What age to retire your horse

However there are other factors like behavioral issues and intermittent health conditions that can make things tricky. Most horses do better when retirement happens gradually through a slow decrease in activity level based on the horses physical abilities and mental attitude.

An injury or personal situation may force you to transition your riding horse into a pasture ornament.

What age to retire your horse. At what age is a horse considered a senior. By age definition senior horse has been defined as 15 years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition horse routinely live 25-30 years of age some into their 40s.

It is not uncommon to see horses in. The horse owner weighs our inputalong with contributions from friends trainers blogs chat rooms and magazine articlesand makes the decision. But its not easy.

What may be retirement criteria for one horse may be less of an issue for another horse. The two most common causes of retirement are old agediminishing physical capabilities and ongoing unresolvable lamenesses. In these situations the writing is on the wall.

Had to retire my home bred sect d x tb at the age of 7 due to major hoof problems she is now 22 and as she has been sound for a few yesrs I am seriously thinking of getting her back into work. We also had an Arab mare who retired at 30 and lived until she was 35. 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. Sometimes deciding when to retire your horse is an obvious decision.

An injury or personal situation may force you to transition your riding horse into a pasture ornament. Sometimes the decision isnt as clear. Some horses fade into retirement.

Today there are many different options for horse retirement. When the winning thoroughbred stallion retires he may spend a number of happy years as a prolific. Retiring your horse.

Horse Hound 8 October 2001 0100. When age infirmity or injury mean that your horse can no longer work its nice to think of him enjoying a peaceful. Well horses can be ridden into a late age usually however if they have arthritis or some other health issue it may be a good idea to retire them from strenuous work such as steep hill work.

I would have the vet out and like someone mentioned get some blood drawn for any health issues. And possibly look into a joint supplement. The time to retire a senior horse can become a combination of finances and the horses welfare.

There are monetary obligations involved in keeping a senior horse with osteoarthritis going. Most seniors will likely require injections of at least two joints to keep performing soundly. If the horse is healthy sound kept on a regular exercise program given any needed supplementstreatments.

Then there is NO age limit. As long as the horse still enjoys their job and can handleexecute it theres no reason they have to quit. Vokoun and Cowles agree that age alone isnt a determining factor.

Its more about a horses physical condition and ability Cowles says. Some horses will compete into their. The two most common reasons for retiring your horse include old age and ongoing lameness.

Its simple- the horses body is no longer able to keep up with the demands of being ridden. Its the most practical and humane thing to do. However there are other factors like behavioral issues and intermittent health conditions that can make things tricky.

Retiring a horse too soon could mean giving up years of quality riding time. On the other hand no rider should want to cause their horse. So just because a horse may retire from one discipline or class doesnt mean the horse cannot continue to compete in a different capacity.

When retirement is near. We also spoke with decorated Select competitor Cathy Corrigan Frank who owns two older geldings that are in the twilight of their careers as she says. Both horses are still showing and are still highly competitive.

Making the decision to retire your beloved horse is not always an easy one and there is a lot you need to consider when doing so. Often people dont always take into consideration what is best for their horse when looking to retire them. Theyll look for a nice field to put them in and the decision is made or theyll look for the most affordable option even if its nothing close to the.

Eventually every horse gets to the point where it is time to retire but when and how depends on the individual. A horses health and soundness dictate retirement more so than age. Most horses do better when retirement happens gradually through a slow decrease in activity level based on the horses physical abilities and mental attitude.

Retiring your horse from riding isnt an easy choice. And it likely wont happen overnight. In fact there are many factors that need to be considered before you make this decision.

Age soundness and chronic conditions are just a few that can influence your decision. The two most common reasons for retiring your horse include old age and ongoing lameness. Its simple- the horses body.

I hear people say all the time My horse is 18. Its time to retire him says David Trachtenberg DVM owner of Trachtenberg Veterinary Associates in Penfield New York. But the age in and of itself is meaningless.

What matters is his health status. If hes in good shape and is handling his workload with ease theres no reason to retire him.