Recently, I was perusing comments on the Youtube video of a particular horse trainer, whose methods I like and learn from. In this video, he happened to mention that the horse he was riding was a 2 year-old stallion. That brought on a whole thread of comments about how he shouldn’t be riding a 2 year-old. Some of the comments were nice, some not-so-nice, but the general consensus was that he was riding that young stallion way too early.
So, let’s talk about horse age a little.
Everybody knows that there are seven dog years to one human year, right? Well, not really. You see, some breeds of dogs live longer than others. Some breeds have an average life span of a mere 6 or so years, while other breeds have an average life span of more than 15 years. The longest lived dog I ever heard of was an Australian Cattle Dog that lived to the grand old age of 30 years, which would translate to 210 human years! The point being that such comparisons of animal years to human years, while somewhat based on physiology, are really nothing more than what we might consider “rules of thumb.”
In recent years, particularly over the past 20 or so, the trend toward starting horses under saddle later than age two has become somewhat of a fad. Now, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I call it a fad, because, like all fads do, it has in some circles gone to an extreme. For instance, in the comments referenced above, one commenter said she doesn’t start her horses until they are seven years old. I consider that to be extreme. I can’t imagine the economics of feeding and vet care for a horse for seven years before starting it.
On the other hand, the professional and amateur horse competition world has traditionally started horses into racing, rodeo, and other competitive disciplines at the two year-old mark, which I also consider to be extreme. However, there’s a caveat here. Read on.
In the horse world and the human world, there are physiological and psychological changes that occur at various stages of development. In the early years, the brain is like a dry sponge and absorbs and assimilates vast quantities of information from simple survival skills, such as breast feeding, to more advanced skills such as social skills and athletics. The physical development keeps pace with the psychological development. All of these skills relate to survivability in their respective worlds. The rate of development of these knowledge, skills, and abilities is related to the relative life span of the species. Both humans and horses learn certain things easier in their early years. While both are able to learn and develop knowledge and skills throughout their lives, their ability to do so is generally reduced significantly as they get “over the hill.”
Humans are among the slowest developing of all animal species, having an average life span currently averaging 77 years for a man and 81 for a woman (North America), whereas a horse living past 30 years is uncommon. However, with regard to the physical and psychological development of humans and horses, there is room for age comparisons, but they are not precisely equivalent.
One factor that applies to the horse world that does not apply to humans, is that, by tradition and under regulations of most competitive horse disciplines and registries, horses are aged by birth year, rather than birth date. For this reason, over the years, horse breeders have bred their stock to foal in the early months of the year. By doing so, a young horse may be comparatively older, both physically and psychologically, than another horse of the same age that was born late in the year, and will therefore have the competitive advantage. Such that a two year-old horse born in February, will actually be nearly three years old in December, while a two year-old born in November of the same year will not yet be two years old, by birth date, in December, and on January 1, they will both be regarded as three year olds.
Now, if we transpose those numbers to human years, we can see what a huge difference that can make. I do not subscribe to the average “horse years” often stated to compare to human years for the same reasons I mentioned above regarding dogs, however, I have observed over the years various age ranges for horses that have some correspondence to human years. For instance, a two year-old colt by birth month, meaning actually 24 months old, in my experience, is roughly equivalent to a 12-14 year-old human boy. At this age, important hormones are starting to flow and there is a major development advancement during this period, both physically and psychologically (although the physical development seems to be foremost). A colt that is three years old, meaning at least 36 calendar months, would be roughly equivalent to a 16-18 year-old young man in both physical and psychological development.
Now, the reasoning behind starting a horse later, rather than earlier, has to do with the physical development of the horse. Various growth plates and joints are still maturing at age two that may not complete their growth and development until as old as age five. Many people believe irreparable damage may occur to the young horse if started at age two. While this growth and development also occurs in humans, although at a much slower rate, nobody seems to think it unconscionable to start a child in sports at a very early age.
