What do you do with your veterans aged 20+?

[howengold]

I am just wondering. I taken on veterans and they all carry on well in to their 30's depending on their health.

Mine do showing as long as their happy and jump until they say no more. My 24 year old sec D does mainly showing but my kids do had the odd jump on her as long as its not what they do on their young ponies. I do hack out a lot for a couple of hours at a time and school at home for. A little while on days when I am busy with other things.

My ponies have lived to good ages and been healthy and fit. My eldest was 38 years old and she was retired three months before she died but on reduced plods around the field until that point.

I believe, like old people, old ponies need to have something to keep them sane. Be it inhand walks a couple of times a week to the odd gallop on a track.....

What about the rest?

 

[mandwhy]

I definitely agree keeping them active is best just like people (obviously keeping in mind they may need to ease up on jumping etc). I used to share a 23yo and she had so much energy really! Still spooking at nothing (very active brain!) and tanking off on anything remotely Canterable! Ah those were the days... (she is still going strong too but I have moved on to a 'full time' loan).

 

[AngieandBen]

Its an individual thing, Ben at 21 couldn't give a damn if he was never ridden again, he's very hard work even to get him hacking for an hour, although he does enjoy going to the beach and to pony camp a couple of times a year

Turbo at almost 20 is the same as he was 11 years ago.............bonkers! and never tires, feels like he could go on for ever

 

[Javabb94]

I have a 23 yr old welsh section b who we will bring back into work as he has so much energy!

Last year I had had a lesson at home and my jumps were still out, he then proceeded to gallop 100 mph towards them and get extremely excited!

 

[tango'smum]

my boy is early 20's.... we just plod out once or twice a week, hes had laminitis, been on box rest a month... so taking it easy.. he has cushings, so i dont ask much from him.. somtimes in hand walks...he seems to enjoy going out..as long as its no more than a walk. i've had him 10 yrs and hes never been energetic.. although a few yrs ago he enjoyed a blast on the moors , ...

 

[justjaz]

We did SJ last year - got placed in every class! I've not bothered this year as I felt like a chane of scene, rather than anything to do with his age. Still do SJ at home.

This year I've done lots of pleasure endurance rides (small ones 10-16 miles) which has really helped his fitness & he looks better now than he's done for years! We've even done XC- giving leads to 2 yougsters who didn't have much experience.

My daughter rides him lead rein sometimes too & he lives out. I've had him since he was 8 and learnt to ride on him for a year before that. He's my wonder pony!

 

[xXMrsIrishXx]

I have a section D mare who is 24 and hack out for a couple hours a few times a week and also did the cancer research Ride for life fun ride. She still loves being ridden

 

[Aoibhin]

i loan a 24yo connie x & she is still in normal work, jumps when owner comes to visit (i dont jump now due to health) hacks regually and goes out showing (ridden/inhand) she is like a tank and by god do you know when you have been on a hack with her as she is so forwards.

but love her dearly & she will tell us when the time has come to hang up her saddle although i get the feeling she will work untill the day she dies as its her (she does love her work)

 

[blood_magik]

Until April my 21yo was jumping courses up to 1.10. Unfortunately he did a tendon but he's coming back into work now and it's looking like there won't be any issues bar not being allowed to jump again. He'll probably stick to hacking with the odd schooling session.

Judging by the way he tried to tank off on a hack the other day, he still enjoys his work.

 

[MRich]

I'm loaning a 21 year old TB gelding, we hack 5 times a week, occasional schooling and showing a couple of times a month throughout summer. Still looks like a 10 year old and I think he will still be the same for years to come, plenty of energy! I completely agree with keeping them active - use it or lose it!

 

[ElleSkywalker]

My ginger monster is 18 & hacks for 2-4 hours 4 or so times a week. The only horse that can keep up with her is her fave boyfriend, a 24 year old Connie. The pair of them together are a menace to polite hacking!

 

[Mariposa]

This is Fortuna ( with her tongue sticking out!), who turned 20 this year.

She is mostly field ornament now, although she is sound and full of beans. She played polo all her life, and came to us lame just for the winter, but we fell in love with her and ended up buying her for meat money. She is the perfect nanny, and looks after the other ponies, but although she is sound now, she has been a bit 'cooked' by her polo career, and gets very upset when she hears polo sticks hitting polo balls.

We do still ride her out on exercise occasionally and she is a great hack, but basically she is enjoying a well deserved retirement. Plus I think she is so beautiful, I could look at her for hours!

 

[Kati*89]

I currently share a 20yr old TB mare, we school and hack 5/6times a week and she has introduced me to dressage, so we go out to compete every month or so- she totally doesn't act her age(never naughty though) and definitely doesn't look it - this is us at Addington, we came 3rd!

 

[xXMrsIrishXx]

Heres a picture of my 24 year old section D, she is my baby lol

 

[The_snoopster]

I still do the same stuff with my mare as when she was younger, although this summer she was diagnosed with cushings at 23 years old and I have given her an easier life while she adjusts to the medication. She had a foal at 21 who is 2 in september, my mare will retire with her filly when the time comes. Although she is still as forward going as ever, and I cannot do funrides on her as she gets too fizzy and I worry she may hurt herself constantly jogging the whole way around. Hopefully when I break up for work for the summer hols, she will be back out and about as regular as we normally are, we only hack out but can go off for hours usually stopping off at a pub for half pint of coke and her usual 1/2 pint of guiness.

 

[TheoryX1]

My 19 year old cob is still full of beans. We used to hunt, show, do dressage and he has been to PC camp a few times, plus his fair share of PC rallies with Mini TX. He is now a very happy hacker, with the odd lunge ever now and then, and a bit of schooling just to keep him this side of unruly. He has had a hard old life in a riding school and working for the RDA, but I have owned himf or 8 years and he now lives the life of riley. He is turned out as much as possible, is fed glucosamine in his feed once a day and still pulls like a train out hacking and I still need to ride him in a pelham and double reins.

One of the benefits of him growiing older is that he is very wise and is absolutely rock solid on the roads and will go past anything. However, is is still a bit 'lookey' sometimes (even had his eyesight checked), but that is just him, and thats about as bad as it gets.

Long live our golden oldies. He enjoyes his hacking and as long as he is fit and healthy, we will keep it going.