Aged? - What does that mean?

[RainbowDash]

Hi all,

Whilst not a new owner I find very good advice here :-D.

I've owned my boy for 15 months. He's a dream on the ground but a real pony to ride :-D.

Okay my question is this - he's passported as 13 (rides like a 5 yo), aged by one dentist as 16, aged last week as 'aged' now he did say that his diet may not have been so good before I brought him - which may have ruined and aged his teeth.

I want to do right by him - he is still my perfect pony - he's more of a pet anyway. My questions are:

What do you call aged? (dentist saw other horses so did not have chance to ask)

Supplements - he does have a clicky leg which rights itself after a few minutes walk. Made worse as he's a greedy little chap and is very happy standing all day with his mates at the haylege - but I do move him to another field where he does have a good game of pony-tag and he's fine.

Passport - I'd love to take him to a local show (in-hand) if he is aged he is damn great shape - but his passport has him at 13 - can it be changed - will they care?

A glass of a rather lovely Chardonnay on offer for getting this far xxxx

 

[Tnavas]

Technically a horse was considered aged at 8yrs or over.

Ageing by teeth is only accurate until 7 years old - then a whole host of things can affect a horses dentition.

Horses that crib bite may wear their teeth abnormally as can horses that live on abrasive soils. The general dental care - or lack of can affect how long the front teeth grow.

If your horse gets regular dental checks you'll keep up with the condition of his teeth and his ability to eat well.

Loss of condition, dribbling food or finding lumps of food around the bowl tell you there are problems and these can be helped by a change in food types, horses with missing teeth find chewing harder so softer food helps.

As your horse has a passport I would suspect his age at 13 is correct as the passport system has been around awhile.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

'Aged' to me means pretty damn old. I wouldn't put a 13 yo or even a 16 yo in that category.

For a local show, unless you want to show him in Veteran classes, I don't think that you need to worry about the debate over his age.

ETA.

Technically a horse was considered aged at 8yrs or over.

Wow. I didn't know that.

 

[FionaM12]

Yes, I was always told that a horse's age could be told accurately by its teeth until it was eight and after that was described as "aged".

I was told that in about 1970. Perhaps the term has slipped out of common usage since?

 

[Tnavas]

Yes, I was always told that a horse's age could be told accurately by its teeth until it was eight and after that was described as "aged".

I was told that in about 1970. Perhaps the term has slipped out of common usage since?

Same era!

Have just consulted my book! 'Summerhays' Encyclopedia for Horsemen' this is a book on all equestrian 'terms'


I quote
"Aged - describes a horse when it reaches the age of 7 or over."

 

[Honey08]

Same era!

Have just consulted my book! 'Summerhays' Encyclopedia for Horsemen' this is a book on all equestrian 'terms'


I quote
"Aged - describes a horse when it reaches the age of 7 or over."

Nowadays I would call that the age when a horse becomes "mature". In the 1980s I was told aged meant 10 yrs!

OP I don't think you would have to show your passport at local levels. We never have. Probably for qualifiers or championships you would.

 

[Maesfen]

Aged is 7 or over.

 

[JillA]

It is the technical term meaning the age at which it is no longer possible to tell its age accurately by the eruption of teeth - unfortunate that it has connotations relating to a horse being a veteran but it is an absolute term, not open to interpretation.
Even in these days of passports it is relevant - passports can be forged, replaced or just plain conjured up to say whatever age an unscrupulous seller thinks is best. We have had at least two here who were clearly significantly older than the age their passports would suggest and the dentition is only of limited help - the horse is "aged" in those terms.