Does anyone else feel sad about their horse getting older

[Hollylee1989]

Yep but enjoy the now moments, it sure does fly by and sad when they age. My shetland is 21 in April and I've owned him since a 7 month old, my other horse is 22 and owned since a 4 year old. I have no idea where the time has gone!

 

[First Frost]

My older boy and horse of a lifetime is 19 this year and still going strong. I have owned him since a 4 year old. We have had some amazing adventures together and some fab competition success, he is totally irreplaceable as far as i am concerned. I am sad when I think that at some point we won't be able to have fun together anymore. however i try not to think about it as it could be years away yet or next week. We just enjoy all our time together. I am also lucky that i have another lovely young horse.

 

[Crugeran Celt]

My mare I bred myself from my first pony will be 30 this year. I had such high hopes for her but due to her health issues I had to retire her at 7 years old. Spent years trying to ensure her comfort and by the time her health improved she was too old to bring back into work so has been a field ornament for all these years. I have made the decision to PTS this summer as the last couple of winters she has she struggled to keep weight on and has become a bit wobbly. Enjoy your horse as she is still very young and you could have many years ahead of you.

 

[Hackback]

My horse is 17 this year. He is in fine fettle but feels the ground more than he used to. Everyone think he’s much younger, even the vet, which is great. I’ve tentatively looked around for another horse, a youngster to have in the field for a few years before bringing it on to replace him as he heads to retirement. The thing is I can’t get enthusiastic about it. I don’t want to ride another horse

I have done this. I needed to get another horse anyway, for company when I brought my horse home from the livery yard where we'd been happy for many years. I did struggle to really like the new horse for a while, not helped by the fact that he can be a bit of a brat, the polar opposite of my older boy. I am getting really fond of him now though (on his good days anyway!)

My aim is to have him backed and ridden away professionally then start to ride him more and older horse less as they swap roles. However I don't know if I will actually continue when older horse goes, assuming I outlive him. I may just sell the little one while he's still young to a more active home and just retire myself with my memories.

 

[Landcruiser]

Yes! I think when you have had happy times and adventures with your horse, especially if they really enjoy being out and about, it is sad. My TREC horse had to retire 18 months ago with hock arthritis. Best guess he's 23, and I've competed on him since I started TREC in 2013. We've been to some wonderful venues, and he always set out with his ears pricked and was as good as gold with coralling, waiting at check points, whatever. He's perfectly happy as a field ornament and enjoys very light hacking at walk only - but he often wants to go faster (as do I), and it's sad for us both I think that those days of galloping along headlands and up on The Downs together are forever gone.

 

[9tails]

My horse is 23, I bought her at 8. She's still a handful and loves her work, I've always been a happy hacker and nothing has changed over the years. We still trot/canter/gallop and I've always made sure the ground is good. The only physical differences I've seen is that her legs are hairier over winter and her appetite has increased as she's aged. She isn't planning on retiring any time soon.

 

[J&S]

My old mare is 26 this year and i have had her since she was 3. If she just died in her sleep one night I would miss her massively but i think I could cope, what i can't actually bear to think about is having to make the decision for her.
So in essence i want her to go on forever!

 

[JoA]

I have read through every one of the posts on this subject and it is reassuring that I appear to be 'normal' where loving our horses is concerned. My mare is 29 and I've had her since she was 6. We have done endurance up to 65km, travelled around the country on holidays, including The Mary Townley loop, done x Country (in my younger idiot years) and hacked for hours and hours and miles and miles. She has not been easy: she spins 180deg in a nano second and drops her left shoulder, she's spooky and yes I have had numerous falls and broken bones, but I sometimes have dwelt on the ageing process too much, wishing I could slow down time or turn back the clock. But most of all I have tried to savour each ride with a 'this could be my last' mentality. Today when she had one of her 'lost the plot' episodes in the field and took it upon herself to exit the paddock by demolishing two rails I did seriously wonder whether to hang my boots up. Like J&S above my hope is that she goes in her sleep (or whilst doing her 'lost the plot' antics). However, I have held a somewhat tearful discussion with my vet regarding the future because, despite her saying to us at the moment that she will go on for ever, we know she won't. I only hope I know when the time is right and that I can survive it for her sake.
So everyone, enjoy the moment and try not to dwell too much on the future.

 

[lynz88]

Mine is 17 this year. It hit me hard this year that he's past his mid teens.....but he has days where he acts like he is 27 and other days he acts like he is 3 so I just go with it! I dearly hope that when he does go, he does it swiftly and he does it by doing something he enjoys in the field rather than me having to make the decision and hope I've made the right decision (not that I want him in pain when he does something silly....!!). I have had him since he was 2 coming 3 and brought him from Canada.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Heather is in her early 30s now.
It’s a little sad to see her body change with her age, but honestly I’m just thankful she’s still with me! I get a lot of comfort from the fact she’s still thriving at this time. Trots/canters over the the gate neighing at feed time. She’s actually very sound considering! Spits teeth out at me occasionally which was abit of a shock at first lol.
Last winter she had a nasty abscess in her cheek that needed vet intervention and antibiotics. She didn’t have one sick or sorry day, and still dragged me around the yard for food or to go back to the field!

 

[sakura]

Yes, my mare is 17 this year and I've owned her since she was 4. She doesn't look her age but does have some mild joint issues. It doesn't stop her galloping around the field and spooking at bushes. She's semi retired, so no more schooling or jumping but we still hack.

I also dread ever having to make that decision. I don't take a single day with her for granted, I just so enjoy her company. She has given me the best years of her life. ❤

 

[Annagain]

Arch is 27 according to his passport (issued when he was "9") but 29-30 according to his teeth. Part of me loves that he's doing so well for his age (a bit stiff in the morning, riddled with melanomas and this year he's dropped a little bit of weight for the first time but isn't underweight) and that he's loving life - frequently cavorting about the field like a 3 yr old - but, particularly at the moment (having said goodbye to Mabel, my 18 yr old dog at the weekend) I'm very aware of his mortality and that makes me very sad.

