16 years??? - Too Old or not

[Brunie]

HELP!!!!!!:eek:

Have now sold my Henry...(some might remember!!!!) Gone to a lovely man who is a historical entertainer knights and all that- -so he will love it, But anyway we have been trying to decide whether to buy again now or wait or loan or share!!! So much to think about:eek:

ANY way have been offered a 16year old mare sound, confidence giver seems everything we may be looking for but sorry for all of you that have teenager horses - that sound good..... IS THIS TOO OLD AND WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING OUT FOR??
PLEASE HELP QUICK...:confused:

[NoviceNic]

Nothing wrong with a 16yo. Plenty of life left in her yet....What do you want to do with your potential horse???

I must of missed your threads about Henry...Why are you selling him??

[Brunie]

We (my daughter and me) don't want to do anything too much as we are still learning although since having Henry we have learnt a great deal. Just want to love look after and learn may be show a little.
Henry was/is a IDXTB 16'3 have sold him as he was too big for soph and she wouldnt do anything with him although he was lovely natured didn't do a thing wrong just rather BIG:eek: So he was better going to a home that could use him better than us.
Basically just a wring buy and untruth by seller at the time.

[Ptaty70]

older horses can be just as mad as the youngsters! knew a 30 year old who went mad for jumping in the RDA lessons - lovely to watch though as the boyjust LOVED him!

mine is 15, loads of life. Check for joint stiffness. Can be dealt with easily in a lot of cases. A vetting should sort it out. What breed is the mare? native or native x? if so, that's a sound foundation... will go for years, hopefully.

Oh and a 'been there, done it' horse will just give you so much confidence if you like her temperament..

[Brunie]

Have been and met her today - seems laid back, not mareish at all - she is a TBX PACER although I had never heard of the pacer before, I rode her and my daughter rode her felt good not a foot out of place... although I asked about her vacs and she hasn't had any???? Good or bad I had just got Henry's all sorted before I sold him....

[Ptaty70]

I'd make a vac part of the deal. She gets vaccinated before you buy/loan/share, whatever the deal is. Have her feet and legs checked by the vet. TBx will be a little more susceptible (**waits for the downpour of condemnation from TBx owners**)

You need to think about her lifespan. If you got 5 good years out of her, she taught your daughter loads, would she be worth the investment?? probably yes, but that's up to you! good luck and keep us informed!

[Kalypso]

Mia is 12/13 years old (maybe more, maybe less as I don't have proof) and you wouldn't know it to look at her! A 16 year old horse, especially if you are going to 'go easy' on her and not work her into the ground (which I'm sure you aren't!) should last a good many years. I've known 30-32 year old horses still in work and going strong (trail riding, mostly, not anything too strenuous).

If you like her, and she passes a vetting for what you want to do with her, I don't see any reason not to go for it. :)

[holiday]

My old horse (retired last year at 29) started whipping in at 22 years crossed all different countries and never had a day lame!!!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/Caroneno/red.gif At 22!!!!!!!

Red - an absolute star who is 30 now, and babysitting our last years foal!!!! They share a stable!!!

[incognito]

There are always going to be exceptions to the rule, and this is only an opinion so dont shoot me down.

But when you say x pacer are we talking a pacer who has paced within the discipline ?? if so, do your research thouroughly because whilst they are beautiful animals, if they have worked as such their history might want looking into with the "type" of work.

I have two pacers who have been driven and their ridden work is not the normal hackers requirement.

Having read your previous threads it is obvious you are willing to learn, and that is good but from experience, dont overhorse yourself..14'2 weight carrier should suit you and daughter (unless either of you are very large), a native or native x would be so much easier to learn from, usually with a forgiving nature and laid back attitude.

And with regard to age, dont rule out a teenager after all they have lots to teach you and have seen a lot more of life than a youngster who would be relying on you to teach him the basics of his future, that in itself is a huge responsibility.

[marsden]

16 is still young, my boy is 28 years old and he is still going strong! :rolleyes:

[Nik-n-Kia]

Well Kia is 14 and he acts like a numpty at times very lively!!!

