Older riders - did you downsize at a certain age?

Cortez

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I'm the older end of the market, but at 5ft 9in, sizing down to a little un isn't really an option, unless I employ roller skates. But I reckon a nice 15.2 will do me fine when I need to find another horse.
Do remember someone saying long time ago in a horse article that she bought her mother an Arab as they are more sensitive off the leg so less slog to get them going (as long as she could stop her,too!)

I'm 5'9" too, and currently have a 14.2 Friesian cross and two PRE's which are 15 & 15.1 repectively - all built like rather elegant tanks, 'tho........
 

Skib

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It could be a myth about quiet ploddy cobs being good for ancient riders. True, it is what most riding schools fish out for the elderly but they werent what I needed.
First a wide barelled, flat backed pony or cob is not good for elderly hips and backs.
If down sizing means a lower horse - even a slim pony may have a more jarring trot and bumpier canter - My RI (experienced with RDA) warned me not to buy anything under 15 hands.
Next, old people like me dont have the energy to kick - I need a forward going horse - It is the horse that provides the speed and physical energy which are now beyond me when dependent on my own legs.
I need an intelligent horse so that he or she learns when I explain I dont kick - tiny cues and willingness are what I am after.
I've learned from my share that if one is going to get tanked off with, it is easier to sit a horse that has not been properly trained like a gymnast to high standards because the power of muscle in a warm blood is more formidable. Competitive aspirations may have to be sacrificed to comfort and safety in the saddle.

Something else you need to factor in about aging is that a horse will age too. I have hacked the same lovely RS mare for 10 years now. She was already unfit for school work when I met her, and we were an education for each other. I had enough money to ride till I was 70 - it never entered my head that anyone rode after 70.
The mare and I are still together - She is not as forward going as she was -and one has to be flexible when riding older horses. So, as a horse gets older you may need to look for another horse on which to speed about or to have real lessons. In school I ride younger horses -

It's frustrating that our passion completely depends on us being fit and able. I also love gardening but when I have an 'off day' I can walk away from it but you can't do that with horses.

True, you cant if you own your own and are doing the heavy work of looking after them. But you dont need to be fit to ride. I was offered my elderly share when I was at my weakest and most down hearted. If one of us had an off day, the agreement was I would tailor the hack accordingly. She died aged 23 or 24 and tho riding her would seem tame to you, my eyes fill with tears at the thought of her.

There may well be a problem with owning a horse in old age. And lately, I become quite reluctant to narrow my choice down to just one horse. I've always ridden two different horses every week - I have been deeply attached to two of them simultaneously. And their RI owners have respected my commitment to them.

It may be a big come down for Forum members, but dont dismiss riding schools as a way in which the old may get a horsey fix. There are clients in their 80s.
The other thing is not to let people say how wonderful you are still to be riding in old age or to imagine there are brownie points attached. It is expensive and we do it because we love it.
As for falling, that is quite a dilemma. Things happen and one does fall off horses. My own experience is that with a body protector and the highest standard helmet, and no specific health problems - I have not yet broken.

I say it is a dilemma because to ride well and safely I may need to argue with a horse - Even the safest RS horse may be stroppy at times - and arguing in canter means I may risk falling. So in order not to fall, you may stop cantering. And because lessons are safer than hacking, you become unsure about the risks of hacking. And the safer you play it the more nervous you get.

Riding has always seemed to me like driving a car. Highly dangerous, but if you put your mind to it, coach your horse and ride as well as you possibly can, you minimise the risks. If you were to worry about colliding at every traffic light, you couldnt drive a car safely. The same goes for riding.
And just as with cars, riders are probably safest with what they already know. If you are a rider who has successfully trained several competition horses over the years, you have developed those skills and experience with a particular sort of horse and it would seem to me that you are likely to do best by choosing the same sort of horse and keeping those skills active.
Particularly if that is the sort of horse and riding you still yearn for. There is nothing worse than a safe, plod cob who was bought for old age but is unridden because it is not what the owner really enjoys riding.
 

eahotson

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I'm the older end of the market, but at 5ft 9in, sizing down to a little un isn't really an option, unless I employ roller skates. But I reckon a nice 15.2 will do me fine when I need to find another horse.
Do remember someone saying long time ago in a horse article that she bought her mother an Arab as they are more sensitive off the leg so less slog to get them going (as long as she could stop her,too!)
siThat was Jane Van Lennep who breeds Arabs.Her then 70 year old mother was returning to riding after a break.Jane lent her a chestnut Arab mare which said ,may not seem an ideal choice for an older lady but actually was.She said she was very sweet natured but willing and she said that that was important for an older person who may not have the reserves of energy to ride a horse that needed a lot of pushing to get going.I remember that because it was something I had never thought of before but thought how sensible that was.To me, at the end of the day its what suits the individual not the age.I have always liked willing if possible but safe horses and that hasn't changed with age.
 

eahotson

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siThat was Jane Van Lennep who breeds Arabs.Her then 70 year old mother was returning to riding after a break.Jane lent her a chestnut Arab mare which said ,may not seem an ideal choice for an older lady but actually was.She said she was very sweet natured but willing and she said that that was important for an older person who may not have the reserves of energy to ride a horse that needed a lot of pushing to get going.I remember that because it was something I had never thought of before but thought how sensible that was.To me, at the end of the day its what suits the individual not the age.I have always liked willing if possible but safe horses and that hasn't changed with age.
Also height.Some people love riding big horses, some wizzy ponies and that doesn't change much with age.I wouldn't let height put me off if everything else was right and there are some excellent mounting blocks around now too including at competition venues.
 

