When is a horse to old to ethically ride them

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Celtic Jewel

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I have seen two people on tictok pop on my feed one from Ireland she has 35 years old mare Irish draughty type and she riding this horse like it’s a 5 year old like hard work walk trot and cantering this horse in a field not just a little hack she seems to ride this mare 5 days a week. Some yard owners in Ireland wouldn’t allow you to retire a horse at there yard for some reason so I wonder is that why she is still riding this horse . The other tictoker I saw was galloping a 40 year old horse in a forest a few times a week. After seeing these two tictok and these people bragging about it should there be a cutoff age were a horse has to go into retirement or pts if people don’t want to retire. These horses aren’t sound lame on their backs legs and look very stiff .
 
I don't think there is an age, is there?

Like people, keeping moving helps to keep us feeling good. It's when you stop moving, that things often start going downhill.

So although I wouldn't want to see very old horses being ragged about, I don't have a problem with them continuing to be ridden.

We have a 30yo in the field. He isn't ridden because his owner does not ride anymore, however he would be perfectly capable of being ridden still. He moves beautifully for such an old horse. You would think he was half his age. I think he would probably quite enjoy getting out for a hack actually.
 
Any un-sound horse shouldn't be ridden irrespective of age (unless under very specific veterinary supervision). But I don't see why an older sound horse automatically has to be retired because they are older.

I own a 20y/o who doesn't look or act his age. My saddle fitter and EDT regularly ask me if they've got his age right on their notes, as he looks half his age. He had a couple of months off this winter for unrelated reasons and he hated not doing stuff. He's still perfectly capable of bogging off on the yard in-hand when he see's something tasty (or someone's watching), keen to be tacked up, keen to be ridden including regular long rides on technical terrain, still happily pulling in canter whilst pretend spooking at logs as if he's never seen them before and still generally believes he could take on the world and it's army in a way only a native pony can (to be honest, I wouldnt bet against him) 🤣. Although I might have tweaked his management in places, if he's still fit and happy to go on in 3, 5 or even 10 years, why would he need to be retired just because he's older?

I've regular, good pro-horse eyes on the ground to ensure I stay objective in my view of him as he ages including vet, equine body worker) and 2 biomechanically, classical minded instructors (one whose known him since he was a youn'un in my early days of owning him).

Being metabolically challenged and a good doer - I've reversed his EMS - exercise is key and I actually think I'd struggle to give him a long retirement (I'd absolutely love to as he owes me nothing and I owe him everything) but that's the likely reality. I try not to dwell on that and prefer to just keep on enjoying him, all the time he enjoys his active life.
 
Celtic Jewel said:
I have seen two people on tictok pop on my feed one from Ireland she has 35 years old mare Irish draughty type and she riding this horse like it’s a 5 year old like hard work walk trot and cantering this horse in a field not just a little hack she seems to ride this mare 5 days a week. Some yard owners in Ireland wouldn’t allow you to retire a horse at there yard for some reason so I wonder is that why she is still riding this horse . The other tictoker I saw was galloping a 40 year old horse in a forest a few times a week. After seeing these two tictok and these people bragging about it should there be a cutoff age were a horse has to go into retirement or pts if people don’t want to retire. These horses aren’t sound lame on their backs legs and look very stiff .
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No :)
 
I brought our cantankerous old fart out of retirement last year. She is at least 27, probably more like 30, and possibly older. She's on meds for asthma and PPID, and gets a bit of bute daily. We march around the block a couple of times a week and she copes fine with it. Her crest is softer and her white lines are less stretched since she has been going out. I asked the senior vet if it would be a good idea to ride the aforementioned old fart, and he said that if she's up for it, do it.

