is 16 really that old?

AprilBlue

AprilBlue

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i was riding my horse today and as i was walking off, this girl said to me 'oh, your horse is doing quite well for his age since he is quite old' and i just politely replied thanks but i start thinking to myself, 16 isn't really that old for a horse since they are veterans at 15 aren't they? what do you think? is he really THAT old?!:confused:
 
I would consider 16 old especially for a larger horse. However with today's horse care and the fact that the majority of horse's do not work half as hard as they did a few generations ago there is no reason why a 16 year old shouldn't be fit and healthy with a good few years ahead of him.
 
No not at all. I was talking to a friend recently who has an 18 yr old gelding who does high level dressage and events. My pony who is now retired was in light work till 31! My current horse is 14 so no, I dont think 16 is old at all :)
 
Mine is 16 this year and she's doing more now than she ever has before. This season she's hunted - first time ever! And has enjoyed it, I've finally cracked her jumping issues, touching wood! I've had her for 5 yrs and I hope that we've still got a long time of fun and games before I start having to treat her as a old horse!

So nope - I don't think that 16 is old at all!
 
Iv just started bringing a 16 year old back into work! I hope 16 is not too old!!

I think it really depends on the horse, some are younge at heart, others are not. She definitely does not act old!
 
No!

Ignore them, you're only as old as you feel, so long as he still feels young and healthy that's the main thing. One of my horses is 24 and still gets ridden daily, and is banned from exciting things like hunting and sponsored rides as he is still to much of a nutter to do them!
 
eggs said:
I would consider 16 old especially for a larger horse. However with today's horse care and the fact that the majority of horse's do not work half as hard as they did a few generations ago there is no reason why a 16 year old shouldn't be fit and healthy with a good few years ahead of him.
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You've contradicted yourself quite a bit there?

16 isn't old AT ALL!!!
Some humans get 'old' as soon as the hit 50. Others get old in their 90s. Some never get old!!

As long as he's well looked after and nothing happens (which applies to any horse of any age!) then there is no reason why there isn't years of gas left in the tank!

My girl is 15 in May and you only have to see her outrunning the 5yo ex racer in the field to know that that girl is not old! :o
 
16 isn't old at all. Our oldest is 23, and is still going strong. She is a big horse.
My mare did a 50 mile race ride last year at 16, and is in training for another this year, possibly stepping up in distance. She will only be classed as a veteren from this year for endurance, ie at 17. I come across horses doing 50+ miles well into there 20's.
I hate it when people tell me a horse is old in its teens, partly because my pony got fat pony laminitis out on loan, due to the loaners vet telling her to be careful about how much he did because of his joints (no history of probs) because he was old (14)!!
 
Definately not. My Sec D is 20 in June and acts like a youngster most of thetime. In fact her behaviour has got worse the older she has got.
She will still hunt twice a week although I do go home now at 2/3 pm rather than stay out til the end of the day.
TBH I think she feels better than the 11 year old TB
 
There's 16 and there's 16. My mare is 16 and no one ever believes she's that age. She's fit as a fiddle and slim and shiny - the majority would put her at the 8yo mark.

However, I have seen a few other 16 yos that look positively ancient. Sunken above the eyes, hollow backed, poor condition.

So it is a lot to do with the individual I think
 
Nope. My two are coming up for18 and still full of beans and showing no sign of age. With better feeding and care these days they can keep being ridden for a lot longer.
 
I don't think 16 is old at all, but I have seen a few mares of around that age that can look quite old due to being used to churn out foals as soon as they were able :-(
 
my mare is 16 and she is no different to how she was 12. Some competition horses are in their prime at that age (I think!)
 
No, there were a couple of horses eventing at Burghley this year at 19 years old, and Lenamore went on to completed in the olympics at 19 this year.

16 isn't any age if they are well looked after.
 
I'm told my mare is 16, maybe 17. She's lived a full and active life, she's competed at eventing and sj, and hunted many a time and taught many a novice the ropes of riding- it does show in her joints and she can sometimes get a little short of breath on heavy exertion, but she's also quite overweight (working on that) but other than that, she really has no trouble keeping up with any other horse we hack out with and she has the fastest most ground covering walk I've ever seen when she's on the way home! :)
 
The Old Appy retired at 30, because she refused to slow down! She lived another 3 years and wiuld have continued working till the end if I had let her. So no yours is barely middle aged :D
 
My boy's 16 and was told by the vet that he moves exceptionally well for an old horse! He's looking brilliant, acts like a nutter most of the time (still thinks he's a 2 year old racehorse!) and is going to his first ever fun ride soon! Age is just a number to him. He's hacking only (which is fine), but he's happy, sound and healthy and that's all that matters. He'll tell me when he's had enough.
 
Abbeygale said:
There's 16 and there's 16. My mare is 16 and no one ever believes she's that age. She's fit as a fiddle and slim and shiny - the majority would put her at the 8yo mark.

However, I have seen a few other 16 yos that look positively ancient. Sunken above the eyes, hollow backed, poor condition.

So it is a lot to do with the individual I think
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Enfield-20120930-00635_zps89e9fa99.jpg

well, this is what my 16 year old pony looks like now, judging on by the way he looks, does he really look that 'old'?
i agree with a lot of the other posters, my 16 year old is very fit and gets ridden every day. he has a balanced diet and he's very healthy but i don't know why people say he looks old. from the picture i've put up above, does he look that old? btw he's 14.1 if that helps because he looks quite small in the pic:D:p
 
I think a horse's teens are like human's 30s - 60s. Hardly knocking at death's door but looking at, or past, retirement age for professional athletes. Many are still capable of hard, manual work and strenuous physical exercise, many are not due to injury and wear and tear. Although some young people, like some young horses, are never up to any physical work or exercise.
 
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