What Age Is A Racehorse In Its Prime?
I read an article about a racehorse who recently won a race at the age of 12, the bookies were in complete awe about this as this is quite an old age for a racehorse to be winning races.
I was intrigued by this prospect and wanted to find out more.
So, what age is a racehorse actually in its prime?
The answer to this question is that racehorses are considered in their prime or peak physical condition at the age of around 4.5 years old. Several studies have concluded that while horses are generally fully grown at age 5, at 4.5 years they are physically mature but still have high energy levels.
With this in mind, this article will take a closer look at this topic, discussing some other questions you may have surrounding the peak age for racehorses.
Such as what age racehorses start training, what the age rules are for horseracing, Kentucky derby horse age rules, what the effect is of age on racehorse performance.
Read on if you’d like to learn more about the optimum age for racehorses!
Effect of age on racehorse performance
Horses have an average lifespan of around 20 years old, and they do not typically stop growing until the age of 5 years old.
As we previously mentioned, the age that horses are thought to reach their peak performance levels is roughly 4.5 years old, but why is this?
There have been several studies that complement this theory, and this section will discuss why 4.5 years old is the optimum age for racehorses, and the subsequent effect of age on performance levels.
The reason for this being the peak age of racehorses is because there is a measurable significant improvement in the performance of a horse between the age of 2 and 4.5 years.
For example, during this period, a horse can improve by up to 15 horse-lengths for races over 1 mile, and 10 horse-lengths for 1-mile races.
Interestingly, after the 4.5-year threshold, a horse’s performance does not improve at the same rate and can even decline.
This is evident in the respective speed of horses at different events where groups are based on age.
For example, in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile event – the leading race for male US racehorses aged 2 – horses run on average six horse-lengths slower than in the Kentucky Derby – an event for 3-year-old male horses.
Therefore, the rate of improvement within this time bracket of 2 – 4.5 years is immense.
What age do racehorses start training?
Now that we’ve established that the age of roughly 4.5 is the prime age for a racehorse, you might then be wondering at what age a racehorse begins race training.
An interesting fact about horseracing is that in certain parts of the world, all racehorses are given a registered birthday of 1 year old on the 1st of January, the year following their birth.
This allows horses born within the same year group to compete as equally as possible.
As a result of this, it is considered an ideal situation when a horse is born as close to January as possible as it means they are the most mature for their year group.
Following this, horses typically begin training in the Autumn of their second year.
At this point, horses are typically aged between 18 and 20 months and are trained to begin racing in the following spring.
Why do horses not compete before age 2?
As mentioned, the various age rules are dependent on the specific event that the horses are competing in, however you might be wondering why horses do not compete before the age of 2.
This is an important question, and it involves the reasoning behind why horses do not typically compete before the age of 3 years old, and 2 years old at the very youngest.
As mentioned, 2-year-olds do compete in their own grouping as a means of preparing them to race in bigger, classic races like the Kentucky Derby which is exclusively entered by horses aged 3.
3 is the usual age that horses begin seriously competing because at 2 years old their bones are not fully developed, and they can be at greater risk of injury.
There is debate within the industry about the morality of allowing 2-year-olds to race when their bones may not be fully developed, however the scientific evidence regarding this is limited.
As a way to combat this problem, an argument that is gaining more of a foothold, is that if adequate training methods are employed then the age of the horses should not matter too much.
For example, one study found that training horses before 18 months old can improve their bone density and ability to withstand more intense exercise.
However, as it stands, the internationally accepted age at which horses can begin competing is 2 years old at present.
What are the Kentucky Derby age rules?
The Kentucky Derby is one of the biggest, highest profile horse races in the USA.
So, you might be wondering what the age rules are for this large-scale event?
In short, the Kentucky Derby is only open to horses who are 3 years old.
This race is extremely popular because of the unpredictability of it as the horses are relatively inexperienced.
In conclusion, a racehorse is considered in its prime at the age of 4.5 years old.
At this age, horses are physically mature and have been competing for several years and therefore have experience whilst being generally unaffected by injury.
This article also discussed the training protocol for racehorses, finding that horses generally begin training at around 18-20 months old.
They do not compete until aged 2 at the earliest due to their bones not being fully developed and an increased risk of injury.
The bigger races such as the Kentucky Derby begin at age 3.
I hope you have found this article to be informative in explaining the prime age of a racehorse!