Those with 'old' horses in good shape

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Cocorules

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Those who have or know old horses who are still in excellent shape in their late 20s / 30s I am curious to know why you think they have got to an old age in good shape?

Have they been pampered competition horses or happy hackers? Have they spent their lives out 24/7 or stabled a lot? Have they been ridden 'correctly' or in a more 'relaxed' style? Were they lunged regularly? How were they started?

I am just curious as to what factors you think for your particular horse has meant they have got to old age in good shape or is it just starting with a horse that has good conformation?
 
Don't know really, my best friends mare lived to 37 (she was put down in April this year) I can tell you that she was very very much loved, she was included in everything and was taken out for walks in hand right up to feb this year and was a hundred times more naughty than the horse she was meant to be nannying!!

She was well fed and well rugged, had a 100% draught proof stable and had regular teeth and vet checks. This photo was taken last sept time I think.......

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She was also a chesnut mare, Arab x Welsh so may of had something to do with it ;-)
 
We've got a 26 year old whose still rideable.
She's lunged a few times a week in a large circle to keep her back and legs supple. Turned out 4/5 hours a day to stop any stiffness. Saddle has always been fitted correctly to her though and she's had an easy life of us having her 20+ years.
However weve also got a 22 year old retired international comp pony, we retired her internationally 7 years ago and now just do local shows. She is ridden 6 times a week, focusing on more keeping her happy and enjoying her work. Don't really do intense schooling sessions anymore, but if we do they are max 30 mins. Then she's walked off for 15mins. Also turned out nearly every day.
She is an Irish bred horse so has been heavily trained as a baby and then come over here and had to be re trained as she was freaked out.
We find that good feed, routine and the right type of schooling helps our two.
 
I think it depends on how you define 'good shape' really.

Cheeky got to 27 in full ridden work, competing at 2'9 SJ and XC/ prelim dressage. He had mild arthritis in his shoulders which was what eventually finished him off. All his life, he'd been in work and from 14-21 he was used as a fun PC 'back up' for a teenage boy and his mum doing everything at high speed. He was hunted (he was a nightmare!), team chased (where he was godly, did opens and everything until he was 19) and all PC stuff including camp. He was a horse who loved being cheeky (hence the name!) and he was not a happy bunny when he wasn't being used.

He did have his issues, and he did spend a fair amount of time on one bute a day to help ward off his shoulder pain. We listened to him carefully and I rode him as well as I could- never jumped on hard ground, not much dressage at all unless on a surface, lots of XC as he loved it! He died a happy old man who'd been loved and pampered.

He was very well made (proper little solid TB) and he was just hardy. He was never kept with longevity in mind, just treated like a much loved little horse for the last 13 years of his life. He did had nice, clean legs for his age, and we were so careful with him.

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Just some photos of him in his later years (between 25-27 here). He died looking this well- was PTS after his arthritis caught up with him due to him having to be off work having taken himself out out hacking being a prat!
 
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Well frosty is 22 now - ex event mare who went to intermediate. The thing that stopped her from carrying on with me is she developed arthritis in her neck, which I sunsequently found was most likely due to a very bad fall with her old owner. She most certainly does not look her age although is only happy hacking now. She is on various supplements to help her and has the same checks physio etc as my younger horse. In her case I think it helps she still has a purpose and is active. She is fairly opiniated still and tbh the yard girls to spoil her somewhat! She is treated like the queen she believes she is and all joking apart I do think a horse that does have a good opinion of itself is no bad thing (opposite is true of my young horse as he has far too much!
 
Don't know if my "baby" boy can be classified as one of the oldies, but he is 18 years old (a 1993 baby) and still going strong :). He competes in EM dressage and kicks butt in showing classes against horses half his age

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Also, the horse I learnt to ride on many many years ago is still alive and kicking at the yard where I keep my palomino. He's a native South African breed (Basuto Pony) and thus isn't very showy XD but he he is 38/39 years old (not quite sure as I'm not sure of his exact birth date):

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Sorry that he is all wet, but he insisted on standing outside in the rain instead of in his shelter :L (This is what the South African rainy season looks like if anyone was wondering XD)

For my palomino old man, I think he looks quite good for his age because he is being kept in work. I tend to find that horses that are "retired" and allowed to just wallow around in a field all day age worse than those who have owners who still pamper/walk/hack/ride them (my opinion). I don't believe in "retiring" horses just because of age - if it's bloomin 50 and it can still work in comfort, let it!

