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Member
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| Trying to settle a discussion with someone. Would you start an 18 month old colt? Would you work one consistently throughout the summer or rather start one and then turn it out for the summer..I have my own opinion but I am curious to know yours. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 460
| 18 months?? No way. My baby will be 3 late this summer, and I just got on her for the first time last weekend. I like to ride them consistently, but if they are fragile minded or have any sort of injury...I'll put 30 days on and turn out for a season. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
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Location: ND | It depends on the plans for the horse, some futurity horses & race horses have to be started really young to be prepared for the competitions they're headed towards. It's not my preference but it's the way it is.
My babies are started really lightly at 2, 15-30 days riding & that's it for the year. Then I start working them more at 3. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 542
| SaraJean - 2018-03-23 1:40 PM
It depends on the plans for the horse, some futurity horses & race horses have to be started really young to be prepared for the competitions they're headed towards. It's not my preference but it's the way it is.
My babies are started really lightly at 2, 15-30 days riding & that's it for the year. Then I start working them more at 3.
Exactly, most are riding before they actually turn 2 in January. If you wait until then with race horses your behind and can cause more problems because you have to rush them instead of taking it slow. Barrel futurity horses will usually be started by then as well. Most high quality prospects have x rays on file early as weanlings checking for OCD and looking at knees. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Depends on the size of the horse to. I kind of let them tell me when they are ready to go. Some you can start at 2 and just keep going they are so level headed and some take a while longer. I do start adequan for young ones to hopefully protect them a little as they are being broke/started etc. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1520
Location: Illinois | My personal horses I wait until close to 3. They're just future open horses, not futurity colts. Also depends on size. However I used to work for a cutter and that's an entirely different ballgame. They need to be already pretty finished cutting by 2.5 years old, we got on them full work at 18 months. Most weren't even 14 hands yet. Most of them also had to start injections by the age of 6 and you'll have a lot of rejects. Out of about 15 2 year olds we'd maybe keep 2 in the program. Personally I'd rather wait an extra year and have that horse in a longer career unless you like the hustle and bustle of the futurity world. The horse that won the pole bending at color congress last year was 2 years old.
Edited by JLazyT_perf_horses 2018-03-23 2:36 PM
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | With the exception of TB's, other breeds that are going to race are started in August/September of their yearling year. Unless they get sore or hurt, they are going atleast 5 days a week until broke and then we back off on them some. That said even some TB's are broke as long yearlings then given maybe 30-45 days off and brought back to run late in their 2 yr old year. Different disciplines do things different. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| runfastturnsmooth - 2018-03-23 1:50 PM SaraJean - 2018-03-23 1:40 PM It depends on the plans for the horse, some futurity horses & race horses have to be started really young to be prepared for the competitions they're headed towards. It's not my preference but it's the way it is.
My babies are started really lightly at 2, 15-30 days riding & that's it for the year. Then I start working them more at 3. Exactly, most are riding before they actually turn 2 in January. If you wait until then with race horses your behind and can cause more problems because you have to rush them instead of taking it slow. Barrel futurity horses will usually be started by then as well. Most high quality prospects have x rays on file early as weanlings checking for OCD and looking at knees.
But just because the association says they are 2 in January, doesn't mean they are 24 months/2 yr olds in body. Mine would have been 20 months. But some people do start them that early.
I didn't start my filly until fall because she was little and needed to grow. I want her to last and am not in any hurry. She had 45 days. Plan to start her back here soon. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 542
| Nateracer - 2018-03-23 2:58 PM
runfastturnsmooth - 2018-03-23 1:50 PM SaraJean - 2018-03-23 1:40 PM It depends on the plans for the horse, some futurity horses & race horses have to be started really young to be prepared for the competitions they're headed towards. It's not my preference but it's the way it is.
My babies are started really lightly at 2, 15-30 days riding & that's it for the year. Then I start working them more at 3. Exactly, most are riding before they actually turn 2 in January. If you wait until then with race horses your behind and can cause more problems because you have to rush them instead of taking it slow. Barrel futurity horses will usually be started by then as well. Most high quality prospects have x rays on file early as weanlings checking for OCD and looking at knees.
I didn't start my filly until fall because she was little and needed to grow. I want her to last and am not in any hurry. She had 45 days. Plan to start her back here soon.
Yes ma'am
Got a Stoli right now that was born in July bought at the yearling sale. Still got started September of her yearling year before she turned 2. She was big tho and had x rays done b/c they were scared of OCD lesions with her growth. |
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Member
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| Thanks guys...the deal is colt was born sept 2016 and is approx 18 months. Apparently I could (doesn't mean should!) ride him 4 days a week. I don't see anything wrong with lightly starting him but I think I will pass, solely based on the fact that I don't want to cause him health problems down the road. He's also very small, just looks like a big foal. |
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 Expert
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Location: Somewhere around here | glitzandgrit - 2018-03-24 5:14 AM
Thanks guys...the deal is colt was born sept 2016 and is approx 18 months. Apparently I could (doesn't mean should!) ride him 4 days a week. I don't see anything wrong with lightly starting him but I think I will pass, solely based on the fact that I don't want to cause him health problems down the road. He's also very small, just looks like a big foal.
With this I would agree to wait. They're are some colts out there that are around 15 hands at that age and I'd start them then. I'd probably do 30-99 days, depends on the colts, then I'd give them to whole summer off and then get on them again around fall to see what they remember. But this is just for large colts. I was working under an older gentleman, has barrel babies and colts that we're bred out of the butt, but his philosophy was waiting until they were three to break them. Now I haven't scared of breaking many colts in my days but his horses scared me because they were HUGE at three and basically been on pasture their whole lives. It was a bad situation. |
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Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | glitzandgrit - 2018-03-24 5:14 AM
Thanks guys...the deal is colt was born sept 2016 and is approx 18 months. Apparently I could (doesn't mean should!) ride him 4 days a week. I don't see anything wrong with lightly starting him but I think I will pass, solely based on the fact that I don't want to cause him health problems down the road. He's also very small, just looks like a big foal.
I've got one that was a fall baby too. I just waited and started riding her the fall of her 2 year old year. Then she got the winter off & I went back to work with her when she was 2 1/2 in the spring. |
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Member
Posts: 21
| SaraJean - 2018-03-24 2:28 PM
glitzandgrit - 2018-03-24 5:14 AM
Thanks guys...the deal is colt was born sept 2016 and is approx 18 months. Apparently I could (doesn't mean should!) ride him 4 days a week. I don't see anything wrong with lightly starting him but I think I will pass, solely based on the fact that I don't want to cause him health problems down the road. He's also very small, just looks like a big foal.
I've got one that was a fall baby too. I just waited and started riding her the fall of her 2 year old year. Then she got the winter off & I went back to work with her when she was 2 1/2 in the spring.
Yup, that's what I think this guy needs. Thanks for the opinions , I needed some outside input to make sure I was correct in my thinking |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | We don't start ours until they are 3. They get ranched on hard and spend long hours, back to back days in rough country. Never had one come up lame in 20 yrs that wasn't from an actual accident (run through fence etc). If they spend their life after in the arena it would be a walk in the park. |
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