In praise of the older horse (also minor rant)

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canteron

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9 years ago I bought a 6 year old ID mare. By definition a 6 she was green - far too green for me and also had (unbeknown to me) been beaten up a couple of time so was fast losing her trust in humans. Within a week I had fallen off quite badly twice and within a month the poor girl had spooked at something so badly in the school that we jumped a 5 bar gate and charged off and that was only some of our problems.

Now at 15 she is the horse I should have bought. A real been there, done that type and I actually really love riding her. In the intervening years I have loved the horse, but maybe not really enjoyed the riding, having endless confidence issues - to compensate, I have had a continuous stream of other people who have competed, evented, pony clubbed her, but finally she and I are having Our Time.

So to all those people who advised me to get a young horse so I didn't get 'stuck' with an oldie, back off next time and don't give such stupid advice. This horse probably has another 10 good years to give and that would represent excellent value for anyone.

Anyone else agree (or disagree for that matter!).

Rant over
 
Absolutely! I'm always shocked when people buy young (ie under 6) horses for their first or for their teenage children. Older, mature and steady is the way to go unless you are very experienced to make sure both you and the horse enjoy life. I would'nt swap my veteran for the world, she has been there, done that and has so much to still to give.
 
the only downside of buying an older fab horse as i did - is thast only 9 yrs after i bought the lovely Ruby she is sadly retired at age 22 & really not in good health now & somehow 9 yrs just doesnt feel long enough:(
 
I agree! I bought my first horse when she was 13, and a lot of people said the same thing to me. She was a wonderful confidence giver, could turn a hoof to anything, taught me how to ride, carried me carefully through two pregnancies and then taught my two girls to ride. It was very funny watching her roll her eyes at an imperious four year old barking at her to trot and then indulging the little monster anyway! :D I felt like my world had ended when she died two years ago. We do have a youngster now, but purely because we wanted the same type of animal - good looking enough to show, with enough ability to compete at a low level yet a really laid back, quite type. People who have animals like that do not sell them easily! But if we could have found one I would take a veteran just like her all over again.
 
That's lovely that you're both now enjoying each other :)

It does work the other way too though, I've lost count of how many times I've heard people say "oh no, I want a youngster" when recommended a horse of 8+ !
 
I quite agree! I have bought an older horse before and have recently been borrowing a 19yo ex grade A for hunting and he is FAB, wish I could find one for myself!!

However, IMO, when you buy an older horse you must be prepared to give that horse a home for the rest of it's life.
 
You've only got to look at the horses that compete for us internationally - plenty of 'oldies' there because they are still fit and strong, but have the experience that makes them winners. It's not unusual for late teen horses to be doing well at Badminton, for example.
 
I completely agree with the OP and mirror your feelings towards your horse.

My (now old) gelding was bought just turned 5 and me 14 as a jumping pony, my Dad wanted me to buy something young. He was a nightmare to hack out but I used to make myself take him out once a week, not good in traffic and I can't imagine how many times I came off him in those first years. When he was aged 17 we moved yards I started riding him everyday and he became my horse of a lifetime, showing, bit of dressage and loads and loads of hacking and pleasure rides.

Exactly as you say OP riding him now is a complete pleasure, I trust him 100% he is excellent in traffic and likes a cheeky canter like his mother :)

If I could have bought him aged 17 he would have been perfect from the beginning!
 
Well my Arab mare is now 27 and still as fit and active as she was when i bought her 17 years ago.She has great stamina,leaves young ones trailing in her wake and shows no musculoskeletal signs of her age.I went to the beach on tuesday,let her do what she wanted which was a mix of galloping,trot and walk with a few jumps over the breakwaters where safe.She went in the sea,again at trot,canter and faster,had a good blast at trying to keep up with her ex racehorse companion,and still jogged at the end.The next morning she jogged out of the stable then cantered around the paddock,still as supple as ever.A big vote for the oldies.
 
I love my oldie. We have done everything I could have ever wanted bar serious competitions :D

Im just sad that hes getting to the golden oldie stage and is starting to slow down as he is my true friend and trusted ally :D

The universe blesses the oldies :D
 
My oldie was a serious all rounder till she was 24 then we dropped jumping but kept up gallops and dressage. At 29 she fell hacking and has to be ridden carefully now. She had her shoes off monday but a friends daughter came to groom her for me so I chucked a saddle and bridle on and let her potter round the school on her lottie's face all proud and pricked ears was great. Rock on the oldies.
 
