Riding as we age

Good article. For me, increasing age has its advantages in that my priorities have changed. I feel no pressure to do anything unless I want to and its fun. Getting up at 5am to scrub and plait a horse leaves me cold, spending the day beside a lorry is only for special occasions on gentle sunny days. Worrying about what my 4 yr old can do, is something of the past. Time and patience are my friends. We can gallop and whoop today, tomorrow we can ride at walk with a nervous friend. Its all good.
Age has removed the pressure of worrying about what others think, about stressing for unimportant (to me) acheivements. I love being able to ride, I appreciate my health and only ride/own horses that are a pleasure to be with.
Not as brave, perhaps, but prudent enough to stay on top and behave disgracefully, just a little.
 
Interesting!
For me I ache far more and have my limitations, but enjoy every moment I am with my best friends.
When you are young you want more, but when you are old you can have more but can't physically do as much!
Life.
 
Nowadays I do as I please pretty much and don't feel the need anymore to compete - putting myself under that sort of pressure after working all week just feels unnecessary these days!

I still like to back my own youngsters and we are still capable of the odd mad gallop across a field.

I don't suffer fools - either human or equine.

I own horses for my pleasure and if all that is is hacking then so be it.

Oh - my knees are starting to give up :)
 
Main thing that has changed is that I now do Dressage, not SJ. Which of course means I'm a total pansy and think anything over 1m is big.

I would say I'm more motivated, I was always ambitious. But full time education and riding 2 ponies 6 nights a week did take it's toll on my love of horses/riding. Now I'm just finishing uni, getting back into full time riding and the competitive groove and have more motivation and determination than ever!
 
As everyone else really.

I am not worried about what everyone else thinks, or does, and happy to do what i want to do with the horses. I am more laid back and direct with the horses. I still enjoy breaking in the youngsters and bringing them on, so i dont think i am "more sensible" than before, although I know if i fall off it will be hurting a long time.
 
horserider said:
Good article. For me, increasing age has its advantages in that my priorities have changed. I feel no pressure to do anything unless I want to and its fun. Getting up at 5am to scrub and plait a horse leaves me cold, spending the day beside a lorry is only for special occasions on gentle sunny days. Worrying about what my 4 yr old can do, is something of the past. Time and patience are my friends. We can gallop and whoop today, tomorrow we can ride at walk with a nervous friend. Its all good.
Age has removed the pressure of worrying about what others think, about stressing for unimportant (to me) acheivements. I love being able to ride, I appreciate my health and only ride/own horses that are a pleasure to be with.
Not as brave, perhaps, but prudent enough to stay on top and behave disgracefully, just a little.
Click to expand...

Ditto (although I do wish I had more guts because I have a wonderful horse who can do far more and enjoys jumping far more than me!)
 
horserider said:
Good article. For me, increasing age has its advantages in that my priorities have changed. I feel no pressure to do anything unless I want to and its fun. Getting up at 5am to scrub and plait a horse leaves me cold, spending the day beside a lorry is only for special occasions on gentle sunny days. Worrying about what my 4 yr old can do, is something of the past. Time and patience are my friends. We can gallop and whoop today, tomorrow we can ride at walk with a nervous friend. Its all good.
Age has removed the pressure of worrying about what others think, about stressing for unimportant (to me) acheivements. I love being able to ride, I appreciate my health and only ride/own horses that are a pleasure to be with.
Not as brave, perhaps, but prudent enough to stay on top and behave disgracefully, just a little.
Click to expand...

I so agree with this. The heart still says "go for it" but the head says "you don't have the time, energy or bravery". I sometimes miss the thrill of completing an XC course and then I remember the sleepless night beforehand and the anxiety tummy that went with it. I make do with fence judging instead these days!
 
Wow! so pleased there are folks out there think like I do, I have arthritus in my fingers and struggle with the girth and buckles, and I am 60 this year, I now ride mostly for pleasure all though i did hire a hunt horse for two meets this season and she was brilliant proper ladies horse well behaved and fun and only 5yrs old. I have hunted a lot but my horse is 17yrs and quite a handful hunting.
I even went with a different hunt which I thought was very brave.
We oldies have nothing to prove and everything I do is now for my pleasure, I have found this winter quite hard though even with only my oldie to look after. Rode her for the first time today since the snow and she was so as good as gold.
 
Slightly different perspective. I'll be 22 this year, but I've been competing at dressage since I was 9, member of a young rider committee since I was 16, and president of it since I was 18.

Over the years pressure has built up more and more, juggling the pressures of doing all this at my age, as well as competing, completing school and trying to have a normal life including my other passions.