Patchworkpony

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Skib - I loved your post! So honest and helpful. It is a real dilemma trying to decide whether to take the risk of riding an unknown horse or pony at the age when your osteopath says 'ride by all means but don't fall off'. In one's head one is still that carefree brat galloping bareback across the downs but in reality a difficult situation on the back of a horse as you get older can easily put you off riding for good. And yes a lot of energy goes on looking after horses if you keep them at home but that is half the enjoyment of owning them, in my book, as you can build that fabulous forever bond.
 

AngieandBen

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I'm so glad I've just taken on a younger pony ( well she's 16 ) She is forward going, unlike my elderly gelding who was a complete plod. No legs at all, such a joy! and at 14.1hh I can hop on and off easily providing there is a gate/wall to stand on.

I always thought I would stop riding when I got to 50, but as I've passed that now, I can't see myself stopping, its what keeps my joints from seizing up :)
 

PollyP99

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Great post Skib, real wisdom in there and a route I will take later I think.

Currently I'm coming up 50 and ride a sensitive section d, I love her and tailor my rides to that which "we" are comfortable with, I usually try to keep her in her comfort zone and in return she keeps me in mine, if I were to take her on really exciting fun rides it would be knowing that I'm putting us both 'out there' and accept the consequences, I will do this occasionally but I tend to only have the one pair of brave pants these days and quite often they are at the cleaners!
 

Fransurrey

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Giggling at the thought of me downsizing. I ride two Exmoors, the TALLEST of which is 12.1/2 hh. If anything I'll be upsizing, as Exmoors are incredibly sharp!! :D
 

oldie48

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Just because it's smaller it doesn't mean it's an easier ride, actually it's easier to fall off, my (now retired) 15.2 than my 16.2 if they spooked as smaller horse was so quick and you had less in front of you. Several people have mentioned cobs, but some are quite sharp, some are lazy and therefore, hard work some are so wide, my hips wouldn't cope at all. This is true of all types, I think temperament not size or breed is the most important thing to consider.
Giggling at the thought of me downsizing. I ride two Exmoors, the TALLEST of which is 12.1/2 hh. If anything I'll be upsizing, as Exmoors are incredibly sharp!! :D
 

Dubsie

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I never really upsized! Rode at RS as a teenager, mostly NF ponies. Daughter got interested, and over the years we've ended up with a NF that I hack out at a walk sometimes, meanwhile she's upsized to a '16.1' WB who actually is a lot taller than passported, probably 16.3-17h so you'd never ever get me on her far too sharp and far too far to fall. However the NF is fine for me, does nothing untoward that you don't expect (will snort at stuff, and doesn't like workmen down a hole - had to go round the roundabout an extra time before he'd go past) and best of all only 14h.
 

OwnedbyJoe

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Long ago adpoted the maxim that "If I can't see over the top of it I won't ride it", which limits me to 16hh. Current horse is 15.2-3 and I honestly wouldn't even get on him if he wasn't so reliable (he's forward and responsive but not spooky).
Baby in the paddock is tracking on the growth curve to be 16hh... Might have to hand her on to my daughter.
 

millmo

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If I downsize not sure what it would be as my currant baby is only 13.3hh on tiptoes. And I've had her for 11 years and she's my first. I always say when I grow up im going to have a big girls horse, and Im now 46. What you ride and how big they are doesn't matter as long as you are happy and you feel safe and can do everything you want to do.
 

Exploding Chestnuts

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I kept my quiet 14.3 youngster spanish/pony cross gelding and sold a small 14.2 welsh D mare [mum's dream] when a fit 60, it was the wrong thing to do as it turned out, but I always felt she was too wide, and I had other ambitions.
The 14.3 grew to 15.00, I broke him and he rode quite big, though people asked me why I did not get a great clumsy clod like they had [the ones who were best friends with the vet].
I think something part pony is a good idea for mounting, pony types cost less all round.
I have given up now, but I could have carried on fun hacking, even endurance/trek/dressage if I still had the mare. She would have been a good share type horse whereas the boy was not suitable for the average RS teeenager.
 
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madlady

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My next 'big' birthday (sadly not too far away now) will be my 50th. I currently have 3 friesians, 13yo 16.1h mare, 6yo 16h mare (still has some growing to do) and 6yo 15.3h gelding (who still has some growing to do). I fully expect that the 2 younger ones will see me out - even though they are big and the younger mare can be sharp I feel safe on all of them - probably because they are so big and so much at the front of me that I never feel in any danger of coming off.

The thought of riding a smaller, and possibly sharper, type doesn't really appeal to me at all. As long as I am able to ride by friesians I will do:)
 

Flame_

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Yep, down to a 14.2 arab in my early 30s and haven't had a horse related trip to A & E ever since, lol. Over 50% of the sports horses on our yard are broken and in and out of hospital, my arab, the welsh cobs and the half-ponies are getting on with it. The little ones are made of tougher stuff and come with far fewer dramas and melt downs.
 
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