The Right Time? O
by JEFF COOK
ne of the age old questions horse trainers get asked is “what is the right time to start my horse under saddle?”
The answers are as varied as the people giving them.
The racehorse industry puts lots of pressure on young horses to get them racing, often to the detriment of the horse. The same can be said of horse shows. The futurity system creates a demand for saddle trained horses to be shown for big money under high pressure in the horse’s two year old year. Often, these foals are being ridden hard as long yearlings.
Opinions vary as to the amount of damage done to bone, tendon and ligaments due to repetitive stress in the training environment.
I grew up in the ranching community of western Colorado. The high elevation and long cold winters made for foals being born later in summer and slower growth rates. Usually, these foals were left to grow up with the cows in the mountains. Rarely were they started under saddle until 4 - 5 years of age. I believe, these colts were stronger and tougher than a farm raised two year old. They had better balance, and were far more mentally mature. I feel like the big boned, heavy muscled, early born pedigreed horses are often just not mentally ready for concentrated work.
I start lots of mustangs and compete in Extreme Mustang Make- over events. At times, we are allowed to select the horse we want to show. I really lean towards the four and five year olds. I feel that life experience and maturity help a lot, especially when we only have 100 days or so to get them show ready.
There is my two cents worth on the subject. Always do what you feel is right by you and your horse.
Jeff Cook and his wife Kelsey own Dream Horse Az in Tucson Ar- izona. They can be found online at
dreamhorseaz.com or Dream Horse Az on Facebook.
HORSE & AG MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 5
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