When do you know its time to stop riding

[Taffieboy1]

When do you know your pony is ready to stop riding.

He stumbles on his fronts sometimes, often just plods along, then stops and just looks about, I put my leg on an he carries on, but its as if hes only doing it for me. Doesn't object to being tacked up or anything, and is very happy in himself, he is 23 years old now too.

What you think ?

 

[Shay]

Stop riding in a schooling session? or time to retire?

If he is happy in his work and not being pushed - not yet. Competitively? When he isn't enjoying it anymore. Our old lad is 26 - probably older as passports were not around when he was born and everything tended to loose a few years! We retired him from hunting every week a couple of years ago when he came out pottery every morning after. Loved his work and would go all day - but was clearly uncomfortable the next day. So we dropped to occasional meets only. Last year I thought he might have had enough and retired him for the winter - he came out in spring bouncing and desperate to work. Retirement clearly didn't suit.

He no longer jumps out hunting at all and only does under 80cm at PC. He didn't qualify for Nat Champs this year (the first time in 12 years!) and I really don't want him to have to do that again. But he did PC camp as brilliant as ever. As long as he is happy in himself and keen to work he can keep going. But he does not deserve to be pushed. He can potter, hack, do the odd low grade hunt. I'm working toward reminding him he can drive. He can teach someone to ride and give confidence to someone nervous. As long as they stay sound and are happy - let them carry on!

 

[southerncomfort]

I've just retired my 25 year old mare.

She was fab all summer and we had some fantastic hacks together but as soon as the damp, chilly mornings arrived her hock arthritis flared up. The last time I hacked her out she stumbled going out of the driveway and felt so stiff and horrible that I got off and took her back home. She'd had bute beforehand so I knew riding her was no longer an option.

I'm still hopeful that when the warmer weather arrives next year she might be up for the odd bimble out (she has always absolutely loved hacking out) but if not she will be my pampered princess field ornament until the end of her days.

 

[Clodagh]

When do you know your pony is ready to stop riding.

He stumbles on his fronts sometimes, often just plods along, then stops and just looks about, I put my leg on an he carries on, but its as if hes only doing it for me. Doesn't object to being tacked up or anything, and is very happy in himself, he is 23 years old now too.

What you think ?

If he is still acting normally, as in has enver been very forward goping, then carry on. If he used to take you on a hack and now you are taking him probably time to stop.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

23 isn’t that old for a pony. Firstly I’d check whether he is actually sound and for example make sure his foot balance was good and get farrier to test for any tenderness that may indicate e.g. mild lami. If he’s a bit arthritic I’d use a joint supplement or anti-inflammatory like Buteless or even a low dose of Bute if your vet advises to. A Cushings test may be wise at his age, many horses and ponies have a new lease of life after being diagnosed and going on Prascend. Just because he’s older doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the usual checks to ensure he’s otherwise in good health.

If none of the above are issues then maybe it’s time to stop but it’s likely some light exercise is actually beneficial as long as it’s not too risky for you.

 

[ester]

The stumbling would worry me, I would want to check for bilateral lameness before continuing.

After that I would be considering whether his attitude to ridden work has changed and/or whether it is beneficial to him.

I did used to worry at 23 that mine wouldn't let me know, however by the end of that year he had a couple of niggles that meant we slowed down (from being in full work inc. hunting) and this summer at 25 he has struggled with the hard ground so hasn't been worked.

 

[redapple]

I've just stopped riding a lovely 25 year old welsh because she was beginning to back off her work and had always had a good work attitude so it seemed time. She's still pottering around hacking with somebody else however!

I think sometimes it's easy to associate just normal things to age because we are worried about pushing too hard when actually they're just having a lazy day, randomly tripped etc (I don't think this is a bad thing at all just that it's worth bearing in mind). I almost stopped riding the welshy months before I did because she seemed to not be enjoying work. Turned out she wasn't enjoying work. But not because of her age but because I was being too boring for her! Started letting her do flying changes and laterals again, a little jump or two and hacking out on roads (all things I deemed too much) and she perked right up. She let me know when it was actually time, mainly when she no longer wanted to do her favourite moves! A lady at the weekend fell off her 23 year old during a showx event and was immediately worried it was because of his age that he'd caught a pole and slipped. However, watching from the ground, he'd been flying all day and had only got himself caught because he'd taken a flier and just clipped the back pole with his leg. I think my 8 year old could have done the same! My elberate point is judge the horse by how he is compared to usual without worrying too much about the number. Does he pick up if pushed on? has he always needed pushing on? Or is he genuinely lower in energy? Is he tripping because he's being a bit lazy or does he need a lameness work up?

Wish you the best - it isnt easy!

