Great piece but I was sorry she did not mention Therapeutic Riding as a great way for an older horse to continue to have a useful life, be loved and get gentle exercise. Some therapeutic centers accept loans or gifts of older horses.
I just leased a senior horse,,, We think he is in his mid-to late twenties, and he is perfect for me. I am a new rider, but love to ride 5-6 times a week. I need to fatten him up, and give him lots of warm up and down time after we train, but he is a real sweetheart and my best teacher.
cool article! I agree with cathy hansen. i have an older horse, he still works, but he is slower. his name is zippo. i had to put my other horse to sleep. he was an older horse too, his name was fred. again, awesome article!
I think older horses should work and do as much as they can for as long as they can. A tired horse is a happy horse.
My husband and I ride horses that are 18 and 20 years old with no problems. We mainly trail ride and mostly ride at a walk so they are not over stressed. Older horses are much calmer and easier to handle, especially for riders in their 60s.
I found the article very informative, I have ridden and owned horses for most of my 69yrs and have recently become the proud owner of a 15yo stubborn English cob that has been in a riding school for the last 10yrs with learners. Consequently its back to square 1! its nice to know I seem to be doing the right things for him as I love him dearly even though going forward is a problem sometimes and then stopping him is another!!