# Is she to old for riding.



## Kimberly (Oct 14, 2011)

I recently purchased an amazing western pleasure mare. She is seventeen and very healthy. My question is with great care of her health how many more years could we have with her. For trail and compition. She needs conditioning she is a little out of shape. Trotting, walking transitions for about thirty mins is enough to break a sweat. Thank you in advanced for your opinions. Oh and she would be stalled with daily turnout and excersize.
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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

17? That's not old at all! Most of the horses at the summer camp I work at are over 20 and get ridden every day over the summer as kids' horses. The oldest two are 27 and still going strong. One gelding was sold to a wrangler because it was his usual mount (wayy too much for a kid to handle). We thought he was 26 this year, but found out he's actually 18. Still one of the hottest horses (and fastest) I know. 

If she's healthy and you keep her in shape, you could have at least 10 years of riding left.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I ditto what Poseidon said.

My horse is 18 and we kicked some arabian butt in an endurance ride over the summer, and came out in much better condition than the much younger horses.


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## iloverains (Apr 1, 2011)

I have a 15 year old arab, and still competing and riding her!  also my friend WINS State sporting (barrel's etc) on no joke a 32 year old pony. she loves it and is super fast. both of those horses are never stalled but they are rugged and fed!  
I also know heaps of 17ish yr old horses that are in full bloom! prime time!


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## Kimberly (Oct 14, 2011)

thank you for the great news..... I really really love this mare she is amazing. . I am concerened with how much she can handle in one session. What is the best way to get her in shape safely. And is there anything i can do to keep her around a long long time besides food and vaccinations?
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## iloverains (Apr 1, 2011)

my pony looses shape really quickly, she looses muscle and gains weight! 
but what i do when i give her a spell is walk and a little trot for 20mins 3 days in a row, 
then a break, 
then walk trot 30mins with a little canter for about 5-7 days with a break or two in between,
then walk trot canter and maybe a little crossbar jump, just for the hell of it. for about 4 days
then cause shes a barrel racer, i walk trot around barrels and a little canter, working on the correct line etc,
then by then it's hard to stop her from doing a flat chap around the joint... so after all that i then do a full canter with a faster canter home around barrels... and yeah, then she is pretty fit... 

also with the walking trotting and cantering i go up hills and over rough terrain etc. heaps of trail riding, keeps there mind occupied.

also of course warming up properly and cooling down etc.!  and shes 13years old


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Your horse should be a great riding horse for at least 6 more years, but hopefully 9 or 10.! I bet she's lovely. Mac is 18 now. He does tire a bit more, but only if he is not kept in condition. He's a lot smarter now, and nicer, too.


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## Kimberly (Oct 14, 2011)

oh my, im, in love, she is out of Kay see leauger x ima big leaguer. Jet black no white no where. She needs a tune up on staying at the trott or canter but im sure its because that's as long as she can handle it. But you don't have to touch the reins she will keep her head down at the walk trot and canter. She doesn't turn real good to the left by neck reining but other than that she is perfectttttttt! !!!!!! Amazing. I love her... Just needs a little tune up
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## Idlepastures (Sep 5, 2011)

My old pony is 30 and my 8 yr old nephew rides him around at a walk for hours at a time. Now, I know its not 'working' or even a fast gate. But he loves it, and he still wants to go when I make my nephew get off him lol


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## Amber and Mac (May 12, 2011)

Don't think it's too old at all! One of my mare's 27 and she did a full day of Gymkhana (We actually didn't know she was this old! Else we would've taken it a little easier on her! She still gave it her all, Got reserve champ) MY horse Mac is around 23 years old and he still runs REALLY good. He has gotten Grand Champ in around 5 Gymkhana shows. My old mare,Beau, was getting up to her 30's when she died and she won me plently of Grand Champion. In Western AND Gymkhana! 

I've known many old horses that still have plenty of potential when they get into their upper twenties/twenties. One of my mom's/uncle's horse was 42? when he died. He did Gymkhana (including polo) till the day he died! As long as you keep the horse in shape they should be fine!

by the way tinyliny, lovin' that your horse's name is Mac also!


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## Eclipse295 (Nov 30, 2010)

Heck no. that's not old.
i know a 36 year old Quarter Horse, who was retired do to a hock injury a few years ago. she is still kicking
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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

OLD?? LOL!!

In the '72 Olympics (the only year I checked this) the AVERAGE age of the horses competing there was 18. That means for every nine year old.......

These are horses at the top of the game!


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_The lesson horse I ride is 21. He is still being jumped, although not over 2'6", on a weekly basis._


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

My fellow is 22, and we are schooling 3'3" and competing at Novice in the Eventing World at 2'11". While that's the limit for him *he can go higher, but I wont ask him to* he's strong, healthy and well taken care of. 

He is 22, but acts and looks much younger. 