Hear, hear. Had my horse given to me at the age of 17 as he kept bucking people off and he was therefore unused.

Two years down the line he's the perfect all rounder, we do very well at dressage and won our only ode to date :) Wouldn't swap him for the world. Oh and a new livery the other day asked me if he was a youngster - so proud.
 
Oldies are fantastic! My first horse was a 30 something 16.1hh IDxTB. I was 17 and my boyfriend at the time paid £100 for him from a local riding school for me because he was all skin and bone. They said he was about 14!! Even then I knew that wasn't true. Spent 4 months building him up and then had the horse of my dreams, he was stiff with arthritis but safe as houses, sweet as a nut and I adored him beyond all belief. We only ever really hacked because he wasn't up to schooling or showing but it was perfect. Sadly I only had him 2 years 3 months and 4 days before it was kinder to PTS. It broke my heart so much that I couldn't bear the thought of losing another one and so I bought my now 12 yr old cob as a yearling and I have a rising 5 yr old that I also bought as a yearling. Neither will ever be sold, I want as long with them as I can get.

I can't see me buying any more horses for now but I wouldn't rule out an oldie, especially for my daughter, even though I'd keep them for life too! Can't bear people that have a horse for it's whole working life and then move them on when they can't perform!
 
Hmm, I think you have been lucky :D

My oldie was still a total raving nutcase until he was around 29. We have then had 6 years of being quite nice to ride, only getting carted off occasionally, and actually daring to attend some shows. But even then I wouldn't have trusted him with a novice, rearing and trying to put you backwards into a drainage ditch because he didn't want to shut a gate isn't popular behaviour :D

If he had calmed down at 15, we would have shared 20 wonderful years, shame.
 
I also had a lovely arab oldie - got her when she was 19 and we had gallopy fun (i was about 8 at the time) til she was about 26/27 then i realised how good schooling was for horses and attempted to school her but as she'd not been schooled prior to that it was all very new! Still kept on having gallopy fun too though and sadly lost her just before she turned 34 having only been fully retired for 3months.
My other arab is just 16 and only started to really trust and calm down undersaddle just recently - have had him since he was 5 and he certainly shouldn't have been the horse we bought - i was too novicey and did a lot of falling off simply because he was sharp and has incredible brakes :rolleyes: i ride him at a more leisurely pace now which makes him more settled and i feel safer. Have another horse to ride (she'll be 18 this year) to i can do all disciplines on without such a strong likelihood of being chucked on the ground. She doesn't show any signs of slowing up mentally but does have a few stiffness/balance issues but more i think due to history causing age to play a part rather than just age.
 
I love my oldie, bought her as an 11 yo and she was in work until 24, she was just what i needed, and i love her to bits, she had arthritis now and had a stroke last year but is back to herself, still kicking up her heels and hunting the others from the gate if she wants in first
 
I love my girl :) she's 17, has Cushings and despite that she still gives us so much trouble!! (and we love her for it! ;))
She was neglected in her younger years, had a foal at two (who we still have on the yard :)) and came to us more or less wild, dangerous and very aggressive - vet told us to PTS, nobody would go near her but patience and kindness (and plenty of body armor! ;)) have seen her right and she is a fantastic (if naughty!) girl now.
She is just for hacking at the moment due to her illness, but I'm so proud of her we thought we'd lose her last year so we've come so far.
K x
 
Even though i'm looking for a young horse (as i want to bring it on and have it eventing for years) i cannot see why people don't go for older horses if they are happy with them.
Someone on my yard has a 24 y/o mare who evented up until last year! Shocked though some of you may be, if you saw this horse you would have thought it was 14. It is now just hacking and dressage until it tells its owner its had enough.

Still plenty years left in your horse!
 
There are several oldies on our yard and none of them are showing their age, save for one with very slight arthritis (in his late twenties, mind!).
My mare is one of the youngest there, and she will be eleven in February. I hope to have her until she passes on, preferably from old age. She's my horse of a lifetime - poor thing has to put up with me randomly hugging her, lol!
 
I brought Bailey aged 19 and he's proven to be a very feisty old man! He certainly has taught me a lot, yet is experienced enough to be forgiving of my mistakes :)

The first time I cantered on Bailey I lost balance and began to slide to the right, he jerked to the right and slowed into a trot until I was back in the centre then picked up the canter again! Little gem! :)

We do have our moments thought and I think my falls of him are in the twenties now! Learning curve ;)
 
sophiebailey said:
I brought Bailey aged 19 and he's proven to be a very feisty old man! He certainly has taught me a lot, yet is experienced enough to be forgiving of my mistakes :)

The first time I cantered on Bailey I lost balance and began to slide to the right, he jerked to the right and slowed into a trot until I was back in the centre then picked up the canter again! Little gem! :)

We do have our moments thought and I think my falls of him are in the twenties now! Learning curve ;)
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my old mare used to do that for me - really scary when you're galloping and have the "i'm falling" thought and then the reassuring "oh but they've slowed down". she didn't like stopping but hated jumping even more so it was VERY handy to just head towards the gate :p
 
Oldies rock! Mine is now nearly 21 and I bred her when I was 20ish out of my old connemara pony, I chose Java Tiger as he had a lovely temperament, had my fair share of falling off etc when she was a youngster but we sort of learned together (was first horse I bred). Can safely say she is my horse of a lifetime and is staying with me always, she is still hunting and went to somerford camp last year with me. Rode past a farrier friend of mine the other day who remarked 'is that a new one then?' told him no and he said never is that that nutter you used hunt/p2p... bless her she is a little calmer now!! Also I did buy a new horse last year as I knew she couldn't keep doing it all, the one I bought was 6 but didn't turn out to be suitable. Have since bought a 9yo, she is perfect in every way and would not have originally even looked at anything her age but she belonged to a friend and had no rider so I was asked if I would like to take her on loan and it worked out and ended up keeping her, she is completely lovely! So yes agree OP oldies/slightly older horses are the best :)
 
When I was 16 I lost all my confidence with my first horse (wrongly sold as a novice ride perfect 1st horse) and got my mare, Izzi, who was also 16. She is my horse of a life time and is with me for life! She is my soul mate and I feel I owe her the world for what's she's done for me from helping me love riding again to protecting me when I was with my violent ex bf to being there for a shoulder to cry on when I was at my lowest. Though I wish someone would tell her she's 21 now and not 5!!! It was just the other day I was clinging on for dear life as she galloped across the moor full pelt whilst bucking!! She celebrated her 20th birthday last year by spooking at some invisible thing, ditching me on the floor and galloping off into the distance :rolleyes:
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Hoping my photos will work, first time I've attempted to attach pictures :D
 
hear hear I bought D at 15 months now 23 with lami 6 months i would not swap her for the world would give my life for her . She has given me the best times of her life.



I hate yes hate people who buy a young horse keep till 12 then rid it for younger model. I couldnt care less if those who do this are upset .


D is my world I love her more than life itself. I would never ever swap her rid her or what ever for a young horse to take her place.

You CANNOT take the place of your loved one. Open a new place yes. But never replace I hate that word. You cannot replace your horse, you just find a new place, a new hole to fill. Never can fill the hole left of a dearly departed one.
 
My god that could be me writing about my ID mare. She was 6 when I bought her, had been mistreated and lacked trust in.humans. She's 15 now & I love her to bits (always have) and I'm enjoying her & trusting her again.
 
Now at 15 she is the horse I should have bought. A real been there, done that type and I actually really love riding her. In the intervening years I have loved the horse, but maybe not really enjoyed the riding, having endless confidence issues - to compensate, I have had a continuous stream of other people who have competed, evented, pony clubbed her, but finally she and I are having Our Time.

So to all those people who advised me to get a young horse so I didn't get 'stuck' with an oldie, back off next time and don't give such stupid advice. This horse probably has another 10 good years to give and that would represent excellent value for anyone.

Anyone else agree (or disagree for that matter!).

Rant over[/QUOTE]

Agree, I think thats why I keep looking at horses that have issues too many people thinking they can train and have ruined youngsters. I do think that if you take on a youngster you need to let experienced folks do their thing! I tried a 6 year old and I wouldnt have had the time although I would have got excellent help. I decided after being chucked off that I didnt want to get injured(further experienced training was needed). My first horse was 13 years when I got him. I would not buy a youngster as I dont have the time or expertise.
But it does depend on the horses personality too, my relative had two youngsters one was laid back and could do anything with it, the other was loopy forever! And as I am being told they can change personality.

Older for me too....we had old boy Ridden until 30 died 36 years.
 
Mine is 33 and thinks he's 3 so I totally agree, these people buying youngsters who have no clue what they are doing beats me, I see it time and time again, I have learnt to bite my lip and keep out of it, but its very difficult, because I fear for the horse's safety at their stupidity sometimes
 
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