Do you think its right that horses can race as early as age 2?

Question

im confused. i really like horse racing but i dont know if its right that they are raced at the age of two and three.....help!

Answer 1

as is everybody is different so is every horse, some mature quicker than others, so its kind of hard to make judgment either way, as there are 2YO's that are successful and campaign injury free and continue that form through as a 3 and 4 YO, and there are others that strike trouble, breaking bones, getting shin soreness and so on!

I'm an Aussie and a huge racing fan but over here we have that debate as well,  and i think the problem is that there is to much money to be made by racing at 2 and 3 which deters owners from buying a horse and letting it develop in to a good 4 or 5 YO.

you see nobody wants to invest in a race horse and have it sitting in the paddock for 3 years (so it can mature) they want it out making money (winning races).

this also has many follow on effects, like a lack of quality in open class races and weight for age races.

anyway that's just my opinion!

Answer 2

Ya.. I think 2 yrs old is to young.. like the guy above said .. all TB race horses birthday are the same.. Jan. 1st.  Some horses mature faster than others.. Like any other living thing. There is a lot of money up for grabs in the 2 yr old racing circuit. Owners and trainers are waiting longer in more and more cases. There are barns that are cash strapped and are forced to race some horses possibly before their time. I hope the NTRA does not step in.

Answer 3

yes. but on depends really how old the horse really is, for example all racing horse turn age jan 1 (born december 1 2006 the horse is a 3 year old,

Answer 4

They're teenagers, they're built to run, and they're bred to mature early. We let teenage kids play football, which is far more punishing to the body; we let preteens do gymnastics, where injuries are far more common than in horseracing.  It's good for teenagers; exercise in the growing years results in much better adult health.

Horses started at two have a much lower rate of disastrous breakdown than those started at four, probably because they've spent their growing years working out.  They don't seem to have any long term problems.

Given the enormous cost of keeping a horse for an extra year or two, and given the fact that they don't break down more often at 2 then at 3, 4, or more, I say go for it.