The Mature Distance Runner: Fundamentally Speaking Part Five
: Trainers often advise against "pounding work"—such as speed, tight spins, or heavy jumping—for young horses (ages 2–4) because their skeletons and spines are not fully developed. Pushing a horse too hard before it matures can lead to long-term issues like arthritis and joint damage . pounding matures
The concept of a "pounding" feature in the context of maturity refers to physical or agricultural processing where "pounding" is a critical step in refining a product once it reaches a certain stage of growth. The Mature Distance Runner: Fundamentally Speaking Part Five