Follow on from 'am i too big' thread

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Sally-FF

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I have just read through they am i too big thread and cannot understand why the owner is making a poor 31 year old horse do that much work.

However going away from that issue - how old have your horses been when you have reduced their work load?

I know it is very much depending on the individual horse - but can you tell me your opinions... I have a 14 year old low mileage eventer who i am hoping to start PN with again next year - i class him as older!!
 
Personal opinion is for things to slow down in the 20's ( I don't mean stop though) horses are thriving in competition these days well in to thier late teens and it is no way too late for yours !
 
My old boy was on loan and at 35 i had him back but he had been retired for 5 years. He looked awful and i did bring him back into work which he thrived on- he looked amazing (he walked mostly in hand a few times a week not proper work)

I think i slowed down with him at about 25- he told me when it was time (sort of!)
 
McNally said:
My old boy was on loan and at 35 i had him back but he had been retired for 5 years. He looked awful and i did bring him back into work which he thrived on- he looked amazing (he walked mostly in hand a few times a week not proper work)

I think i slowed down with him at about 25- he told me when it was time (sort of!)
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35 WOW!!
 
About 38 when i lost him to evil colic, tbh i was thinking of calling it a day anyway as he was starting to get slightly colicy too often and i wanted for him not to go through a bad one.

He was the most amazing little horse- very very much missed
 
My friend has a 31 yr old TB who she still rides 2-3 times per week.
He only goes for an amble to keep him ticking over. She is convinced that if she stops riding him, he will lose the will to live.
 
I'm facing making this sort of decision at the moment. My wonderful WB was hurtling his way around hunter trials last season, having a great time and often getting time penalties for going too quickly (he has an effortless gallop and doesn't need any 'pulling around' at jumps). This was at age 20.

He had to have a couple of months off over the winter (snowed in) and since then he just doesn't *feel* 100% right. The vet has said he is fine, but I really think there is a niggle somewhere.

He has had some time off, but will have another workup to see if we can find out what's going on. It may well be just age catching up with him but I don't want to take the risk of there being an underlying injury. He is very well in himself and is happy out with his buddies so I'm trying not to worry too much, at the end of the day he will be kept as a pet even if he can't be ridden but is otherwise happy.
 
I have a 20 year old that will still jump out of field over the post and rails fence ...... and stands looking depressed at the gate if I take Taz out to work and not her. She is unfit atm but is coming back into work again after coming back off loan with a sore back ... she is keen as mustard but she will have a slow fitness regime and only light hacking to a pace she is ok with .... wont rule out canter eventually ;). Wont ask her to jump with a human on board though as its been too long since she has)

If she had been in regular work till now then her age alone would not make me stop whatever she was doing if she was eager ..... but I think generally that the over 20's need evaluating.

Oh and I dont class my 16 year young welsh cob as older yet ;)
 
My old boy slowed down at 21, by which I mean we stopped competing, hunting and I stopped asking for to much in the school. He went on loan at 23 to hack about, which he enjoyed until he knackered a tendon at 25, he then retired from all ridden work, but unfortunately at age 27 got an infection in said tendon so the kindest thing was to send him to the hunt, so that he was returned to the thing he loved most in the world.
 
I had a 22yo on loan who was still doing 3 hour hacks etc with me then went to a lighter, younger rider and did the same for another few years. She only retired because younger jockey out grew her and her owner couldn't find a suitable jockey (she was fizzy but very safe just needed someone who wasn't phased by bouncey). She looks old and depressed now :( If the equine is happy in their work and sound then I'm all for keeping them in work. It's about knowing your horse and knowing when they want to do less etc.
 
I have an 18yo mare who is prone to lammi, has sweet itch and when we sold her 8 years ago she went through hell. We got her back 2 years ago and she looks double her age so she is retired and the day she stops bullying the younger ponies is the day I call it a day.

On the other hand I have a 21yo shetland who behaves like a 4yo for the most part and although he doesn't get shown as often as I have many others to get out and about he throws a strop when he doesn't get to go and when he does he pings round the show ring showing all the youngsters how it's done.

My view is that when a horse wants to slow down they will tell you so. I would start asking my horses if they want to slow down as of 20yo - if they still tank off with me or deck me then they carry on working. The day I survive a whole week without a mishap I will start winding them down in their work.
 
My 21 year old ex-racer is semi-retired now. He has light exercise about 3 times a week - never on consecutive days. It might consist of a hack for between 30 mins to an hour - mainly in walk - or a 30 minute schooling session. He loves schooling, but it's now about doing large circles to maintain his suppleness, nothing too abrupt, and he has P3 gel in his front shoes to prevent jarring (I call them his "Nike Air" trainers). He is the grandad of the field and looks after all the other horses who all adore him, but he is actually the liveliest in the field and is usually the one found galloping round with the youngsters! But that's the difference - he does it of his own accord. There's a big difference between that, and hammering them with rider on board. My boy is with me until the end of his days. I will never find another one like him.

