Riding Yearlings

[Toccet02]

At what age (in months) is it considered OK to start riding yearlings?
Say an average size one that's being prepared as a racehorse.

[madelyn]

Here is what I do. I don't send mine until their knees are pretty much set, 22-23 months old. It ALL depends on the yearling. The smaller, tank built with developed legs might get pointed to a two year old career, while the leggy ones may wait till spring of the two year old year. I think too much weight on those green joints can ruin them.. also they work straight. No figure eights or small round pen work.

[Toccet02]

I ask because I have heard of a training farm that is "sending yearlings to the track" and I was surprised. Do they just walk them around or something? Pony them?

[madelyn]

To me, there is a BIG difference between training yearlings to race and training yearlings for the two-year old in training sales. For the two-year old in training sales, they push the yearling, bones be damned, to get that one really fast furlong at the sale. That is the only goal, the whole enchilada. If the horse can't ever take another step afterward it doesn't matter because the horse got that one big payday (like The Green Monkey).

This month is December, and most yearlings are nearly two. My beautiful Jan 6th filly, Miss Punctuality, who looks physically like a three year old, has now had six weeks under saddle and is heading to the track. She has GREAT bones, her knees are closed, and she is just 15.2. Perfect. And she will be a two year old on Jan 6th.

My Feb 28th colt is still leggy, his body is not developed enough, and he is 16h. We will wait on him. Everything else I have is younger than that. However, I have a March filly that is developed to the point of consideration.. she is like Miss Punctuality. Full bodied, on GREAT legs, knees almost closed. She is also just barely 15.2, so she might be next.

We are training ours to race, not to blitz a furlong and sell.

[Bunty Lawless]

Very sound advice Madelyn.

Wouldn't it be nice if those training for the sales would take a bit of a cue as well?

[ratherrapid]

Preston Burch broke early yearlings in June, regular gallops by September, 3f breezes by first of December. Light riders only. Burch's book mentions nothing about opening or closing of knees so you wonder if that was a consideration for him.

[Denise]

Our trainers don't begin breaking yearlings till the fall, followed by jogging, cantering and long, slow gallops with light riders. They stop on them for a few months in the winter, then start back with them the following spring.
All is predicated by size, conformation, soundness, heart and minds, naturally. They train them to race, not breeze at under tack shows.

[tbrace]

Hey, BC3, and other two year old sale folks are just about ready to

breeze those yearlings. Not kidding. Absolutly true.

Good luck owners and buyers.

[Hold Your Peace]

Most major training centers start their yearlings in late October but they don't actually start breezing until the following spring.

Yearlings being pointed to a 2yo sale would start earlier.

Some of the yearlings destined for the February and March 2yo sales are already breezing.

[tbrace]

Too much, too soon. End of story.

[nythoroughbredvz]

for myself and mo own, im thinking march or april!

[teb]

We break TB's here in Ireland and start in the fall. All our babies spend time jogging and doing basic flatwork, including little trotting poles on the ground. They are also ridden in the fields too. All are turned out for half the day before and after training. The first batch go to their trainer in November, the end of, before galloping or cantering. They then spend time in the arena and on trails and light work on the gallops before starting more serious work at the end of January. This still wouldn't be American type breezing for speed. They are also turned out for half the day when in training too.

We don't have any problems with hot, unruly, or unhappy horses. We try to build the muscles with the skeletal system to avoid problems when serious work starts. All the horses we have sent over for the past 3 years have all come back during their winter holidays without shins or any joint problems and most have one races. Most usually have 2 or 3 months off in the winter. They are turned out all day and in at night. After 2 months they start back on the walker and with basic flatwork to get their muscles flexing. Even racehorses can do with a bit of flatwork.

And while we haven't had any older geldings come back yet, during their break as 4 turning 5 yo's, it is not uncommon to give them a day's hunting before they go back. Keeps them fresh and happy even if they are flat horses!

Terri

[geowarrior]

Probably a stupid question, but how do you tell if the knees are closed?

[zinn21]

Interesting to note that Dr. Larry Bramlage was asked at the weekly Bloodhorse Q and A when is the best time to minimize injury when starting a training regimen for young horses and he basically stated that the best age to train a horse is to start right at the end of growth and maintain the bone formation mechanism that has been doing the growing, and just shift it to responding to training. So, late yearlings and early two year olds train better end up with more starts and stay sounder than those who wait until later.

Here is the link to the entire transcript:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/talkinhorses/LB121307.asp

[Cathyleabo]

Hi Geo, you can have the knees x-rayed to see if enough bone has formed to start them. We had our QH x-rayed after his groundwork and basic saddle but before he went onto the track for the first time. Instead of the track, he went back out to pasture.