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Ditto, Heidi. 

WitezII horses are generally known for their hardiness
and endurance. 

My guess is that there were other factors involved
with this horse's problems than being started late.

For example,as a foal to two year old, did he get to
run and build those tendons and ligaments or was he
stall kept. My babies have lots of running room. They
run and play so much, they really build themselves up.

This gelding she talks about, ring work doesn't put
the same stresses on tendons, ligament, bone and
muscle that trail work does. In fact, I think it can
stress more, working in tight circles, being forced in
to frames, etc. A lot would depend on HOW he was
ridden in the ring. 

And part of the equation would be how he was
introduced to distance riding, how he was fitted up,
how his tack fit, how the rider rode, etc. There are
just too many variables to point to one issue!

My endurance horse is 17 now and going strong at AERC
and CTR rides. I got him as a 10 Yo. He had been
started at 3, but not ridden much. From 9 to 10, he
hadn't been ridden at all.

We've been doing this now since `1997 and he's not had
any sound ness issues, knock on wood. I fully expect
to be competing on Star when he's in his 20s.

chris
--- heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> > Hi heard Kerry Ridgeway, DVM say once that you
> only
> > had until a horse was 10 or 12 to harden the
> bones,
> > tendons and ligaments.  After that you could only
> > harden the muscle, and otherwise you got what you
> got.
> > I had that experience with a really talented Witez
> II
> > bred gelding that we didn't get until he was 12.
> He
> > had been out to pasture and done mostly ring work.
>  He
> > loved trail riding and won his first CTR.  By the
> time
> > I was ready for the open division he was having
> > soundness problems.  I managed to finish my first
> 50
> > on him with rim pads, but I wonder what he could
> have
> > been if he was conditioned earlier in life. So put
> on
> > those miles now!
> I'm not sure I buy into that theory.  I've started
> my share of horses in
> their teens and went on to a long and very
> competitive career with one,
> and never had soundness issues with any.  Nor have I
> seen that to be a
> pattern when vetting rides, among horses that I know
> have been started
> late in life.  It is true that all tissues age, but
> I've seen a lot more
> horses broken down from overriding too soon than
> I've seen break down from
> starting late.
>
> Heidi
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=====
"A good horse makes short miles," George Eliot

Chris and Star

BayRab Acres
http://pages.prodigy.net/paus

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