Jul 12 2010
I want to start off today with two huge thank-yous!
First of all, to those who read my post about the colicking mare, I have to give a plug to Humphrey, Giacopuzzi & Associates Animal Hospital. This wasn’t one of my horses, but one that I care for, and she is my favorite of the bunch — one of those super snuggly sweet Thoroughbred mares who just wants to lay her head in your arms and get petted. She had an impaction way up high where it couldn’t be felt, and had bloated up with gas like a beach ball. I could hear nothing on the left side, and her stomach felt frighteningly tight to the touch. This was one of those sudden onset things — she ate breakfast and was, in fact, stealing hay from her neighbor. We loaded her up and took her on a one-hour trailer ride and she came off the trailer and immediately tried to dive for the ground. She did not succeed — you long-time readers know my personal theory on colic which is if you don’t let them hit the ground, they don’t die. (Obviously that would not work with a twist, but I’m pretty sure it works with any “normal” kind of colic. And I know it’s old school thinking and I do not care. I have never let one lie down and I’ve never lost one, not once, so I not going to mess with what works!)  I dragged her around growling at her ’til the vet came out and tubed her, but after that she started to deteriorate again and the decision was made to take her to the clinic where they could pump her full of fluids, another colic strategy I am a huge fan of. I don’t care if it’s a dog, cat, or a horse, if it looks like it’s dying you’d be amazed what just pumping it full of fluids will do in terms of keeping it alive long enough to fix it. I was worried she was going to go down in the trailer, so I talked the vet into giving her 5 cc’s of Banamine to keep her more comfy for the ride, and she came off the trailer at the clinic 100% perkier and screaming a cheerful hello to all of the stallions kept there, ha ha. X-rays revealed no stones, and the fluids worked — by morning we had the great news that she would be just fine. Thank you for sending good thoughts and prayers her way!
Second – A big thanks to Core-Sec for again fixing this blog. I had upgraded it and my post button disappeared for some inexplicable reason, which was making it really hard to get new content up. They found the glitch and resolved it while I was dealing with the sick horse, and I am very grateful! If you are in need of I.T. security help or, really, any baffling computer or website issue, I can’t recommend them too highly. They’ll stick to it until they find the answer and they understand it’s a priority for you to get the problem fixed quickly.
All right! It’s Monday morning, I’m exhausted, and I do believe I’ve had more than one request for a happy thread so I’m going to give it to you. Someone sent me this absolutely awesome story about a 42 year old Arabian mare who is still happy, fat and being ridden very regularly!
At 42, There’s Just No Reining In Magic
I bet that she is not the only one out there, so today here is what I want: I want to see your 30+ year olds that are still being ridden and hear all about them! I myself learned to jump on a 30 year old, and I’ve played arena polo on one, so I know that some horses are like the energizer bunny and they really DO just keep going and going and going. While we’re at it, help out your fellow readers. Tell us how long you’ve owned them, what they get fed, what is your management program like for them (stall? pasture? with buddies? without?), what supplements you have them on (if any), etc.
To post a picture: Please read this part — it creates a lot of extra work for me when you don’t
Paste in the direct link to the picture. It will NOT have any code, parentheses, brackets, or anything that says IMG or IMAGE. It will look something like this:
http://www.mywebsite.com/horseypic.jpg
It will end in .jpg or .gif. If it does not end in .jpg or .gif, I cannot make it visible.
You will not see it show up when you do this. It will show up when I moderate comments. Thank you! 
140 comments to “”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. Not a member? Registering is free, and you do it here!
Well, I have nothing to contribute, but I will look forward to reading all the stories about “golden oldies” and their “jobs.” I love especially stories with oldies and kids. Nothing like a kid riding a senior horse citizen and having a blast in the summer on the trails or doing barrels or jumps. Or dressage ;o)
Glad the mare is okay. I too don’t believe in letting colicky horses roll. They get into all kinds of difficulties that way. Keep ‘em on their feet.
