horses over 20 and still hunting!

[pipsqueek]

So as the title...how many of you have oldies still out hunting? I am still hunting my nearly 21 y.o home-bred mare and looking around it is maybe not so old these days. She is really quite stiff on her near hind walking out of the stable in the morning but this soon wears off and out hunting (over derbyshire stone walls) is incapable of a quiet day and leaps her way to the front and we always end up right behind the field master. I have another, younger horse now but am reluctant to retire Fable as she loves her hunting. Stories please!

 

[chestnut cob]

I love these posts... makes me feel so much better about my nearly-17yo hunting more this season than he has in years! At home/the yard I always feel like at 17hh he's enormous and at 16, nearly 17, he's ancient... out hunting he's positively tiny and by no means an oldie!

 

[pipsqueek]

he's a spring chicken keep hunting I think they will tell us when they have had enough

 

[Moomin1]

I never hunted my old because I was too chicken - he used to cart off in groups of horses!! But I was riding him until he was 39 daily on hacks and showing him until he was 38!! He was as fit as a fiddle until I retired him and he deteriorated within 6 months. He could still pop 2ft 9 jumps though!! I realise he was an exception, and horses differ, but I think that if they are able to do something without it causing any discomfort or disadvantage then it's better to keep going!!

 

[TwoPair]

Mum hunted one in Ireland that was nearer 30 than twenty but the old bird knew her job and nun described her as a flying armchair

 

[Stark Dismay]

I have a photo of my sister, my mother and I out hunting when I was younger, and the combined age of our 3 mounts was close to 70. I was never able to get my nearly 30 year old to act his age!

 

[maggiesmum]

My friends mare is 20 and goes out most weeks with a drag hunt, she looks a picture of health and you'd never guess her age - I took her round a farm ride a couple of months ago and she was fit as a fiddle and raring to go!!

 

[Toffee44]

I rode a friends 21yr old ID (he was a ex grade A and then huntmasters horse for three seasons) I took him out a few seasons back (2009 I think). He has to go in a running gag as no brakes. He just locked onto hedges and went I just held on and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. He knew his job, he loved his job and I will probabl never have a ride like that again. Rode him again last summer, took him to a local SJ comp and hunter trials he loved the buzz of the show ground...

 

[PickledOnions]

I've hunted 2 horses over 20 and both were incredible. One was a 28 y.o pony who gave me some of my best days ever, right behind the master over some of the biggest hedges in Leicestershire. And my current horse is a 21 y.o ex racer who is awesome out hunting

 

[Rowreach]

One of mine retired aged 23 after fracturing a sidebone, but we had over 500 days hunting and over 200 days cubbing (as it was then) together He was amazing, never sick, sorry or lame (until right before he retired), always buzzing and wanting to do his job. I got him cheap because people said he was so strong, and I was certainly tired at the end of each day

When he was 19 we moved from muddy, wired up country with timber hunt jumps to bottomless bog country with blind ditches and banks, and he took to it like the proverbial duck

He was a s*d to compete though - one week he'd go out and win, then the next he'd stop at the smallest, easiest fence on the course, or buck going down the centre line, or spook at a filler - just enough to drop you out of the placings, and just to prove that it was he that was actually in charge

The only time we ever parted company was when he slipped coming into a table fence and we both ended up wedged underneath it

Loved that horse so much, and still miss him every day :'(

 

[JenHunt]

The pony I first went hunting on was certainly in his late 20's at the time. He was like the proverbial rat up a drain pipe! and such fun for a kid to learn on! and my welsh cob was still hunting aged 24, and teaching other girls how to do it! this pic is of me on my first hunting pony (aged about 24, and my mum's friend on what was soon to be my welsh cob (he and I were 9 at this point, 2 years before I got him). It's a picture of a picture, so not very good!

this pic is me and welsh cob warming up for our B test some years later! (again, a pic of a pic)

Ron is now 17, and showing no signs of slowing down, and until such time as he does, he will continue hunting as he lives for it!