 

[hopscotch bandit]

My horse is in her early teens and can only really hack out or do the odd fun ride. She is like a plod with another horse and yet on her own is forward going, ears forwards both towards and away from home. I think this is because she thinks for herself rather than getting into 'riding school mode' where her lip droops, ears laid back (not flat back) and dopey behind another horse. I let her graze down the country lanes whilst out hacking and she really enjoys it. I think at her age if she can have a little fun and have some time out on her hack grazing then who am I to stop it? I would know straight away that there is a problem, she has always told me in her own way if anything has bothered her before.

Sometimes horses will stumble because they are not being pushed forwards enough, or they are just being lazy. If there is no definite 'we are going this way intention' then they often stop and look around. Not saying this is true of your horse OP, just saying this is one of the reasons, so not always health related. If your horse is happy having her tack on, doesn't move away when you walk towards her with it and has her ears pricked forward whilst being ridden there is no reason to stop riding if she is sound.

My horse slows down at certain parts of our hack route but that is only because she can see a car coming towards her or hear one approaching from behind and knows she will be moved onto the verge which equates to a quick picnic stop or put behind the other horse if hacking out and will automatically move behind the horse in front! Could your horse be stopping because he wants the grass on the verges??

 

[Summit]

Nothing more to add but to say that 23 isn’t old

 

[Cortez]

Nothing more to add but to say that 23 isn’t old

It is old. Horses deserve to retire too, and I wouldn't think of asking a faithful old servant to work when they should be enjoying some time out to rest and just enjoy being a horse. The natural lifespan of horses is about 20 years; we can extend that with good feeding, veterinary care and husbandry. Just because horses can be kept going doesn't mean we should make them. Our horses have all worked for their living; we always try and give them a few years at least: out and cared for, not ridden.

 

[Seton]

Sorry but that’s rubbish....23 is not old. There are many horses in their 20’s still hacking out and enjoying life plus I’m sure they enjoy getting out and about instead of looking at the same field all day. You can’t write them off once they get to 20. A friend of mine has a pony who is 37 and in a lovely condition

 

[ester]

Summit/Seton I saw this on another thread that it seems it is posting you under two accounts or am I misunderstanding.

Fwiw I think what is old is when the horse feels it, I would have said 23 wasn't old too, we were still hunting then (more for him than me!) and generally making the most of what we had. Two years on it is all change, and if he was like he was now at 23 I would have said 23 was old, when realistically a couple of years isn't much time at all. FWIW I don't think he has missed going out and about at all and gets plenty of field movement with our set up.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve

Sorry but that’s rubbish....23 is not old. There are many horses in their 20’s still hacking out and enjoying life plus I’m sure they enjoy getting out and about instead of looking at the same field all day. You can’t write them off once they get to 20. A friend of mine has a pony who is 37 and in a lovely condition

I agree and so does my 23 yr old and his best hacking buddy who is also 23yrs old. We mostly walk and do some trot and odd canter in good ground but they love seeing each other and enjoy wandering about the countryside. I believe appropriate exercise relative to health keeps old horses happy and well for longer. Treating conditions that are eminently treatable or manageable like Cushings or some arthritis is something I would do for a horse of any age. I’ve seen more than one horse have a new lease of life on Prascend. Keeping an old buddy who you’ve formed a partnership within over many years ticking along gently is a joy.

 

[Cortez]

As I said, our horses work for a living. I have had some that were fine and happy working in their early 20's, but most get to go out for a rest from the age of about 18 - 19. I have two working now that are 16 and 18, but the 18 year old will retire in a few weeks time - he is sound, but not enjoying being out for 12 - 14 hour days on a film set. He's done enough and I wouldn't dream of riding him just for the fun of it, but then, I don't ride for fun and it's not fun for him either

 

[Pinkvboots]

All horses are different leisure horses tend to have done far less in there lives than say a competition horse, so in comparison has less miles on the clock so often can go on for longer, but if a horse has a condition that gets worse over time eventually you have to consider if it's fair to make the horse work, if it's clearly uncomfortable the horse may have to retire regardless of it's age, so really the age of the horse us irrelevant in the grand scale of things.

 

[paddy555]

When do you know your pony is ready to stop riding.

He stumbles on his fronts sometimes, often just plods along, then stops and just looks about, I put my leg on an he carries on, but its as if hes only doing it for me. Doesn't object to being tacked up or anything, and is very happy in himself, he is 23 years old now too.

What you think ?

I think you should get him tested for cushings. You are describing lethary and stumbling on fronts is a classic sign. If it is cushings then he is not "doing it for you" he is doing it as the disease leaves him no alternative. If he tests positive and you medicate, like many of us do, then you could well have a different horse much happier to be ridden.

