At what age do most horses begin their training for performance-related activities?

Most horses typically begin their training for performance-related activities around the age of 2 years. At this age, horses are generally physically and mentally mature enough to start basic groundwork and under-saddle training. Training at this stage focuses on developing foundational skills, including learning to accept a rider, understanding cues, and basic conditioning.

Initiating training too early, such as at 1 year of age, can be detrimental to a horse's development, both physically and mentally. Horses at this age are still growing and may not have the muscular and skeletal support required for performance work. Waiting until the horse is 3 allows for more advanced training but may miss the advantage of earlier basic groundwork exposure. By 5 years, horses may already have a better foundation and can subsequently be progressed into more specialized training, but it is usually around the 2-year age mark that the groundwork really starts to solidify a horse's learning trajectory for future performance.