What's the oldest horse/pony you've known???

my neighbours had a couple of old shetlands years ago, they were both in their 30s
and at my last yard there was a 30+ very healthy gelding there
hope my girl is fit and strong for many years to come, she is 18 this year
 
my second pony Buzz, was 46 when he had to be pts.
he was taught me and my sister to jump when he was 35, (he had 10yrs retirement) but before that he had done pony club show jumping teams, prince phillip games (at olympia etc too!) been a brilliant hunting pony and was such a character.

Buzz was taken as a yearling off the welsh mountains by the mother of one of my mother's friends. she backed him as a 4yo and her children went to pony club and out hinting with him. When they grew out of him he went to their cousins and their friends, by which time the original riders had children who wanted to ride. He was well known on the pony club teams, and th hunting field and taught about 5 generations of children to ride, jump hunt and care for horses - just not necessarily the easy way! even in his 40's he would push and shove to get his own way in the stable, andto get his stable rug off and his turnout on, he decided he had to be standing on the yard half in and half out of his stable.

he used to run at my sister with his ears flat back when she tried to catch him in the summers, but once she stood up to him, he'd become all sweetness and light again! he'd nip us or the dog when we tightened his girth and buck if you ever had to smack him.

i know he probably sounds like a nightmare, but he taught us so much. we learnt to sit on a raving loony, stand our ground when a horse takes the pi55, tolerate no nonsense, but to be responsible for our actions, to take care of a horse and to handle horses even when they had the better of us.

Buzz used to undo his stable door (including the kick bolt) and get into the feed shed, where he'd stuff himself silly even eating dry sugar beet wiht no ill effects, before going to let everybdy else out too.

In the summer before he died, a walker left a gate open, and my mum had the front door of the house open for some fresh air. I was packing to go back to uni, and came downstairs for a cup of tea to find Buzz standig warming himself by the Aga. i guess i wasn't really supised but it did give me a momentary fright!

we have incredible pictures of Buzz with hens roosting between his ears, or holding the broom, or carting me round a dressage ring at my first ODE aged 9, and taking my sister for her first days hunting.

To one incredible pony, I hope that everyone who had the marvelous opportunity to know him has such wonderful memories as we do.
 
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