Oldest horse still being ‘ridden’

[canteron]

Hunt on for the oldest active HHO horse and what do you do together?
The horse has to be over 20 to qualify.
I did the briefest hack on my 24 yo retired horse today (it was amazing) .... can you beat that?!!

 

[jkitten]

This isn't my horse but there's a pony at my RS who at 27 still does occasional lead rein work with small children 'when she feels like it'. I haven't been around long enough to know how she communicates that, but apparently she is very adamant on when she feels like working and when she doesn't, so they let her decide!

 

[teddypops]

My Welsh D x Tb (chestnut pictured) will be 30 in January and still in full work. She’s not at all stiff and she hasn’t slowed down at all. She’s a very fast and feisty girl who power walks everywhere and loves a good gallop and jumping logs in the woods, brakes are a bit of an issue. She’s the boss in the field and takes no nonsense from anyone!

 

[suebou]

My nf mare is 27; 28 in March and in as full work as possible given the short days. I give her an all round supplement, chaff and a bit of linseed mash. She looks brilliant and is as keen on a stubble field as ever!

 

[canteron]

My nf mare is 27; 28 in March and in as full work as possible given the short days. I give her an all round supplement, chaff and a bit of linseed mash. She looks brilliant and is as keen on a stubble field as ever!

Oh please tell me the supplement!

 

[chaps89]

A friend of mine lost her old horse earlier this year, he was 31. He'd been out hunting last season but had wound down to gentle hacks not long before he was pts.

 

[Rokele55]

Our first pony (rumoured to be the original model for mr thelwell) was still teaching young children their manners in the thelwell style well into her forties... A friend of mine had a terrific, if rather wilful, cobby type who was happily hunting into her thirties. Aged 28 she took off across a green field with her head between her ankles and caused carnage amongst the blood horses. I nearly fell off laughing but she was so solidly square she saved me, with a snigger of course.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Our late SJer was still competing at 25, still going on quiet hacks at 28 and passed away at 29.

We had him from age 8yrs and he was a OTTB who had raced until he was 7, hard with many $$$$ of winnings to his name. He was gelded just prior to coming to us and had a screw or two loose post racing.

We never expected him to last more than a couple of years due to his anxiety, fence walking and hard racing career. But he just kept going. We tried retiring him at age 18 but he would jump out and bugger off down the road for a laugh. Provided he had a job he was happy to stay in his field with the other horses.

He was seriously street smart, gorgeous looking but very quirky. Sound as a bell right up to the last 3 months of his life.

 

[Griffin]

There is a TB at my yard who is still doing quiet hacks and the occasional light schooling session at 28. He is the loveliest horse and is still enjoying life.

 

[scats]

Not still alive but I won my final jumping competition on my JA mare when she was 27. She was a complete freak of nature though!

She is 24 in this photo at the NW champs at south view

 

[Red-1]

It is in America, so I don't know if it counts, but a friend had a 36 year old horse still in hacking work. I queried the accuracy f that, but she had documentation.

While I was teaching a clinic there, her other 28 year old horse learned to jump, for the first time. She was exploring her horsemanship and the same horse went to a dressage show and also a versatility class. That horse was a champion, started off as a quarter horse race horse, then was a ranch horse (able to work cows), then a trail riding horse. He was bought for her husband, but was so versatile and such a wonderful temperament.

They considered anything under 20 as still young. It made me sit up and take notice as I wondered what they do differently. The area they are in has regular big snow for extended periods, I did wonder if it was because they had a couple or more months off a year? Or that they have access to a dry lot rather than a stable?

The horses certainly worked hard, using a small round pen or baked hard ground for work.

 

[Reacher]

Lovely to read these. I fret about Mr H (a fit and active 16 year old) is getting on a bit so these are a kick up the bum !

Where is @Caol Ila , I think she has a ridden 27yo?

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Roger was still in full work at age 27, then in very light work til he was 30, though that was only because a yard move meant there was less hacking. Lost him at the start of summer this year age 31.

 

[!CobsCan!]

43 year old pony in my old pony club still going to beginner rallies with a 6 year old. Still jumping 60s and going strong. Superb little pony

 

[poiuytrewq]

My old horse was still ridden at 35+ years. At that age he gave my daughter he first canters. She’d ride him away from me down the bridle way, I’d shout him and he’d canter back to me ?
He also, unintentionally as I’d stopped him jumping 10 years before gave her her first jumping session. We were hacking round a field with some x poles set up and off he went ?

 

[suebou]

Oh please tell me the supplement!

Top spec senior, but I use about a third of recommendation otherwise she would be unbridgeable!

 

[J&S]

This is the big old horse I ride. 26 yrs old and competing at arena trec in the sunshine in September. He won on that day and on his next outing in October. Had many previous lives but since he was 14 been with same family and he has starred at PC, BE, hunting and Hunt Relay. His trec life is in his "retirement"!! Hoping to still get out next year but it may be me who chucks in the towel first. We have over 100 years between us.

 

[SallyBatty]

My mare is 29 (30 in April). Still schooling and hacking with the odd novice dressage. I stopped jumping her 2 years ago although she still sometimes jumps out of field on a whim. She is on normal feed with a general purpose supplement but I do give her cortaflex which I have done since she was 16 although she has been on the super strength one for about 4 years now.

 

[Red-1]

43 year old pony in my old pony club still going to beginner rallies with a 6 year old. Still jumping 60s and going strong. Superb little pony

I reckon this is the winner! Amazing!

 

[canteron]

This is the big old horse I ride. 26 yrs old and competing at arena trec in the sunshine in September. He won on that day and on his next outing in October. Had many previous lives but since he was 14 been with same family and he has starred at PC, BE, hunting and Hunt Relay. His trec life is in his "retirement"!! Hoping to still get out next year but it may be me who chucks in the towel first. We have over 100 years between us.

Totally inspirational ?

 

[Sussexbythesea]

My boy Sol 25yrs going on 26yrs

Our first summer over 15yrs ago aged 10. I was a lot younger too!

Recently out hacking. He’s hacked for around 1.5hrs 4 times a week walk, trot and the odd canter. Still throws a buck when feeling frisky . Not bad for a warm-blood.

 

[canteron]

My boy Sol 25yrs going on 26yrs

Our first summer over 15yrs ago aged 10. I was a lot younger too!

Recently out hacking. He’s hacked for around 1.5hrs 4 times a week walk, trot and the odd canter. Still throws a buck when feeling frisky . Not bad for a warm-blood.

How wonderful to have had a horse for all those years - and still looking so good!

 

[Snowfilly]

My local riding school has several ponies 30+ still in work, mainly lead rein lessons but also hacks and walk outs.

My old boy died aged 27, and had been out for a three hour hack the day before. Later found he’d been mis sold and was actually 30 when he went. He was still jumping in the field.

My Connie mare was 28 when she broke a leg and was still lightly hacking and doing veteran showing. I think she’d have gone on a while longer.

My friend had a 43 year old welsh who still did lead rein walks for toddlers in his last weeks.

 

[huskydamage]

Nice to see these stories of older horses still happy and going strong. I'm still riding my 28year old, I dont gallop or jump her anymore as she had a tendon injury a couple of years ago. Although she still gallops around her field like a lunatic ?We hack and do the occasional hound exercise or fun ride. I feed her joint supplement and she has recently had to change to a mushy food for the first time for her teeth (still got them all but one is broken). I dont personally know anyone with a horse her age who isn't retired or pts, so this is a nice thread to see, Ive had her for nearly 18 years she is like a best friend

 

[Somewhat Off The Way]

Still jump 2' 9" on my 28 y/o and do prelim dressage tests

 

[Mustard]

A friend of mine acquired a 13,2 pony which was too much for her kids, so my daughter, who was 11 at the time, rode it for two years. She did XC and showjumping, winning loads up to 80cm, and mounted games at PC and MGA. Then she went back to my friend, who took her daughter to a show one day. Someone went up to her and said that the pony had been hers many years ago - they worked out that it was about 42/43. She decided two years later that she didn't want to be ridden any more, and lived a couple more years after that.

 

[jnb]

This is a pic of my mum and her horse Midas, we bred him out my childhood pony Nutmeg.
In this pic their combined ages are 103 - Midas is 29 here and was still ridden until just under a year ago.

 

[daffy44]

When I was seven my friend had a little Dartmoor pony on loan, my friend decided she didnt really like riding, so I took over the loan, the pony was awesome, I jumped him, hacked all over the place, frequently got run away with in awkward places (through the middle of a rugby match...) and had the best time with him. I was devastated when the years loan was up and the owners came to collect him, but it was then that I found out that the pony I thought was 18, was in fact 40!!! The family had had him most of his life, he had been a successful pony when he was young, did a lot of jumping, a stint as a RDA pony, and they had tried to retire him several times, but out of work he became too wild, but they had no children to ride him, so put him out on loans of a year to keep him ticking over, he was an amazing pony.
I also had my own IDxTB, I bought him and backed him as a 4yr old, jumped him BS and did 1.35 classes with him, Novice BE eventing, and did a bit of dressage when he got older, he was still hacking happily at 28, and was pts aged 30.

 

[still standing]

My friend is still hacking her ID x who is now a very spritely 32 year old. He does have Cushings and has to be carefully managed but he's full of energy and she still has to be ready to rein him back when they turn for home on hacks Earlier this year, before Lock down regulations, she took him to the beach and has a super video of him cantering along the sands.

 

[Dontforgetaboutme]

Just been on a 10.3 mile hack with my 21 year old. I’m crocked but she came back ears pricked