Senior years, will he just get worse?

[SophieLouBee]

I rode my chap out today, I forgot to take my stirrups down from 'jockey' as I had been jumping a pony and had to shorten them to a silly length. I got on and my hands were cold so I CBA to take my gloves off and put them back down. MISTAKE. The whole way round he bounced and boinged and jogged, just waiting to take flight, just because he could feel my heels and kees had moved upwards. As it was we couldn't as I had the mother on board Mare behind us, she likes to walk, and thats about it. I felt sick by the time we got home from all the boinging! The farmer stopped me and said 'If that horse went, you couldn't stop him could you.' To that he threw his head in the air and snorted so loudly it scared their whippet who was on the lead half to death. Last year at a show, someone asked if he was one of my youngsters, I was a little red faced and had to explain, no, he was the 'nanny horse'. He then barged the poor woman out of the way, dragging me with him.

So, my question, at 15 is there any hope of a quiet life hacking about at the end of a stressful day? Does anyone have any secret claming methods, that doesn't involve wearing him out!? Or do I just have to resign myself to the fact he will always be a tit?

 

[Jazzy B]

my mare was a complete tit until the day she got PTS I think some are just made that way

 

[flying solo]

I think you would miss the naughtiness of it if he stopped doing it. It's a quirk and he'll always have it

 

[Echo Bravo]

Yep a complete tit till his last breathe, so just enjoy as he's only a youngster you know, many more years to go.

 

[SophieLouBee]

It's a quirk and he'll always have it

He's a quirk. He makes my day though, I know him inside out and he just makes me laugh.

 

[Madam_max]

He won't change. My mare is 20 now and completely off her head. In fact since I have stopped schooling her, she has become a liability to hack-lol.

 

[YorksG]

The Old Appy had to be retired at 30 as she refused to slow down at all, the last time I rode her we half passed across the common, as she wanted to go on the grass and I wanted to go on the path We went on both!. She was as bonkers on the day she was pts as she was the previous 24 years and I wouldn't have wanted her any other way

 

[Cupcakes and Horses]

My old boy was always a tit but in the last couple of years he's calmed down no end (hes almost 23) do much so I put my six year old daughter on him as he's more trust worthy than the pony! If you'd of told me I would be doing that as little as three years ago id of said no chance I love my children! So you never know. Tbh I find him a bit boring now I love him to bits but miss all his antics....never thought I'd say that either!