05/17/2026
It doesn't sit right with either myself or Nicola how normalised it is to put young horses into ridden work before their bodies are truly ready for it.
Not just lightly introducing tack or short positive experiences. Proper ridden work. Schooling. Repetitive circles. Frames. Collection. Carrying human weight in sustained ridden work before large parts of the body have finished developing and stabilising.
And I understand why this happens because I was part of it too.
I grew up in the racing world. My father was a jockey, so young horses being started early was something that felt completely normal to me from a very young age. It was simply the horse culture I was raised around and exposed to growing up. I don’t say that to blame anyone because some people within those systems genuinely care deeply for their horses and are doing what has long been considered standard practice.
As a teenager, I had a two year old off-the-track Thoroughbred called Mister Mustard. I adored that horse. I schooled him, rode him, worked with him, and at the time I genuinely believed I was doing right by him.
But if I knew then what I know now, I would never have sat on him at that age.
Because now I understand more about what his body may still have been trying to become underneath me.
And I think that distinction matters.
This conversation is not about shaming people for what they did with the knowledge they had at the time. Awareness around equine development, biomechanics, pain science, posture, nervous system regulation, and long-term soundness has evolved enormously over the years, and I think many horse people are beginning to look at these conversations differently now.
Because once you begin understanding how gradual equine physical development actually is, it changes the way you look at young horses completely.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the horse world is confusing size with maturity.
A horse may look strong. They may look athletic. They may look physically capable of carrying a rider.
That does not necessarily mean the body has fully matured or stabilised enough to comfortably cope with repetitive ridden demands long term.
Growth plates throughout the body close at different stages and rates, and the body does not mature evenly. The lower limbs mature earlier, while areas involved in postural stability and weight bearing, particularly through the spine and pelvis, generally take longer. The vertebral column, especially through the back and neck, is commonly regarded within equine anatomy and developmental research as one of the slower areas of the body to mature, although timelines vary significantly between individuals, breeds, genetics, nutrition, management, and overall development.
Larger-bodied horses often take longer to mature physically than lighter-built types, and many horses are still developing important spinal and postural stability well into their fifth year and beyond.
That matters when we place a rider on top of a developing body.
Because riding changes loading patterns throughout the horse physically.
Even with the best intentions, kind handling, balanced riders, and well-fitted tack, carrying a human requires the horse to stabilise, balance, and distribute force differently. The spine must support additional weight. Muscles begin adapting to different demands. Limbs absorb repetitive concussive forces differently. The body starts compensating and reorganising itself around those pressures.
And this is where the conversation becomes important because horses are incredibly adaptive animals.
Sometimes so adaptive that humans mistake compensation for comfort.
A young horse may appear willing. They may continue performing. They may look capable.
But coping and thriving are not always the same thing.
Bodies often adapt long before they are truly comfortable.
Over time, some horses may develop compensation patterns, altered posture, increased strain on joints and soft tissues, reduced spinal mobility, uneven loading through the body, or chronic muscular tension patterns. In certain individuals, particularly where conformation, workload, management, footing, saddle fit, rider balance, or pre-existing vulnerabilities are also factors, early repetitive ridden work may contribute to longer-term musculoskeletal strain.
This is not always obvious immediately either.
The body adapts first. Sometimes for years.
A horse may seem physically fine at four and begin struggling more noticeably later in life. Another may never show significant issues at all. This is part of what makes the conversation complex because outcomes vary enormously between individuals.
Genetics matter. Conformation matters. Nutrition matters. Hoof balance matters. Stress levels matter. Rest periods matter. Workload matters. The rider matters. The environment matters.
Equine bodies are remarkably adaptive, and some horses appear to cope with early starts for many years. The concern is not about claiming that every horse started young will inevitably break down. It is about recognising that developmental timelines matter and that repetitive ridden work places demands on structures that may still be maturing.
And I think sometimes the horse world struggles with nuance. People often feel they must choose between: “Young horses should never do anything” or “Starting them young causes no harm.”
Reality is rarely that simple.
Movement itself is essential for healthy development.
Free movement, varied terrain, social interaction, balanced nutrition, healthy hoof development, gradual exposure to the environment, and appropriate conditioning all play important roles in helping bones, muscles, tendons, and connective tissues develop resilience. Bone does adapt positively to appropriate loading and stimulation.
But there is a significant difference between healthy developmental movement and sustained repetitive ridden work carrying human weight on a still-developing body.
Those are not biomechanically the same thing.
I also think it is important to acknowledge that we cannot always draw a perfectly direct line between early ridden work and later issues in individual horses. Physical soundness, posture, movement patterns, emotional regulation, and behavioural expression are influenced by many factors across a horse’s lifetime. However, persistent discomfort, chronic compensation, altered posture, and physical strain are well known to influence movement, stress physiology, and behaviour over time.
Sometimes what people call behavioural issues may partly reflect bodies that have spent years adapting around discomfort.
A horse protecting their back may move differently. A horse struggling with stability may lean heavily onto the forehand. A horse carrying chronic tension may become reactive, resistant, shut down, anxious, disconnected, or increasingly difficult to keep comfortable in work.
Not because they are “bad.” Not because they are trying to challenge humans.
But because the body and nervous system are constantly influencing one another.
And perhaps one of the hardest parts of all of this is realising how many things in the horse world became normal long before we fully understood their long-term implications.
I look back now at Mister Mustard with very different eyes.
I loved that horse deeply. I truly believed I was doing what was right. And there is sadness in recognising that many of us unknowingly participated in systems that asked developing equine bodies for more than they may have been ready for.
But guilt without growth serves nobody.
We cannot undo what we did not yet understand.
What matters is what we choose once awareness arrives.
And I do think the horse world is beginning to evolve in some really important ways. More people are questioning older traditions. More people are looking at longevity, posture, nervous system state, biomechanics, emotional wellbeing, soundness, and quality of life as interconnected rather than separate conversations.
Because when you truly begin seeing the horse as a whole being rather than simply a body built for performance, the questions start changing.
Not: “How early can I start them?”
But: “What does this individual body need in order to stay strong, comfortable, emotionally well, and physically capable for as many years as possible?”
And I think that is a far more important conversation for all of us to be having.
Acknowledgement Deb Bennett PhD for this diagram
