09/29/2025
Well said Sara!🙌🏽
📣 Myth vs. Science: When to Start Young Horses Under Saddle
Many folks say: “A horse shouldn’t be ridden until age 6+.” That idea sounds safe—but science says it’s not optimal. Responsible work starting around 2 years old helps build a sturdier, healthier horse, not a broken one. Here’s how:
What Research Shows
• Young, moderate exercise helps bones, cartilage, tendons & ligaments adapt during growth. If you wait too long, certain developmental windows close and gains are harder (or impossible) to make.
 https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/breaking-horses-not-bones-properly-raising-young-horses-avoid-costly-injuries
• Horses that enter race training at 2 tend on average to have greater earnings and longer racing careers, compared to those delayed. 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7916178/
• Early exercise (pasture access, short high-impact bursts) reduces lameness risk versus horses kept stalled or idle. 
https://www.producer.com/livestock/growth-plates-are-instrumental-in-shaping-a-horses-life/
• Full skeletal maturity (especially in spine/neck) might not happen till ~6 years, but many of the superficial or limb growth plates fuse much earlier—making moderate, balanced training feasible well before “6 years old.” 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7916178/
What “Responsible Early Training” Looks Like
• Gradual introduction of weight/rider
• Lots of turnout / pasture time so horse moves naturally
• Avoiding constant hard work until the horse has had time to strengthen (bones, joints, supporting structures)
• Monitoring recovery & not overloading
• Working with a vet / trainer who understands growth & individual variation
Science-Backed Articles & Studies
1. Training Young Horses: The Science behind the Benefits (PMC) — shows benefits of starting 2 yrs old in controlled/race training. 
2. Breaking Horses Not Bones: Properly Raising Young Horses to Avoid Costly Injuries (Mississippi State University Extension) — compares starting early vs waiting, effects on lameness, bone/cartilage health. 
3. Growth plates & Equine Bone Maturity (Jessica E. Black) — anatomy & timeline of growth plate fusion. 
Bottom Line
Waiting until 6 in hopes of “full maturity” may be well-intended, but you lose developmental opportunities. If done well, starting around 2 builds strength, resilience, and lowers risk of breakdown later. My recommendation: rethink the “wait till 6” rule. Science wants you to work smart early, not just wait.