Also of course the usual suspects such as a good vet (and regular check ups), regular farrier and dentists coming out and general good care can definitely keep a horse healthier for longer
 
Our old girl is 27 (28 in Jan) and is looking lovely. Cannot post pics but she is a sensible weight and bright. She is arab x connie. Approx 13.3 - 14hh
We have had her since the age of 12.
From 4 she was shown, jumped, hunted and generally worked until 10 when she was sold in good faith to someone who quickly sold her on. The next 2 years are a bit vague but ended up miles from Essex, where she came from, in Norfolk. Came to Surrey to be in a riding school through a dealer and eventually was bought as a present for my daughters 10th birthday. She stayed on working livery for a year and then became a full time pony club pony. She did all the mini teams - xc, sj, dressage, did some pony club games (badly:D). She did some junior sj, and dressage and went unaff sj up to 3ft. What I am saying is she worked hard for many years. She lived in at night and out in the day and was difficult to keep weight on.
At the age of about 16 she went on loan for a year and worked hard there too.
When she came back she was my daughters hack and fun pony.
Over the next few years her workload decreased to hacking once or twice a week. She became stiffer and stiffer and hated being in at night.

When my daughter was 19 and the pony was 21 she was "officially retired". She was stiff and reluctant to work and owed us nothing so she was turned away to grass. At 27 she is sprightly and bright and happy. Her "job" is nanny to our youngster who is now 3. She lives out 24/7 and is groomed a couple of times a week. She goes for the odd walk in hand but is pretty much left to her own devices.

This year she started pergolide as she looked dull and her coat was very cushingoid. She also had chronic diarrhoea for no obvious reason. She now looks beautiful and is very content. So far, no laminitis despite being at grass all the time and being slightly overweight though not cresty. She has good grass, feed balancer and chaff with ad lib haylage as needed during the cold months. She is unshod. She is rugged in the wet or very cold weather. She has a field shelter.

So the conclusion of this long reply:D She worked very hard for many years but was allowed to decrease her workload when she needed to. She has no stress in her life and is loved to pieces. She is not, however, and never has been, wrapped in cotton wool. I think we have been lucky to have her. She shows no gratitude for anything though:D:D:D
 
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We have had several oldies my parents had a riding trekking centre when I was a kid and several of the horses from it lived to a good age a few in to their late thirties, they were mostly stabled while working well fed regualr but not overly worked.

They had the winter off turned out at home then when retired were turned out full time brought in if bad weather well cared for.

My mum had a tb who hunted until he was 27 he had been raced as a two year old been pin fired was a real tearaway in his earlier days, he was in amazing condition for his age he died of a heat attack in the field but was in great condition right up until he went, and he had a pretty hard early life.

We have two at present 21 and 25 who are retired pointers and they are basically still doing the same work as our younger ones if the time comes they will be retired to the field but they are happy and healthy and sometimes a little too full of it at present.

I dont think there is any one thing that makes a horse live on and be well, I suppose all of ours were well fed and cared for if they needed time off they were always turned away if needed, as for lunging they all could lunge but we are not a fan of lunging alot and none of them were schooled alot in an arena too much they were schooled just not overly in that enviroment.

So I cant really say why some of them have gone on so well.:confused:
 
Mine has had a life of riley! Has been always stabled out night, out in the day, local shows etc and is now 28 and quietly hacked a few times a week, keeps weight on very well no teeth issues etc not too sure of breeding but she's built like a tank! :)
 
I have in my yard a 32 year old pony, he is still in light work, his full history is known, he hunted 25 seasons, obviously only the odd short day more recently, he has attended PC camp every year until he was 30. Numerous children have ridden him, he is the most genuine pony that never stopped when jumping and even over the last few years never comes home without a rosette.

