Whats the max age?

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Lucy_Nottingham

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Whats the maximum age of horse you would buy to do:

Local and county level showing.
Hunting
Dressage
Bit of jumping and xc (not eventing levels as I am NOT that brave!)
Hunter trials

Hack and have fun........

As for my search for future horse I was saying age range of about 6-9, but the lad I ride at my yard that I love will be 13 next year when I look to buy..... would you class this as too old to do it all? (He has done most of it before coming to the riding yard)

Thanks x
 
if they pass the vet, why not!
my 14/15 year old hunts, team chases, events and show jumps most weekends and i don't think hes planning on stopping any time soon! :D
if they are healthy, fit and pass the vet and you take good care of them, they will last a long time and you will get many more years out of them :D
 
I know 13yo's can do it all (and I know he could/can) but would you buy a horse at this age? OR have you owned your teenagers from their younger years?
 
I think it depends on how long you want to be doing those activities with said horse, obviously in buying a younger one you are able to do more for longer in theory.

I think it also depends on the confirmation of the horse, if it is well put together then it is likely to be able to keep going longer than one that may have ok confirmation and be doing well in younger years but may struggle as it gets older.

At 13 there are many more years still in this horse I'd have thought, and you have to think no matter what age you buy them things can still go wrong - a horse can get a devastating injury at any age.

If he ticks all the right boxes may be worth buying him, but expect that you will probably have more years looking after him as he gets old than you will doing the activities you listed.

Sorry I've given totally mixed views - if he's perfect go for it, they are hard to find!
 
well I love MW/HW show hunters. Always have, prob always will.
I also love cobs but have been too big to ride them (height wise, I just look too tall!) but Basil (horse in question) is a 16.1/2 maxi cob, and I look fine on him and personality wise you can not find 1 single fault!! and looks and confo wise he is really good!
But I am also aware that this sort of build horse is predisposed to joint problems etc e.g. ring bone .........

I just didnt know if it would be considered stupid to buy a horse of this age with these expectations...... and I wouldn't sell him if I bought him, even if he just became an expensive lawn mower.... If I get a horse its for life not just for their use by date. :)
 
I've been out on a 23 year old today, you'd never have guessed he was that age as he's never had health problems and he still gets over excited in the face of a jump! He's very forward going but bombproof.
So i'd say provided he passed the vet, you could potentially have another 10 or so years with him :)
 
I bought my horse aged 12, hadn't really done much from 8 but had jumped a lot from a very young age, but his legs are very good...
he passed the vetting with flying colours, apparently one of the best vettings hes done in that the horse was pretty near perfect.
If you want to be doing these activities for many more years its simple- you look after the horse. you can't go hunting then do a team chase the next day, thats how you break any horse... but if you look after them well, there is nothing saying it wont go until its 20+!
I think you also need to consider what it has previously done, if its had a quiet life doing not much then its legs aren't going to be knackered, but if its been hunted twice a week for a few seasons then they are going to have taken a bit of a battering...
There is a risk with any age horse, my friends just bought a 6 year old eventer, passed all the vettings, damaged itself in the field and can't be ridden again, now considering what to do with him...
If you look after him well then he will go for many more years... :)
 
I'm looking at the moment, in fact having a mare vetted tomorrow!

I was originally looking under 11 years but I have fallen in love with this mare, she is 15, hence the vetting!

Fingers crossed she will pass, my last pony was still full of life when he was in his early 20's.
 
Ahh thanks guys! :) Its really perked me up knowing it wouldn't be stupid or inconsiderate of me to expect him to be able to do these things for as you say maybe 10 more years or so!

He actually has very good legs, no lumps or bumps (but will double check this weekend! :) ) and as I say confo wise he is really quite good!

Good luck with your vetting! :) hope she passes!
 
I've just bought an 18 year old!!! He's very forward going, doesn't look or act his age and passed the vet with flying colours, if you keep on top of things and look after them, then you'll have many years together. Our veteran horses and ponies are VERY underated!!!
 
A 13 year old should be fine, as long as conformation is good and he hasn't had a hard life. The only problem would be if you intended to sell again in a couple of years time, as his value would have dropped considerably, but if you want a horse for the long term he should be fine. Also if you like showing, you have the option of doing veteran classes in a few years time!
 
well this little mare i aquired last July is 18 this year - we do everything (not quite county level showing yet though!) including pleasure rides, dressage (novice affiliated), show jumping, xc, trec etc. if the horse is right i wouldnt be put off by 13 yo.

She's still very active!
LeTrecHeaugeJump.jpg
 
MY 18yr old TB is in his prime at the minute! It wouldnt put me off one bit! Horses live a lot longer nowadays! the longer you keep them in work the longer they go for IMHO
 
aw yey! :) well so long as nothing bad happens between now and then, then he will definetly be top of my list! :)

thank you all, it makes me feel much better about it as obv he is such a lovely all round horse I was getting a bit depressed that the age might be the deciding factor for not getting..... :) Well fingers crossed for a year then! :D

thank you! and your little coloured mare is very nice! :)
 
I think 12 / 13 is an ideal age to be honest, the horse has generally been then done that etc but still has plenty of years left.

My horse is 19 this year and I've had him since he was 4. He has done BSJA on and off from the age of 4, we've done ODEs, a bit of BE, XC and last year did the RC champs ODE down in Warwickshire. He is still sound as a pound, full of life and loves going out to comps so I will keep going as long as he wants to. He has never been laid off at anytime throughout his life and is hacked out a fair bit. He certainly doesn't seem to want to slow down quite yet anyway!

We never know how long our horses go on for - if the horse is 13 and has got there with few issues, and you know the horse, then I think it's a damn good age to get a horse to have fun on.
 
I have just bought a 12 year old to do all of what you want to do.

My previous horse was 15 when i got him and was the fastest, fittest, athletic horse. He was 14.1 and would easily pace racehorses etc. He was fantastic. I sold him when he was 18 to a girl who was a very talented showjumper to go off and do more competing as we didnt have chance to do much. There was no way he was going to be retiring. He just wanted to do more and more. At 18 he would jump 3ft 6 from a standstill. We sold him at 18 for as much as we paid for him when he was 15.

I know a 12.2 pony that was still competing locally at nearly 30 and was fit as a fillde and is only now starting to retire at about 36.

Im sure at 13 as long as he is fit and healthy and got good legs he will give you years of fun :-D
 
It is so hard to say. Personally 13 would be my upper age I wouldn't go any older. Trouble is like everyone says horses are all so different some go on forever while others are starting to show their age at 12/13.

I would never buy one that had either done too much or not enough. If done too much obviously their would be a more prone to damage but if not much then their tendons/joints etc are already not used to doing stuff and more likely to resist

It really is a do what you can and hope for the best
 
I bought my 17/18 year old 4 months ago, she has certainly got a lot of life left in her and flew through her 5 stage vetting.

Because she is my first horse she has been absolutely fabulous, she has been there and seen it, so nothing phases her - which helps me with my confidence.

She is brilliant at dressage - just limited by my ability. She clearly loves jumping, but I am no where near good enough to do that with her - my daughter is beginning jumping lessons with her as she has more confidence than me :) May be we will get as far as cross country one day, before she is too old. Hope to try trec and sponsored rides as well. We're off to Adult Camp in July too.

12/13 sounds quite young to me, 5 years ago I bet my girl was quite feisty :)
 
I acquired both my old horses in their 20s! And they both jumped, did xc, dressage and long distance rides and loved it! 13 years is nothing as long as you aren't planning to head round Badminton with it! As long as he is sound and healthy and enjoys it, then go for it!
 
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