I would also say that we do not pony our horses before 2 -21/2 yrs of
age. Remeber a ponied horse at any other speed than a walk, is going to have
to trust where you are taking it, it will not be able to choose where it steps
as easily as the other horse, they are still on young, developing legs.
*Hi Leah, what are the conditions that your raise
the babies, then? I tend to slightly disagree in that I have raised some
youngsters on basically 10, flat acres. They have turnout, but to me, that is
not enough to develop strong bone, muscle, ligaments and tendons. Given
a ideal wild-horse model, or the proverbial 500 hilly acres, horses are
designed to cover ground from day 2 or so of birth, and a lot of this is
essential for future soundness. I think young horses need consistent
exercise over rough terrain, certainly not overdoing it, and building up from
1/2 hour or so....but the sooner they learn how to carry themselves over
rocks, hills and creeks, the stronger and more surefooted horse you will end
up with.
Again, not having hilly acerage to bring up the
few youngsters I have had, I have tried to combine turnout, ponying and
running loose on the trail at least 5-6 times a week.
The second filly I did this with finished Tevis
at age 7? on her first try, came in 23rd. She had about 2 years initial trail
experience, including running loose, then several more years of
consistent trail riding and endurance, including 50's and multi day rides
(under the owner I sold her to).
