Would you buy a 16 year old?

Personally I would not as it would not suit my circumstances and older horses do tend to have more health problems eg arthritis and there is a difference between having an older horse that you have had for ages and buying one.

If you have the facilities to keep the pony if something related to old age happens and you do not intend to sell on and it passes a vetting then go for it.

I rode my friends connie x at the w.e it's 22 and has really bad teeth so can't eat hay also has melonoma's that need to be flushed out a couple of times a week. However the pony is a pocket rocket and I had trouble maintaining control, she is much more lively difficult ride than my 5 yr old NF. The pony is on permanent loan and they will keep it for ever but they would not have paid for the pony.
 
YES! As said before vetted ect. Horses are living alot longer ( it seems ) Mine is 30 and still fit as a fiddle with no problems at all! God at 16 he was doing all sorts!
This is him last week
P1060070.jpg
 
I would they can teach you so much and as long as you are aware of the extra care they may need and any health issues they have they aren't any different to a younger horse!

If everybody said no what would all the older horses in the world do?! They are some really good horses and often deserve a loving home where they can be well looked after not just passed off cos they might take a little bit more care! They would all end up stuuffed in a field after all they have given there previous riders !!
 
YES!!!! sounds perfect for what you want!

I bought my 14.2 at 16 as a confidence giver, and he did exactly that, he is now with another young girl teaching her the same and still out there winning!!

My trainer has an 18 year old Greade A that has jumped with her since he was 6 and he bucked her off last week and he was sooo fresh, there certainly is nothing wrong with buying an older horse, maybe just needs more TLC!
 
I sold my horse when she was 16. She was an amazing schoolmistress (intermediate eventer and PSG dressage).

She flew through a 5 stage vetting and when I last spoke to the lady that bought her (4 years ago) she said she has never had a day sick or sorry in the 8 years she had owned her and it was the best thing she had ever done.

Two years later when she was 26 I saw in the results in our local paper that she had won an unaffiliated medium at a riding club dressage so she was still going strong then!!

Haven't heard anything of her recently but she would be 28 now.
 
My ex-race horse was 16 when i got her and she is now 28 ive had years of fun with her, ive even been asked to leave the ring in a veteran showing class for being unruly!!! thats her not me!! she thought she was racing again and got thoroughly over excited...
This is her in October.....
HPIM0447.jpg
 
Your TB looks full of fun!! I can't believe she is 28!! What a honey...
I would definitely get the 16yrs horse as long as you have it vetted. There is a 34 year old connemara x tb near us and she still jumps over fences and lives the life of reily. Fred even mounted her a few months ago and she loved it hahaha
blush.gif
grin.gif
 
yes i would def would they can give you so much confidence. my friend has a 24 year pony that she still jumps 2ft9 courses and does pony club and he was a lot more energectic than my 10yr old pony!
blush.gif
grin.gif
 
yea, an older horse is fine...as long as they r in good health and have plenty of energy etc. my horse was 17 wen i bought him, 16.3hh chestnut gelding MAD =P but had done SJ, XC, hunting, 3 day events, dressage, schooling, hacking and is a real brave horse who knows his stuff - and he was great for me as i didnt have to worry about bringing him on or anything...just hold him cus hes well strong!! ha =P so an older horse is great (as long as they r healthy etc) because they have been there and done everything and are hassle free!! LOL (but try 2 make sure they r a fairly good dooer, not a thin thoroughbred that loses weight easily - too much hassle! =P)
mandy xx
 
Over the years i hacve come across 5yr olds that I wouldn't have had if they were free, & 20yr olds that I'd have fought for.
Horses are all different - discounting an older animal that sounds perfect in every way is just plain silly. Your scenario sounds perfect - this pony is still very active & enjoying life so you'll be able to do everything you want to do within the pony club. when you go to Uni your Mum will continue to ride her out.
Have her vetted, but don't expect there not to be a few wear & tear issues - for instance she may not pass the dreaded flexion test........doesn't mean that she's no good, or past her sell by date.

(Please let us know the outcome one way or the other & best of luck!!)
 
My connemara is 18 now, and he is still competeing and being placed at the right end of the line at county shows! He is suicidal on an XC course, not a beginners ride by any stretch of the imagination and when we go for a gallop up a hill or along the beach he is always at the front. No signs of artheritis and no age related problems have shown themselves yet!

llocreserve180.jpg


Ive also got a 26 yearold pony who has never had a day sick in the entire time ive had him. no artheritus in him yet either, he demands to be ridden. He loves being at the front of the rides and yes he is still taken into the ridden showring quite often as he has to come with the other pony above. He still pops logs in the forrestry and is the most confidence giving ride ever, ive lent him to people who have had thier confidence knocked and he has never failed to boost thier confidence as he is an angel. im sure pridey would pass a 5 stage vetting no problems.
 
