Would you ride a 2 yr old arab?

[hairyhighland]

Just looking through the arabian lines sales pages and I see there's an ad on there with a picture of a two year old being ridden (in trot) - apparently it's hacked "gently" and schooled in all paces. Isn't this a tad young? Or are arabs like TBs; habitually ridden at a very young age?

[samcspottyhorses]

I thought only quarter horses were started at 2? I know they are bred to mature early.
No I wouldn't ride an arab that young, no matter how mature. Call me old fashioned....

[donna]

Even the quarter horses shouldn't be ridden that early, I think it is to do with bone formation, and although some breeds appear to be capable of being ridden because their bones are formed, they are often not dense enough(but this doesn't show up on an x ray so people don't realise). That's why the breeds with dense bones, such as Icelandics, are not started until they are 5+. I don't know much about it, but if I'm wrong I'm sure someone will be quick to correct me!!!

[jes]

Agree with Donna and samc here. In any case, why would you want to ride a 2 year old and risk damaging it's joints and bones causing problems later on?

[kas]

NO I wouldn't ride any horse at that age.
This is my Arab at 2

and here she is at 4, the very, very first time I sat on her. Bit more substance I think

(sorry, I don't know how to make the second photo bigger.

[Oranges]

i wouldn't risk it either, you'd be better waiting a few extra years at the begining and having a horse that lives to a ripe old age

[kas]

They probably did this thinking it would help to sell. It would put me off, worry about strain on young joints and bones. The growth plates won't be closed at that age.

[pip]

It is the back and neck that are last to mature, so a heavy weight at too young an age can lead to the horse being tense in the back as it tries to protect itself.

I am a bit on the fence for racing TBs because the jockeys are very light and the horses are going in straight lines doing "what comes naturally" ie galloping.

If you want to see how the horse's skeleton matures go to www.equinestudies.org and look under the Knowledge section under "Ranger" - very interesting article.

[varkie]

I wouldn't ride any two year old horse - whatever the breed!

[BuckSkinBabe]

I would be just starting a two year old. Not riding yet. I think it is fine to train at this age, but do not introduce the rider yet. If I did start riding them at about 2 and 1/2 it would only be in halt and walk, I wouldn't start trotting or cantering until about 3.

Your right Kas. A horse at two kind of reminds me of a human teenager in development. It looks like an adult, but it still doesn't have all the muscle structure there. I think it was good that you waited.

It is also cool how your horse changed color Kas. She looks like she was born a bay, almost a buckskin color, and then she turned grey. I also own a grey arab and I always wondered what color she was in her youth.

[Persianhorse]

We dont ride them but we put a dummy on them for schooling only.

[specialsparkle3]

I would'nt, in my wildest dreams, even think, of riding a 2 year old !

[sulasmum]

I would not do it either. YO has two, 2yo olds and sometimes just gets a lighweight to lie over them but nothing else, not sure I even agree with that though

[julz]

I used to help out at a Arab Stud yard, where the owner also used to race her arabs. She would start them at 2, and then turn away for a year to mature, bring back, start them again at 3, then at 3.5 start getting them ready to race at 4.

[serenity]

No.