opinions on jump heights for young horses

[welsheq]

noticed a six year old showing at derby finals. seems really young for such massive jumps (3’9-4’3 iirc). i was always told that at 6 their spine and neck are still developing, and they shouldn’t be jumping over 3’ at most.

what is the minimum age you think a horse should be jumping that big?

[horselover]

I agree. Lots of years to develop a horse. Don't see the need to rush. Look at the 19 year old out there. Sad.

[CuriousCat12]

Do you realize there is a whole 6 year old jumper division that is 1.25m -1.30m which is over 4ft

[welsheq]

Do you realize there is a whole 6 year old jumper division that is 1.25m -1.30m which is over 4ft

i do, i think it’s terrible. no need to rush a horse like that

[curleysue]

Total b.s. To be jumping and competing young horses at those heights. Same with running 2 and 3 year olds. It is all about money. As in sales. The best thing and owner of a horse can do is grow a pair of balls and not allow that to happen to their horse. Sadly, most people defer to their trainers which is so stupid. After all, who works for whom? I recently watched some women begging the tack seller at a show to hold onto a show coat because they needed their trainer to approve it before they purchased it. It was like watching dumb and dumber.

[$$$ Stormydog]

Curleysue needs to read some books about training young thoroughbreds to race before she makes stupid comments!

[curleysue]

$$$ Stormydog needs to read the scientific facts regarding horse anatomy. However, that does require a higher I.Q. BTW all breeds of horses, just like all races of people, have the same anatomy.

[$$$ Stormydog]

Curleysue needs to take her meds. Read about building bone density with your high IQ!

[curleysue]

$$$ Stormydog. Bone density has nothing to do with growths plates. You can't fix stupid!

[BleepBloop]

Alright, my savior/superiority complex won't allow me to let this one go without making a statement.

The racing industry "studies" which claimed that working baby horses builds bone density was entirely SELF-FUNDED and every other scientific study regarding working young horses has found nearly all of the racing industry data to be completely and utterly false.

Baby horse bone density did increase with work, however this was in part due calcium deposits which developed from the micro fractures related to the unnatural stress caused by racing/working animals that are not physically mature. This may also be related to the diets race horses are fed which are not natural to the species as a whole.

If any of their findings were true regarding bone density and longevity, and racing babies resulted in more hardy animals, don't you think it would be unusual rather than the norm that OTTBs and other animals worked at early ages are unable to perform long second careers?

Statically speaking, a vast majority OTTBs are not able to perform a second career past lower levels due to the unnatural stress on their bodies during their formative growth years.

Further, and in semi-related news, if open heel metal shoes were so good for horses, why do OTTBs historically have the worst feet? They got shoes put on very early, doesn't that mean they should have amazing feet?

Science has TOLD US no matter the breed, horses are simply not skeletally mature until at LEAST 6 years old. Sometimes closer to 8 if it's a particularly large animal.

PS Julien Epaillard - you know, world number 2 - has said in an interview he does not start his horses until they are 5-6 years old. They don't jump at all til 6. And they're all barefoot. When he shows on grass, he slaps plastic Delysis shoes on which are threaded for studs, they're pulled immediately following competition.

I could go on a diatribe regarding management for longevity, but yeah working babies is not one of the ways to ensure longterm soundness.