A 13 year old horse: where is he at in his life?

[Cinnamontoast]

It's a bit how long is a piece of string question, I know. Mine is 13, in light work, sound, no issues currently. As a m/w verging on a h/w cob, if he continues sound, is he at his 'optimum' age? Should I expect degeneration from here or will he (fingers crossed etc) be fine for years?

I'm a paranoid owner! :redface3:

 

[crystalclear]

My chunky cob is 17 ish we don't know her exact age she could be older. She is on gentle hacking now as her hocks have fused. She used to be fab at HT and never put a foot wrong, but her type, build and potential past have contributed. Not sure that's helpful!

 

[TheresaW]

My mare is 23 this year, and apart from some grey hairs, and dodgy skin being more sensitive, is no different to how she was 14 years ago when I got her!
She was a bit lethargic for while last year, which I just put down to age related slowing down, but she was then diagnosed with cushings. Since being on prascend, she has perked right back up.

 

[Dazed'n'confused]

We have a 13yr old horses who is jumping 1.40/50m's - he's always been looked after and we don't over use him but he's just the same, if not better, than he was as a youngster.
My 12yr old mare is still jumping 1.20m's successfully, she's as tough as nails, you'd think she was still 5!
I think 13 isn't so old as long as they weren't hammered as a youngster. Each horse is different, but I'd keep doing what they're happy to do as long as they're sound and willing!

 

[atropa]

Mine is currently 13, 14 in a couple of weeks, and hado been out of work since she was 10 before last year. We're currently building up fitness, schooling and hacking, she's teaching me to jump at around 60cm (although she used to jump 1.20 tracks with old owner) and we're both trying to learn some dressage..I'm very much hoping we'll have many years at this level and a bit higher before she has to start winding down.

 

[Pedantic]

My Po is 23 this year, went around the 10 mile charity ride last October like an idiot the same as he did 10 years ago, I struggled same as always to cope with him, flat out gallops didn't care about slippy muddy fields, got his breath back in seconds and totally blasted flat out the last field uphill with amazing power from his back end like we had only ridden a couple of miles, 13 still a baby.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I'm so happy to hear that horses are doing so well at his age and older! Gives me an optimistic outlook.

 

[Pie's mum]

My boy is 20 this year. We've taken to calling him Peter Pan as he doesn't seem to have aged at all - if anything he has got better in his later years (more supple, works better from behind). I nearly fell off him today in our lesson as he decided that 3ft3 was too small and he was going to clear everything by at least a foot!

 

[rowan666]

13 is no age atall, my oldie is a heavy weight cob, well into his 20s and besides a few grey hairs around his eyes and muzzle you would never know, his joints have never clicked or cracked yet! (and this is a horse who was used in a riding school for years then bought by some daft cow who hammered him over jumps till he was run into the ground and written off as permanently lame! luckily a few months turned out and he's bin foot perfect ever since!) I certainly wouldn't be worrying at 13 that his best days are behind him unless he has some serious conformation/old injury issues that have plagued him so far?

 

[cobgoblin]

At 13 he is still in his prime...

 

[Woolly Hat n Wellies]

I started work on reschooling mine when he was 14. At 15, progress having come to a standstill, and in the face of a lot of snotty comments about "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", I took him to a new instructor who took us right back to groundwork and lungeing as though he was a baby. He's now 16, and the fittest I've ever seen him. He finished our first 30km pleasure ride in about 3hrs, feeling like he could have gone again, and I'm hoping to tackle prelim dressage this year (it will be a big achievement for a horse who was sold with the words "he doesn't do schooling"). People are always surprised at his age, and invariably guess younger. The last person to guess his age suggested 8. I do give him more supplements than perhaps I would if he were younger, but it's more an attempt at keeping him going as he is than because he'd be crippled without them.

 

[Jnhuk]

You never know with horses. Just enjoy your horse and have fun and be glad that he is fit and sound.

I would give anything to have my 14 year old gelding back who I lost very suddenly in January to EFE colic

 

[Supertrooper]

My last horse was still being ridden and was totally fine at 22yrs old. My friends mare was doing mini XC at aged 30. She was meant to walk between each fence but nobody had told her that ;-) basically she was totally uncontrollable and wild, bless her.

At aged 32 she was still going out for walks in hand and was still wild ;-)

 

[tiga71]

He is in the prime of his life.

My cob is 18 and he is ridden at least 4 times a week. Today we will be doing interval training on the beach, Tuesday we are going to a Chris Burton jumping clinic, next week he is doing a 33km competitive endurance ride, following two weekends we are doing arena eventing comps. This last year I got a youngster so he can have a few more days off but he is still working hard and loving it. Would trot all the way to the field everyday if he I would let him.

He still hunts, does endurance weekends - 35 km competitive rides two days on the trot, jumps, xc, trec, working equitation, adult gymkhana.

He has a cartrophen injection every three months or so as he has some bony nodules in his neck and a weak stifle. Apart from that he has no supplements except electrolytes.

Every endurance ride I say to whoever I am riding with "I am not going to push him as he is getting old now, so if you want to go faster than we are going, you can go ahead." Hahaha, that never happens. He just goes and goes and goes. He loves it.

