This article first appeared in the May 2020 digital edition of Equestrian Life. To see what's in the current issue, click here. 

Many older horses can be ridden well into their 'geriatric' years.

When is old, too old?

By Dr Maxine Brain

I am often asked, “Is my horse too old to ride anymore?” The decision to continue to ride an old horse can become quite a quandary for an owner as they do not want to be doing the wrong thing by the horse, but also don’t want to retire the animal if it can still be ridden.

Like people, horses age and cope with ageing at different rates. The type of work they do now, how hard they have been worked in the past, previous injuries and the individual constitution of the horse will all play a role in how well a horse can continue to function in the later years of its life. The key to knowing when the horse should be retired is in the art of understanding your horse.

A geriatric horse was once described as one that was over 16 years of age. Now, as the equine population lives longer due to better husbandry and advancements in veterinary care, over 20 years of age is a more realistic guide to calling a horse geriatric. Some horse breeds have a life expectancy in the mid-20s whilst other breeds, particularly ponies, can live well into their 40s, meaning a 20-year-old pony is still relatively young and will not become a geriatric until much later in life. 
 

Read the full article in the May 2020 issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.

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