Now, if we make further comparisons, which I believe are truly comparable and relevant, we can see what a difference a year makes in a young horse. Let’s say a young man has aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player (any sport will do). If his parents start him in sports at an early age to teach and train him to the sport, he will have a physical and mental advantage over other boys who start later (Whether that advantage remains in later years is another discussion). However, the average boy who has been properly coached from an early age, say four or five years old, will be a star player by the time he is in his later years of high school, whereas the boy who starts playing sports at age 17 will likely find he does not have the knowledge, skills, or muscle conditioning to be competitive among his peers. He may also find he is prone to injury, due to the lack of coordination and strength the other boys enjoy. Young men who begin to augment their physical development in their early years, say from age 12 to 18, by activities such as sports, weightlifting, running, and other strenuous physical activities will be physically stronger and healthier, and often better socially adjusted, than their counterparts who are not involved in sports or other physical activities, over the long run. That is about the same developmental stage as a horse between the ages of two and three years (24-36 months).
Now, let’s say we subscribe to the idea that a horse should not be started until the age of five years, which is a number I commonly hear. That is roughly equivalent to the age of a human in his/her late teens-to-early twenties. In my mind, that’s a little late to be starting their training under saddle, as it would also be late to start a person on their way to becoming a professional athlete.
To extend things further, a horse about 10 years old is roughly equivalent to a human in his/her early thirties or so. A horse about 15 would be in the 40-45 year-old human range. A horse 20 years old would be roughly equivalent to a human about 60-65 years old. A horse about 25 years old is roughly in the range of 75 years old for a human.
Some ranchers will bring in their young stock to break and start training in their second year, give them 30-60 days training, decide which horses they will keep, sell the ones they won’t, then turn the rest back out on the range until their fifth year (at which time they will be 4 to five years old). They will then bring them back in, finishing their training, and put them to work. That seems like a reasonable regimen for a working horse. For a horse intended for trail riding and pack trips, such as I do, I see no reason not to start a horse’s saddle training at age two (although I look at their actual age by birth month). I do not, however, start putting long, hard miles on them until they are past three years old (36 months). Even during training they will not always be ridden daily. I have experienced no problems with that process.
Now to address the opposite end of the spectrum.
We all know some 75 year-old humans who still get along pretty well. Some still hike, bike, and participate in a variety of other sporting activities. A few even run marathons. However, the fact remains that a man’s average life span is currently 77 years and a woman’s is 81. A horse that is 25 years old should be handled with care, with the understanding that you simply cannot work it into better condition. It’s condition is deteriorating and no amount of feed or exercise will improve that. It will tire quickly and can be over-taxed easily. As a general rule, if it has been kept in good condition during its lifetime, it will be so much the better in old age, just like a human.
It has become a common practice to feed older horses a variety of food supplements for various ailments, such as arthritis. In my opinion, horse vitamins and food supplements are no more effective on horses than they are on humans. Many food supplements for humans are purely placebic in nature. Those that actually have some science behind them are formulated for specific issues and are more effective for some people and issues than others. The same applies to horses. There is more marketing science behind many of them than physical science. Most food supplements, both for humans and for horses are much more effective in creating profits for the producer than health benefits for the patient.
Don’t think I am against proper nutrition, or against supplementing an older horse’s diet. Proper feeding is always important at any age. It is true that feed quality, particularly hay, varies from year to year and from region to region and that supplements may be required to maintain a well balanced nutritional diet. Feed can be tested and proper supplemental nutrition determined. I am, however, stating my opinion clearly that many of the food supplements marketed for horses are effective only in making the horse owner feel better. Some may even be harmful. Do your homework.
So, to get back to the main point of this post, and to come to a conclusion, for a person to state emphatically that another who has started a horse under saddle at age two, without any other information than that, is likely to be wrong. One two year-old horse may actually be much closer to three than two. Another two year-old horse may not yet have reached 24 months of age. One horse may be further developed physically than another at the same age. A horse intended for a life of casual trail riding will not have the same risks of injury or harm at an early age as one intended for heavy ranch or show work, but may benefit greatly from the physical development and training during that period. There are a wide range of considerations in determining at what age a horse may be beneficially and safely started. Actual age is only one of them. One person’s decision to start a horse later should be considered a personal decision, rather than a moral imperative applying to all.
That’s the gospel according to Tony.
I found the below-linked article informative with regard to bone and joint development in horses: