ideas for veteran mare

TheLadyInBay

TheLadyInBay

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Hi, I retired my much loved veteran mare last year. I have been walking her out in hand every now and then and she seems to be really up to it and enjoying it. I have been considering getting back on her as last winter she spent a lot of time in the shelter which sometimes made her stiff in her fetlock and she benefited a lot from being walked out. She's never been rugged unless off to a show so I have purchased a rug as she may have been cold, but need to be careful as she gains weight very easily. She's very forward and quite spooky to lead out genre why I w as my to ride her rather than lead her. The biggest problem is that I don't have a saddle for her, would you go bareback or would it be worth getting a cheap saddle?
 
I think the question is: why did you retire her? If it was due to arthritic concerns then no, you should not be riding her. Leading her in hand or providing other horses for her to interact with and move around with should be sufficient. As the ex-owner of two elderly mares (both now sadly gone aloft) I would also recommend rugging her more freely. Rugging a horse does not make it fat! If she is warm her circulation will be better - she will be more inclined to move about, and you will find her quality of life much improved.
 
We retired her as she was difficult to handle and it wasn't worth the argument with her. She wasn't rugged previously as she is a chunky native and became hot very quickly as she never had a clip and she seemed happier to have it off, years back she wore a light weight at night and she was always begging for it off as well as issues with rubs. That's why we've been tentative to rug her :)
 
She would much rather I leave her alone and let her go feral! She enjoys going out with her field buddy but this is under much duress :))
 
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