I bought Buddy age 19. He was jumping 3'6 with a teenager, doing common riding, doing too much for his legs and he was beginning to give them signs that he had to slow down. I bought him un-vetted as I believed that if he had got to that age fit and well he was likely to continue. And he has given me six years of fun. He now has arthritis just diagnosed last week and will have to be more careful and do even less. I have the huge advantage that I have my own land and he is kept at home, so he will end his days here. One of my bargaining points when someone else offered more for him was that if he was on a livery yard and couldn't be ridden, most people do not retire them, whereas I would keep him for his life. It's my payback to him for all the fun he has given me and all the other owners who had him. The plus side of this horse is it is known and trusted, but if she has sole charge of it, will it be doing less work and be more lively? The horse she is riding now will inevitably slow down but then younger horses also can get ill, break legs, cause you heartache too. I supposed if you are not able or willing to offer this pre veteran a long term solution, I would hate to see it being on the market in its 20s. as its future would be very bleak. I don't mind paying for my own horses retirement and long term even when they can't be ridden - I retired one at 9 and she died age 26 that's a lot of money for a pasture pet but I couldn't have sold her on with her problems, it would have been unethical. But not many people are willing to take on another person's old horse with no personal connection with it. Don't know your financial circumstances but outgrowing the pony and also like previous owner wanting a go faster bigger model is a potential issue. I used to home check for a charity, every year I went to see a pony like this, Galaxy. Every year or so another family had taken him on at the yard, and was doing pc with him all sorts of stuff. NOT ONE of them took him on forever. The final time I home checked him, and he was going to be passed on again, I told my friend at the charity that we should move him, find him a home with someone who would keep him. Which we did, found him a place on a large farm and he died there many years later. Everyone else had their fun on them, all the yummy mummies who had loads of money wouldn't even buy him a winter rug and ust used him. So we found the right place for him where once he had to hang up his bridle he was loved enough to stay. It's something you have to consider when buying an older horse.