Starting a Horse

Question
i have a 16 month old Paint that i have bounded with very well she accepted the bridle and now saddle , but what age can i actually get on her back. thank you  terrie

Answer

Samantha Harvey & Tayl Hello and thanks for writing.  Horses tend to look big and strong at a young age but it takes a LONG time before they are physically mature enough to ride.  Each horse should be assessed as an individual in where their maturity is and when they are ready to ride.  Also keep in mind that educating a horse is a long term project.  

In too many cases a person will "steal" the first few rides on their young horse. Then you hear stories that the next time they went to get on "all of a sudden" the horse starts to act up.  People tend to get distracted by the physical action of getting on instead of focusing on where their horse's brain is.  

Your horse's physical actions are a reflection of her mental and emotional state.  Part of the horse's maturity process is waiting for her to mentally grow up.  Your horse needs to be mentally and emotionally available AND participative for you to get on. You want the experience to be a positive one so that she has those "warm and fuzzy" feelings towards you and wants to participate.  

There is a LOT of preparation that should go into educating your horse before you get on her for the first time.  A few things to consider include: having her stand quietly while you "fuss" around her, being respectful of pressure, accepting your weight in one stirrup as you "hop" simulating the beginning of mounting up, etc.  She'll need to be desensitized to movement above where the saddle would sit, around her head, sides, stomach, etc.  She'll need to understand how to respond to aids you present from the ground which would be used to communicate when you ride her.  

You need to think of getting on her for the first few times separate from what you might term "riding her."  The first few times you may just get on and off a few times, walk and turn a bit and then put her up for the day.  A successful ride should be "BORING."  No stress, no worry, etc.  Always stop on a positive note.  As she gets more comfortable and balanced with you sitting on her, she'll tell you when she's ready to learn more.

The "common" age for most horse's knees to be closed and to be started around three years old.  Typically they are ridden a few times, then turned back out until they are about four years old.  For me personally I'd rather take my time when starting my horses rather than force a lot of them early on and then have them become bitter and frustrated from being overwhelmed causing them to break down mentally and physically later.

Good Luck,
Samantha Harvey