 

[JillA]

I think you should get him tested for cushings. You are describing lethary and stumbling on fronts is a classic sign. If it is cushings then he is not "doing it for you" he is doing it as the disease leaves him no alternative. If he tests positive and you medicate, like many of us do, then you could well have a different horse much happier to be ridden.

And a general vet check, if not Cushings then maybe a bute trial to rule out pain

 

[CurryCombTalesBlog]

As long as they're happy when you're getting into the older years especially! Helps keep them mobile too.

 

[Seton]

Summit/Seton I saw this on another thread that it seems it is posting you under two accounts or am I misunderstanding.

......??......I think you’re confused

 

[Summit]

I found this interesting article...

Technically, your horse is still middle-aged. Horses live about one year for every three years that humans live. Scientists don’t consider horses “aged” or “old” until they turn 20 because we see no signs of deteriorating aerobic ability before then. In fact, there are no measurable differences in aerobic capacity between middle-aged horses and younger horses. Many horses compete well into their teens, even at the top levels of their sports. (For example, Anky van Grunsven’s 2012 Olympic mount, Salinero, was 18 when they won the team dressage bronze medal.)
Treadmill studies show that as horses age beyond 20, their maximum aerobic capacity declines. We think this is caused by a reduction in the heart’s stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped from one ventricle of the heart with each beat). This means the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body during exercise. As a result, older horses cannot perform as fast or for as long as young and middle-aged horses. During strenuous exercise, they also have trouble thermoregulating (controlling their core body temperature). In treadmill tests, we have observed the core body temperature of older horses rising faster than it does in younger horses. Interestingly, even after strenuous exercise, older horses still recover very quickly. In these same treadmill tests, their core temperature returned to normal 10 minutes after exercise stopped, just as did their younger counterparts’ temperature

The aerobic capacity (the “VO2 max,” which measures the body’s ability to utilize oxygen) of a 20-year-old horse is still two times higher than that of an elite Olympic marathon runner. Horses are designed to continue exercising late into their lives. Our prime example at the Rutgers Equine Center is Lord Nelson, a 40-year-old Quarter Horse who still gallops up to the gate every morning for breakfast.
The biggest problems we see in aging horses actually result from too little exercise and too much food. Similar to aging humans in this country, our elderly horses suffer from obesity and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome, such as laminitis. Keeping horses active with exercise and turnout (preferably 24 hours/day) is essential in these later years. Like human senior citizens, older horses can improve their aerobic performance—and lose body fat, which is key to better health—with carefully planned training and conditioning programs. The horses in our exercise studies also exhibit increased flexibility and a more exuberant, happy attitude in general.

Eventually, as your horse progresses through his 20s, you will need to take his exercise level down a notch. For example, if you were foxhunting over 4-foot jumps, you could gradually transition to hilltopping and jumping 2-foot jumps. But try to keep doing whatever activity he enjoyed most in his earlier days. With luck, he will continue performing happily for another decade or more—and may still be going strong like Lord Nelson at 40!

 

[ycbm]

Eventually, as your horse progresses through his 20s, you will need to take his exercise level down a notch. For example, if you were foxhunting over 4-foot jumps, you could gradually transition to hilltopping and jumping 2-foot jumps. But try to keep doing whatever activity he enjoyed most in his earlier days. With luck, he will continue performing happily for another decade or more—and may still be going strong like Lord Nelson at 40!

Whilst there are one-off horses that this paragraph describes, it is completely unrealistic as a general expectation. It can only lead to horse owners whose horses are not alive at thirty (the vast majority), never mind still in work, feeling like failures.
I think it's irresponsible advice which can only lead to mental pain to humans who feel they've failed and physical pain to horses kept working when they should be retired and retired when they should be PTS.

 

[be positive]

Whilst there are one-off horses that this paragraph describes, it is completely unrealistic as a general expectation. It can only lead to horse owners whose horses are not alive at thirty (the vast majority), never mind still in work, feeling like failures.
I think it's irresponsible advice which can only lead to mental pain to humans who feel they've failed and physical pain to horses kept working when they should be retired and retired when they should be PTS.

The article is based on aerobic capacity which may still be excellent in their 20's but is only part of the picture, while I agree that being overweight etc is not good for any horse, old or young, I think many will be showing signs or wear and tear on their joints well before aerobic issues arise, asking an older horse to "perform" with stiff painful joints is not fair as and ycbm has said it is putting unrealistic expectations on owners to keep horses going longer which may not be in the best interests of the horse, in reality not many are in full work into their 20's and those that are are the lucky ones.
I had a pony here who was in regular work into his 30's light hunting/ pc etc but once he started to decline, cushings related although he was never an overweight type, he went downhill very quickly and was pts at 36.

 

[southerncomfort]

OP - I've posted a separate thread in Veterinary about my veteran mare. Might be worth a read.

