And get lots of pictures and video. Every angle, every body part, feet, and in motion and how she moves. It’s SO rewarding in time to look back and see your rehab work in their mind and body. Oh, and keep a journal. Write it down - even if it’s just a couple times a week and a few sentences.
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OK, give me a sec to zip up my flame suit. The OP asked, “Who is right?” The answer is unequivocally, OP IS RIGHT and BO et al are WRONG. First my bona fides: I have been training horses for 45 years. I started my professional career restarting OTTBs and have continued to do so. I know whereof I speak. And @pluvinel - you surprise me. You are always about classical methods. There is nothing classical about riding a horse too young, just because it’s already been backed.
There is a really good reason that racehorses often don’t stay sound for long after they leave the track. It’s because they start them at 18 months, race them at two years, and then just run them into the ground if they have any talent at all.
No horse should be carrying a rider before late 3 years of age. Then, they should be started lightly, worked for about 90 days, and put back to to FINISH GROWING until 4 years old. I am well aware that a lot of people don’t adhere to that timeline. What’s the hurry? I wish I had a dollar for everyone I know who’s w/t/c their 2 year olds. That it’s commonly done doesn’t make it right.
OP - you are absolutely NOT going to lose any of her previous under saddle training by waiting until she’s 3 and a half to get on her. There is a ton you can do on the ground and all of it will only make her a better horse in the end.
To everyone in general - a horse is still growing until about 5. I had a Trakehner mare that grew until she was 7 (outlier, I know). At 2/3 their joints aren’t yet fully formed. Nature did not build them to carry weight on their backs as it is, we’ve slowly bred them to be better equipped to do that. But certainly NOT before they are mature enough. I have no love for racing because of this. It’s cruel.
Off soapbox now.
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You haven’t said anything about the barn situation. Will she be turned out with others in a large pasture? Is the weather/footing conducive to turnout? If so, I would leave her be until spring. She’ll get plenty of exercise until then while her new feed and health regimen gets established.
I’m not big on doing much other than starting them from scratch as 3 year olds (getting them tacked up, longed and backed) and then turning them out and getting them going again when they turn 4. Once they are started, other than short hacks, there’s nothing you can do with them that isn’t going to stress their growing joints.
But if the horse can’t be turned out in a situation where it can run and play, well, a fire breathing dragon isn’t good for the health of the horse or the barn help. Then, you may need to be more proactive about getting the horse some exercise.
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I think that horses are not physically mature as an average until they are around 7, when the last of the spine finished growing.
Plenty of studies today are showing that any body, horses also, are growing as they mature and thru those years are already “practicing” and building a body for what they will do once mature.
That is what gives them the best chance to be good at that and stay sound for many years.
Is not the age on a calendar that determines in general when to ride a horse, is how you go about it that has been shown to make a difference.
You can start a horse under saddle at two doing right for that horse and horse be fine, plenty examples of that.
You can start a horse at 4 managing it’s training poorly and have trouble.
The best, everyone can start their horses when they choose to. 
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There are many possible reasons any one horse “don’t stay sound for long after they leave the track”, so are many other reasons for horses that don’t stay sound from any other discipline.
Then, many, many do, at least they did when we were running and then re-training and selling them and following them all their lives as sound horses into their old age.
At one time many fox hunters and practically all hunter classes were filled with all ages of former race horses, which means those were staying sound just fine after their race careers were over, until the style preferences showing changed to other kinds of horse types.
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“former race horses” being the operative phrase. Most were likely not “war horses,” when they came off the track, but 3 or 4 year olds that washed out. The last one I restarted was retired at 4 because of a “bowed tendon.” He didn’t have a bowed tendon, they wanted to get rid of him because no jockey would ride him after he put every last one of them on the ground after each race. At every track on the US west coast and Canada too. And these were races that he usually won.
I had a OTTB that came off the track at 8. Still very sound. It happens. But you have to admit, as early as they start riding them (and they are all 2 in January, right?) it can and often does take a toll on their soundness.
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Beg to disagree and plenty of studies the past decade or more have shown that last statement not to be true when examined.
I already explained that soundness when training is more dependent on how good the training management is, not when started under saddle.
We had plenty of “journeymen horses”, is what we called the older ones that were still paying their and other’s ways in a stable, that we later trained for ranch horses and sold to local ranches and suitable ones to a fox hunting stable in the East.
The “washed out” ones, for many reasons, were still fine to go on to other tasks if suitable.
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Nothing I said is not “classical.” All I said was that the horse has been ridden and to take advantage of that to build on that base. What race horses are taught and what “pleasure horses” need to know are usually worlds apart…why wait to start to build on that base?
As far as under saddle, maybe our definition of “under saddle” is different. I said that the horse can learn to stand at the mounting block, the rider get on and the horse learns to stand until asked to move off. I don’t consider this detrimental to the physical development of the horse. Sit on the horse, take a few steps, get off, repeat…quit for the day. The rider and the horse can learn about communication thru the seat which is totally different than racing riders perched on a race saddle.
This approach provides short sessions where the horse learns expectations. There is NO demanding athletic training at this point. It is all work to develop the mental connection with the horse.
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It doesn’t matter who is “right”. Neither is wrong. The horse has had the advantage of early stress on immature bones, as is used at the track to develop good bone density and joint surface development that WB breeds are not capable of doing. And she may well benefit from some time off from true concussion now, for the body to recover from that. But time off doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything with her, or even can’t ride her. Presuming your body weight is not a lot more than the exercise rider who has been riding her all year so far, and that you are a skilled and balanced rider. The sort of riding you will be doing, light hacking, some ground work, grooming and getting to know her, won’t hurt her, will only help her, and you, get to know each other. A TB is not a WB. They are much further ahead with neuromuscular development, coordinated, and more than capable of doing the light work you may be considering. Or not, as you wish. If someone else feels differently, they can go buy a similar prospect, and show you how they like to do it first hand. Because it doesn’t matter. You own this one, you call the shots.
