete dashed. When we ask hard questions of young athletes, sometimes dreams are dashed, even with the best of care and intentions. But Wayne Gretsky didn’t wait until he was 20 to learn to skate. Risks are accepted if you want a shot at upper level competition. The ability of youth to heal and develop to withstand the pressure of heavy competition is well documented. Also, the “risk taking” acceptance of high level competition of youth is much higher than in older age. If you don’t have high level aspirations for yourself or your horse, it is not necessary to begin to ready yourself or your horse for such competition early in life.
What always amazes me is the assumption that the condition of an older OTTB MUST have something to do with his race career. Perhaps it does. Perhaps it also has something to do with it’s care, training and riding SINCE his racing career, untalented unbalanced riders and incorrect training from the non-racing disciplines
Also, the question of all the terminally unsound WBs, who were left until they were “mature” before beginning work, who don’t have the “excuse” that they were racehorses at some time in their lives, and may have been owned and/or trained by someone who was not concerned with their long term best interests and soundness?
“Money” always comes into the conversation when talking about pushing young horses in early training. Horses eat money, so no matter the discipline, it always should come into the conversation. The goal of race training is to have a competitive race horse, capable of earning money while racing. Keeping them sound, happy, alive and competitive for as long as possible is necessary to allow them to earn money, and prove their quality, and the quality of their family and genetics. The goal is not to hurt them, or kill them. It’s not bullfighting.