He is still fairly active, now suffering from the effects of cushings but has good muscle tone for his age and although his back has dipped a little he still has a fair topline.

I think he has always been looked after very well, kept fit and never been overweight, he has very good conformation, moves freely, although not extravagantly, he is clean limbed and as yet showing no real signs of stiffness.

He is currently out at night, clipped and well rugged, he comes in each day for a feed and a haynet, when the weather gets colder he will be in at night.
 
Grief, we've had loads of the little devils go on forever! None of our kids' ponies were under 25 and they were all inexhaustible, fit, lively little hellions!

A couple of our best included a 13.2 TB X NF X Welsh mare, who was 32 when I took her on loan as a second pony! She was an incredible girl - loved showing, jumping, long moor rides, and never ever got tired. She'd had a crazy busy life as a pony club pony, turned her hoof to everything under the sun, lived in at nights in winter, but was otherwise out all the time. With her, I think it was a mixture of activity and genetics that kept her young. The only time she ever failed to win a Best Veteran class was when - purely by chance - we ran into her mother at the show! She was 40, looked even younger that Syb. We came second ;)

We tried retiring Syb once and only once. She spent six months jumping out of fields, pacing, stressing all her weight off, generally making herself very unwell. We brought her in, fed her up, brought her back into work and she went back to being her bright, relaxed, happy self. After that, she worked up until she was 38, teaching a vet's kids to ride. She was finally pts when she went totally blind a year later.

One of my current nags is a Peter Pan type too. He's a few months shy of 31, despite being hopelessly accident prone! He too has had a busy life: stud stallion, BSJA jumper, pony club circuit ad nauseum, happy hacker and now retired. He's spent half his life being pampered and molly coddled; now he's out in 50 odd acres with a herd of friends, 24-7, 365, with natural streams and natural shelter. Genetics? (He's another Arab X Welsh). Contrariness? (Ruddy likely!) Desire to see me bankrupt?! (Oh well...) Luck?

I shall await other people's ideas on what makes some of our creatures residents of Neverland and not others...
 
I have a few in their teens and twenties but I don't view any of them as old. The two oldest horses I have are in their late 30s. The oldest is an Arab, the second oldest is a TB. They were both broken at 2 years old, have lived the majority of their lives in at night and out for part of the day but for the past few years have live out 24/7. They were in full time work for the first half of their lives. The middle part of their lives they did low level competitions. The latter part of their lives they have been solely happy hackers. They've been healthy, sound horses and neither of them are ready to fully retire so they still go out for rides a few times a month to keep them ticking over.
 
I think breed has a part to play. I have a 32yo Arab who is super. I retired him a t 30 as he has a cataract and can trip a lot, but he's as sound as a pound and still in charge. He wasn't pampered well not like my 7yo:D he's out in his field all the time and is as tough as old rope!
 
well tego is 40 (aprox) and in good shape. this is the first year we have had to treat her any different, and only due to her having few teeth left!

when we bought her she was a lot older than we thought (we thought 16... but closer to 30! although i would have sworn she was about 6!!!), and was fit as a fiddle. had been in hard work as a kids pony until finally outgrown by the owners daughter, and all the local kids! she did p.c, showing, w.h.p, o.d.e... you name it she had pretty much done it! quality pony, not for the feint hearted, and would jump anything!

she remained in hard work while with us- hacking, schooling, local level shows and jumping competitions. both her and my horse were that fit that on more than one occasion i had to remove shoes as they were so thin they would snap... ! those were the days! :D

with us she has always been kept at grass 24/7, well rugged and kept fit and active. she has only been retired from work for the last 5 years, due to my sister being at uni, and like i say this is the first year she has begun to look a bit old! i think that with her old owner she was mainly field kept, but had stables/field shelter open for them to put themselves in if they felt like it.

i think being constantly fit and active has helped keep her young at heart. fresh air and always on the move in the field!

ets: she is tb x conn (14.1 hh, chunky type)
 
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Our 15.2 cleveland bay x who we adopted from the Blue Cross was 22 when we got him, died when he was 36. He didn't spend a night in the stable (well, we tried to put him in one night when he had some stitches in his leg, but he pushed the back wall of the good wooden stables off, so never again! :eek: ) and I think only was ever rugged in his last couple of years, if at all.

