General Horse Racing Questions

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by richard burch

If we disregard tradition, what is the negative about letting horses start to race at 3 instead of 2?

Scientific studies point to racing at 2 being better for soundness. If you responsibly exert stress on the bones of a 2yo, their skeletal system will ultimately be stronger for the weight that's likely to come as they grow. Now obviously you can't over-train/race them or that'll do more harm than good, but if they go without that stress, you can end up with a frame that's possibly under-prepared to handle the weight of a maturing horse. If the 2yo is already massive and gangly, there'd be some adjustment to the idea of responsible stressing of the bones because you're already dealing with a lot of weight on an immature frame.

People get emotional about the idea of protecting the poor babies, but it's not based on fact, just feeling. Surely they'd be better off waiting, etc. Not really. If you want a safer situation for horses, bone strength matters and you're more likely to get that racing at 2.

[richard burch]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

Scientific studies point to racing at 2 being better for soundness. If you responsibly exert stress on the bones of a 2yo, their skeletal system will ultimately be stronger for the weight that's likely to come as they grow. Now obviously you can't over-train/race them or that'll do more harm than good, but if they go without that stress, you can end up with a frame that's possibly under-prepared to handle the weight of a maturing horse. If the 2yo is already massive and gangly, there'd be some adjustment to the idea of responsible stressing of the bones because you're already dealing with a lot of weight on an immature frame.

People get emotional about the idea of protecting the poor babies, but it's not based on fact, just feeling. Surely they'd be better off waiting, etc. Not really. If you want a safer situation for horses, bone strength matters and you're more likely to get that racing at 2.

Sounds reasonable. I think that a full year of training from 2 to 3 rather than racing maybe the better option, less stress and less green when they begin to race at 3. They would be stronger, more developed. mature and more prepared.