Why are race horses so young?

Question

it saddens me to see a horse die at such a young age (2 years old!?!) because of racing. why do they have to be so young? i hear ur not even supposed to break a horse in until at least 4 years old! there's gotta be a reason! anyone know?

Answer 1

You can break TB's at the age of 2 because that's when they mature enough. Some people do not agree with WB's(warm-bloods) being broken at 3yrs and that they should wait till about 5-7yrs old. And it's not starting to be broken until 3. It normally takes half a yr to break/back a horse sometimes longer! They start at 2 because they are young and more "supple" if you wanna call it that, it is sad that they die at a young age a lot of the time but that's what the owners get when they're money grabbing idiots which don't care about anyone else but their money! Also some owners inject or rub medication into their ankles which they believe makes the horses peformance better! I think they should ban racing in a way. It may be entertaining but I'd rather be bored than know a horse died from an injury thanks to the owners!

Charlotte x

Answer 2

I beleive that a couple of races or barrier trials for a two year old is good because it helps them learn and gives them an idea of what to do, but any more or for the money is wrong, unless you have a horse which is just meant to race as a two year old race but those horses are rare and few and far between.

Answer 3

Racehorses are started so young, or raced at such a young age, primarily because most of the owners are not horsemen, they don't know much about a horses at all, and they are anxious to see ther horse racing.  Not many are willing to pay the training, feed, and vet bills for the extra year that (I believe) the horses need to finish developing physically and mentally before actually going to the track to race.  They want the horse to start paying his own bills by placing in a few races.  The trainers are often stuck between a rock and a hard place when they have an owner who is in a hurry, as  so often they are. It's very expensive to maintain a race horse, so it comes down to money and ego.

Answer 4

Research and statistics actually show that it is better for a horse to race in its two year old season instead of waiting until they're 3 or 4.  Horses who race as 2 year olds actually have longer, sounder (healthier) careers with lower instances of serious injury.  If they don't start to race until later, they're more likely to have injuries, both minor and serious.

Think of it in terms of a human.  Kids play soccer, baseball, football, do gymnastics, ride horses, etc.  It wouldn't make any sense to stop them from doing those activities until they're adults.  All the people who are best at those activities are good at it because they've been doing it for years, since they were kids.  If kids did do those activities, their muscles wouldn't develop for those activities, then they'd be behind when they try to start those activities later in life.  It's better for a horse to learn to race when they're younger so that they can develop while their bodies are still growing.  It's actually safer for a horse to race when they're 2 than to wait too long.

Answer 5

cause they in they prime

Answer 6

Most horses finish their racing careers at about 7 or 8 some around 10 years old but very rarely past that. A lot of horses don't start racing till they are a 3yr old because of the maturity factor, however, those horses that race as a 2yr old are aimed at high stakes money races and in many cases don't continue racing past about 4years of age.

I think its a bit sad to see that greed may be the primary motivation behind 2 yr old racing. Its been a bone of contention for many years.

The prevalence of 2yo racing can lead to many serious injuries

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I think there’s probably a much stronger tendency to have two year old racing nowadays than there used to be……and the lure of prize money. There’s a great incentive to race their horses too young too immature. In the old days, you bought your yearlings, you broke them in, you castrated them, you turned them out. You didn’t think about them until late 2 year old and mostly three year olds. The big money came with three-year-old racing. The current owners want two-year-old racing and I think it’s a pity. I think it’s a pity because it certainly does cause the breakdown of a lot of two year olds.” - Percy Sykes, horse racing industry vet.