How old are you and your horse?

Older than I admit and 6,12,14

The 14 yo is retired but the other 2 are ridden. The 12yo has wonky legs but she's a very happy hacker.

I don't worry about hitting retirement before the horse (probably wishful thinking anyway) and would get another youngster in my 60s if I'm still up for it. A friend got a fabulous 4yo at 66
 
m1stify said:
I don’t understand why you think that? For me it’s 49 & 26 although I hope to buy a 5/6 year old next year. It’s never occurred to me to worry about his age when I retire? Am I missing something ☺️
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I guess it depends on if you can afford to keep a horse when relying on pension income if not well enough to work and you don't have your own land. Plus if you think you will have enough energy as well if doing DIY. I guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
 
SO1 said:
I guess it depends on if you can afford to keep a horse when relying on pension income if not well enough to work and you don't have your own land. Plus if you think you will have enough energy as well if doing DIY. I guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
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In a lot of cases it's "Use it or lose it". If it's what you've always done, you'll be able for longer. My friend has retired and finds herself better off than when she worked, so financially It's doable, although costs are vastly different if you pay for livery (friend has rented the same field for 30 years).
 
I’m 60 and my pony is 17. I wish I was younger and he was fit to ride but I have other things I’m grateful for like my lovely shares and enough money to pay to ride.
 
SO1 said:
guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
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There is someone at my yard who's 83. The only reason she's stopped having lessons every day is her horse retired earlier this year, she has another also retired a few years ago so at one point she was having 2 lessons a day She's on part livery but comes up and helps catch, grooms, changes rugs, does boots and delivers feed sacks.

I look at her and think you wouldn't think she's the same age as my Dad

As you get older, do will Bert and he'll be sensible so you'll trust him if you're not as fit as you were.
 
SO1 said:
I guess it depends on if you can afford to keep a horse when relying on pension income if not well enough to work and you don't have your own land. Plus if you think you will have enough energy as well if doing DIY. I guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
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Ah ok I guess I just don’t worry about the future that much as it’s not guaranteed for anyone. Obviously I am paying into pension etc. but I try to live in the here and now. There’s a 70 year old at my yard who is fitter than any of us. I met a lady in her 80s on a riding holiday and she was well able to keep up with all of us! Make sure you do mobility exercises etc keep as fit as possible and try not to worry about the future.
 
SO1 said:
I guess it depends on if you can afford to keep a horse when relying on pension income if not well enough to work and you don't have your own land. Plus if you think you will have enough energy as well if doing DIY. I guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
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None of us can totally guarantee good health but if you keep yourself fit with horse duties in your 50s there's no reason why that can't continue into your 60s and beyond.

I don't think you can use your mum as a benchmark because she's been poorly. I saw some photos of opening hunt meets from last weekend and there were definitely some pensioners out there hedge hopping. I was impressed!
 
No one can see into the future - you may have decades of good health ahead of you or you may drop dead tomorrow. Try not to let worries about things that might not happen spoil your enjoyment of the present. My husband died last year - it was completely unexpected, he’d only just turned 57 and was fit and apparently healthy. We’d moved to a beautiful property in the countryside the year before which some people thought was a mad decision but he absolutely loved it here and it is comforting to know that the last year of his life was happy.
 
SO1 said:
I guess it depends on if you can afford to keep a horse when relying on pension income if not well enough to work and you don't have your own land. Plus if you think you will have enough energy as well if doing DIY. I guess thinking about my mum at 81 there is no way she could look after a horse she can barely manage the cat. At 81 though Bert would be 35.
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We had an 80 yr old at our yard, still riding her ottb. When the horse was sadly pts she started riding out on a friends pointer. She's talking about quitting before winter properly kicks in, but she's now 82 🤪
 
I'm 55 and my main riding pony is 14, the others are 22, 20, 14, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2.
They live free range, on yard with paddock attached, big bale feeders, water troughs, I have a quad bike and trailer for poo picking
I am supposed to be cutting down/selling a few, but still hope to breed another foal from the 4 yr old in the nearish future
 
I posted before, the mare and I added up to 100 last May and we now reach 101. However, I feel a bit of a cheat as I havent ridden for the last month. The share mare does not depend on me for her exercise, and I dont ride much in the rain. But this break in riding has been due to chaos at home while our kitchen was re painted. And my weight gain made me too fat for my winter breeches.
 
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