Enjoy your 13 year old, keep him fit and watch him have a blast in his teenage years.

 

[Girlracer]

13 is nothing, we bought my old horse at 16 and didn't retire him until 25, and he was still attending funrides and jumping 1m10 at home (not courses, admittedly) and was totally full of beans. He only died this year, at 32. Working on that basis, you're not even half way there.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

You never know with horses. Just enjoy your horse and have fun and be glad that he is fit and sound.

I would give anything to have my 14 year old gelding back who I lost very suddenly in January to EFE colic

I'm so sorry, you must be devastated

 

[JenTaz]

13 is nothing, a girl i go to uni with regularly hacks and competes her 27 year old mare, and she's so cheeky and full of life its insane, I hacked out with her a few times last year and the furthest we done together in one hack was 14 miles over 2.5hrs. My irish draught is 12 and we regularly hack 10+ miles each time we hack (about 3 times a week) with schooling, jumping and interval training as well, he doesn't get a day off as spends the other 22 hours a day chilling

 

[southerncomfort]

Prime of his life!!

I have a 16 year old and a 23 year old who are still in full work.

 

[Hanson]

My 23 year old Welsh x Anglo Arab is doing more now than he has done in the last 10 years. He doesn't go in the school now apart from the odd lunge as he has arthritis in his joints, but hacks for miles. Last summer, he was ridden 4 to 5 times a week and was full of himself, he is a cheeky whatsit at the best of times.

My OH and I were saying that he has probably clocked up more miles than the average horse as when he was a youngster he was prone to tying up, so he was always ridden / exercised twice a day to keep him moving if turnout was restrictive.

He was racing up my 9year old mare bum yesterday... Up a 1 in 10 hill!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I would only worry if he had been misused, ie broken too early / been a mounted and shod police horse/ has been spun by vet / has arthritis / looks old.
I used to ride out a 17 year old TB [Charie], with difficulty cos he was a bit of handfull, , he was a at that time a hunter but had been family do it all, PTP etc, he only fell once in his life and owner then had him put down. I think that was extreme, I would have not done that, I could not do that., I would not even consider it.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

No worries, he is probably just peaking!

 

[mytwofriends]

My "younger" horse is 18. He's had some bad luck (fractured radius, torn DDFT, and currently a suspected snake bite - yes really) but you'd think he was 10 at the most. No age related stuff at all.

I'd consider 13 a lovely age. 😃

 

[teddypops]

I have a 25 and a 28 year old who are both in full work! 13 is young to me!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I have a 13 year old who jumps regular BS classes very competitively, also does dressage & arena eventing. He goes cross country & loves hacking as well. He's as fit as a fiddle & has no health issues at all.

Similarly I have a 18 year old, he loves to hack out, he loves to jump & do dressage. He's won plenty of rosettes for dressage over the winter & although we don't take him jumping as much as we used to he still comes home with rosettes when we go. He's been BS registered for the last 12 years & has a fantastic record. Like the other he has no health issues & never has had.

They don't have joint issues but we give them a 'just in case' joint supplement daily.

We've had them since they were about 5 years old. They've always been warmed up well & also warmed down. They aren't fed until they're cooled off after exercise & not fed until at least 45+ minutes after exercise. To look at them you'd never realise their age.

In short 13 years of age is nothing, look after him & he has years of fun with you left in him.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

There are arthritic change on one hock I won't have him jumped anymore, but he's been sound since he had a cortisone injection into the joint a couple of years ago.

 

[nato]

There are arthritic change on one hock I won't have him jumped anymore, but he's been sound since he had a cortisone injection into the joint a couple of years ago.

My 12 year old loan horse has arthritis in her left hock - hock is fused. She is out jumping 90cm and the vet has advised me she is fine to keep going at this level for now. Not sure about the situation with your horse as mine was only ever 1/10th lame at her worst but it is possible to remain active with arthritis as long as it is managed well Obviously your situation may be very different and don't want to jump to conclusions!

 

[skint1]

My 16yo mw cob of indeterminate origin has mild hock arthritis, I thought he was ready for the quiet life, but he tells me he is not- so I hack him and my daughter takes him to have fun jumpies occasionally (only up to about 2ft6) and he's loving it. I don't know loads about his past but he did some low level endurance and seems a good all rounder

My 16yo Tb gelding is arthritic in pretty much every joint and retired from work but pasture sound and happy with his life. He retired age 14. He raced and played polo in his younger life.

 

[jo_pearl]

Mine is 15 and is warmblood X cob and is the hottest horse on the yard!!!

 

[electric_circus]

One of mine is 20 now - he is fit as a flea, did a few full days out hunting over the winter and is as full of life and vigour as he was when he was 13. He's a little bit creakier behind and takes longer to warm up on a cold day, but the only real difference is I take a bit more care care what ground I run him on and don't jump too high any more as want to keep him going as long as possible. At 13 your boy should have many more good years ahead of him - crack on

 

[Charlottedv]

My hw mare is approx 27 now, I got her as a late teen (thought she was younger!) and proceeded to teach her to jump, she's done xc, sj, hunter trials, you name it! She developed through pins a few years ago so doesn't jump any more but keeps up with her 3 year old field mate just fine! X