Proper nutrition, conditioning, health care *joint care, dental, etc, etc* are all impportant factors to keeping your horse healthy, happy and ensuring their longevity.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

As long as you take into consideration her nutritional needs and monitor for
arthritis ect. she should be working for a long, long time! I would check her
genetics and run a search on her pedigree and see how long her family worked
and lived. It's like human genetics and longevity. Some of us can drink,
smoke, and eat whatever we want and live to 100+, people like me have to watch it my family dosen't fare so well!

My old gelding lived to 28, but he developed severe arthritis at 18 and that 
was it for hard riding. I used him to train my daughter. He had a history of
foundering/colic when he was given to me at 5. With very SPECIAL and
EXPENSIVE care I helped him make it to his old age, but it was a struggle. :^(

Enjoy your "senior"!!!! Would love to see a picture!


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I rode a 30 year old QH in a "fun show" two weekends ago. He's a grumpy old man sometimes but he can MOVE!


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

I have a 19 year old Connemara and we go on hour long trail rides, i work him for 30 min - 45 min during our home sessions. He is fine and more spunky than my 12 year old.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Kimberly said:


> Trotting, walking transitions for about thirty mins is enough to break a sweat._Posted via Mobile Device_


The sweating could simply be how she is. I have a mare that will sweat after 10 minutes of light trotting. At 15 degrees in the winter even her eye balls are sweating after an hour of work.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Ditto re: the age. I rode my Arab until a few months before his death at age 27 (2009.) What could hinder her use is how hard she has been worked throughout her career and how it has affected her legs and her joints. (If she was an OTTB, it could be almost ANY parts of her body, and the one I owned had great legs but a bad back.) If your Vet gives you the okay, enjoy riding her a lot!! Bear in mind, just like human athletes, the older they are, the longer you need to warm up and cool down. Older, sane horses are worth the babying bc there are very reliable. =D


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

My mare had her 20th birthday in March.

I got her when she was 17 or 18, and horrifically out of shape. (Rode for 5 minutes and she could barely breath lol). I just had to slowly increase the amount of time we were riding and what all we did.

She is the best drill horse in the world for her age, still runs high speed precision drills that are 6 mins. or longer.

If you keep your horse in shape, you will have a LOOONG time with her!


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## SaddleOnline (Oct 20, 2011)

As long as she is healthy and you keep her in good physical condition (get her in shape and keep her there) there is no reason why you wouldn't have a decade or more of good riding years left with her. 

Ride her until the vet or your trainer tells you it is no longer a good idea (chances are you'll know its coming well in advance).


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## brackenbramley (May 29, 2011)

just wanted to post you a message from my gelding 








Im 22 in the top pic and 26 in the others (both this year)   x 27 early 2012


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## brackenbramley (May 29, 2011)

apologise for dreadful riding in bottom pic he's crazy strong x


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## Jessie13 (Oct 24, 2011)

My event horse is 21 and went round our last cross country course like a complete maniac. The comentator thought at one point that he had the wrong horse because a jump got broken and we got stopped on course - Ringo was rearing and spinning and when we were told that we could go...we WENT, three fences at a full pelt gallop.
I also have a 26 year old who is still ridden, and my shetland was put down at 35.
All horses are different, and it entirely depends on their treatment throughout life.
My instructor told me that 'your horse is you calender' she was saying about training them (they will tell you when they are ready to learn something new) but the same would apply here, your horse will tell you when she needs to retire although horses do go down hill once they do retire.
It's just about assessing your horses needs, she could have loads of years left, but you will have to realise that at some point, you will need to start decreasing her work.


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## Kimberly (Oct 14, 2011)

Thank you so much for your post. Kay Cee is a great mare i am getting her body back in shape now. She has been fun for the past couple weeks, she really works hard for me, someone has done her rite her training has definitely paid off. Some of you had asked for a picture, in my album on my profile she is the solid black mare with me in the arena. Also she is the daughter of Kay cee leaguer by ima big leaguer. Top and bottom. Thank you soooo much for the encouragement. I will post new pictures soon.
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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

thats not old! i trained my TWH at age 16 to do barrels and we beat my trainer and her 7 year old many times and she kept telling me he wont beable to he wont get it, but he was really good and loved it. he was my first horse and i was 10 when i tought him to barrel race. he did it for 2 years and i got my horse now. if he was still alive and i hadnt gave him back to my aunt i would still be gaming off of him until he couldnt or didnt want to.

good luck with your horse.


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## paintluver (Apr 5, 2007)

We just rode our 26 year old on a 2 hour trail yesterday cantering and galloping! 17 is not too old =)


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

that sounds fun! i rode a TB last year that we got they said he was 17-19 years old i though perfect!! great trail horse maybe a show horse if he can handle it! we had the dentist come an dcheck his teeth he pulled two and told us he was older then 25 he guessed about 30 years old. and before that i rode him bareback and i had a bit in and he wouldnt take any streing so i took it out and put a hack on and he rode like a pro he troted a bit and would let me on bareback and just walked around where ever he wanted to and i just sat there and thats all he wanted. saddly he passed last january. but he proves any horse is never to old to be ridding.


