Oldies!!!

[PC Steele]

My old horse has an excellent farrier, vet, nutritionist etc He is on a joint supplement etc. Any recommendations of anything else that keeps your oldie going? Physio etc

 

[HashRouge]

Lots of head rubs and a couple of geldings to boss around seems to do my 27 yr old mare the world of good!

 

[J&S]

General hacking with hill work and the odd outing keeps the 26 year old gelding I ride looking years younger than his age. There is a specialist horse vet in the family who keeps a good eye on him but otherwise no special feed or supplements. He is out a good deal but stabled at night in the winter. He gets fully clipped around November.

 

[Caol Ila]

My 27-year old is like Yossarian - she'll live forever or die trying. I've got her on turmeric and green-lipped mussel and hacking 5-6 days per week. She's turned out with one other mare, who I'm pretty sure she thinks of as a pet. She has many human slaves. I sometimes sacrifice small furry mammals to the god of equine longevity -- okay, I don't, but I would.

 

[fabbydo]

A very large pen (think 1/2 school size) with a surface for when she is really feeling the hard ground. I cannot believe the difference this has made to her this year. (And a very generous and understanding yard owner!!) My old girl is retired but I would say try to keep up gentle hacking for as long as you can.

 

[daydreamer]

Masterson method and the book "55 corrective exercises for horses"

 

[tatty_v]

My boy is 20. He’s in regular work with plenty of hacking and schooling sessions focussing on suppleness. I’m cautious re: ground and making sure he has plenty of rest days. He has annual hock injections for mild arthritis which really help. Other than that he is just really, really pampered ?

 

[Equi]

Gentle work. My lad is 20 but has some issues with his hinds but when i got him i knew nothing about him so its taken those 4 years to know him and what works..so lots of trial and error. The biggest thing that stands out is that he needs regular gentle work in the way of a few hacks and maybe one or two gentle schools a week, when he stops any work he becomes very weak. He has been xrayed several times and has no arthritis which is great but his poor conformation means he really needs his hind muscles to be kept up. I have my own massage thingy so he gets that regularly and i stretch all his legs every day before and after a ride, carrot stretches etc. He gets a professional massage every few months and a physio whenever they say he needs it (usually 6 months) He also gets a equine touch therapist now and then.

Meanwile, i can barely walk and live on microwave meals

 

[Winters100]

As equi says movement - every single day. Not necessarily ridden, can be in hand or walking while led off another horse, but my opinion is that they lose a lot if they get left, or exercised only from time to time.