Buying an older horse - thoughts?

At 14 I got an 18 year old TB x Connie on loan. He had a very active life hunting, common riding, triathlon, riding club etc out every weekend. He was fit as a fiddle when I got him. I lost him at 24 to colic but right up until that point we were doing all RD activities, jumping 3 ft, competing. He was the fittest horse on the yard. Plus the experience he gave me is invaluable. When my step daughter gets to that age - if she's still interested -I will be looking for something exactly like him.
 
Plenty of sound teenagers out there. We have just retired the one we got at 17: she's now 22. Retirement was not due to unsoundess, simply that my daughter had outgrown her and we love her too much to sell her on. She's 14hh.
My old eventer went on until he was 18, retired from eventing but continued to do well SJ until he was 21.
Like others have said, I think if they are sound into their teens they tend to go on forever - it indicates they are structurally sound without weaknesses which predispose to injury. Try and avoid ones which you know were broken in very young.
There are plenty of examples of previously top level eventers and SJers going on to give younger riders a grand education at the lower levels even though they were no longer up to jumping round 4 star tracks.
If the horse ticks all the other boxes, get it vetted to death with xrays of at least the hocks and front feet. Buy it if they are clean.Start it on Pentosan as soon as you get it home and keep it in regular work with plenty of turnout to keep it moving.
 
Caol Ila said:
My horse is the fittest, most active horse on the yard, and she is 22.

A friend of mine, who is a vet, has a pet theory that if a horse gets to its early teens or so without encountering major musculo-skeletal-tendon problems, then it has a good chance of having a working life well into its 20s (barring things like field injuries, of course). In other words, if it's sound at 14 and has been in full work at its chosen discipline since it was a youngster, it has a good chance of still being sound at 20.

My very anecdotal experience bears out my friend's theory.
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ihatework said:
I have a completely unproven theory that if a horse has had an active life and proven sound for purpose well into its teens then it will probably continue to have a useful working life into its twenties, provided cared for appropriately.
You should factor in for a little extra tlc and vet support, but well worth it for an experienced child's horse.

8-12 seems to be the age that real problems show up. Again anecdotal!
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I agree with this... My first horse was 7 when I got her and started having various joint problems as an 11yo. I retired her at 12yo and got another as a 5yo. I still have both, mare is now 25yo field sound but a bit wonky in places. The 5yo is now 18 and still going strong. He started eventing as a 6yo and has done at least two events every year since. He did do a ligament as an 11yo but I took my time bringing him back into work and he's been great ever since. We don't jump quite as big as we used to, but he's still eventing and feeling as good as ever, certainly doesn't feel 18!

IMO ponies are even better, and a good pony still going strong in his mid teens will most likely go on for many more years. These ones are worth their weight in gold.
 
I'm not really sure about the fixation on here, and on yards, why anything over 10 is "old", and you must buy a five year old as it's heathier.

I have two young horses, never again. I'm going to stick to an older ones in future, like I have now.
 
I can't see where anyone has said that anything over ten is old, or that a five year old is healthier? The OP was discussing buying something 15+. Most older horses will have a limited timespan for doing lots of jumping work, so if you are wanting to compete for X number of years you need to consider carefully.
 
Years ago when I was in PC our best eventer (qualified for everything going) was 26. Yes, 26. He could still out jump and out ponce anything younger.
 
When I was 10yrs my mum bought us a fab 13.1hh who was 13/14yrs old. We had years of fun doing dr, jumping, games on him and my sister had to be peeled of him when she was 16yrs as she was so big on him! He would have been 19/20yrs old. He was in no way ready to retire so he went out on loan to several children for the next few years and we eventually retired him in his late 20's. He was put down in his 30's due to a cancerous tumour. Long story short, older ponies can last for years!
 
I'm loving all these stories. And delighted with the verb to "out ponce" - not come across that before :) Thank you everyone!
 
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