As I posted after NA Cup eliminations, he is off behind. Is that the reason he has been getting beat? Who knows? Some can go with soreness, some can't. Also, sometimes a horse never gets any faster from 2 years old to 3 while others do.
Standardbred horses typically stop growing in height between ages 4 and 5, but they continue to "fill out," gaining muscle mass, width, and weight, until they are 6 to 8 years old.While their legs achieve skeletal maturity early, their spinal vertebrae take much longer to fuse and fully develop. The timeline breaks down as follows:Age 2: Reach approximately 98% of their mature height and 96% of their mature weight . Growth plates in the lower legs are closed .Age 4 to 5: Final height is usually reached, although some individuals might continue to add subtle height until age 7.Age 6 to 8: The spine and back growth plates fuse, allowing the horse to fully mature, widen, and develop deep muscle mass, especially along the topline.
In theory, they should get faster because of this. Is there still gas in the tank for later years or was the tank emptied at 2? Injury could also be a factor why they don't get faster.