 

[Addicted to Hunting]

As long as they are enjoying it, then keep them going IMHO. we got my spotty pony (RIP) when she was around 16 for my 16th birthday present, the plan was that i would do one year in ponies on her then see how she was going. She was the most awesome pony who taught me so much about jumping, the highs and the lows!!!! I hunted her a bit but was never confident enough to jump her, but then a few years ago i started jumping her out hunting, wow!! I then realised how much i really like hunting!!! she was fairly mad to hunt, didn't really do waiting and was strong i used to hunt her in an American gag, alot less yanking but i learnt sooo sooo much jumping her out hunting and knew that i would be safe (despite her getting me off twice in one meet, but that was due to waiting!). last year she did her check ligament but with time off and walking she came sound. i got her out once cubbing this season and had a wicked day which i will treasure for a long time, as a few weeks later we had to have her put down due to colic, but right up till the day before she was acting about 4 years and bogging off when ever she could!!! we had had her 9.5 years and i can honestly say that I wouldn't be close to being half the rider i am today without her, i miss her like anything and wish that i could still be hunting her, but i also know that she was incredible and a good happy life right up until the end!! older horses rock, alltho most seem to get younger in their minds!!

 

[CrazyMare]

Mine is turning 20 next - not even stiff coming out of her stable, pinging fences, and generally being sharper than sharp to ride. Jumped her first five bar gate this season!

 

[Orangehorse]

I sold one horse (mistake) and heard later that he was still hunting at age 22. He was the best hunter I ever had, but he wasn't into competitions.

My neighbour bought a 15 year old retired eventer and hunted him for 10 years and more. The last couple of seasons the spirit was willing but the body was getting weaker and he didn't jump him at all in the last season. He had to be PTS in the following summer due to arthritis.

 

[topclass]

He's a youngster then lol I didnt hunt my old buy but was doing Cross Country with him until he was 30 and was still being ridden and jumped at 35 so 20's nothing they're just starting to enjoy themselved at that age.

 

[pipsqueek]

Thank you for all your replies everyone! Fantastic stories and just goes to prove that oldies rock!! Will keep going on my mare until she tells me otherwise, after all she owes me nothing and I owe her a happy retirement!

 

[mirage]

knobberpony is nearly 22 and went to the Opening Meet of The Quorn recently.We hacked her there [took an hour] and her jockey tried to head for home after 2 hours as she was worried about wearing her out.Knobberpony was having none of it though and kept going,galloping up the field at second horses.

My girls are hunting her on her on the lead rein in a few weeks,I'm dreading trying to keep up with them-running isn't my forte.

 

[pipsqueek]

knobberpony is nearly 22 and went to the Opening Meet of The Quorn recently.We hacked her there [took an hour] and her jockey tried to head for home after 2 hours as she was worried about wearing her out.Knobberpony was having none of it though and kept going,galloping up the field at second horses.

My girls are hunting her on her on the lead rein in a few weeks,I'm dreading trying to keep up with them-running isn't my forte.

Knobberponys name says it all looks like you will be hitching a lift on a quad!! :

 

[tootsietoo]

My 14.2, who I got when he was 4 and I was 13, I was still hunting when he was 23, and he was fit as a fiddle and flung himself over his fences still! I stopped then because I had a baby, but I'm sure he would have done another season or two. He's 28 now and hasn been retired for 5 years and has really stiffened up a lot. I wonder if it would have been as bad if I'd kept riding him?

 

[A1JUMPJOCKEY]

My Girlfriend Georgie Strang Hunts her 20yr old Master Monarch who still has no idea of steady and is a hell of a lead horse of big timber or a meaty hedge!!! He has been to the Sydney Olympics, 3-4 Burghleys and Badmintons and absolutely loves his Hunting.

Not quite that old but I Hunt one of our retired Point to Pointers who is 18yrs old, he won us 24 ptp's and I whip in on him, he is a Legend!!