Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Jumping a three-year-old?

From: Lacy

Hi! I'm brand-new to this mailing list so I hope I'm doing this correctly. :) I'm looking at a 3 yr old TB to buy. I love to jump but am not sure how long I should wait before I can start him over bigger fences if I were to buy him (like 2'6" or is 2'3" to big?). What I have done with him, he is VERY honest and seems to like to jump. Though I still can't say I have done a lot with him. Thanx for you help!

Lacy

Hi Lacy -- if you really love to jump and want to be able to do it now, don't buy a three-year-old. Ask your instructor to help you find an older horse with a lot of experience over fences. A three-year-old is too young to be doing anything but basic flatwork, and jumping him will make it very likely that he will become unsound later, just when you would want him to be able to jump bigger and bigger fences.

Horses aren't fully developed physically -- their skeletons aren't complete -- until they are between five and six years old (and for some Warmbloods, it's even later, around age eight). Jumping too early can cause permanent damage to a young horse. They will do it, and like it, but it's too much stress for their developing bodies. If you buy the three-year-old, you'll need to keep him working on the flat for a year or so before you begin taking him over even very small fences -- and that can be frustrating if you want to be able to go out and jump your new horse right away. You couldn't even take a jumping lesson on such a young horse!

I'll bet that you and your instructor, working together, will be able to find you a nice horse, 10-15 years old, that jumps well and enjoys it. Horses like this aren't always easy to find quickly, but they exist, and if you look hard, you'll find one. Then you can learn about jumping from this horse, and that will give you the experience that will help you train a young horse someday.

Good luck!

Jessica

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