Following on from how old is too old - but for an event horse...

H

H-J

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Follwing on from post in NL...

It just worries me slightly of people saying in the post that 10+ is too old for a comp horse
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Ive just bought Dexter as a 12 yr old and must admit really had my doubts, I have never bought anything older then 8.

But after much upset with those horses I decided to get something that knew its job a bit better XC (he is a bugger to ride SJing! but knows his XC) and im so glad I did he seems to be the best thing ive bought so far (cue crap day Sunday!
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I agree sometimes at an older age it is difficult sometimes to start them eventing - but as HH has proven with her stallion and I did with Mac the grade A 13yr old it is impossible!

So whats your opinions on older horses eventing? And how old is too old to buy an eventer and conyinue to event it?
 
A horse is never too old unless it is fit and well. I guess that mid 20's would be too old.

Hooray Henry did Badminton when he was 22! And then carried on doing novice events with junior riders for a few years afterwards.

It depends on the horse! If they are enjoying it they can keep going almost forever!
 
Look at Captain Christy bought as a 15yo for Holly Wick and she has only just got to grips with him this year so he must be 17yo and still at 3* level happily.

I would never buy a PN horse above age of 6/7 but anything more experienced do not have a problem with age.
 
The only thing with buying something older and more experienced is that they've generally had a lot of 'mileage' so more wear and tear on legs etc... I think that would be my only concern, I'd love to be able to afford something at 3* level to play about on, regardless of its age!
 
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A horse is never too old unless it is fit and well. I guess that mid 20's would be too old.

Hooray Henry did Badminton when he was 22! And then carried on doing novice events with junior riders for a few years afterwards.

It depends on the horse! If they are enjoying it they can keep going almost forever!

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Yes I knew about Hooray Henry Caroline showed me all her piccies of him when I bought a horse from her
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The guy that was riding Dexter said he had at least another gd 6yrs eventing to do so fingers crossed! He has extra special care taken of him too! He is very mollycoddled!
 
Oh,and what about Stunning? He started racing aged 2, then retired from winning three stars aged 18 ! so he had a career spanning 15 years.
I do think that it is only the really tough ones that can keep going until that age tho with no soundness or other problems.But I would say that the majority last until they are 16 ish with no probs.
 
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The only thing with buying something older and more experienced is that they've generally had a lot of 'mileage' so more wear and tear on legs etc... I think that would be my only concern, I'd love to be able to afford something at 3* level to play about on, regardless of its age!

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I agree - and this was something I took into consideration when looking at older horses.

I did look at another one and it had LOTS of mileage and had been ridden by about 6 different jockeys each yr, that put me off that and it was 14
 
Yes also something we thought about - and we decided that he would stay with us till the end and do dressage and could always be a hack for my mum
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Over to You - Jeanette Brakewells chap (who at 19 I think has just retired from International comp and got round Badminton perhaps 7x?)
Ive chosen to retire my eventer Zip from competition due to the fact that he LOATHES the dressage - though still perfectly sound - hunting - I would team chase him if I had the time to keep him really hard and fit over the winter, though I have a youngster who I am now concentrating on.
I chose to retire him sound and not push our luck as he had belonged to a chap whos long listed for Beiging (sp!!) before he became mine and went up thru the PC and eventing grades. My mothers racehorse - P2P, Chased - (fell a few times) so sent him hurdling aged 11 - due to retire, and broke 2 course and distance records and retired him from racing at 14 (old in NH terms) but he is still in work and goes up the gallops (cantering) 2 or 3x a week aged 24,(to keep youngster in check!!) So I think you have to - as mentioned consider milage I know Zip (18 heading 19) wont make old old bones but for the time being is seriously happy!- but Punch the ex RH is still going great guns, as long as your careful fittening up and choosy where and when you run - a 12yr old is young by comparission!!!
 
i'd buy an older one that had mileage as long as it was good mileage and it had a decent record. but to start eventing anything over about 9 or 10 from scratch... unless it already knows a LOT about jumping, and hasn't been ruined on the flat, you have a lot of teaching to do to get it to a good level. i'd buy an older schoolmaster if i had the money and it passed a full 5-stage vetting, with flying colours.
 
I consider a horse aged 10yrs-12yrs as being in its prime so would think nothing of buying a horse of this age to event if I was looking for a school masterand/or experienced horse. Whether it had evented or not, I'd still consider it if it had done reasonable height Hunter Trials, SJ's and could do basic dressage.

I wouldn't want to go any higher than PN though
 
I bought a 13 yr old advanced horse to teach me round PN/N level - he also hates the dressage and is usually last (apparently he has got worse over the years) - but is such a fab jumper I dont care. Hes still happy and looking as fit as a fiddle and he is 17. I dont over run him and he will go on for a while yet. Wont be selling him tho, so I suppose that is a consideration if you cant keep them for ever.
 
My dad had a fantastic horse a few years ago who did her first season of PN when she was 18 and my Dad was 50! She is still happily jumping intro height at the age of 25.
 
I think it depends on your personal view of what's too old. I dont think anything is necessarily TOO old if it's still perfectly happy & able to do the job asked of it. It depends what you want, if its a schoolmaster then 10 / 12 is fine.

Personally, I prefer youngsters - 4 / 5 / 6 yo's. But then that's because I really enjoy bringing them on! I'd never buy a horse older than 7 I think (of course I HAVE ones older than this now), because I also like to have my horse for some time and feel the older they are the less time I have with them. Although I would love to have a horse who'd been there and done it all, that could take me round a BE Intermediate track easily but I know Id get bored after about a year!
 
I'm really hoping my lad will go on for a few years yet-he's 13 this year and I'm not intending on selling him but not sure when I'll know to stop competitng him, hopefully not for a while! I'm thinking that when I graduate he'll be 18 and probably, as he isn't the toughest horse around, unlikely to still be going. Not sure what I'll do with him then!
 
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The only thing that puts me off buying an older horse is depreciation- its so much harder to sell a horse in its teens

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Ditto!

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Depends on whether you are buying it to sell on though. I bought Finnus as a school master @ 13 and he has a home for life.
 
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The only thing that puts me off buying an older horse is depreciation- its so much harder to sell a horse in its teens

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Ditto!

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Depends on whether you are buying it to sell on though. I bought Finnus as a school master @ 13 and he has a home for life.

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I wouldnt necessarily buy to sell on but if you dont gel with a horse a few months down the line or it proves less able than you originally thought, I'd rather be able to sell it than be stuck with it!!
 
i took my 16 year old PN last year... and i have now sold her to a young girl to teach her stuff and take her round intros. she loved it so much and as she was experienced was so calm and relaxed.
 
Harveys Courage and Five Boys were both very late starters so it wouldn't bother me even if they hadn't competed. Ernie is the oldest horse I've ever bought but I bought him because he knew his job pointing but I'm yet to actually let him run
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We have just got our DVD from SoE, pre-novice for Duke who is 6 and realised how much of a baby he is. We are so pleased that we can take him 'through the ranks' slowly and hopefully fulfil his potential
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I would say as long as they are fit and sound then never too old, I dont think people are as ignorant now so most horses of age are retired sound. I personally wouldnt be put off buying a teenage schoolmaster with a decent history, as the others have said when it retired then my mum could have a really posh hack!
Must add though I wouldnt expect any return for the outlay, after all thats why theres a market for schoolmasters!
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