So we did! She is extremely perky, but runs out of puff if she does too much, so we go at her pace. I'm even considering trying to get her a bit fitter and maybe take her to a local dressage comp for her first go at poncing. We'd probably get banned for bad behaviour 🤣
 
It depends on the horse, the rider and the work. If the horse is fit and sound there is no reason why they can't continue to work. However, the type of work is a factor. I would not expect them to have to do strenuous work (meaning work they find beyond their normal comfort zone) but what work they are capable of will depend upon their respective fitness, what they are used to and their rider.
For what it's worth, I know many horses in their 20s and into their 30s that people mistake for much younger horses. They are fit, have shiny coats, are keen about their work and they are sound. I've also seen horses in single digits who are crippled, under muscled and uncomfortable.

I don't think having a blanket age by which all horses must retire is right, or logical.
 
On the whole activity of some sort is probably better at keeping them healthy than retirement especially if some of the time they are stabled. I have a 28 year old and a 25 year old, both still in light work and both still very forward going and appear to be happy when ridden. Both live out.

Soundness however is a bit of a murky area especially at this age. I expect the 28 year old (16.2) would look unsound if trotted on a tight circle. I doubt he'd pass a flexion test. As one would expect he has had his medical issues in the past (KS, hind suspensory, DDFT, hock arthritis, and a whopping lump on one knee. Astonishing really that he looks sound in a straight line). But he is forward, keen and willing, and still strides out faster than any other horse on the yard. He offers canter out hacking, and then doesn't last very long. He's never pushed beyond what he appears to want to do.

There does come a point where you have to just listen to them and my general theory is that they are better doing something than nothing.
 
I was still enjoying my old man and he was in his 30s and still sound. Was I being unethical I’d say not considering the vet told me to keep him in as much work as his body would allow to help battle the cushings muscle wastage.

It’s not for a bystander to judge this. If a horse is lame them raise it with whoever you deem appropriate if not then you do not know whether a rider is riding under vet advice or not.

It’s like saying 75yr olds shouldn’t be playing sports/running races etc.
 
I think you can probably take ages of horses stated on TikTok with a grain of salt. Do the horses look the age stated?

In general, would a late twenties or older horse be sound and happy in work? Possibly, and if so then fine, do what the horse is happy to do. Some horses struggle by their late teens, others might have had a different life and genetics and go on much longer. Bit like humans really.
 
Celtic Jewel said:
Some yard owners in Ireland wouldn’t allow you to retire a horse at there yard for some reason
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What?
I don’t think a yard owner has any say on whether or not you ride your horse… if you mean a yard can’t / won’t facilitate retirement livery or 24/7 turnout, then that’s something entirely different surely
 
sheep said:
What?
I don’t think a yard owner has any say on whether or not you ride your horse… if you mean a yard can’t / won’t facilitate retirement livery or 24/7 turnout, then that’s something entirely different surely
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Yes this OP has said similar before about retiring in Ireland. I think she means yards won’t let you retire your horse at that yard and expect to pay less than full livery. Of course any yard you can retire your horse at full price. It’s not compulsory to ride your horse!
 
We aren't allowed to retire horses at our livery. This is because the livery costs are low for the area and the YO is a cavalier pro and trainer, there are no employees and so each livery is obliged to take at least one lesson per week, which is where he covers his costs. So a retired horse doesn't cover it's costs. The only people who have retired horses are those who also have another one that they ride, or one that has effectively been abandoned there and is well over 30. It allows people who couldn't otherwise afford to have a horse in training and competing to do so, and there is a lovely mix of people from all backgrounds (I don't compete but I still have to take the lesson). There are other yards that only offer retirement livery and where you can't ride your horse.

For age, I agree that it depends, if they can be ridden and they enjoy it, then the longer they can go on the better. I ride out with a horse of 25, he doesn't even break sweat, is never ill or lame, never trips, is perfectly balanced on all types of ground and comes running to the gate when he sees the rider come with the tack. He still wants to jump but isn't allowed anymore. There is a 23 year old that does and she is like a rocket and hates being in the field with nothing to do. My 9 year old does a runner a soon as he gets an inkling he might have to come in and do something (prefers his food and the ladies). I can't imagine him running to the gate at 25....
 