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Well I have a 21yr old who was still out competing BSJA Grade B level last year.....I only retired him from this as he was diagnosed with arthritis (which he must have had for some time for the arthritic changes to be the way they are).....he's 100% sound and has been given the all clear to do all we did with him but I won't let him jump again (I HATE jumping anyway so it's a good excuse for me lol) however, we still hack for hours (in all paces), we do Dressage up to Novice level at the moment but hoping to get to Elementary eventually and he loves his work......As far as I'm concerned you'll know when you're horse is ready to slow down (although, clearly, from that thread, some people don't listen!).
 
we are gradually reducing the amount of jumping my 20 is doing. instead of 2-3 times a week we're jumping once or twice and doing more flatwork.
20 isn't old but I'd like to be able to ride him for a few more years :)
 
I have an 18yr old TB who was starting to slow down last year - and who then sustained a fractured leg in the field.

We have spent nearly 9 months getting him better again and have just started hacking him out again (15 mins walk is the max so far)

He will now be a happy hacker for as long as he is comfortable and happy. He is quite stiff due to his injury so I think that very gentle exercise will help him stay supple. He loves his little walks out and hopefully we will be able to build it up slowly so we can go on longer walks around the lanes. He won't be competing again and I think if we do take him in the school in the winter it would only be a nice steady walk round to loosen up.
 
My yard owner had a mare who died last year aged 42 :o The last year of her life she was allowed to wander around the premises at will and everybody loved her. When I met her she was 34 and still giving children lessons once or twice a week and I once took her on a 9km hack as all the other horses were going out and she would have jumped the fence and followed us!

My lad is 15 and had a back problem which I am always mindful of, we mainly do light schooling and long walks, but my goodness he can still jump a metre and loves a good gallop!
 
Sally-FF said:
thanks for your replies - you have made me him being 14 / 15 - he is still in his prime!!
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We were still eventing with our hair on fire at that age!!!!

In fact had a vet ask me how old he was and was shocked when I said 16, as he had recovered from the roads and tracks in record time, much faster than younger competitors!
 
my old tb was 21 when i lost her to a broken leg, up until then we had been hacking about the lanes and still enjoying a little canter...........ok i wanted a little canter she wanted to bomb off like a loon :rolleyes::) I'd made changes to her routine to help her tho, she had been stabled at night but would come out quite stiff in the morning so we tried her living out 24/7 and she was a lot better. Horses can have very long working lives if they are treated and ridden thoughtfully:)
 
I have a 31yr old pony who still goes out competing and still wins :)
I don't ride her, and haven't done for about 8yrs, and we make sure she has a she has a weight limit of about 7st.
We tried retiring her but she got very depressed. She doesn't jump the same heights she used to and she doesn't xc on hard ground, but as long as she is fit and sound she keeps going. To be honest she is probably fitter than my 4yr olds! The only problem we have is finding competant little riders as she can be a bit fizzy out hacking.
 
Theres a 22 year old TB on our yard that hacks every day without fail. He looks great for his age with the only hint being a slightly thicker coat and him being a tiny bit stiff in the mronings sometimes. His owner doesn't school him anymore in the menage but he still likes a good buck and a fart out hacking. He loves stubble racing!
 
EKW said:
My view is that when a horse wants to slow down they will tell you so. I would start asking my horses if they want to slow down as of 20yo - if they still tank off with me or deck me then they carry on working. The day I survive a whole week without a mishap I will start winding them down in their work.
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My mare is 23yo and after having nearly a year off due to cushings related laminitus has now came back into work, mainly because when she gets turned out in the field she goes down the field like roadrunner (with squeals instead of beeps), lucky in that we have a couple of younger kids that are learning to ride on the lunge so she can teach them bad habits (not trustworthy off the lunge with a beginner!!!), she certainly doesn't look like she's slowing down anytime soon.
 
My 32 year old was in a riding school until a couple of years ago, they didn't jump him anymore, he stopped that 4 or 5 years ago, and he refused to do lessons in the arena ( would just go and stand in the middle of the arena and refuse to move ), but he was used for trail riding, and loved it.

Since Ive had him hes done 1 hack per wk, normally walking only, but if he wants to, the odd canter. Hes also has a ride in the arena once a week, just doing mainly walk with a little trot, Ive also had a couple of lessons on him, which he loved.

Hes injured at the moment, and if he recovers I'll never ride him again, but I will take him for walks in hand, as I think hes always been such an active horse, it would depress him not to be "useful"
Kx
 
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