Definitely think about having your horse checked over because their could be so many things causing the stumbling and tiredness. Having some bloods done would be a good idea for peace of mind if nothing else.

 

[Summit]

I think it's irresponsible advice which can only lead to mental pain to humans who feel they've failed and physical pain to horses kept working when they should be retired and retired when they should be PTS.

That’s a bit drastic....plus I said it was an interesting article not advice

 

[paddy555]

Whilst there are one-off horses that this paragraph describes, it is completely unrealistic as a general expectation. It can only lead to horse owners whose horses are not alive at thirty (the vast majority), never mind still in work, feeling like failures.
I think it's irresponsible advice which can only lead to mental pain to humans who feel they've failed and physical pain to horses kept working when they should be retired and retired when they should be PTS.

far from being an unrealistic expectation and far from there just being "one off" horses.. Use it or lose it applies equally to horses as humans. If a horse was not working (at a lower level) well into it's 20's and if it was not alive into it's late 20's then, yes, I would feel a failure. Barring accidents to the horse, this would be because I was a failure. My care for the animal had not been good enough. I don't beat myself up about it mentally. I certainly wouldn't expect a horse in physical pain to work but I would expect to have resolved it's physical pain anyway.

To my mind if a horse cannot work into it's 20's it is, for the most part, (barring accidents and serious medical conditions) because humans have given it too hard a life. I think the difference is whether you keep the horse simply as a machine to compete on, ride hard etc and to replace with another when it can't or you adopt the approach that it is an animal not a machine. My approach is the latter which is possibly why I ride my over 20's with no problems at all.

 

[Summit]

My approach is the latter which is possibly why I ride my over 20's with no problems at all.

Same....my horse is 19, fit and healthy and no way I’m writing him off next year

And I would certainly never question my care for any of my animals

 

[ycbm]

The paragraph referred to horses working until they are thirty or more. In my experience, that is rare, and the bigger the horse, the rarer.

Use it or lose it is fine for humans who can choose to 'use it' through the pain in order not to lose even more function. It is not an adage that I would personally apply to an old arthritic horse.

I apply 'use it or lose it' to myself. Apart from working through pain, there are days when I just don't want to do what I know I need to do. I force myself to do it when I don't want to. I wouldn't apply the same rules to an old horse to keep it alive. I would stop riding it the day it told me it had had enough of carrying a human, and if that makes it seize up, I'd have it put down. And envy it the ability to avoid a creaking old age and death by slow decay, which is the lot of most humans and some retired horses.

I think it is very cruel to suggest that all horses, barring accidents and serious medical conditions, and could be being ridden to the age of thirty if only their owners had treated them right earlier in their lives.

 

[Summit]

The paragraph referred to horses working until they are thirty or more. In my experience, that is rare, and the bigger the horse, the rarer.

Use it or lose it is fine for humans who can choose to 'use it' through the pain in order not to lose even more function. It is not an adage that I would personally apply to an old arthritic horse.

I apply 'use it or lose it' to myself. Apart from working through pain, there are days when I just don't want to do what I know I need to do. I force myself to do it when I don't want to. I wouldn't apply the same rules to an old horse to keep it alive. I would stop riding it the day it told me it had had enough of carrying a human, and if that makes it seize up, I'd have it put down. And envy it the ability to avoid a creaking old age and death by slow decay, which is the lot of most humans and some retired horses.

I think it is very cruel to suggest that all horses, barring accidents and serious medical conditions, and could be being ridden to the age of thirty if only their owners had treated them right earlier in their lives.

And that’s your view, which you’re entitled to, but you can’t make a blanket statement to say it’s cruel without knowing circumstances

 

[ycbm]

I think you might have misread me?

The only thing I've said was cruel is telling all readers of the forum, without knowing their circumstances, that their horses could have lived/worked longer if they had been better treated earlier in their lives.

 

[scats]

I had a jumping pony who did her last competition at the age of 27- which she won. The previous year she had done a 13-mile ride and was still jogging sideways at the end passed horses 20 years her junior, without an ounce of sweat on her. She was the fittest pony I’ve ever met in my life and I’ve never seen anything like it since. When she was mid-twenties, I had an offer for her by someome who saw her at the north west championships. They did not believe my father when he told them her age (not that we would have ever sold her, she was absolutely priceless to us)

I chose to retire her when I witnessed her having a small seizure in her sleep. I never saw her have another, but I felt it too risky. Within weeks of retirement she had lost her spark and gave up eating and I put her to sleep a few weeks later. She had worked since the age of 4- jumped Wembley tracks for many years as a team pony and then came to me and not only continued to showjump but tried showing and working Hunter. She excelled in everything and, as far as I know, had no significant breaks in her work in 23 years. To this day, I’ve never owned anything as sound.

I’m not sure they make many like that though!