what age do working horses need to be retired??

[mybaileysglide]

I have just started work at this trekking centre and i dont think they have a clue about horses. they only had 4 working horses and 2 of them are quite old. one of them is 26 years old and his back looks so worn down i have a feeling it is called lordosis, im not even exagerating when i say it looks like the horse in the picture i have attatched. i lead him out on hour walks with kids on him and i feel so bad because he walks really slowly and trips over, a couple of times he has fallen onto his knees. me and the 2 other girls tell the yard owner that he is too old to work but they dont listen, the other pony is 22 and she has a little bit more life in her and is more healthy. but surley this is too old for them to work, once they did 5 hours in one day, is there and rule on how old they have to be to stop work and retired. please help because i cant watch this poor pony be dragged around anymore.

i cant seem to get the image up but if you look up lordosis it looks like one of the bad cases of that

 

[Charlir666]

I think it depends on the horse and how fit they are. If your really worried, speak to RSPCA or a horse sanctuary. I'm sure if they were as concerned as u, they'd come and visit.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

if you are concerned contact your local council as they issue the license for them to operate. doesnt sound ideal i have to say.

 

[NicoleS_007]

I dont really think theres a set age as to when a horse retires, depends on the horse. I new a woman who rode her elderly gelding (probably older than 26) right up until it had to be pts. He hacked out at least 5 days a week, went to the beach for a gallop and was never sick or sorry, but they did have alot of trouble getting weight on him. He loved his work and was happy with it. But equally i have worked at a RS who have had lots of elderly ponys who just look depressed and have to put up with having little kiddies kick and haul on there mouths. IMO these little dudes deserve a retirement as they have worked very hard all there life and will work until the day they die. On the otherhand i have also seen alot of 3/4yr hammered round the RS for hours per day which imo is unacceptable. One 3yr was out for 2hrs in a row and then went into a third lesson (in a row), it just couldnt cope and lay down in the middle of the lesson. Horse came back in with suspected colic but i watched it for hours and there was nothing at all wrong with it apart from being knackered Not saying this happens in all RS' but just the one i worked at.

 

[mybaileysglide]

yeh its not fair on them, today 2 of the hoses worked for 5 hourse with just 20-30 min breaks inbetween each.

 

[splashgirl45]

how about contacting world horse welfare, or bhs welfare rather than the rspca who most of the time dont seem to have a clue about horses. they could give you some advice and maybe send someone to have a look..

 

[Pale Rider]

This particular case sounds really poor.

Horses do not really have a set age to 'retire', it depends on the horse, it's condition, health and fitness.

One of our trekking horses was still doing 4 hour hacks 6 days a week at 31yrs old and looked fitter than a lot of horses half her age.

When we sold the buisness she was retired and died a week later. She still looked very well, but I always feel it was not going out that finished her.

 

[Birker2020]

One 3yr was out for 2hrs in a row and then went into a third lesson (in a row), it just couldnt cope and lay down in the middle of the lesson. Horse came back in with suspected colic but i watched it for hours and there was nothing at all wrong with it apart from being knackered Not saying this happens in all RS' but just the one i worked at.

I didn't think horses under the age of four were allowed to work in a riding school anyway. Sounds very bad to me.

 

[Birker2020]

One 3yr was out for 2hrs in a row and then went into a third lesson (in a row), it just couldnt cope and lay down in the middle of the lesson. Horse came back in with suspected colic but i watched it for hours and there was nothing at all wrong with it apart from being knackered Not saying this happens in all RS' but just the one i worked at.

I didn't think horses under the age of four were allowed to work in a riding school anyway. Sounds very bad to me.

I once saw appalling abuse and it had made me feel physically sick. I'd been invited to go and watch a loose jumping clinic at a local livery yard by a friend of mine and went along with her and her horse who was also doing the clinic/demo. I had been to a meeting of the riding club who were hosting the event the day before with a view to joining and had left a cheque for the annual club membership with them as I'd decided to join. A beautiful 4 year old gelding was led into the indoor school by its owner and handed over to the woman running the clinic who was a member of the riding club I wished to join. She proceeded to set it free in the school and try to get it to loose jump over a grid of about 8 fences. The horse had clearly never seen a pole before, the indoor school was dusty and dark and the poles were the same colour as the surface which would have been incredibly confusing for a horse used to loose jumping never mind the poor youngster that had never seen a pole in his short life. The woman running the clinic and people who'd gone to watch the clinic were trying to get the horse to loose jump and the horse who was just turned four clearly didn't understand what it was being asked to do, the poor animal was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by the 'know it all woman' who is much respected in the horse world as a Y.O and instructor:- she was hitting it around the face with her lunge whip and dragging it over the poles with the lunge line. Eventually after it was dripping in sweat it collapsed in a pile on the floor and she said he was being lazy and dragged it to its feet. After the 'lesson' it was chucked into a horsebox by the owner without it being walked off to cool (it was still dripping in sweat) and the owner of the horse who'd happily helped the instructor and others to abuse her horse came back in to watch the rest of the 'clinic'. It was a cold frosty November night and the horse was left shivering in the lorry. I was so disgusted with what i'd seen I rang the bank the next day, pretended the cheque I'd written had got lost in the post (so I wouldn't have to pay to cancel the cheque)and told them to cancel it. I never went back.

