Celebrating The Older Horse

I have a soft spot for the older horse. Both horses which my youngest daughter was fortunate enough to have in her life were seniors….her first horse, Dolly was in her early twenties when we bought her and her move up mount, Pilgrim, was about 17 when he was given to us….passed over by another family because of his age. When my girls were in pony club, it was not uncommon for horses and ponies to be passed from one family to another. One of my favorites was Bubbi, who at age 27, went to the USPC Championship’s at the Kentucky Horse Park as one of my daughter’s novice eventing teammates, and at the age of 33, he was still competing at the Dressage rally, teaching new kids the ropes. I have been fortunate to have known several horses and ponies who were still active, well into their mid to late 30’s, teaching a whole new generation of kids.

It is unfortunate that more people don’t see the value that an older horse has. So much wisdom to pass on! Our Pilgrim had been a former Preliminary level eventer and was just the horse to teach my daughter, who was ready to move up. Dolly, had became the ultimate pony club mount during her years with us…..she learned to compete in not only show jumping, but eventing, mounted games, polocrosse and dressage and was ready to continue building the confidence of many students for many more years.

Horses live much longer than they used to, with good nutrition and vet care. Our Dolly went on to become a lesson horse until I retired her in her when she was 30 and only because she became debilitated due to a pasture accident. She lived to a good age of 33. Sadly, Pilgrim developed neurological side effects from a bout of Lyme Disease, and we lost him at only 20 years old.

I always suggest an older horse as a first horse, whether for a child or an adult. They build confidence and have so much to teach. I know many who shy away from an older horse because they feel that they may end up dying sooner than later, but the truth is, nobody knows how long a horse will live for and I have seen young horses die unexpectedly, so there is just no guarantee for any age.

If you are fortunate enough to know the right people or be in the right barn, it is possible that you will be able to find a schoolmaster who is ready to be passed on to teach a new person the ropes. Many horses that are no longer capable of performing at the upper levels will do quite well at the lower levels and in my experience, even if it is just walking lead-line kids around at a walk, most horses thrive best when having a job to do.

Sadly though, there comes a time when a horse is no longer able to carry the weight of a rider. Blessed are those who are fortunate enough to have an owner who will provide care for the horse until its very last breath. But that is not always the case. We have all seen the posts on facebook…..it seems that every week there is someone looking to rehome a horse. Sometimes the horse is young but unsound. More times than not, the horse has been a faithful friend but is now retired and the owner is hoping to find someone to give their horse a good home.

Let’s face it…..keeping horses is not cheap, and having one on the payroll who isn’t earning his keep can be a major drain on the wallet, especially when the owner wants to buy a horse they can still ride. But it is not realistic to think that there is somebody out there who is chomping on the bit to take on a horse which is un-ridable and provide for the horse., especially one that requires a lot of drugs or supplements or a lot of hay and grain. There are those who truly do want a companion horse, but those cases are the exception, rather than the rule.

People unfortunately have a hard time with euthanizing an animal. Especially one that they feel may still have some good years ahead of them, or one that is still young but not sound. As a former vet tech, I used to see it all the time with pet owners. Sadly, it was not uncommon for a dog or cat to be brought into the clinic to be euthanized, which was skin and bones. It was borderline abuse that these animals were kept alive. And I have also seen it over and over again with horses. Let’s face it…putting a horse down is not gentle or easy. It’s not like we can just lay them down on the table and give them a shot. Sometimes it goes according to plan but sometimes it is horrible to watch. And so people would rather dump their horse, pretending all is good and that their horse is going to have a fairy tale retirement, and let someone else have to make that decision. But the reality is, as we have seen over and over, many times the person promising a good life to your old horse instead dumps them at auction, knowing that the horse will end up in the slaughter pipeline. It is not how a faithful friend should ever be treated.

If you are unable to provide for your horse, there is only one sure way to guarantee that your beloved companion will not end up in a bad situation, whether being starved, abused or slaughtered. And that is to euthanize the horse. Only then will you have total peace of mind, knowing he is not being harmed. Horses are not like humans…they do not plan a future. They do not think about dying. They live in the moment. I have always said it is better a day early than a day late. I had a very big draft cross, my heart horse. It is Tucker’s image at the top of my blogs. He was a PMU foal that I adopted at the age of 6 months and he became one of my best eventers. Unfortunately, he suffered lots of health issues and he was retired in his teens. Besides his career ending health issues, he also suffered from EPSM, which I had been able to micromanage for years, partly because he was kept fit and in exercise. Retiring him was the worst thing for his EPSM and within months, he looked awful, as his muscles wasted away. Less than a year after retirement, he was suffering muscle tremors and became unsteady to pick up his legs. I was terrified he would fall on my farrier or collapse in his stall and be unable to get up. Everyone, including my vet at the time, was shocked to learn that I had made the decision to put him down. But he was never going to get better and so I made the decision to give him the greatest gift we can give an animal. He got groomed that day and he ate lots of peppermints…..treats that he wasn’t allowed to have because of his EPSM, and he crossed the rainbow bridge peacefully.

It sucked. But it was the right thing to do.

I have been advised by one of my daughter’s to not ramble, so I will end this week’s blog here. Next week I will dive more into the logistics we must deal with when euthanizing a horse.

Always hug your horse and thank them for all they do for you!

If you are enjoying my blogs, please share them with your horse friends! Common Sense Horse Keeping will be published in February 2024 by Cushing Publishing. Like us on FB and Instagram under Common Sense Horse Keeping.