My old pony was ancient when he finally went, no idea how old, but I'd say late 30s at least. Ditto above management wise.

Current oldies are a 25yo welsh x tb 14.2 who is still hacked a few times a week, and won an in hand veteran class the other week, he will hopefully do some tent pegging next year if his little brain can take it! He is out 24/7 and had a hard first few years of life, we've had him since he was 7 and he did all the PC stuff until he was about 16, when he was retired to hacking due to issues with his brain coping with jumping! Other is a retired 27yo TB, who is out 24/7 and rugged in winter. :)
 
mums horse is 30, still ridden and hunted once or twice a year (wont travel so local meets only) lives out 24/7. She is 3/4 tb and 1/4 dartmoor. She has spent her life galloping up and down pendine beach (google it), has competed local small shows and ridden western for a lot of her life. Happy hacker now. Doesnt look a day over 15!
 
misst said:
Our old girl is 27 (28 in Jan) and is looking lovely. Cannot post pics but she is a sensible weight and bright. She is arab x connie. Approx 13.3 - 14hh
We have had her since the age of 12.
From 4 she was shown, jumped, hunted and generally worked until 10 when she was sold in good faith to someone who quickly sold her on. The next 2 years are a bit vague but ended up miles from Essex, where she came from, in Norfolk. Came to Surrey to be in a riding school through a dealer and eventually was bought as a present for my daughters 10th birthday. She stayed on working livery for a year and then became a full time pony club pony. She did all the mini teams - xc, sj, dressage, did some pony club games (badly:D). She did some junior sj, and dressage and went unaff sj up to 3ft. What I am saying is she worked hard for many years. She lived in at night and out in the day and was difficult to keep weight on.
At the age of about 16 she went on loan for a year and worked hard there too.
When she came back she was my daughters hack and fun pony.
Over the next few years her workload decreased to hacking once or twice a week. She became stiffer and stiffer and hated being in at night.

When my daughter was 19 and the pony was 21 she was "officially retired". She was stiff and reluctant to work and owed us nothing so she was turned away to grass. At 27 she is sprightly and bright and happy. Her "job" is nanny to our youngster who is now 3. She lives out 24/7 and is groomed a couple of times a week. She goes for the odd walk in hand but is pretty much left to her own devices.

This year she started pergolide as she looked dull and her coat was very cushingoid. She also had chronic diarrhoea for no obvious reason. She now looks beautiful and is very content. So far, no laminitis despite being at grass all the time and being slightly overweight though not cresty. She has good grass, feed balancer and chaff with ad lib haylage as needed during the cold months. She is unshod. She is rugged in the wet or very cold weather. She has a field shelter.

So the conclusion of this long reply:D She worked very hard for many years but was allowed to decrease her workload when she needed to. She has no stress in her life and is loved to pieces. She is not, however, and never has been, wrapped in cotton wool. I think we have been lucky to have her. She shows no gratitude for anything though:D:D:D
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As I am more computer savvy then my mum, this is our old girl ;)

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I honestly think horses have lived much longer for years - I am well into my 50's but as a kid we really never new if the pony just arrived was 8, 12, 15, 18 or 22 ! - everything was 12 when dad brought it and looking back I honestly think most of them were well into their late teens - but we rode them accordingly.

My old girl was 24 when i lost her - tb x id - she had had a really tough life prior to me buying her as a broken down 12 year old - but lots of tlc, good food, teeth and vet checked whenever required and adjusting her work to what "felt" right if you know what I mean, kept her interested and active.

I have an old schoolmaster now - he is 21 - and apart from one little stiff hoof when your picking his feet out when its cold you would think he was about 10 !. His work is carefully controlled - we do much more hacking than schooling BUT he is schooled at least 4 times a week else he is a right little git - BUT only on good surfaces.