So as a result my riding, rather than being something fun that I'd 'mess around' with, you know, still doing everything but in a haphazard and lazy way, to having to do it 100% all the time. I'd say this has improved my riding, I've had to learn to get results from my tricky horse in 10 minutes, rather that waiting an hour for him to decide he wants to behave. In turn I'd guess that's made me a better teacher (I give dressage lessons) as I've had to get used to judging what my own horses problems are quickly and sort them out ASAP, meaning that my students can also find out what their problems are and stop them from become habits.

It has been hard, at the end of last year I suffered my first serious injury, and had to take two months off riding. I had no idea what to do with myself - I didn't even know if my neck would ever heal and let me ride! - and it was awful not having horses in my life as much. But it certainly got worse when I got back in the saddle, all those muscles you forget how to use; it is like a fast forward to getting older!
 
I am 57 this year. For the last 20 or so years I have left the riding to my daughters, happy to be on the sidelines supporting, driving, and generally being a dogsbody.
My family think I have gone looby loo. I have bought myself a pair of good leather long boots (second hand, but never the less) and I am determined that these boots will get used. We had a riding school 30 years ago and event liveries too, so I was a fair enough rider but my kids are acting like I should be making sure the will is up to date and have I enough life cover?
The thing is, its not a dope on a rope I will be riding, its my newly broken (welsh) cob and the reason I am going to ride her is because the daughter she was bred specifially for has more interest in the male of the species. Her older sisters did not go through this phase. I am hoping its like riding a bike and all will come back to me! I know it will hurt like hell if I come off but I feel I got to give it a go!!
Any tips?
 
frozzy said:
I am 57 this year. For the last 20 or so years I have left the riding to my daughters, happy to be on the sidelines supporting, driving, and generally being a dogsbody.
My family think I have gone looby loo. I have bought myself a pair of good leather long boots (second hand, but never the less) and I am determined that these boots will get used. We had a riding school 30 years ago and event liveries too, so I was a fair enough rider but my kids are acting like I should be making sure the will is up to date and have I enough life cover?
The thing is, its not a dope on a rope I will be riding, its my newly broken (welsh) cob and the reason I am going to ride her is because the daughter she was bred specifially for has more interest in the male of the species. Her older sisters did not go through this phase. I am hoping its like riding a bike and all will come back to me! I know it will hurt like hell if I come off but I feel I got to give it a go!!
Any tips?
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Yep, wear a body protector with shoulder pads, obviously a hat, I am 57 this year, never ride without.
 
frozzy said:
I am 57 this year. For the last 20 or so years I have left the riding to my daughters, happy to be on the sidelines supporting, driving, and generally being a dogsbody.
My family think I have gone looby loo. I have bought myself a pair of good leather long boots (second hand, but never the less) and I am determined that these boots will get used. We had a riding school 30 years ago and event liveries too, so I was a fair enough rider but my kids are acting like I should be making sure the will is up to date and have I enough life cover?
The thing is, its not a dope on a rope I will be riding, its my newly broken (welsh) cob and the reason I am going to ride her is because the daughter she was bred specifially for has more interest in the male of the species. Her older sisters did not go through this phase. I am hoping its like riding a bike and all will come back to me! I know it will hurt like hell if I come off but I feel I got to give it a go!!
Any tips?
Click to expand...

Good on you, I like your style ! My daughters gave up horses for exams, boys and eventually babies, so I was left with the cob that they all in turn, once idolised. Like you, I was determined that the boy would still have his forever home and have a full and active ridden life, along with my other two.
Think young and you'll stay young, the advantage we oldies have is prudence and common sense.
You don't need any tips, it is like riding a bike, although you might need more oiling these days. If I'm honest, I think my children would prefer I stayed at home baking and babysitting, but heck, life's too short to grow old gracefully. (And the grandchildren love toddling around with the horses and splashing in mud.)
 
I too am over 60 and have now an excuse for not going out jumping or on mad hacks. I have always been a bit of a coward anyway, now I feel so what, who cares if I dont ride at all, I still enjoy the other horsey stuff. Having just lost one of my boys I have felt really lost only having one to muck out and fiddle about with.
 
get on and ride the flipping thing, everyone knows that the best riders/ trainers are in their sixties! at least!
 
My sister, who is a nurse recently looked after someone in their late 80s who had a rather unusual leg fracture. She asked the lady how she did it and she said 'arguement with my horse' - Go girl! :)
 
57 is a youngster, i remember seeing people in horse and hound hunting reports in their eighties out hunting on cobs many a time
 
Interesting post!


I think I have just about excepted that I can't do what I used to do - I just don't have the stamina or the brave pants anymore. However that didn't stop me getting an off the track TB last year whom I adore. We hack and he has lovely paces so may do some dressage at some point but I won't be leaving the ground at competitions anymore!

I don't feel any pressure to do anything in a hurry or be out there competing, I'd just like a bit more time to really enjoy him.
 
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