Youngest age for training foal?

Question

What is the youngest age that I can train a foal for riding? I mean like putting the saddle on? I want to know the youngest possible age.

Answer 1

you can start light riding (5-10 minutes at the walk only) about 2 years old, and longer rides around 2 and a half (20-30 minutes of walk/trot work). you should wait until 3 before you ride more than 30 minutes at a time or teach the horse to canter under saddle. NEVER put weight on the back of a horse younger than 2! draft breeds and tall, thin horses should be started at 3 instead of two because they take longer to mature than smaller, stocky breeds

Answer 2

some people like to start training horses when they are a foal but some people start later.

Answer 3

Normally a good age to start a horse is around 2 years.  You have to also take into account the horses attitude, size and readiness and judging by these characteristics can start a bit earlier or wait a bit (if they are too small or don't seem willing).

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

While some people start riding work at 2, that's really a bad idea.  Riding before growth is complete can stress their joints, causing orthopedic problems when the horse is older (even though generally they seem fine at the time).  It's advised now by knowledgeable people to wait to ride a horse until they are fully grown at about 4 years (varies by breed).  Ground work can begin when the foal is young, but nothing strenuous.