Breaking them in late?

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Equestrian_Jem

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Jul 10, 2009
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Northwest England, UK
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Hi all :) There is this amazing little pony (approx 13.2, welsh i think) at my loans yard, and iv been told that the owners had him since he was a foal and always intended on sending him away to be broken and schooled but kept putting it off, hes just always been turned away, but now hes 5 years old and people are saying its probably too late for him now, is this true? can anyone explain more about this to me? imo hes too amazing to be turned away for the rest of his life, i wont even get started on how sweet he is :eek:

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5 yrs old is not too late to back a horse/pony, my friend bought a broodmare a couple of years ago, she was 8 and had never been backed - she's now competing novice afflicted stressage!! And doing really, really well.

The reason it is the norm to wait until they are 3, 4 and 5 to back, is to let them finish growing - some plates in the horse's muscoskeletal frame do not close until they are at least 4.5 yrs old.

I must admit that I lightly backed Lexi last year as a 3.5 yr old and turned her away for the winter - I bought her back into work March this year as a 4 yr old, and she has a light varied workload. I will be turning her away agin for the winter, and as a 5yr old she will then start 'proper' work.
 
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Haha, as if!

I'm sure I read about final bones in the back not fusing until they are 6 or 7. Especially as natives seem to take longer to mature.

I know people who have sucessfully broken in horses over ten with no problems.

I can't believe people thinkg 5 is too late lol
 
5 is nothing?
I helped break in a well-handled 6 yo pony this year ... and a 7 yo last year --- neither had been mentally ready to for anything other than running with the herd before then ... Broodmares are sometimes backed & broken in for the first time in their teens & my best friend's favourite event pony was broken in as a 12 yo after running completely wild as a stallion until he was 11 (took 1 year to get him accepting of humans) and turned into a talented amazing pony that worked well into his late twenties without a day of lameness ...
 
ditto 5 is normal!

we broke an untouched stallion in as a 15 year old to ride and drive, took to it like he'd been doing it all his life absolutely no bother :D
 
We often don't start our riding horses until 5-6, sometimes later if they are sensetive types and late to mentally mature. 5 is a good time.

My HAffy Stallion was not trained to ride or drive until he was about 9-10. He thought it was great.
 
5yrs is still a baby in my eyes.
The earliest I will start light backing is 4yrs, then turn away and bring back into light work.

I have recently backed a 6yr old welsh section A who has now been sold to a lovely family who will be doing PC with him :)
 
i have a 5yr old warmblood /tb - 16'1 and still not backed - i too was worrid felt like a bad mummmy as people saying he should be out and about BUT i had been let down by the person backing him for me but i have a horse that lunges brilliantly - long reins like a star - has ground manners to die for -had had and does wear all tack and boots on reg basis - has had rider on back at walk - now and after the responses i got on here then know i not a bad mummy :) - he is still growing - but i am now in process of introducing him to poles and free schooling over jumps, gonna introduce umbrellas, flapping bags, screaming children, barking dogs etc to him over the winter period and then come spring have him proff backed and then ridden

so he will be 6 - i can then at least feel that my lad has had the best start in life - has not been rushed into doing things and hopefully will be a more chilled lad
 
five is NOT old. It did my head in being told to break my youngster at 3, we've just backed him and he's 5. He was not ready at age 3 or 4. Those writing this poor pony off at 5 need their heads read :rolleyes::p
 
I started a very fit arab at the grand age of 21. The problem i had was his very set ways with no fear whatsoever meaning he would DO things his way in his time.

Now that is late!
 
eventerbabe said:
five is NOT old. It did my head in being told to break my youngster at 3, we've just backed him and he's 5. He was not ready at age 3 or 4. Those writing this poor pony off at 5 need their heads read :rolleyes::p
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I feel the same, I have a 2 yr old filly and I feel like there is pressure from certain people saying that she needs to be backed at 3. I'm just gonna take it how it comes and see how she is at 3 and wait til later if I feel she is not ready. It's not a race and would rather go at her pace than spoil her :)
 
Beats me where people come up with these ideas! Perhaps there are still a lot of people who believe the old adage 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'. But even then, 5yo being over the hill??!

People who are in it for the money & prizes can't wait to start babies for racing or 'futurities'(Ha! what a name - much of the time leads to horses with very short futures...), doesn't mean they SHOULD be started so early. 5yo is a good average *healthy* age to start most horses under saddle - tho heavies often mature later still.

But why do people say it's 'too late'?? Too late for what?? The oldest horse I've ever started was a 22yo broodmare. The last lot of horses I bought were brumbies, never handled except for being yarded about a month prior to sale & run thru a race to be drenched & put on a cattle truck to be delivered to me. 2 mares were about 8yo & the other was probably about 12yo... Being untouched(unspoilt) they were among the easiest horses I've ever dealt with.
 
Really just repeating what others have said, five is definitely not too old, it's about perfect, IMO:D The oldest horse I ever started was 11, and a friend is starting her 17yo ex-broodmare atm :) Vet reckons she can't get in foal anymore after failing to hold last season, so why leave her to idle in the paddock just because she's a little more mature?
 
I was told not to buy a 9 yo brood mare with a view to training her, as it was too late and she'd be set in her ways and untrainable :D :D she made one of the best school horses, an utter joy and the mare who always introduced folk to lateral moves.
 
My mare was five when she was broken in. I think it was so good I wouldn't hesitate to do it again (get a horse broken in once they've matured). They don't have any of the baby brain, and you don't have to worry about damaging bones as much or any of that stuff.
 
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