Would it be cruel to...

[luckilotti]

Would it be cruel for me to ride my old horse who i retired 3 years ago??

Basically, i went abroad for 6 months in 2005 and he wasnt ridden in that time. When i came back, i rode him 3 or 4 times and he was fine to start with but part way on a hack he would start to feel rather wrong! He has bone spavin which he has had for years. Anyway, after a few hacks, said enough is enough and retired him. He has since had the easy life! He always LOVED being ridden. Well last night, i was moving him from one field to another and OMG, he is full of it, like a 2year old again! (i ended up being thrown on the floor!) the way he was galloping around the field he is like a spring chicken.

I am so eager to hope on him and just have a little go around the yard/fields etc but i dont know if i am just being selfish as we used to have so much fun back in the day!?

What would you do?

 

[xnaughtybutnicex]

I dont think that is cruel as long as his up for it there shouldnt be a problem.

 

[Dressagebabe]

It depends how old he is as too whether he could take the work again. I would think if you take it really steadily and just walk him on a short hack for a few weeks he should be ok, he will tell you if he has had enough provided he isn't ancient!

 

[bhpride]

Give it a go and see how he is otherwise you'll never know but sounds like he could really enjoy it health allowing.

 

[luckilotti]

oooo - i dont think i want to actually bring him back into work as such, just have a plod around (doubt he will want to just plod though!)
he is at least 25 now.
i really just dont know if i am being selfish, i guess i could just give it a go and get off if he doesnt feel right, the thing is as he used to love being ridden, he would try so much and want to comtinue even though he wasnt right IMO

 

[Bosworth]

I retired my horse in 2003 as he had problems in his coffin joints, I thought he would einjoy the time off - for 6 months he did, just ate chilled out and relaxed - but then he started to get depressed, he moped around teh field. If a horse lorry or trailer turned up he would stand and call and call. Ifv i took other horses out he would just get depressed so a year later I decided to start riding him again. I started him on 1 sachet of Danilon a day and he loved it - we hack out and hunt in winter. he is so much happier. Loves his hunting, and enjoys his relaxing now. I have got a yearling colt and he is nannying him and thoroughly enjoying his new role. if your chap is enjoying the work then continue, he will soon tell you when he doesn't want to do it.

 

[xnaughtybutnicex]

I've ridden one older than that(27) & it actually used to drag me out the yard for a quiet road hack but his owner still sometimes takes his for a canter across a field and her can still be quite naughty.

 

[bexsodb]

i retired my old boy at 15 with suspected navicular
about 3yrs later he became sound
so i thought i would try to ride him again as shortly b4 he retired he wouldnt even hack out
he was always very sharp to ride
so i asked my friend to hack out with me just in case
he was great loved every min of it
to cut a long story short after about 6 months back in work he went out jumping small courses again and just havin fun
i finally retired him at 21
he was 30 when he was put to sleep
RIP BOY MISS U LOADS

my answer to you would be u know your horse give it a go

good luck

 

[Booboos]

I don't see why you shouldn't bring him back in work as long as you stick to a proper fittening up regime (even if he won't do much at the end of the day, he will still need to be walked for a few weeks before introducing more demanding work) and re-assing if he should feel stiff/lame/reluctant.

 

[Theresa_F]

I would take things very easy and see how he goes. If needs be, some danilon to help with stiffness.

Personally I have worked gently all my horses to the end - kept them interested in life and better for gentle exercise.

Even old Cairo with his mechanically lame back leg did a short hack every other week so he thought he was in work - I rode him the week before he got ill and have a lovely memory of jumping on him off the gate and mooching bare back to the pub at the end of the lane.

 

[pieperson]

sounds like he's ready for it!
take it easy and let him dictate the work.
i used to hunt a pony who was in his late 30s
he absolutely loved it, i think it kept him going, he eventualy died well into his 40s bless him.

 

[Dutch]

Hi

I don't think it would be cruel at all providing you fitten him up slowly and take it progressively easy until he is fit again (which might take quite a while). It sounds like he would love to be ridden again and as you would love to ride him where is the harm!

Providing a horse is in excellent condition, regularly worked and kept a close eye on there is no need to retire them at all in my opinion. It must be very sad for horses who come to a certain age but are still "ok" so to speak, only for them to be turned away, not getting so much attention, specialist care anymore.

Enjoy.
Diana

 

[ickelshadow]

i dont think its cruel at all. Shadow had 2.5 years off due to various lameness' - aged about 22. i retired her and gave her the good life with plenty of food and time with her friends and pampering from me. she was quite happy being a pet as she had previously been heavily over worked in a riding school (and got broken there IMHO). she had her moments when she was sound, and i'd take her for the odd little hack, but mostly i lead out in hand and long reined every now and then.

i never thought i'd regularly ride her again, but after moving yards, she lost a huge amount of weight and looked like a 4 yo again, and was very very sound. under the encouragement of my new found friends i started riding her and built her up slowly and gently. after a couple of months i took her out of the yard grounds and had her first canter in company in about 3 years - she went ape, she was just SO happy that she quite litterally couldnt contain her excitement - it was so cute

made all the pain and the years off totally worth it for just that one ride! she was bucking, rearing, going sideways, prancing, she was like a freshly broken youngster!

in the 2-3 years after that, we did a couple of sponsored rides, a few dressage tests, jumped a bit at home upto 2'9" (complete with pony club turns charging at the fences!).

as much as she was happy being retired, she was an entirely new horse in work. i seemed to have had 3 or 4 phases of my pony
1 - coming out of riding school and being confused that she wasn't worked into the ground
2 - finding that work could be fun when you had a mum
3 - chilled out little fatty in the field, retired
4 - psycho pony who loved to charge everywhere, aged 25-28!

 

[PeterNatt]

I would only do it if you intend to continue riding him regularly on a daily bais and have the time to do so. Oldies require regular daily riding. I would also give him some linseed and cod liver oil with his daily feed as that will be good for his joints.

I would take it very slowly indeed and initially just take him out for a very short period of 10 minutes at a walk and then build it up 10 minutes a day.

Older horses can stumble so my advice would be to only ride him with knee pads on.

 

[luckilotti]

Thanks for the replies everyone - i'm going to do it

I never sold any of his saddles etc so fingers crossed one still fits him

[ QUOTE ]
I would only do it if you intend to continue riding him regularly on a daily bais and have the time to do so. Oldies require regular daily riding.

[/ QUOTE ]

TBH - i am not going to ride him every day, i own other horses that i also have to ride and i dont think his leg would be up to daily work at all - he lives out so is constantly on the move anyway. i actually think its pretty stupid to say that older horses need riding daily! its like asking an OAP to go for a daily jog around the park with a dodgy leg.... you wouldnt get many able or wanting to do it daily!