How old is too old

Depends on the horse we have several in to their twenties doing alot more than that hunting doing shows etc,alot will depend on if it has been out of work.

Some of the oldies we have still working are our old racehorses so have done plenty in life you just need to get the routine right,and listen to what they are telling you.
 
im loaning a horse that is 20 next month, who will be used mainly for hacking, the odd fun show and pleasure rides. he does not look or act his age, so its just how the horse seems to you thats important. some horses are good and done and ready for retirement by 20, but red still has a good few years left in him yet!
 
I bought my first girly when she was 8 she got PTS when she was 27
I got given my second girly when she was 19 she got PTS when she was 22

Depends what kind of life a 18 year old horse has had, my 27 year old mare was like a spring chicken and was still going xc at 25 unfortunately it was her insides that packed up! My other girl was absolutely crippled with arthritis but although she had a very exciting life it was a tough one!
 
I only gave up riding my 29 year old horse because she was still too keen but lacked the eyesight to really see where she was taking off too, after a couple of near misses i thought she could retire.
 
My 18 year old hunts once/twice a week and has only just retired from intermediate team chasing... If you look after them well, they'll keep on going!
He's also not hunting on point...Hes at the front (won't go anywhere else!) and is absolutely loving his job! He likes to think of himself as a masters horse! :o :D

An 18yo legs are 18 yos! but if they've been well looked after then they won't have had the damage done to them! With my hunter I am v. careful- if he knocks himself he gets time off when a younger horse you wouldn't need to. He also has the summer from now until Aug to rest up for next season! :D
 
i ask as i have a 13.3 6yro who is 'the devil' i have spent a fortune getting her back checked teeth all new tack trainers etc and i am starting to accept she will never be the sane hack i want/need..and to be honest she needs a gutsy kid to go have fun with
i have the chance to aquire a 16.2/3 *way bigger than i want/need* 18yro who is the most beautiful safe kind horse i have ever met who has been there and done it
i just worry in a couple of years i will end up with a large pet id like at least 5years:p
 
We've just had a 19yr old on loan... She spent many years eventing then had four babies... Came to us after weaning and she's absolutely perfect as a confidence giving hack, lessons in the school for me to get back into the swing of things, a pony club ride for my novice son and a schoolmistress for him to learn to jump on... Her loan agreement stipulates a max of 3' which more than adequate for him at this stage...

She's perfectly healthy and full of beans albeit not the fittest at the moment, or the shapliest after time off raising babies - but neither am I... :D

Her owner has had her since she was a four year old so will never sell or I'd seriously consider it... Hopefully she'll be with us until she is ready to retire to her owner's family farm...
 
I bought our Arab x pony nearly 2 years ago when he was 17. He's the youngest of my three. I also have a 20 year old Sec A who has an active life as a lead rein pony and does PC stuff, and my mare (3/4 TB) is 35 and is still ridden gently once a week.
 
PS... I keep looking at an advert on Preloved for a 22yr old riding mare... Feel so sorry for the old girl and she's got such a kind face that I'd probably take her in a heartbeat except the distance is too far for me (health stuff) to drive to see her... I like the oldies and think they have so much to offer...
 
I saw the advert, she looks lovely inn her pics and well looked after. 350 with her tack! Yorkshire area
 
I brought Bailey aged 19, he's 21 now and is even more of a handful than he was when I first got him!

With the right care and routine, I don't see why horses should slow down in their twenties. Keep on top of your vaccs, teeth and physio religiously and listen to what your horse is telling you, you'll know if anything is too much for them :)

The oldies are the best xx
 
JosieB said:
I saw the advert, she looks lovely inn her pics and well looked after. 350 with her tack! Yorkshire area
Click to expand...

Yep...that's the one... And I'm in South Wales so hardly around the corner...:(

She has such a lovely face and could have years of being a ridden then companion friend to someone...
 
We bought. 21 year old pony for our daughter as her first owned pony following 2 loans, he is now 23 and still (touch wood) fit as a fiddle, she will take him to camp and do all the local RC and PC stuff again this summer before she finally outgows him, then we will find a little rider to come and ride him. It all depends what you want to do but I wouldn't rule out an oldy if they are perfect in every other way!
 
Mine is 18, been very well looked after but developed arthritis last year. Still can hack and light school. So if that's all you want to do 18yr old sounds perfect.
 
my first horse was 18 when i got her and she was definitely not past it!! the first winter i had her she was stabled overnight and was a little stiff in the mornings, 2nd year i moved and had her out 24/7 and she was fine, no stiffness and because she wasn't box walking and stressing she held her weight better!!
The thing with horses is that they can 'break' at any age, you can end up with a 5 yr old field ornament as easily as a 20 year old;)
 
at 18 & even 19 my lovely Ruby was still competing & in full work & i really hoped to get many more yrs with her - she was PTS @ 21 as her arthitis was just too much for her even as a paddock pet - so i suppose i'm saying how would you feel if this horse needed to be retired within 2 or 3 yrs???
 
As shown by my 2 ponies, they all age completely differently. My 22 year old it the most flexible pony I know, scratching places I never thought any pony could reach and apart from severe pollen allergies his body as in joints are in fine tune. My 20 year old got hit hard with arthritis last year and is happy just plodding along on hacks but can no longer be worked hard as some days he is very sore and stiff, other days he's alot better.
 
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