what age should my arabian be before I can ride him

Question
I have an arabian stud colt that is a couple months shy of 2 years old. I recently gentled him to a saddle and have been riding him since then. He's very petite, only 14H, so I haven't been doing anything too terribly strenuous on him, but I have gotten him to trot, canter, and gollop(btw, I weigh 120 lbs myself, if that helps). Someone told me that he is WAY too young to be ridden, so my question is: how old does he have to be? I wouldn't want to damage him or anything.

Answer
Hi Mary!

At two he is very much a baby.  Depending on the breed, a horse is not an adult until they are five years old. At five they finally have all of their adult teeth!

It has only been in the past few decades that the rush to ride babies has become popular.  AQHA, NSBA futurities and the racing industry have pushed the envelope for riding, racing and showing younger and younger horses.  It then happens that popular culture follows suit.  Now it is almost accepted to ride a baby.

It was standard practice to start a colt very lightly in their three year old year, maybe 30 to 60 days and then turn them out again for several months.  More work then followed with serious training happening as four year olds.  

I think less is more with young horses.  The risk of OCD is very real and long term lameness is always possible.  It sounds like you have a very nice horse and you are trying to do the right thing by him.  So, my suggestion is WHOA!!!  Keep doing your ground work, give him time to grow and develop and plan on the long term.  Remember, you have the next 20 years to spend together.  Make them healthy and happy.  

Keep me posted!  Happy Trails, Denise