He is much loved and pampered, is turned out from 7.30 till 4.30 every day in winter, and lives out in the summer months - if he wants to that is - he has had both a hard and an easy life - he was obviously very tallented but had attitude, is terrified of whips, people on the ground in the school with him - and has frightened most of his owners into leaving him rotting in a field. He met his match with me, and i am not the greatest rider in the world but i am one of the most stubben ! - Its only cause we have a bond that he lets me ride him, and he can be one hell of a scary beast - but we are a good match - his tallent and my lack of it make for a happy team

GW
 
My 30yo arab mare - Misty, is generally doing well, she was galloping and bucking round the school a week ago!
Although sadly she was a bit stiff the next day, and she still canters off when being turned out in a morning - this isn't every day now though.
I put her on cortaflex at about 19, and she's always had joint supplements since. I do have some bute for her as she is arthritic in her right hock, but she just has it when she needs it.
Shes always been stabled over night, and goes out in the field about 3 - 4 hours each day.
I competed on her when she was younger, (mainly local level) but she was still taking championships when she was 20 and beating the youngsters :-)
She has been - and always will be well looked after, and pampered :)
 
Obi is 25. Always been a happy hacker (apart from a few years as a riding school horse when my son was young and I was too poor to keep him).

Has gaps in his teeth now and bilateral cataracts, but with the right diet he still looks good and leads the rides - dancing and bucking the whole time:)

This is when he was 4 and I was 14
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And at 25
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20 odd years ago I was given a horse who was 16 he was still fit and hunting every week, as was the norm way back then, he was kept stabled during the hunting season and turned out on days off which was usually once a week. Feed was basic oats, barley, maize, bran, linseed and ad lib hay. He would have been roughed off at the end of the season and turned away for the summer, autumn would see him come back in for the season. This went on without any mishaps until he was 27 when he developed a tumour in his hoof which was began to cause lameness, it was felt that due to his age an operation was out of the question and the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep as he wouldn't have taken kindly to becoming a field ornament. With vets approval he was given a hefty dose of bute and I took him out for his last day out hunting (only for an hour). He was put to sleep the following morning. He was a brilliant horse and thrived on his way of life, people out in the field very often had a hard time believing that he was as old as he was!
 
Lottie is 32 in the spring. I've had her 17 years. Before me she was a hunter for hire we think. Legs are ok and very good teeth. I've spoilt her as much as i'm able. Out in summer in at night in winter. She was in full work till 25 then worked alongside my younger one till about 27 semi retired but never sensible till 30 when illness forced retirement. She ambles about for a ride when she looks bored. I feed her the same as the others, no special old horse feed as she got thin on those. Worked hard and loved hard. About sums up lottie's life. I'm hoping she continues to fight her illness for another few years but when she's ready i'll say goodbye for a little while and buy her a ticket to rainbow bridge to wait for me with her old mate my collie cross, timmy.
 
Oh and lottie still drags me out to field in morning and in again at night. canters about with the others and naffs off with the kids when they ride her!
 
I got my pony at 4(ish), he had been broken at 2 to ride and drive and had been used in a riding school before we got him, he is now at least 25 but could be older, he is 14hh solid piebald cobby, he was ridden by big big people (up to 18st) and me as a spherical teenager, he was a happy hacker but did the odd xc and bits until he was 19, then my friend took him on loan and he now does RDA work, county level leisure driving classes and is rdden daily and he has always been fine, touch wood.

Not the best start in life but still trucking on and very happy, he has been there done it and still is a cheeky boy. i guess he is well built and is well loved!
 
My girl is nearly 24 and still has no health issues apart from mild arthritis in her hocks. She is pretty much only hacked out now, not because she's not capable of more but I don't have enough time. I bought her at 5 thinking a big hairy ID would happily live out all year - hmm, that didn't work. She loves her stable and as long as she's out for a few hrs a day in the winter is more than happy. God forbid I leave her out until its dark, she paces up and down and pushes through the fence. She has been well and truly spoilt!

I really believe that one of the reasons she has gone on so long without leg/joint problems was that she was not worked hard/schooled in circles when she was young. She was lightly broken at 3 and then had a foal. I bought her at 5yrs and she'd done pretty much nothing. I then really only hacked for a year before I started schooling, hunting etc.
 
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