We kept our old Appy until she was 33 and in work until she was 30. We bought her as a 9 year old and it took her till she was 16 to calm down at all.:)
 
In one word yes! If the horse fit exactly what I wanted and was sound. 16 these days is the new 12 and is certainly not old but it is old enough for the horse to have been round the block a few times and to have learnt enough about life to be a safe hack for your mum. I bought my Sullivan as a 16 year old and had years of safe, happy hacking with him. I now have a 21 year old, bought at 19 after the 12yr old in-between horse I bought turned out not to be the safe plod he was sold to me as and put me in hospital with an almost broken neck. Mr 21yr old is as safe as houses, total sweetie, wins dressage competitions, has a coat so glossy you can almost see your face in it, jumps 2ft 3ins. Anyone can ride him but he can still be a monkey if he feels like it. Horses for courses and older horses BY AND LARGE are more suitable as safe hacks.
 
Yes and I have- he is now retired but before we bought him was HOYs show cob and hunt masters horse and did all PC teams (apart from stressage) we knew what we were taking on and from the amount that I learnt he was invaluable. We got him as a 16 year old, we knew his past history which is a must. If he will do the job then why not, horses have much better care these days and it is silly to write a horse off just because he is in his teens as long as they aren't xpensive!!!!
 
Yes
smile.gif

The pony sounds just what you want,so provided the vetting goes well why not?
Obviously there will be wear and tear not in a 5 yo but as long as the pony has been looked after there is no reason she will have to slow down any tiem soon-known plenty of RS horses and ponies still in full work well into their 20's and even into their 30's.
 
I probably wouldn't because I'd be thinking about selling on. I don't have land - my daughter's pony is at livery. I will be selling him on next summer. He'll be 18, so won't be very expensive, and that does worry me - where will he end up etc etc. He will have a full season BE intro behind him, and tends to go clear XC. He'll make a FAB intro schoolmaster at 2K ish. He could go on for years - but I'm very aware of his age.

I wouldn't buy another 16yr old unless I was willing to keep forever.
 
April is AT LEAST 22 (I really need to check her passport!) and this is her yesterday!!!!!

She still does everything in my sig and is fit as a fiddle. With modern advances in medicine and feeding 16 is not old at all
laugh.gif


As the others have said just make sure you get a thorough vetting.



Apriljump.jpg


NVE00003.png
 
Absolutely as long as it was fit and what I was looking for. 16 nowadays is nothing. On my last yard we had two that were 45 and 46 and three in their very late twenties.

I rode a 14.3h 28yr old that would regularly outstrip my friends 16h Cleveland Bay X
ooo.gif


I would go for it without hesitation.
 
[ QUOTE ]
afterall things can go wrong with horses at any age.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep! My baby 8 year old was PTS with grass sickness after I had her 4 years. That's horses
frown.gif
frown.gif


I have had better luck with all my 'oldies'.
My first pony was 17 and perfect.
As was my speed demon second pony...

This is me and her in PC games team way back when she was 18/19
grin.gif
She's now about 28 and still pottering around with a little girl!

5667726a4121952848b394390164l.jpg
 
We have recently bought a pure bred arab for my granddaughter. He is 17, rising 18 and a really lovely calm boy. Amazing for an arab but turns out he's 97.29 per cent pure Crabbet breeding. Nothing bothers him and hes a very cuddly old gent. We also have 16 and 18 year olds but they are permanent fixtures.
 
I absolutely would, if the horse is what you want, then what does age metter.We dont know how long we have them, and buying a young horse doesnt safeguard you against problems! Sure you can argue that you will be less likely to have certain problems, but its not always the case, and the OP wants a family horse with no intention of selling it on.

Indeed Ive had more health/injury issues with my 6yr old than my 19yr old!
It makes me laugh sometimes when people say they wouldnt consider an older horse, espec when some of the older ones are much healthier, fitter, and more talented than lots of the younger ones.

Lance is 19 now, these pics were taken over the last few months, he has more life in him than horses half is age, he has been there and done it, a complete schoolmaster, and I have no doubt he could STILL go out tomorrow and win at dressage and even event.

Image14jpg111.jpg


DSC08946.jpg


Image2-7.jpg


Image6jpg11.jpg
Image2.jpg


Im sure if I was looking for what you are after then I would rather have a horse who has got the T shirt, then spend months/years faffing around with a green youngster.

btw Lance lives out all year round, gets no supplements, only a small token hard feed, he is less maintenence than Beau, who needs plenty of hard feed!

ETS I took Lance over properly when he was 16.
smile.gif
 
My family just bought a little Welsh mare for my little brother, and she is seventeen/eighteen. She is absolutely fabulous, jumps like a star and has all the life of a horse half her age.

This mare sounds lovely, and as long as she doesn't have any serious illnesses you should be fine. ^_^
 
Personlly I wouldn't but ony because it's not the sort of horse I want but I would never discourage anyone else to if the horse ticked all the boxes. Having owned my mare for 6 years she is now 16 years old and fitter than ever and going amazingly
 
I bought a 15yr old as my first horse now shes 22 and has taught me loads, we still compete 1m sj nearly every weekend and Iv never regretted buying her. I have never had to call the vet out to her in the 7yrs i've had her
 
Yes definitely. My friend has a 29 year old Section D who is still hacked out at least 5 days a week for an hour or so. She lets him do as he pleases, and he often bombs off if he feels like it! I have an 11 year old that has arthritis in 3 of his legs. Chances are he has it in the 4th, but as yet, had no reason to have any investigating done on the 4th leg.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top