How old does an Andalusian need to be before you can begin riding it?
We recommend NO horse be worked heavily before age four. The knees are not the last joint to close as is often thought. Joints close from the ground up so the knees are fairly early to close before the stifles and before the rest of the vertebral column joints. Any heavy work before these close can cause future problems and strain on the young animal. The progressive training at Tintagel goes as follows: foals are often shown in hand and get positive early show experience. As yearlings they are usually left out I the field to grow and get past the gawky stage. At age two a bit can be introduced just for them to wear as the permanent molars start coming in at three and four and that’s an even worse time to introduce something into an already painful mouth. At three depending on the muscling and mental readiness of the horse they can do some light driving or get used to the weight of a very light rider. Late in the summer of the three year old year some get broke just to walk under a rid
