What age to retire a horse from riding

chunky monkey

chunky monkey

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May 2, 2007
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Just wondering for those that have retired there horses from riding. What age were they when you retired them. How did you know time was right.
For those that have veterans still being ridden, were you advised to up the riding to stop them seizing up.
 
I retired my Tb at 25 from being ridden, but I still did Inhand walks. The vet suggested I kept her brain ticking over because she was that sort.
Her back was so dipped saddle fitting was a non starter, even bareback was a no, so I just stopped.
She was semi retired when I took her on.
 
What age did you have her if she was already semi retired. How many times a week did you ride till complete retirement.
 
I retired my ex racer at 20, and my boy Shay at about 22, and my mums mare at 22. I just knew it was time to retire them, they didn't seem to be enjoying it as much as they used to. With my mums mare she had an injury (broke her tail high up) and she started tripping under saddle, so we decided to retire her.
I have 2x 22/23 year olds that are still in occasional work, little one mostly just in hand but thinking of getting her driving again, and big cob is still ridden. They are out 24/7 and get turmeric and they are both still pretty active.
 
I semi-retired Rosie about 4years ago, then retired her 'fully' about 2.5 years ago, though from March until Oct she goes out for a weekly walk in-hand whilst my friends autistic son rides her. Mostly in walk/jog and grazing as we go. She is currently around mid 20's, though could be older the dentist said

Initial decision to semi-retire was because she was easily tweaking her tendon in her hind leg fairly frequently over a few years, so I just knew she wasn't up to the exercise anymore. I was taking her out for a solo plod once or twice a week in the summer then never really had the time to continue it when I was preggers. So since then she's pretty much only taken out once a week for the in-hand walk
 
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Depends on the horse. I had one that lived to about 50, she decided at 35 that lessons were boring and walked resolutely to the door after 30 minutes. We used to send teenagers out to 'walk' her and an another old cob and inevitably they were run away with! Others we have found don't like working in early 20's. Listen to your horse they will tell you!
 
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chunky monkey said:
What age did you have her if she was already semi retired. How many times a week did you ride till complete retirement.
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She was 23 when I bought her. I used to hack twice a week, did the odd competition but low key and not often.
She had been a working lead horse for ten years at a riding holiday centre, then ridden three times a week on the moors, then me. So only had three homes in 23 years.
I was the one who had to pts.
 
My old boy was in his early 30's, he was retired mostly because due to prior abuse being very difficult to mount, once riding he enjoyed himself but with Bo in full work and jess a difficult 2 or 3 year old it was hard ti find the time, he was happy to just hang out in the field and go for occasional in hand walks.
 
Storm is 19 this time. She's mildly arthritic in her hocks and vet advises me to keep her ticking over so long as she is comfy. She'll tell me when she isn't. We pootle daily - nothing over strenuous. She lets me know what she is up for. We don't jump small jumps any longer but I'm not fussed. We rarely lunge, tho we do free school now and again. She's spritely enough, you'd never guess she has problems unless you knew where to look for them.
 
Thank you, after today's buckaroos it makes you wonder. Thankfully before I sat on him. But once on it was like a pathetic plod. I don't think I need to retire just yet. But after discussions with farrier last week, and this ongoing plodding it got me wondering about how much I should be doing.
 
I believe you just know. The day Kia doesn't have his ears pricked out a hack and isn't striding along and up for a good canter is the day when I will take a long hard look at him.

He is still perky and happy and forwards going and sound. I don't think there is a specific time or age but a set of changes or circumstances unique to each equine :)

He is 24 now and I'm sure he will tell me :)
 
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If you ever saw my arthertic nearly 21 year old throw his shapes you would see he is not ready yet.

Yes at the moment he is slow and stiff which breaks my heart but i keep him in gentle work and he decides what to do and when not me
 
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As a RS rider, I agree with eml - depends on the horse. And also what you mean by "riding". My share was retired from lessons and proper riding at 23 - except for one elderly lady and small RDA kids. And when properly retired to a field she was miserable. Some horses dont take to being in a field and left to do their own thing. OH rides a horse in his twenties that has been brought back out of retirement because horse didnt like it. That horse likes to canter. And some horses, it seems die younger just like people and it is no reflection on the yard - A yard can have ponies over 30 and yet one need to be retired at 16.
 
My horse is only 11 with no health problems, but I will retire him when I feel that he no longer enjoys being ridden. I hope that he is in his mid 20's by the time this happens but we will see. He is a big horse and I worry about his joints but thankfully we have not problems yet.
 
Mary Poppins said:
My horse is only 11 with no health problems, but I will retire him when I feel that he no longer enjoys being ridden. I hope that he is in his mid 20's by the time this happens but we will see. He is a big horse and I worry about his joints but thankfully we have not problems yet.
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If your worried about joints I highly suggest a MSM glucosamine mix great for all ages of horses to protect those joints used it on all our horses and seen major changes in them I owned Standardbreds and there notorious for arthritis it can really slow them down on the track but give them the MSM glucosamine mix and they are like two year olds all over again. Also it doesn't cost to much about 40$ for a tub which should last one horse about 30 days (Canadian dollars may be more or less depending on where you live)
 
Jessey said:
Gosh this is an old post
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Standardbredlover4826 said:
If your worried about joints I highly suggest a MSM glucosamine mix great for all ages of horses to protect those joints used it on all our horses and seen major changes in them I owned Standardbreds and there notorious for arthritis it can really slow them down on the track but give them the MSM glucosamine mix and they are like two year olds all over again. Also it doesn't cost to much about 40$ for a tub which should last one horse about 30 days (Canadian dollars may be more or less depending on where you live)
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This made me reminisce about a time when Ben had no joint problems!! How things change. He is now retired from all activities apart from walk hacking with the odd trot thrown in. I can't see myself retiring him completely because the vet is always telling me that he needs to move to keep the joints working, if I retire him from all work he is likely to deteriorate faster.

I don't think that glucosamine mix would have made the slightest bit of difference to my horses arthritic changes and his cartilage problems. Our dressage lessons were the trigger to him breaking because his body couldn't cope with the work, but the arthritis would have happened anyway. He is a very big and heavy horse. Like humans, horses bodies age and break down, you can't stop it happening.
 
Buddy is 26 iand is on joint supplement and danilon twice a week. He walks out 3-4 times a week and is doing ok. Vet would like him to stay active due to his arthritis. Rest of the time he is out with the gate open so he can do what he wants.
 
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