Can anyone find any links or give me some information on the dangers of breaking a horse in too young? I am trying to get some information together to show someone what can happen when you break a horse in before its ready. Thanks 
The dangers of breaking a horse in too young
- Thread starter katieB
- Start date
if you do a search under chev's posts, i think you'll find something. i seem to remember her linking to a very through article on it.
that was the one i was thinking of chev. yours looks interesting too galadriel - i'll read it properly when i'm not at work...
I believe chev's link is the same article as the one I posted, except that the link I posted is actually on Dr. Deb's site and has some more to it (graphics & things).
If you want any photographic eveidence I can take a pic of my 29 year old pony who was hammerd off down the roads driving from the age of 1! Her rngbone is text book stuff... poor lass!
The horse is 2 and a half now, think they are talking about breaking her in in the next 6 months.
Thanks for the link Gal and Chev.
why is it i seem to ge the general impression that in america horses are broken in at an earlier age then they are here?
is that generally true, or a complete myth, obviously there will be exceptions, but generally....
is that generally true, or a complete myth, obviously there will be exceptions, but generally....
My long deceased first pony was backed at 3 and jumping within weeks of being backed. I got him aged 8, he had been produced by a leading showjumper at that time (we are talking 1976 ish) and his then owners had high hopes for him. He got so sour so young he had been turned away for nearly 3 years before we got him ... for the huge sum of £200. He had back problems and behavioural issues, was really cold backed, reared, you name it. They got rid of him because of his issues and the fact that he would always have a fence in a jump off.
Not an ideal first pony but we had a lot of fun together but we gave up showjumping, he would always jump clear but when it came to a jump off was consistent with 4 faults - to this day I believe it was because he had been pushed too far too young and the knock down in a jump off was his way of telling me not to push him.
Bless him he lived til his late 20's, I never sold him but when I was about 18 or so he was semi retired to my uncle's racing yard and used to go out on the gallops nearly every day showing the fancy tb's how its done!
I now have an almost 3 year old Friesian colt. He was bitted in Holland at 18 months or so, and will be backed in May/June next year and then turned away again. My plan is to start him really slowly and carefully, allowing him to mature in his own time.
Not an ideal first pony but we had a lot of fun together but we gave up showjumping, he would always jump clear but when it came to a jump off was consistent with 4 faults - to this day I believe it was because he had been pushed too far too young and the knock down in a jump off was his way of telling me not to push him.
Bless him he lived til his late 20's, I never sold him but when I was about 18 or so he was semi retired to my uncle's racing yard and used to go out on the gallops nearly every day showing the fancy tb's how its done!
I now have an almost 3 year old Friesian colt. He was bitted in Holland at 18 months or so, and will be backed in May/June next year and then turned away again. My plan is to start him really slowly and carefully, allowing him to mature in his own time.
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