Can an older horse really learn new stuff?

[spotty_pony]

By older I mean 14 so not old as such but getting on a little.

Our new mare really hasn’t seen a lot of the world and has lived a very sheltered life in Cornwall. Previous owner bought her 4 months before we met her. She had been out of work for approx 4 years and had also had a foal in that time. Before that she was used for hacking but owner had very bad arthritis so she wasn’t riding any more and she was being wasted. The girl we bought her off was terrified of her in short. She sent her away to be rebacked after her having time off, within about three weeks of her being rebacked she was up for sale. The mare was very tense and on edge when we viewed but something about her made us look beyond this as a lot of it appeared to be a rider issue. She felt very green under saddle so I have concentrated on getting her to relax and am getting some more miles on the clock hacking out currently whilst she builds up some fitness and settles in. She is great alone and in company, we haven’t cantered yet but purely because the ground is saturated and I don’t have an arena. As she has started to chill out her character is coming out - she likes drinking out of puddles ? and she is actually proving to be quite a steady ride so I’m not sure she is as green as I originally thought. To me she feels like she has been ridden by a child and just allowed to go along how she likes. Any sign of schooling or bending is non existent - she has no mouth whatsoever. The last owner had been hanging onto her and had had some fairly big bits in her as she was finding her strong and she was backing off the contact so I’ve been riding her on the buckle with a rubber snaffle and she is growing in confidence.

I would like to do some schooling with her in our fields when the ground dries in the spring and possibly some pole work/jumping if she enjoys it. Is it possible to school an older horse that is set in its ways? I assume it’s more down to the nature and attitude of the individual horse but I’m keen to hear of others have schooled older horses. ?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Yeah of course they can ? My 15 yr old tb is smart as a tack, I am going to try liberty with him when we get better weather ?

 

[vmac66]

Yes they can.
My mare was 12 when i got an instructor that has taught her how to use her back end for the first time in her life. She had always been on the forehand and she was convinced this was how she should work. 2 years down the line I have a well balanced horse that works from behind and can work laterally. It's been hard work but worth it.

 

[catkin]

Of course you can school an older horse, just take it steady as she likely hasn't done much before.
You can do quite a lot of the early work out hacking, anything to get her listening and encourage a 'try';
how about changing pace at a set number of strides, any gate opening, if you have suitable tracks perhaps a step or two of leg yield, turns at lane junctions become quarter circles etc etc

 

[spacefaer]

No reason why not. It might take a little longer to adjust her way of going as she'll have well established musculature but you'll be building her up and getting her fitter - you might as well do it with the right muscles.

 

[Gloi]

Yes you can. I got a barely handled 12yo brood mare and within months she was a quiet pony who anyone could ride.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Yes, I took a horse on who was 13, had only hacked and struggled around an intro.

She now loves jumping, total star at arena eventing and have competed at novice dressage, qualifying for trailblazers.

 

[scruffyponies]

Yes of course. Broke a 17yo to drive a couple of years ago. He was as quick on the uptake as any 4yo, more chilled about the process of introducing new things and didn't seem to suffer from brain overload as easily.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Yes definitely can be done my friend bought a pony that had only really hunted not schooled in an arena at all I think he was 13, she schooled him and got him up to advanced medium within a few years and did really well.

 

[baran]

Yes of course. Broke a 17yo to drive a couple of years ago. He was as quick on the uptake as any 4yo, more chilled about the process of introducing new things and didn't seem to suffer from brain overload as easily.

My first driving horse was broken to drive at the age of 14. She loved it and became as bombproof in harness as she had been under saddle.

 

[Snowfilly]

My first driving horse was broken to drive at the age of 14. She loved it and bec
ame as bombproof in harness as she had been under saddle.

I’ve known a lot of small ponies who’ve been broken to drive after all the kids in the family have outgrown them, they tend to take it in stride.

I taught a 16 year old mare to jump as a kid, she’d been shown in band and been a brood mare. Took to it well enough and had a couple of years successful competing from 18-21 before age started catching up with her.

 

[Goldenstar]

By older I mean 14 so not old as such but getting on a little.

Our new mare really hasn’t seen a lot of the world and has lived a very sheltered life in Cornwall. Previous owner bought her 4 months before we met her. She had been out of work for approx 4 years and had also had a foal in that time. Before that she was used for hacking but owner had very bad arthritis so she wasn’t riding any more and she was being wasted. The girl we bought her off was terrified of her in short. She sent her away to be rebacked after her having time off, within about three weeks of her being rebacked she was up for sale. The mare was very tense and on edge when we viewed but something about her made us look beyond this as a lot of it appeared to be a rider issue. She felt very green under saddle so I have concentrated on getting her to relax and am getting some more miles on the clock hacking out currently whilst she builds up some fitness and settles in. She is great alone and in company, we haven’t cantered yet but purely because the ground is saturated and I don’t have an arena. As she has started to chill out her character is coming out - she likes drinking out of puddles ? and she is actually proving to be quite a steady ride so I’m not sure she is as green as I originally thought. To me she feels like she has been ridden by a child and just allowed to go along how she likes. Any sign of schooling or bending is non existent - she has no mouth whatsoever. The last owner had been hanging onto her and had had some fairly big bits in her as she was finding her strong and she was backing off the contact so I’ve been riding her on the buckle with a rubber snaffle and she is growing in confidence.

I would like to do some schooling with her in our fields when the ground dries in the spring and possibly some pole work/jumping if she enjoys it. Is it possible to school an older horse that is set in its ways? I assume it’s more down to the nature and attitude of the individual horse but I’m keen to hear of others have schooled older horses. ?

She sounds like she will enjoy some learning and it will do a lot of good .
I would hack her until,the weather improves and then start schooling little and often stop in corner of a field during a ride and do a few circles then hack on at first .
She will probably get more muscle aches than younger horse would but I think you may be surprised how far you get and the fun you have working with a horse like this

 

[Landcruiser]

I've seen several older horses which have retired from various disciplines change career completely and successfully. A big cob with a long hunting career happily changed to Western at my Western riding club. And my own horse began "Science of Motion" training in his late teens, which had a profound effect on his way of going and his balance.

 

[Skib]

I shared and hacked a retired lesson mare. She was about 18. I learned to ride late in life and much of my riding came from Mark Rashid using few visible cues and concentrating on rhythm of the gait. The old mare did all this for me. And if Rashid suggested something at subsequent clinics she took that on board too. She was 24 when she was retired.

 

[Tarragon]

I think that there is a difference between training an older horse to learn something new, like I broke my pony to harness when he was 16 years old and he took to it like a duck to water, but he had been a happy hacking pony until then, and starting an older pony who has done very little up until now.
Probably a lot depends upon the mentality of the pony!

 

[spotty_pony]

Goldenstar - this is exactly it! I think she is quietly enjoying it. This morning was the first time she was there at the gate waiting to be caught - usually she is off across the field and I have to go too her. She always whickers under her breath when I talk to her too. ?

Tarragon - I agree although she isn’t being started, she has hacked our earlier on in life just not done a lot.

 

[Equi]

Course they can. I broke both my mares to drive and both were 14+ and had been living mostly wild and brooding. Big lad was mostly a trekking horse but is really enjoying learning to school and was very proud of himself getting a walk to canter.

 

[J&S]

My, at the time 13 yr old, companion pony came from a RS and was used to hacking but really a bit of a furry lump! We have gone in a different direction and do loads of in hand, on the ground stuff, trec, agility, liberty etc. She can turn on a sixpence now and moves off light as a feather. It has improved her ridden work, gates, (and gaits!) forwardness, handyness etc.