Advice on old(er/ish) horse?

[sarahmac77]

Hi all,
I am trying to buy a horse (which is actually pretty hard) even though my requirements are fairly straightforward. I've been looking for an allrounder 5 - 12 years old.
There's a mare I ride at my riding school. She's really wonderful, enthusiastic jumper and on the right day works really nicely on the flat. She can be 'energetic' if she's not been ridden that day but she's popular and does on average 2 hours a day. She's 14, I'm 43, and i want to get back to riding local shows and low level events and so on (I had 20 years out and returned to riding 18 months ago).
She's for sale (all the horses at my yard are) and I wonder if it makes sense to buy her, or if I am signing up to, realistically, just 6 years of 'work'. My notes are that I slightly want to rescue her, and also that she may be 14 but has been a riding school horse for several years so not necessarily low mileage.
It's a conundrum. My questions are, firstly - what are general thoughts? Secondly, is 14 too old to train out of her quirks (rushing mostly)?
Appreciate your advice!

 

[Tarragon]

I would go with your gut instinct on this one. I think she sounds like a very good match for you and 14 years old isn't too old for a native sort of horse or too old to retrain; I trained my 16 year old pony to harness and he loved the challenge. Once she is no longer doing the daily riding school grind and is allowed to develop with one person she might flourish.
Some riding school ponies don't adapt to not being in a riding school but it would be difficult to make this judgment. I suppose it depends how long she has been doing it and what she has done in her earlier life.
Personally, I think she might be a lovely horse for you.

 

[Annagain]

I'm the same age as you and I've not long bought a 6 year old, with the idea that he will probably be my last horse as when OH and I retire we plan to travel a lot more. I plan to get more than 14 years of 'work' out of him! My old man and my share horse are both 24 and although my boy retired this year, share horse is still going strong. They're big horses too, a smaller one is likely to be sounder for longer.

Having gone from the 24 year olds to my new boy, although I adore him and he's great, he needs lots of repetition and
there are days - mainly when it's bucketing down and I have to do something with him - that I wish I'd bought a 12 year old who knew it all already and I could pick up and put down when it suited me. I doubt we'll be ready to go out competing until the spring, but I always planned to take things slowly with him. I have 20 years with him, so if it takes one or even two to get to where we want to be, that's fine. An older horse might give you less time but you'll need less time to get them to where you want to be.

My old man was 9 when I bought him and had done nothing but hunt. He was a nightmare to school at first but we got to the stage where we could do an ok novice test before his feet caused him too many problems and he became a happy hacker so you can teach an old horse new tricks. If being her person makes you excited, go for it.

 

[LegOn]

I bought my horse of a lifetime out of a riding school when he was 15 - he was there since he was 5 He literally transformed as a one owner horse & we had an amazing time together - I retired him 10 years later and then he had a wonderful 2 years retirement before old age and cushings really caught up with him but I never regretted a moment of my decision to buy him. He was probably alot older than his '15' years from the riding school aswell, bought with no passport - vet reckoned he could have been mid-30's by the time we said goodbye but my god was he some horse for one horse... I still miss him every day but it was an adventure I'm glad I went on xx

 

[Griffin]

A friend of mine's horse was 16 when she bought her and she has a brilliant time with her (she's now nearly 20 and you would absolutely not know it to look at her move). I think that many horses from riding schools blossom when they have just one owner and I definitely would not discount an older horse.

 

[Trouper]

The fact that you know her well already would be a big plus for me and I certainly don't think 14 is too old to re-work any issues. My last horse, although younger than this, was quite shut down with endless arena work and no other stimulation but with regular hacking she became a different animal entirely.
She may just be rushing to get the repetitive lesson over and done with!!

 

[Nudibranch]

Mileage isn't an issue if she is fully sound. I'd have her vetted and decide on that basis.

 

[AmyMay]

Mileage isn't an issue if she is fully sound. I'd have her vetted and decide on that basis.

I agree. You could have enormous fun with her.

 

[ihatework]

I think if she has got to 14 and remained sound with a riding school workload then I wouldn’t discount her at all. Get her 5 stage vetted and see where you stand.

 

[paddy555]

if she vets OK I would grab her. You know everything about her, you can ride her and presumably are happy and not nervous on her. You can get on from day one of owning her and just get on with it. You can get straight on with schooling to change bits of her you want to improve.

If you look back at some of the posts on here of adult riders who have bought their first horse. There have been so many problems. Horse came as being quiet when they rode it before buying it, then 2 weeks after it arrived it became impossible, went lame etc etc. Had it been buted up for the vetting? Lots of horses arrived with nasty surprises. People found they had bought from a dodgy dealer, getting a refund was difficult with a private owner. Long list of problems.

I bought my first horse in a similar way to your mare. I used to take rides out and I had ridden him all summer so there was nothing I didn't know about him..

 

[IrishMilo]

My first pony was 16 when we got her - she spent ten years in a RS and went on until she was 30!

This one sounds perfect for what you want. My friend competes a 14 year old at 100s and he's thriving!

 

[sarahmac77]

Hey all - this is really helpful, thank you so much!
Still torn but as you are all giving advice leading the same way...

 

[meleeka]

A friend bought a horse In similar circumstances. She was still riding him until he was well over 25 so I don’t think you can put a time on it.

 

[CMcC]

Why do you say you are rescuing her? Rescuing her from what? She sounds like a perfectly straightforward horse doing a good job in a riding school who is now up for sale.

Sorry to sound argumentative, but i think if you go into this with the mindset that she is a rescue you risk not getting the best out of her.

