The Older Horse | Ride Every Stride 069

Ride Every Stride | Horsemanship and Personal Growth with Van Hargis

Horses and humans have a lot in common. For instance, aging. Just like we get old, slow down, have back pain, dietary problems, and need to adjust to keep our minds and bodies active—horses do too. They have a specific set of needs and issues that may arise as they enter old age, and we’ll be covering exactly when, why, and what to do when our horses start getting up in years. They become members of our families and require all the attention and care we would give ourselves.

Key Takeaways

Age can be a relative term. A horse might be called “old” even if they are 5-6 but are competing in high-intensity competitions. But as some veterinarians have told me you can start thinking about a horse as “older” around the age of 12. This is when stresses can add up and start to lead to issues like arthritis or other dietary and joint issue.

Activity plays a huge key in a horse’s older years. Especially if they have been high performing and very active their whole lives. Retiring them full stop into a pasture full of grass is a surefire way to have their mental and physical health decline. In a sense, horses either use it or lose it.

Still, we have to be cautious and attentive as we ride our older horses. Pay attention to their soreness. Does it last for days after a ride? They may need a supplement or an easier riding regiment to help their joints and muscles recover.

It is still perfectly fine to ride your older horses though. The activity helps keep their minds busy as well, you don’t want them to just see the farm and pasture every day for the rest of their lives.

I’d like to give a shout out to my horse Scooter—who I lovingly say I bought on sight, even though it was with a bit of regret and apprehension at the time. He has been integral through my journey in horsemanship and even Laura’s, definitely a horse that only comes around once in a lifetime. He’s made it on up in years but is still riding every stride like it’s his first.