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Discussion on 2 year olds knee's
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Member:
Mlody
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 20, 2003 - 11:55 pm:
What is your suggestion regarding starting a 2 year old do you reccomend having x-rays done of the knee's first to see if they are closed? and if still open should you wait to start them until they are closed?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Apr 21, 2003 - 8:16 am:
I do not use this practice as there is no scientific justification for it. Right now there is a lot of argument about starting horses. While it seems inherently obvious the later the better, there is research to show this may not be so. In one study race horses have a higher incidence of soft tissue injuries when started later. It is speculated an important "enhanced remodeling period" during the earlier months is missed. We don't have firm answers to these questions yet. We start horses under a light saddle between their 2nd and 3rd year depending on their size and condition.
DrO
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Member:
Cathytay
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 22, 2003 - 7:17 pm:
Hi Melody,
I'm so glad you asked this question as I also have a two year old. I hear different opinions from different sources. Glad to see Dr. O's last sentence in his reply - that's exactly what I am planning to do. My colt will be a solid 2 and a half in Sept/Oct and plan to start him then. He's already 15.2 so I think he'll handle it fine. I have a 13 year old riding horse so will only put "short" rides on him until he's older.
Good luck with your youngster.
Cathy
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Member:
Redwood
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003 - 11:52 pm:
I have read that Dr. Deb Bennett recommends waiting till a horse is four before riding it. The last growth plates to close are in the vertebrae, and these don't close till the horse is around five and a half years old. In the study mentioned above, were the race horses examined for back problems?
Nancy
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2003 - 8:25 am:
I am not sure Nancy. We have had long discussions on Dr Bennett's thoughts and if you are interested in them they are at: Training Horses » Hunters & Jumpers » Work related stress on the Hunter/Jumper » Age and Stress. The post is a little confusing because we removed the Dr Bennett quotes do to copyright problems but the discussion is pretty clear.
DrO
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