10/ DECEMBER 2025 THE RIDER From the Trainer’s Eye


Longevity in the Performance Horse Part 2 – In praise of the older horse


Rider, Sharon and I had a conversation


In the last issue of The about


longevity with horses, and does our growing need for instant gratification seep in to the need for fast results in the horse world – and the answer to that was a re- sounding – yes. After we’d sent the ar-


ticle off to Barry at The Rider, I was browsing Face- book and saw this image – and it immediately con- nected me to an aspect of horse longevity we didn’t discuss but is at the core of it all.


That’s the age of the


horse and its skeletal devel- opment. Our sport (Reining) is


not known for seeing that many older horses; and I un- derstand why. The joy of working with a younger horse and teaching it how to carry a rider, hold itself in frame, to be balanced and willing; to go with the most minimal of cues and to then teach it how to do the rein- ing manoeuvres is an ab- solute thrill. Riding a well-trained


and well-seasoned horse who knows their job is re- warding of course but not as thrilling in that – you know what the horse is capable of. In a young horse, that’s the journey of discovery and you work with the horse to see whether they are in- clined towards Ranch Rid- ing, Reining, or some other discipline. We always want


kid’s life is something most sane parents would not even consider. At least though the kid


to work with the horse to know what they want to do, I’ve worked with many fab- ulous horses, but they did not all want to be Reiners. Which brings me to


this image – the skeletal growth of a horse. We know there are


studies that prove starting a horse at a younger age with light riding in shorter spurts can boost the horse’s bones and ligaments, it can reduce injury risk, it supports joint health, and the horse can have a longer athletic career. This image (top left)


gives the general guidelines


of how a horse matures and by what age their bones fuse together, some horse breeds may take longer or shorter but generally, a horse is not fully mature until they are around six. But there’s a caveat – a


very big, caveat, around starting horses young. Gradual introduction


over the initial years is key, overworking should be ab- solutely avoided and regular check-ins with the horse to ensure they are not in pain help to prepare the horse for life.


We can use the anal-


ogy of human beings, de- pending on the gender the age range of skeletal fusion for humans is between 13 – 17, to compare what often happens with horses. So your 10-year-old


kid who may show talent for running, you know instinc- tively you’d encourage them, but you wouldn’t sign them up for the Boston Marathon because of the po- tential damage you could incur on someone such a young age. Ruining the kid’s skeletal growth, risk- ing ligament and muscular damage for the rest of the


Shari Irwin


2025 Judges Committee (905) 440-5941 email: shari_irwin@hotmail.com


Kelly Lehman Secretary: Kit Bartle Judges List 2025 Senior Judges


Kelly Lehman Drumbo, Ontario Cell: 519-807-2660 Email: maddavery@gmail.com


Shari Irwin Castleton, Ontario Cell: 905-940-5941 Email: shari_irwin@hotmail.ca


Cally Jo Fritz Elliot Lake, Ontario Cell: 519-280-8169 Home: 226-289-8563 Email: callygene@gmail.com


Brenda Thompson Waterloo, Ontario Cell: 519-577-7320 Home: 519-884-4050 Email: bmctearnen@yahoo.ca


(519) 807-2660 email: maddavery@gmail.com (519) 732-0263 email: drumbolady@hotmail.ca


Website: www.whao.org


Anne Marinacci Smithville, Ontario Home: 905-957-5619 Email: annemarinacci@hotmail.com


Dave Black Fisherville, Ontario Cell: 905-921-0359 Email: diamondbquarterhorses@gmail.com


Robyn Storey Cambridge, Ontario Cell: 519-841-3934 Home: 519-620-9015 Email: gatorrocks@hotmail.com


Mike Tucker Fenwick, Ontario Cell: 905-984-1581 Home: 905-892-5610 Email: m.tucker1378@gmail.com


Don Stauffer Conn, Ontario Cell: 519-604-8864


Home: 226-258-9206 Email: thestauffers48@gmail.com


Junior Judges


Erin O'Drowski St. Mary's, Ontario Cell: 226-377-0244 Email: eodrowsk@gmail.com


Judy Gaspardy Acton, Ontario Cell: 905-875-9534 Email: sunfireminis@yahoo.ca


Anna Turnbull Gores Landing, Ontario Cell: 905-376-4807 Email: 1anna.turnbull@gmail.com


Cheri Woodrow Severn, Ontario Cell: 705-321-2230 Email: 254cutter@hotmail.ca


could cry out in pain or let you know they were dam- aged some way – but horses don’t do that. They are be- yond stoic in their ability to mask pain, something that evolution has helped the horse develop so it’s not seen as easy prey. When we ran our


horse shows (J&J Reining Inc.) we believe 100% in the magic of the older horse; it’s why we never held a Futu- rity (in North America futu- rities are for 3-year-olds, in Europe, 4-year-olds). Not all 3-year-olds have the body to cope with the de-


mands of a futurity. We in- stead focussed on the Matu- rity, an aged event for horses 8+. This year specifically we ran two separate aged events. And of course, there


are exceptions to the young horse only focus – take Shawn Flarida who brought Spooks Gotta Spark, the 2013 Buckskin stallion, out of retirement for this year’s Run for a Million and was Reserve Champion. Imagine that… a horse of 13 years old beating all that young talent!


This all goes hand-in-


hand with my last article of Longevity with the horse – taking care of these equine athletes is a privilege and a


Peter Van Eerd Continued from Page 9


inside and out — physically and mentally. I remember watching him ride one day. The horse stopped, turned around pretty nice, ran circles, changed leads, and backed up smoothly. When Pete stopped and let the horse stand still, I walked around and real- ized the horse was completely blind in both eyes. Yet Pete had him so well-trained, and the horse trusted him fully because Pete had found a way to communicate with him. Beyond being a top trainer, Pete was


journey, and should always go at the horse’s pace. Just as we were about


to send this article to Barry, I saw this from Clinton An- d


e r s o n


www.instagram.com/reel/D QR9RbEj9mX/ where with his renown no-nonsense ap- proach to horse training, he discusses the topic of start- ing horses at a young age. ——————


‘From the Trainer’s Eye ar- ticles written by Jen Jonas of Jonas Performance Horses and one of her stu- dents, Sharon Jones of Be A Better You Inc. Both Jen and Sharon are believers in con- tinuous learning - if you’re not learning you are not growing’


a true horseman. And of course, we all re- member his sense of humor and quick wit—it was priceless. You never knew what he’d say next. Pete and I logged a lot of miles together. Sometimes we were headed to shows, but often we were visiting old friends who weren’t well. Peter was deeply compas- sionate; his old friends — whether human or equine — meant a great deal to him.


So again, it’s time to say so long to an-


other one of my heroes and idols. Great ride cowboy, great ride. Give Ronnie a big hug for us.


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