I wish I'd spoken out at the time, but I was younger than everyone else and less experienced and felt intimidated.

 

[Maggie2009]

My 26 year old Arab is still full of life,vitality and stamina.She can outstride much younger and bigger horses in walk alone and still gets frustrated if she is behind something slower.She is basically hacked out a few times a week and does the odd sponsered ride.When she has a canter or gallop she does not even blow,and can carry on further than some of the others who get fatigued before the end of the local gallop stretch.

 

[NicoleS_007]

I didn't think horses under the age of four were allowed to work in a riding school anyway. Sounds very bad to me.

I once saw appalling abuse and it had made me feel physically sick. I'd been invited to go and watch a loose jumping clinic at a local livery yard by a friend of mine and went along with her and her horse who was also doing the clinic/demo. I had been to a meeting of the riding club who were hosting the event the day before with a view to joining and had left a cheque for the annual club membership with them as I'd decided to join. A beautiful 4 year old gelding was led into the indoor school by its owner and handed over to the woman running the clinic who was a member of the riding club I wished to join. She proceeded to set it free in the school and try to get it to loose jump over a grid of about 8 fences. The horse had clearly never seen a pole before, the indoor school was dusty and dark and the poles were the same colour as the surface which would have been incredibly confusing for a horse used to loose jumping never mind the poor youngster that had never seen a pole in his short life. The woman running the clinic and people who'd gone to watch the clinic were trying to get the horse to loose jump and the horse who was just turned four clearly didn't understand what it was being asked to do, the poor animal was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by the 'know it all woman' who is much respected in the horse world as a Y.O and instructor:- she was hitting it around the face with her lunge whip and dragging it over the poles with the lunge line. Eventually after it was dripping in sweat it collapsed in a pile on the floor and she said he was being lazy and dragged it to its feet. After the 'lesson' it was chucked into a horsebox by the owner without it being walked off to cool (it was still dripping in sweat) and the owner of the horse who'd happily helped the instructor and others to abuse her horse came back in to watch the rest of the 'clinic'. It was a cold frosty November night and the horse was left shivering in the lorry. I was so disgusted with what i'd seen I rang the bank the next day, pretended the cheque I'd written had got lost in the post (so I wouldn't have to pay to cancel the cheque)and told them to cancel it. I never went back.

I wish I'd spoken out at the time, but I was younger than everyone else and less experienced and felt intimidated.

Nope as far as im aware they have to be 4 and imo i still think at 4 they are to imature (even if they act like a 10yr old) to be working hours on end. I have a 4yr and wouldnt dream of hammering her around for an hour never mind three in a row!! The RS i spoke of also had a broken 2yr used in lessons a few times then it got sold and came back at the end of last year so again would have been 3 and being used in numerous lessons. They also had two foals in a little yard whom the other worker was suppose to muck out every day, she didnt and left them standing for a week once I was livid and went and said to the YM who done nothing. She then left another 6 stables full of a weeks worth of dung which i was then told to help her muck out! I told YM again who done nothing so i lost the plot and had a go at her myself and refused to do her work. She was being paid to do the same work as me but yet she sat around and smoked, really peed me off!! I have never seen so much dung in a stable in all my life, poor bloomin horses!! And i bet if i had of done that (which i never would, thats just cruel) i would have got the head ate off me I no longer work there for many reasons, it was disgraceful at times!! Your experience sounds pretty bad to What a bunch of asses!! Some people are so ignorant its unreal!! Poor horse, im surprised it didnt tie up poor thing

 

[mybaileysglide]

thanks for everyones advice and coments, i think im going to contact world horse welfare and try and get him retired because he certainly isnt full of energy, i practicly have to drag him around and he has fallen onto his knees a couple of times, i think someone needs to speak out for him.