Mira & I

Alright, I'll admit there's a lot of horse-y entries from me recently but you can't really teach an old dog new tricks (yes I'm the old dog and yes I may have changed the meaning of this expression). 

With the disclaimer over, meet little Mira. I say 'little' because she is only 2.5 years old which is a baby in the horse world. She is, in reality, quite big for a Marwari. I've been giving her light exercise, all of it bareback because she is so nice and round and comfortable. 

The age at which to start a horse is always something up for discussion in the horse world. If you think that a lot of the warm bloods are only usually started at 4 or 5 years old while many thoroughbreds will have retired from their racing careers by the time they reach 2, it's not all that surprising. 

Personally I think that as long as you do things gradually and you don't affect the growth of the horse (both physically and emotionally) you can do it whichever way you like. I've seen some very sad things like a horse who had been ridden when he was a foal (I mean, who does that?!?) which had completely messed up his bone structure and of course his trust in humans. I also mentioned Rockstar who was reared by hand and became potentially dangerous as a result. With the experience I have today it is easy for me to say these things and I know that often people don't do this to be mean or cruel but the consequences can really be tragic and long lasting. 

Luckily, there are plenty of amazing owners out there, like Mira's owner, who pamper their babies and turn them into healthy trustworthy mounts.