7-year old horses that act like 5-year olds

[QueenT]

I always knew that 5-year olds could be a bit of a handful, a lot of mental and physical development at that age. Our horse is 7, sometimes acting more like a 5-year old, and apparently that's a thing! My yard mates have plenty of experience with 7-year old horses that "re-visit" things they've already learned, like suddenly not loading for a period, spooking at things previously comfortable with - just to settle again when they turn 8, like all their little pegs and cogs fall into place. Is this really a thing, or is it just by coincidence that we at our yard have experience with this?

 

[Kizzy2004]

I’ve always found it, we refer to it as the teenage years, they know what they should be doing but rebel against it.

 

[paddi22]

I've always found 7 the worst age. any of mine always turned into a handful when they hit seven!

 

[greenbean10]

My mare was hideous at 7. At 8 she was great!

 

[planete]

My new(ish) 7 year old can be a thug one day and a dope the next. No idea if it is age related! I would say he is acting more like a three year old than a five year old though.

 

[Cob Life]

Blue was a handful at 7, he was bargy and balshy on the ground, ridden he was eiter dead to the leg, really sharp or had no breaks, sometimes a combination of all 3, he’s hit 8 and he’s majorly grown up.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My Arab was much worse at 7 was much improved by 10 his now 16 and can be quite naughty in a cheeky way but should really know better, so I call it his mid life crisis now as I can't think of any other explanation for it.

 

[SpotsandBays]

My Arab was much worse at 7 was much improved by 10 his now 16 and can be quite naughty in a cheeky way but should really know better, so I call it his mid life crisis now as I can't think of any other explanation for it.

Mines like this as 16! Maybe he’s also going through a mid life crisis!

 

[shamrock2021]

My horse is 11 and acts like a 5 year old.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Nope, my now 10 year old started acting his age once he turned 6. Being an EMS pony he still reacts to clover and to much sugar but as far as being mature I can’t fault him.

 

[ycbm]

I've never noticed this, but I was told by the surgeon who operated on my horse at 7 for kissing spines that it is one of the 3 key ages that KS starts to show, because that's when people increase the seriousness of what they are asking for and when the horse begins to find it more difficult.

I wonder if this, at a lower level of pain/strain, is what might be happening with some 7 year olds. And by 8 they have learned that just because they get out of bed with a little ache here or there doesn't mean they don't have to work.
.

 

[VioletStripe]

Honestly, I have found my boy to only have properly mellowed now he's 13 - I've had him since 4! He's always been sensible but definitely can be sharp and full of personality. It's only since probably being 12 that he's really started to settle and come into his own. I guess every horse is different! Geldings tend to mature later, and certain breeds definitely do...

 

[MummyEms]

My7 year old horse is an absolute Saint. That's likely because she's an ex racehorse though and 7 for them is more like 12 for the rest of the horses ?

 

[phizz4]

My wife's horse is 25 and acts like a 3 year old. Wouldn't go past two dogs wearing coats today unless she had a lead from my horse, very frightening they were!

 

[LEC]

Nope not found this. I find a lot will break at 8 as a couple of years under their belt and work has moved up in level. Its the age that arthritic changes begin to show etc. TBH I usually find by 7 they are getting to be fairly decent horses as mature enough in their frame and the hard work which has gone in for a couple of years begins to show.

 

[welshpony216]

I have a 15 year old who acts like a 5 year old