Retirement?

[Maisie]

Hey everybody, I was just wondering what age is suitable for a horse to be retired. There's a 26 year old cross at my stable and he's doing rather rigorous work...but he seems to like it. I've heard of horses being retired early and this seems to contradict what I'm seeing.

Could you give your opinions on this?

[DavidH]

Hi masie
There is no rule as to the age a horse should be retired at.
As long as the horse is sound it should realyy be kept in work. However, as the horse gets older the amount and type of work it does should be given careful consideration. The horse will soon tell you if it can't cope with what is beoing asked. I know a lot of horses that still hunt well in to their mid twenties. What you will find is that like people, once a horse stops working its general condition will deterioate quite quickly so retirement should be a last resort, gentle reduction of work is much more beneficial.

[Wally]

My 27 year old is still in work and he loves every minute of it, he still has a sense of humour too. There are a few folk that see him in action and can't beleive his age. We also have a 27 year old mare who told us in no uncertain terms that she was ready to retire, so we retired her and she spends her time with the youngstock teaching them how to behave nicely. Every horse is different
Old horses do have a valuable place in any working yard. It means that we never have to leave a horse on it's own as Jarpur is about to keep them company.We use her to tame down wild ponies straight from the hill. When it's time for her to go I don't know who we will use as a calming influence!

[Allie]

We some pretty old horse at our barn (30+) that still do regular trail riding. It is not exceptionally stressful work, although they do still enjoy some cantering. It is actually better for an older horse to stay in light work as long as they are sound because it helps to keep their muscle tone up and keeps them fitter. AS long as the horse is happy and sound, there is probably nothing wrong with his work load.

Allie