I rode my old share twice a week till she was 24. She was then retired and was miserable in retirement and begged to be brought in each morning when her field companions were led to the stables for work. She was so unhappy. She soon collicked in the field and was put down. Yes I would have kept her and ridden her.
 
Birker2020 said:
Sometimes riding an older horse is the 'glue' that keeps it together.

I was told this by my vet years ago and I've seen it with mumy own eyes again and again.
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Absolutely this.
Currently putting it in to practice with my 21 y/o 17hh, who has just f'd off with me across a field because a deer popped out of the hedge. ( they don't get any less scary in 21 years obviously!) . I pester my poor vet every time he sees him, but he always says to keep doing what we're doing - stressage and low level jumping /eventing.
 
I would want my older horse to want to do work as well. (Well all horses really) I wouldn’t be happy to ride a sound older horse if they had no enthusiasm for being ridden and seemed shut down to the work being asked of them.

If they were enthusiastic and sound then their age wouldn’t be a factor.
 
My 24/25 year old mare is still ridden and as forward going as she was when she was younger. She goes for hacks 2 or 3 times a week and then is ridden by the daughter of the couple I rent my yard from every other Sunday for either a lesson or a hack as part of her D of E.

She's a Standardbred pacer so has a really strange gait and to some may look lame but the vets, chiro and physio have all said she is sound even though she has Wobblers due to trauma...she belonged to a certain group who like to street race and went over whilst hitched up...and when I tried to retire her she went downhill quite fast so the vet advised to keep her in work all the while she was happy to do so.
 
I fret about my 21 year old and when do I need to step down his work. I took him around a 15 K fun ride a couple of weeks ago. Slightly wondering if I was asking too much of him. He spent the entire time wanting to over take the horses in front.
At the end of the first 10 K there are 3 uphill canters. He was still pulling after the 3rd.

I will continue to fret about his age but it’s lovely to see him full of enthusiasm.

ETA I try and do in hand exercises and physio etc with him as well to maintain his core and flexibility

ETA2 I do agree with @3OldPonies (below) that the scenarios described in the OP sounds unfair on those horses at those ages
 
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Mine is 31 and ridden 4 times a week for about 40 minutes to an hour with the occasional longer hack.
She does not enjoy schooling anymore but enjoys poles and teeny tiny jumps now and again and enjoys an "arena hack" when we can't hack because of daylight.

She went on a new hack the other day and just marched off leaving everyone behind. She didn't know where she was going either but she was game!
Escorted the baby race horse for a hack and went for a canter and left him behind as well.

I thought about retiring her last year as she went completely off ridden work but after 2 weeks was a menace and came back into work. Think she appreciated a holiday but was then bored!
 
I would ignore age to a degree and focus on the horses soundness and health.

Mine is 23yrs and I constantly worry about her and the last few steady rides I planned were not what she planned. To some it might look careless when I'm galloping along the beach but she has always been of the mind that when she needs to go she REALLY needs to go. I can fight with her for an hour to go slow or I can give her a blast and keep it moderately under control. - she did a 25km ride 2 weekends ago and I'd say that was at her limit for stiffness so 20km will be the max I choose to do.

She went out 2 days later doing 17km (mostly ambling in walk to de mark the ride) and she loosened up, chose to have a few trots and a couple canters but she set the pace we did.

I'm looking at trying to do less with her next year but keeping her ticking over but I am bound to her in what she chooses. (When she doesn't do enough she bullies her field mates).
 
3OldPonies said:
I think it all depends on the individual. But I wouldn't want to really push an oldie like in the original post. At that age if anything does go wrong it could be catastrophic; also it doesn't (in my eyes) show much respect for the animals.
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This is the real issue. It's all well and good having a gentle pootle or even a faster ride if the horse is up for it. Riding an older horse becomes unethical when they are lame or ragged about and used as a throwaway item.
 
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