At 17:48:36 on 30.08.11, DressageLuvver465 wrote:
I've been really struggling with my horses age (I just found out he's 27!). Is it fair to him to ask him to compete regularly and do fairly intense dressage work? I love him more than any other and I'd hate to sell him but what would you do in this situation? Get a new horse? There's a 50/50 chance that I might be able to keep him along with another horse but that's so expensive I don't know if it'd be possible. He's very healthy, sound, but is starting to cough every day during our schooling sessions. What should I do?

At 20:44:50 on 30.08.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Personally i would turn a horse into a happy hacker when they hit around 25 unless the horse tells you otherwise. Some horses need to retire earlier and some later but if the horse is at the age where it is struggling with the work load or doesn't feel like their heart is in it i would be inclined to just hack lightly and let them live out their twilight years peacfully, saying that i know a 34year old pony that jogs sideways everywhere she goes! So if you horse is game for it then yes keep going but just school lighter for shorter periods of time but if your horse is tiring quicker or he really just would rather not i would say he has pulled his weight for long enough to let him have it his way now which can hurt and be sad but you have to think whats right for him

At 04:35:55 on 13.09.11, Adimarie1997 wrote:
Yes i agree with JessAndGenville123 because I found out that my cousins horse was 30 and she was still working him to the bone and he eventually went lame and couldnt eat because she never cared for him and never floated his teeth and I ended up having to put him down because it was to painful to watch him suffer like that anymore. But on the other hand if the horse is in excelent condition like my oldest horse Apache you may be able to tone down the workouts because of old age and stress/