We are asking major US based breed organizations and performance associations to require, that by the year 2014, all horses being ridden in competition to be at least 3 years old, and all horses being ridden in high impact disciplines, like racing, reining, cutting, gaming, and jumping higher than 2 feet, to be at least 4 years old. These age restrictions will allow horses to develop slowly so they can have longer careers. We believe that, over time, this will help the unwanted horse crisis by giving breeders, owners, and trainers a more long term view of a horse’s career, as opposed to focusing on the prestige and prize money associated with futurities for young horses. We would also like to encourage breed and performance organizations to place more importance on competitions for older horses (for example, horses over 10 years old). This will cause horses to increase in worth as they age and encourage breeders to breed for long term soundness instead of early performance. Not only do we feel that these changes will help improve the unwanted horse crisis, but we also believe it is absolutely abusive to expect three year olds to compete at a world class level in high impact sports.