 

[Wishfilly]

I agree that if she is sound now, it's very likely she will stay sound.

The only thing I would say is that she is likely to need quite different management going from 2+ hours of work most days to a lower amount of work, with probably more days off?

Will she hack alone, and is this important to you?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Most horses are in their prime at 14 now a days. You can retrain a 14 yo as I'm doing it!! She sounds lovely. You could spend monthsooking for something and still not find something suitable. She most probably will be a bit stiff and have a few lumps and bumps due to age , she may not, but it's not a bad thing as long as she is vetted with what you want to do in mind.

 

[teddypops]

I got my best pony on loan when she was 15, I bought her at 19. She is now 29 (30 in January) and she is still going strong and in full work - she’s amazing! On the other hand I have a 10yo gelding who I bought at 4 and retired at 10 because he has very bad eyesight and got unpredictability spooky. If you like her and she is sound go for it!

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Would you be planning on moving her? Is she able to happily be ridden safely on her own? Can she be left on a yard on her own?
Some get institutionalised in riding schools and whilst they can work individually there, they can have solo issues once the level of work and outlook changes.
Worth thinking about, to check all boxes are ticked.

 

[gingergreg]

I've just bought a 15yo Fell! Super low mileage having been mainly a broodmare, she has been ridden previously though and my plan is to bring her back into work. Don't have any huge aspirations but hoping to get to a point where we can do some low level dressage, maybe arena eventing etc. but I'll play it by ear

 

[J&S]

Riding school horses become a bit institutionalised (sp?) so if you are moving her away from the RS she may well change a bit in her manner, expect posssibly, spooky, nappy, nervy but all can be over come. Also as has been said, the level of work you do may be less, the feed may be better so she could get even more energetic. Age wise, no problem if she vets clear. I ride a 26 yr old who can still make the ground shake a bit!!
Edited to add:
Sorry, rather the same opinions as TFF!

 

[Tiddlypom]

She can be 'energetic' if she's not been ridden that day but she's popular and does on average 2 hours a day.

This is what I picked up on.

How often do you plan on being to ride her, and how long for?

Many a riding school steady neddy transforms into a much more reactive ride when the workload is cut.

 

[sarahmac77]

Why do you say you are rescuing her? Rescuing her from what? She sounds like a perfectly straightforward horse doing a good job in a riding school who is now up for sale.

Sorry to sound argumentative, but i think if you go into this with the mindset that she is a rescue you risk not getting the best out of her.

Yes, you are being argumentative and I think you know what I meant.
It's really casual figure of speech. I think we all know that a riding school horse that goes to a loving one-owner home is mostly better off. She's well looked after where she is in a great school.
I'm not sure what that even means (that I risk not getting the best out of here) - it's nonsensical.
There's no need to be pedantic on a well-meaning post for advice.

 

[sarahmac77]

I agree that if she is sound now, it's very likely she will stay sound.

The only thing I would say is that she is likely to need quite different management going from 2+ hours of work most days to a lower amount of work, with probably more days off?

Will she hack alone, and is this important to you?

She does do two hours but sometimes that's a beginner or a hack and not hard work. I'll be riding her daily, building up her strength and

Would you be planning on moving her? Is she able to happily be ridden safely on her own? Can she be left on a yard on her own?
Some get institutionalised in riding schools and whilst they can work individually there, they can have solo issues once the level of work and outlook changes.
Worth thinking about, to check all boxes are ticked.

No - she'll be staying on the yard but moving across to livery! She can even still be turned out with her best mate!

 

[sarahmac77]

This is what I picked up on.

How often do you plan on being to ride her, and how long for?

Many a riding school steady neddy transforms into a much more reactive ride when the workload is cut.

I'll ride about 4/5 times a week and may let the girl on the yard who loves her and will be heartbroken if she's sold also ride. She does 2+ hrs but much of this is plodding or just trotting in a few laps of the school. She really takes a while to work in, and it can take 20 mins before we get into an outline and really moving properly but I would imagine that might change. I rode her last night and she'd had a day off and we had to 'career' around the school several times until the energy was expended! I'm ok with fizz. SHe's not mean, just energetic!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I think that many horses from riding schools blossom when they have just one owner and I definitely would not discount an older horse.

That is my experience, too. If you like the horse, I would suggest that you seriously consider buying her. Horses generally appreciate consistency, so it is likely that this type of 'blowing off steam' would not be a regular feature of your life with her, as she gets to understand your expectations.

 

[w1bbler]

If fully sound & you gel with the horse then go for it.
An old yard owner of mine used to say that it was getting a horse to 12 years old sound that was the hard job, after that they tend to go on forever. That's not an exact science, but over the last 30 + years I've found that to be a fairly accurate assessment ?

 

[Winters100]

My schoolmistress is 14 and I credit her with being the pony who gave me back the joy of riding. I had totally lost confidence after a serious accident and needed a 'been there, done that' confidence giver. I have since added 2 more to the family, but I still have a huge amount of fun with her. She just knows her job, is willing and not at all lazy, and gives me exactly what I ask for. Don't underestimate the value in having a horse who you can get on tomorrow and feel confident.

 

[Cob Life]

Mileage isn't an issue if she is fully sound. I'd have her vetted and decide on that basis.

I agree.

And the fact that you know her and get on with her says huge amounts to me,I’d always rather buy a horse I already know.
I know a riding school pony who is 23, and she’s still happily working and has been in the riding school for 10+ years.

 

[sarahmac77]

Thanks all!

 

[wren123]

Make sure you have her vetted by a vet of your own choice (get a recommendation), don't use the one recommended or used by the riding school proprietor.