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

My mare is 16 years old, but don't tell her that! Very often, I arrive at the barn to see her leading the other horses in a race through the field. They're loping and she's pacing away, looking happier than anything. Granted, she was bred to pace and she can pace a mile in just under 1:58... but her age is not a factor. She goes just as well as a younger horse, but without the crazy spooks. If she sees something that could potentially eat her, like a flag blowing in the wind, she's more apt to stare at it and slowly creep up behind it than she is to bolt away. Her brain is settled, she's outgrown her crazy baby stage and she's ready to work.

I prefer the older horses. Take care of them, and they will give you many years.


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## Barrel Baby (May 16, 2011)

OMG thaTS not old at allll!!! my mare is 23 and still does barrel racing..poles..keyhole ETC!!!!! keep her in good shape and ride often if your worried!!! my mare still kicks BIG BUTT when we run barrels!!!!! LOVE MY OLDIE!!!!


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## della (Nov 7, 2011)

I have a question that i hope someone can help with. I had a twh that was 25 and she died saturday. i got her when i was 16 and broke her myself. she was the best natured horse and a smooth ride. this summer my 8 year old daughter learned to ride on her. it was great. she was so gentle with her. saturday my husband took her out for a short ride. she coughed once going up a hill and started bleeding out her nose. he stopped and she started picking grass. didnt seem to be getting any worse and she didnt appear to be in pain. he thought she must have hit her nose on a gate or something. anyway he went on a little further and about a mile she coughed again. blood started pouring out her nose and mouth this time. he stopped her and got a ride to the trailor. she loaded and rode home fine. got out of the trailor and went to the gate. just through the gate she collasped dead. bled to death i guess as much blood. any ideas where it came from and what caused it? please help.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

della said:


> I have a question that i hope someone can help with. I had a twh that was 25 and she died saturday. i got her when i was 16 and broke her myself. she was the best natured horse and a smooth ride. this summer my 8 year old daughter learned to ride on her. it was great. she was so gentle with her. saturday my husband took her out for a short ride. she coughed once going up a hill and started bleeding out her nose. he stopped and she started picking grass. didnt seem to be getting any worse and she didnt appear to be in pain. he thought she must have hit her nose on a gate or something. anyway he went on a little further and about a mile she coughed again. blood started pouring out her nose and mouth this time. he stopped her and got a ride to the trailor. she loaded and rode home fine. got out of the trailor and went to the gate. just through the gate she collasped dead. bled to death i guess as much blood. any ideas where it came from and what caused it? please help.


This would be better in the Health section, more ideas there.
Anyway, I'm sorry for your loss. It could have been a number of causes. Guttural pouch disease, a tumor that invaded a blood vessel, a burst artery, that kind of stuff. No way to tell for sure without a necropsy but be assured that she probably felt no pain.
Again, I'm so sorry.


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## nicole25 (Jun 24, 2011)

My OTTB is 17 and we ride just about everyday and that includes conditioning, trails, jumping, etc.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You are doing it right with the trotting/walking transitions. If you use your watch and time each phase you will gradually be able to increase the trotting. Trotting up low hills will help build the hindquarters as well.


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## diggerchick (Nov 8, 2011)

My showjumper is about 15 and he still does 3 foot. I once had a horse at my old barn i was jumping, he wasnt mine, and he was 26 and could still do 2ft 3!


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I think it depends on the health of the horse. If they are healthy, they can still do a full workload at that age. My current riding horses are 17 and 18. I still ride them for 5 hour trail rides in the mountains. I figure when they are in their early 20's I will need to start cutting down the length of the rides, but hopefully by then I will also have a younger horse I can ride.


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## NCPH (Nov 2, 2011)

With proper care, you could get many more years out of her. The first thing I would tell you is to really take care of her joints and muscles. Always make sure you do plenty of stretching out prior to any strenuous tasks. This means:
10-15 minutes of walking, moving up into some bending and counter bending toward the end. Really make her flex and bend her neck. She needs to really warm up her muscles controlling her shoulders and hips. 
5-10 minutes of simple jogging, doing some half halts and bending both directions. 
Do your work out, but if it is going to be longer than I'd say a half hour take a break to let her walk out and relax those muscles. Old muscles can be stressed easily, you need to give her time to recover. 
Once your work out is finished, let her walk out for a good 10-15 minutes so she doesn't get stiff. 
A joint supplement would also be a good idea. Depending on how much she has been used, keeping those joints well oiled can really improve her performance. Good luck with her! Hope you get a lot of enjoyment with her.


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