16 is a fab age a bit been there and done that so very experiencesd but still enough life to have a nice spark!!!!

I'd go for it!!!

Nikki xxxx

[teabiscuit]

although I asked about her vacs and she hasn't had any???? Good or bad I had just got Henry's all sorted before I sold him....

non of mine are vaccinated, apart from Little Lad so he can go do his dressage comps

and it isn't done out of neglect or ignorance

i worked with vaccine damaged children and young adults, so there is a risk either way

maybe her owners feel the same?
btw my grand old lad of 27 gallops about the beach like a loon :D
happy days :D

[capalldubh]

The mare Lucyad and I shared with her owner is turning 20 this year, I believe. Lucyad was hunting her up till last year, and the only thing that holds her back is lack of fitness (which is our fault, not hers - not ridden often enough). She has no stiffness and is keen and bouncy ;)

I would say the main thing to check is "mileage" - an ex-RS horse aged 16 or an ex competition horse may have a much higher mileage than our wee mare did (happy hacking and a bit of hunting and unaff showjumping). I didn't buy a very beautiful Hanoverian mare aged 16 when I was horse shopping because she'd competed at a fairly high level and I felt her mileage was too high, which might mean earlier joint problems.

The old mare we shared was such a confidence giver that after 2 years of sharing, I felt (rightly or wrongly) confident enough to go out and buy a green youngster (has worked out very well so far, fingers crossed :) ).

[joey_olop]

16 is never too old, should be a really good confidence giver, good luck & let us know how you get on :)

[Sarah1710]

Have now sold my Henry...(some might remember!!!!) Gone to a lovely man who is a historical entertainer knights and all that-

His name wouldn't be Mark, would it?

Agreed that 16 is a good age, but then it does depend on the horse. I used to ride a 28yo HW hunter mare and she was still going strong, more than happy in full work. Then again, I have known horses ready for retirement at the age of 14. If she is healthy and happy in her work, I see no problem in having a 16yo.

[Brunie]

Sarah
Do you know him then?

[jenren!!]

16...a great age. Its a horse with years of experience under its belt, with many years to share that experience.

I felt a bit like that when i got merl on loan. Hes 18 but hes still a little fuzz ball on hacks and still jumps, only small but hes still a fun horse and certainly full of life! Now i hardly notice his age! Im currently starting to school him which he hasnt had much of through his life and maybe try some dressage - its like his life is starting all over again! :p.

[Esther.D]

I know a Mark who does that...very nice man and amazing rider (unless there are two! :D) :)

[Sarah1710]

Sarah
Do you know him then?

Indeed I do;) He stabled his last horse on the same yard that I'm on.

[Esther.D]

Not the same one as I know then if you are Birmingham, the one I know is near Hull.

[rubysmum]

i bought ruby aged 15 in 2005 - she works most days - hunted last season & will prob do some worker hunter this year the only concern you might have is what happens to the horse in a few years - are you able to kep her into retirement or can aford to sell her as veteran when she can no longer do what you need - i worry about ruby in a few years cos i cant afford to keep horse as pet and will need to find lovely retirementhome for her - but based on todays performance many years of lunacy left lol

[ISH]

If she's only going to be used as a 'fun' horse, so mainly hacking/schooling, then 16 is a great age. Especially for a mother/daughter share. She will still have some spark but has a more mature outlook.

If she's a teenager with TB heritage then I'd definitely get her vetted as I think they can be more prone to arthritus and other joint problems than some other breeds. The risk is lessened if they are a TB X but it depends what she's crossed with. I don't know much about pacers but I would get her vetted for sure.

There's a 26 year old Heinz 67 at my yard (definitely got some Native in him) and he's still got a lot of ping in him! They only ride him during the summer but when his mates are being silly in the field he can certainly keep up!

Good luck if you decide to get her.

[Samantha1980]

My loan horse is a 17 year old TBxQH and he has given me so much confidence.
I was giving up riding when he came along. I was bribed into seeing him by a friend and Im so so glad I went. He loves hacking out and has the been there, done that, seen that before attitude and leads when passing 'scarey things'

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/Sam1980/SUNP0017-2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/Sam1980/SUNP0002.jpg