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This is basically what I was going to suggest. I think your plan sounds great, but I would add just enough riding, at the walk, that you won’t have to start over in the process of her accepting a rider. And focused on manners and extending groundwork lessons to do similar stuff with a rider. I would also caution against a lot of lunging for a horse that isn’t physically mature yet, especially on smaller circles beyond the walk. I don’t know whether you follow a particular groundwork program, but I think some of them (notably Parelli) do too much on small circles.
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It looks like my boy was backed when he was one, as he raced when he turned 2. I got him at 3.
They took him out for a 5 hour trail ride the day before I picked him up and “you would be so proud of him he was on the bit the whole way.”
SIGH!
I could put a bridle on him.
I taught him to lunge with a lunging cavesson.
Afterwards I just hopped on for a walk, trot and canter up the arena as it was on a fair slope. Just up the longside and around the short side at the top. No more than that. Just once each way.
I had to ride with my head facing sideways. His mouth was so sore that if he felt the bit at all he would throw his head and so far that he could have knocked me unconscious.
The first day he went off on the incorrect lead. I said uh uh and asked again and he gave the correct lead. I said Good Boy.
He never went off on the incorrect lead again.
He is the smartest horse I have ever ridden.
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Sure, not unreasonable. When they get their own two-year-old off the track, they can make this choice.
This one isn’t theirs. It’s not their choice to make.
Personally don’t think “too cautious” is really possible with horses. Better safe than sorry.
No.
No parties are wrong, IMO. Humans have been starting horses at two for centuries, jumping at three, jumping big at four, etc etc. It’s also been a long-practiced method to lightly start at two then put out in the field for 6-12 months, starting back under saddle again at three.
She’s your horse and it’s your choice in how to approach her training.
I vehemently disagree with this and consider this to be a ridiculous stereotype about OTTBs. This has been the exact opposite of my experiences.
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As others have stated time and again, it is YOUR horse to manage best you want to manage.
Since you asked, that is why you are getting all kinds of answers how others think.
Here is one more article with more explanations why working horses — properly — as they mature is not harmful and can be beneficial:
Your plan seems to fit well with both kinds of managements in question here.
Horse will be worked learning to work with humans and at the same time it will not be pushed to work at a higher, more demanding level.
Both ways are fine, there is one answer to your question. 
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IMO, neither of you are “right” or “wrong” because I don’t think there should be a hard and fast timeline for what horses should be doing when. But I can tell you what I did with my current horse.
I got my current (7 today!) TB as a just 3YO. When I tried her, we did WTC and I saw her popped over 2 Xs. She didn’t canter or jump anything else until she was 4. What we did was a lot of in-hand work (including HB classes), and lessons on things like trailer loading. We learned to walk over poles (both in hand and under saddle) from the get-go, and went out on short, easy trail rides but learned to do things like walk through streams and walk around a big field with a friend and alone. Learned to steer and move off leg aids. She was taught to lunge but I do not like lunging young horses much–I think that’s harder on their joints than light riding is.
At 4, she did some groundpole hunter WT classes, and Intro dressage shows, started cantering and went over an occasional tiny X.
At 5 we started showing at Training and doing some WTC/crossrail hunter classes, and jumping for real in lessons.
This past year at 6, we did more Training/Eventing tests and ended the year trying First. We started cantering courses of actual fences at shows.
I’m sure someone else could have been at least a year ahead of where we are on training, but I’m happy with where we are, the horse seems quite happy in her work (she loves to jump!). IME, from having brought along my personal horses and watching others bring theirs along, they will tell you when they’re ready for the next lesson.
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OP
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TB’s have an over developed sense of injustice. If they think you are wrong they don’t hesitate to let you know it. Especially mares.
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If they have already learned how do something they will challenge you if you do it differently. You will have to convince them that your way is the better way. See rule one.
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Once they learn they can trust you, you won’t find a more ready and willing partner.
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Be consistent and patient. But be ready to change the plan if you need to.
Good luck.
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Ah yes, it took me almost two years before my OTTB agreed with me that he didn’t have to be FIRST when out with other horses, and especially when hunting. He was pretty sure that I was doing it wrong and if he kept repeating himself, maybe I would understand the error of my ways. However, he eventually learned to stay in the field and turned into a great foxhunter.
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Another one who sees nothing wrong with your plan. The key is establishing trust, respect and a communication system that works. This can all be done from the ground first and then from the saddle. I speak as one who used to be the ‘first’ on the back of those going to the track and made more money (on a per hour basis) breezing for a tracker when I was first in practice as compared to my regular ‘day job’. As a result I had the opportunity to take on and retrain for other disciplines a variety of OTTBs. With that experience and as a veterinarian, I would encourage you to let her grow, develop and mature. I see your situation not that different than a lot of people who back youngsters at an early age and then throw them out on the back forty for a season or two before bringing them back into the barn for more intense discipline specific training - has worked for years for many people and horses.
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This is extremely unlikely. Horses have very strong memories, which is what makes them so trainable. The first horse I started had been backed as a long two year-old. I put him to pasture over the winter and when I got on in the spring it was like he had been ridden the day before.
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I understand. That’s your experience. What about the number of horses that DIE on the track every year. What about those?
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You don’t speak from experience when you cite the number of racehorses that die on the track. We’re talking about ottbs, not racehorses who died. So you’re now comparing apples and oranges.
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