I just wished they aged at the same rate as us.

 

[bertie123]

Bless you, I hear you, and can relate. Our little mare is late 20's now and quite incredible. My daughter still takes her hacking and she is in good shape. Vet and Physio check her regularly and both say the same, that we should take it steady and be sensible, but whilst she's keen and wants to hack, we keep her moving! Some of the aging signs are all there, teeth, etc but my daughter takes it steady and enjoys the time they have together. I'd agree with others on here. Enjoy your horse in the here and now. we feel blessed to have had her, and every single day and every single gentle ride in the woods is a precious bonus! All the best xx

 

[bertie123]

It bothers me a bit, my horse is 30 and although I still ride her and shes generally the same nutcase she always has been, I know shes pretty old now. I don't personally know anyone with a horse her age or that is still ridden. I've had her over 20years I would miss her terribly if she wasnt here she's mt horse of a lifetime I have her name tattoed on my arm. I have one other horse and keep them on my own rented small place. So when I loose my old girl, I'd have to give up my yard too as my other girl would be alone. Id hate to go back to a livery yard. My partner always jokes 'she will live for years' because she is so hyper and full of life. But I know she wont and it does worry me.

totally on your page, our horse same age or thereabouts and still ridden, exactly the same worries. x

 

[marmalade76]

Not at the moment (my current pony will be 10 this summer) but I have done in the past. I have bought horses & ponies in their teens in the past but more recently I've tried to buy younger so I'll have longer with them because losing them is so hard and I needed a bit of a break from it.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My retired boy has just turned 27. He is a big boy, 17.1 wb. His legs are terrible, lumps bumps etc. He is actually very sound at the moment, he trotted across the field beautifully yesterday!! I made the mistake, because he is getting old, to let him get away with things! He used to be a complete gentleman, now he is not!! I've had him since he was 9. No one else handles him so it doesn't really matter. He is a gorgeous chestnut but has white hairs appearing a over him. Hopefully he will last a few more years.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have Arabi who is 19 had him since he was 2 and I absolutely love him to bits I can't imagine him not here, it literally breaks my heart I have never had such an attachment to anything before, I still ride him he can be a complete idiot sometimes and definitely doesn't act his age, his got a few things going on arthritis and has had suspensory problems his such a happy little soul and seems to love life.

Louis is 18 now I've had him nearly ten years I do love him but I don't have the same connection but I would still miss him terribly, his quirky horse with a massive character took me a while to understand him.

I often think should I get something younger now but I don't think I want a very young horse, I want something done and easy now I'm getting on a bit

 

[Spotherisk]

Harley was 31 yesterday! Still feeling very well, retired about five years now I think. Photos today and in 1997 with my dad.

 

[scats]

I’m more sad about me getting older to be fair

 

[Bernster]

Yes, I’m in the position of having two at a similar age (13/14) and a slightly older semi retired. They could well be creaky and retired around the same time as me, which could be an issue! Even sadder about the cat though, I have to admit!

 

[MereChristmas]

Don’t plan. It doesn’t work.
I bought my ‘final’ horse in 2009. She was 10. We were to retire together in the future.
8 years later mare has very bad arthritis, I’m still able.
I am now on my second pony after that mare.
Who knows what the future will bring?
I have had other horses for 27, 26, 28, 6, 7, 8, 3 years over my life and I know what it is to lose a long owned friend.

 

[Trinket12]

Sugar is 20 this year, I have had her 4 years. I often wish I had her when she was younger, but I try and focus on the moment and to be honest she's also a lot more sound than I am, so I'll probably quit before she does

 

[spotty_pony]

Glad to see I’m not alone. My boy is 24 and I can’t bare to think that he is getting old. I’ve had him since he was 5 and he owes me nothing but he is my horse of a lifetime and wish he could live forever.

 

[paddy555]

I’m more sad about me getting older to be fair

so am I. I'm the one who has to keep going to look after them all

 

[Barton Bounty]

I just try to enjoy every day, it does annoy me when people ask very flippantly ‘ will you get another when bb goes’ he is only 16 so I hope its a while yet…and like everyone else I dont think about it but I will get another when he retires. Right now he takes all my attention.
Was offered a free mare yesterday.. lovely but not yet

 

[MagicMelon]

It gets a lot sadder when they start failing so Id say enjoy these days. Mine has suddenly lost a lot of weight recently and Im worried this'll be the end of him

 

[Belmont]

Yep! Lost my lovely boy last year suddenly at 24. I knew he was aging but I always hoped he'd make 30. I'd had him 11 years but it didn't feel long enough. I'd bought a 3 year old with the plan of him being my horse of a lifetime and hoping I'd get 20+ years, but the reality was he wasn't the right horse for me.
I bought an 18 year old at the start of the year - older than I'd have liked but totally my perfect horse otherwise, so I'm just enjoying the time we have, however long that may be.

 

[hairycob]

My boy is 24 and still hacks out but not the mega hacks and TREC we used to do. Nearly lost him to colic last spring when he was box resting after having an eye removed, vet was on their way back to PTS but he did a thunderous fart just in time - vet arrived 5 minutes later.

 

[bertie123]

Aged 74 and riding a 23 year old I'm just hoping the horse stays sound and we can both retire together but if I'm honest I'll be much sadder at the prospect of my retirement than his. I've had to pts several horses over the years, some have reached aged then succumbed to colic, others to serious injury only one has reached proper old age (28). My advice is just to enjoy your horse and keep your fingers crossed (and your toes).

74, FANTASTIC!