Could starting horses’ training earlier be beneficial?
The research looked into the effects on skeletal symmetry
THE right age to start training horses is a subject of much debate, and a new study has found it may be beneficial to start training National Hunt racehorses at three years old.
McTimoney chiropractor
Rory O’Brien, from Co. Cork, undertook the study to see what effect training at both three and four years old had on a horse’s musculoskeletal system.
Mr O’Brien said, as long as the training is “appropriate”, then it may be beneficial for National Hunt horses to start at three, rather than four. Flat horses often start at two.
The study found that starting earlier meant, on average, fewer misalignments of the spine and pelvis. Therefore, “training at an earlier age may be beneficial for skeletal symmetry”, which in turn could lead to fewer days off the racecourse due to injury.
According to Mr O’Brien, research has shown that repetitive strain injury (RSI) is the most common cause of musculoskeletal failure, and that age and type of training are key factors in this.
“Limited research has shown that symmetrical horses are less likely to develop RSI, so we investigated if the age that training commences is related to the number of misalignments,” states the study. It was found that age had a “significant effect” on this, in favour of training at three.
The study assessed 16 thoroughbreds: eight four-yearolds who went into training aged three, and eight five-year-olds who started at four. All horses
were from the same yard, to “remove the lack of variables”.
“It’s important they had the same feed, routine and work on the gallops,” he said, at the same time recognising that the small sample number was limited.
“When you start running horses younger, they tend to run longer,” he told H&H. “You’re training the muscular skeletal system to adapt to the rigours before muscles fully develop.
“Training them nicely can build them up better and create sounder horses. But you shouldn’t overface them.”
Commercially this would be beneficial, too, both in terms of longevity of career, and sales prices for three-year-olds.
David Sykes, director of equine health and welfare at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), told H&H he was aware of the study but had not yet examined it in detail.
“The health benefits of training horses from a young age in the
Flat have been proven, and there is no reason, in theory, why this should not also apply to jump horses,” he added.
And the theory is not limited to horses in racing.
“Research I came across during my study shows that outside racing there are similar results, as long as, once again, that training is appropriate,” added Mr O’Brien.
Gloucestershire-based James Grassick, who trains racehorses and showjumpers, told H&H: “Most studies of this type would be difficult to substantiate unless the study was big enough.
“There are also a lot of variables. It’s very subjective.”
Further study based on a large number of horses was “warranted and recommended” in the report.