When do you start to ride a horse? My BIL was given one almost a year old. Nothing done with him. I thought he was younger because I compared him to the one year olds at the stable. He just gelded him. He said he wasn't going to do anything else with him until he was two and then break him for riding. I told him about the stuff they do with the babies at the stable but he didn't seem interested so I shut up.
It depends on the breed and individual characteristics how quickly they mature... QH types are often started at 2 but I think great care must still be taken to not overdo until they are 3-4. They may look mature, but their knees and other joints are not.
Arabs are much slower to mature, and aren't started till 3-4. Not sure on other breeds, they all have their own right time.
Well, you can start to break a horse at two, but I wouldn't go any later than four. It depends on how well they've developed, and how well the growth plates in their legs are doing. You don't want to ride them until those plates have stopped doing what they need to do, because you could damage their legs. But it's perfectly ok to get him used to a saddle and a bridle before two. We were doing that gently with our first baby by the time he was a year. We had him crosstied, and comfortable with a saddle and saddle pad before that.