How many people still ride in their late sixties or seventies?

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Patchworkpony

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Met someone the other day still riding in their late seventies and I did wonder just how many people do continue riding in the latter years of their life and whether they cope with aches and pains and above all stiff joints. Just need some inspiration for the future I suppose!
 
I know of a couple, and will be one myself in the not-unforseeable future. I'm not there yet (mid fifties), but I can already foresee the stiffness, aches, diminishing agility and heroism over the horizon. The oldest person I ever saw riding was in her 80's, and the horse was nearly 30, bless 'em both.
 
I am 68 and still ride my 20 year old gelding about 4 times a week. I must admit I have to mount from a picnic table and get off very carefully. I intend to continue until either Rufty or myself are too lame to continue. It gives me a purpose to get up each day and I enjoy the company of the fellow liveries.
He is on full livery so I do not need to do any hard work
 
I have a friend who now lives in Spain, she is 70 I think and still rides most days early mornings on her equally old boy Hercules. She's more comfortable riding than not.
 
My friend recently sold her potential eventer. Good temperament but by no means quiet. A blood horse. The woman who bought the horse was 70. She was going to focus on dressage with it. I was seriously impressed.

I sold 2 5yo horses to women about 65 yrs old. both horses were green, one a quiet cob but the other was a buzzy hunter.
The old hunt master had retired from his role but he still regurarily hunts and hunter trials and he is in his late 70's. He's had loads of heart surgery so I always get a little afraid watching him though.
 
i am 67, have had new hips (one done twice) and hack out most days for about an hour.....my horse is on diy livery, so i do everything!!!!!! i do get really tired but want to make the most of riding as long as possible as i couldnt ride as much when i was working fulltime.....my horse is looked after as well as anyones and her bed is always clean and immaculate...however the same cannot be said about my house!!!!!!
 
We have a married couple on our yard who ride their cobs every day. He's about 72 and I don't know how old she is but she recently retired, so she's probably about 65.

Another lady I know bought a young gelding as her retirement project and broke him and brought him on. The only part she passed on was backing, and she got one of the teenagers to do that.
 
I am mid sixties and would be still riding but had my boy PTS in the spring. Still not given up but not riding athe moment.
 
Hi I am 65 and been out hacking for 2 hours today. I usually have a lesson once a week as well (either flatwork or jumping) in between I look after my 3 horses. Take my teen to Pony Club etc.etc. Keep going is my motto and If I have pain I take a pill.
 
splashgirl45 said:
i am 67, have had new hips (one done twice) and hack out most days for about an hour.....my horse is on diy livery, so i do everything!!!!!! i do get really tired but want to make the most of riding as long as possible as i couldnt ride as much when i was working fulltime.....my horse is looked after as well as anyones and her bed is always clean and immaculate...however the same cannot be said about my house!!!!!!
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Love it about the house! Isn't that many a horseowner's lament ? I know it's mine and i always say that 'well what's the point you never see an epitaph saying 'she kept a tidy house'
 
diamonddogs said:
We have a married couple on our yard who ride their cobs every day. He's about 72 and I don't know how old she is but she recently retired, so she's probably about 65.

Another lady I know bought a young gelding as her retirement project and broke him and brought him on. The only part she passed on was backing, and she got one of the teenagers to do that.
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Oh I hope this will be me and my husband in many years to come.

The Queen and Prince Phillip still ride together, that's impressive and lovely.
 
I am in my mid sixties and still ride every day Summer or Winter. It does not matter what the weather.

I compete in Endurance so in the season I could be riding anything from 20 miles to 100 miles in a day. In any kind of weather and terrene.

I swim 3 times a week and cycle to the Health club I belong to. I also visit an Osteopath once a month.

I love my horses and love looking after them. I will continue to ride as long as I can.
 
LOL I'm 70 and I am bringing on a green Arabian.....also still work full time!!! I hope to ride more when I do retire and plan to ride until I am incapable!! On a side note I find if I start the day with an ache a ride takes it away!!
 
Ha - was just commenting on this subject yesterday with RisingSun off here watching a lady I know show jumping her incredibly scopey 7 year old who was giving the jumps about 2 foot and I don't think I could sit one of the horses' jumps. She's 73, keeps her horses alone, always comes to shows alone and said horse apparently can take up to 2 hours to load. Inspirational & very brave lady!

Was watching another one jump who is in her late 60's and competes for the RC team jumping.
 
I'm 66 and still ride most days - oh, well, okay, less so in winter for various reasons, one of which is my horse doesn't hack so it is 100% in the school and mine does get a bit deep in wet weather. Use it or lose it (muscles and joints) I reckon, but take it from me, it is far more difficult with a wide bodied horse. My old mare was great, narrow and deep and forward going, I could get on her after a year not riding and never feel the after effects.
I am one of those people who gets stir crazy spending too much time indoors though, so I do like to be out and about. And I have spent many years finding out the least labour intensive ways of keeping the 4 I have here now - live out as much as possible, never go anywhere empty handed, do big jobs a bit at a time.
Oh and I have a mounting PLATFORM across the corner of my school, and even found a little ladder to get onto it - I step DOWN into my stirrup these days :) You can do whatever you want to do, just find a way.
 
I take my landlady out hacking every day on her 15yr old TB she's 81. I have to tack the horse up for her and help her get on and off but she still shows the horse whos boss once she's on top ;)
 
My mother is 71 and just had 3 heart stents fitted and rides out most days! Does all her own tacking up and mucking out. She had seen the cardiologist for severe breathlessness etc, and he rang to book her in urgently and told me to make sure she "takes it steady" before surgery. Little did he know, the reason I took the phone call was that my mother was busy tacking up her horse. She went for a last gallop round before her heart surgery, by taking a puff of her GTN spray, before she galloped!!
She's made a remarkable recovery and is back driving the lorry, riding etc.
But then ....... she does have me to help her!!
 
My OH is 65.5 and still loves to ride despite struggling to walk some days because of back problems, i am 56 and riddled with arthritis plus a dodgy hip and knee, I look after our four horses ranging from a 20yr old WB down to a 3yr old cob, horses are sometimes left muddy because I physically can't hold a brush and all horses respond to verbal commands as my hands don't always work, but horses are happy and healthy and I have a reason to get out of bed
 
My 92 year old YO was still riding up until a year ago. He had to stop due to illness and then recently had a pacemaker fitted. He tells me he wil be back in the saddle again as soon as his GP gives the go ahead (to be honest he'll be riding again regardless of what the doctor says). Apparently he has an amazing seat and charges around the indoor school at a flat out canter and without a care in the world.
I'm sure he could teach me a thing or two.
 
My friend at the yard used to ride out with a lady in her mid nineties who loved nothing more than a good ride on a naughty pony :) - Unfortunately she pasted away a few years ago but my friend still rides her ex-hunter at 75 years young :)
 
Still riding - just - at 68 but arthritis keeps getting in the way. To my annoyance I know now I won't beat my father, an ex-MFH who hunted until he was 82. I think he only died because the horse died....
 
There was a 71 year old dressage rider in the last Olympics.

When I was home this fall I saw a woman I have known for years (she looks exactly the same - somewhere there is a very old looking painting of her) giving out prizes at The Royal - we were commenting on how great she looked and someone said she'd been out hunting the day before. . .she's 92!!
 
My inspiration is a lady called Bazy Tankersley. An American lady who bred the most amazing Arabian horses. She died not long ago in her early 90s and I don't think she stopped riding!! And there are others written about occasionally....
 
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