I hate to be a cynic, but how in the world do we really know that horse is 42? She doesn’t even look 25. I do believe horses/equids can make it to 42, however I doubt they are that spry and don’t show any age. A 42 year old horse acting the way they describe is like a 120 year old human still capable of competing in the Olympics. Even that Arab, Elmer (I think), who was doing fantastic at endurance in his later 30′s looked like an “older” horse.
I assume she has papers, but I could be wrong. They don’t note her registered name in the article. If she has papers, it is easy enough to match her markings up and verify that it is really her.
Papers issued way back then could easily be transferred to another horse looking like her. DNA was not even thought about for equine parentage, let alone available at that time.
I believe her age. If nothing else, she looks exactly like the type of Arabian being bred back in the 60′s! You are correct about being able to switch out papers, but I doubt that is the case here– too many people seem to know this mare, and it appears by their ability to count owners that her papers managed to follow her.
A friend once owned a big pony and contested him in 4-H and open shows. People would come up and identify the pony by name, and remembered working with that pony back ages ago! He was in his 40′s AT LEAST when he died. Very unusually colored pony, and not likely to be confused for anyone but himself. He was perky and full of energy right up until the last year or two.
Horses can and do live productive lives right up until they are done. It’s part of their genetics.
The article includes her birth year and the number of owners and foals she’s had, so it looks as if the current owners know her history.
Jeez – I was still in high school when this horse was born!
The article can state what it wants. Just because it is print doesn’t make it true.
I have no beef with these people, however I did grow up as a barn rat with older hack horses in their 30′s, they kept on going like the enegerizer bunny, however they did look “older”. And yes, their life may have been “harder” thus showing more age, however I swear the constant low-impact work (trail rides at a walk) kept them going…
Oh come on, it’s a feel good story, just go with it = )
I always used to question some of these old horse stories, and then I met a few honest to goodness 35+ horses that looked like they probably could keep going for another 10 years and thought, well, all righty then, haha. These horses all were papered and owned by people I trusted very much.
Don’t let her good looks fool you. I have a 27 year old Arab mare that I had to argue with my vet, show him her papers and her DNA card to prove her age. He swore he she wasn’t a day over 15. I attribute it to good care, lots of love and great genetics… if I could bottle what she’s got, I’d be a millionaire. Lol!
Looking in the Datasource database she is most likely GANGA SHA-INDY – AHR*48669. Born 18-Jun-1968 and was sold without papers on 10-Sep-1984. She has 4 registered foals and her dam, SHA-EM – AHR*14533, was born in 1959 and presumed deceased in 1996. She has 5 registered owners, but since her papers weren’t transferred, Bob Manns is not listed as one of them. All previous owners lived in Canada.
Her 5 generation pedigree appears to be a mixture of Crabbet, Egyptian and Polish lines… and if I was more knowledgeable in these lines I’d be able to tell you how much Crabbet, Davenport, Kellogg, etc.
and the markings seem to match too: STAR, BLAZE AND SNIP, LOWER LIP, LEFT FETLOCKS, RIGHT HIND SOCK
Well, I don’t think my mare has quite hit 30 yet – the vet’s guesstimate is about 28, but she’s still full of it. Most people don’t put her over 20. I don’t know much about her history, but I’ve done trails, gaming, and jumping on her. I know she did trails before I got her and she’s clearly been trained for much more; she loves to go and go fast. I found out that she knows how to jump by taking her over cavaletti in the backyard bareback with a halter – up to 2’6″!! I am having trouble getting weight on her, I’ve had her almost a year and am still playing with her diet, but it doesn’t bother her except for needing to be blanketed sooner than the rest.
I have an older horse I couldn’t put wieght on, and it turned out to be a strongyle infestation. Try giving your horse a Panacur PowerPack 5 day deworming treatment. It worked wonders on my mare. It can’t hurt and it will be cheaper than a vet bill- goodness knows I wish I’d saved the $300 vet bill for diagnostics, and just bought the $75 PowerPack to begin with!
This is off-topic but WTH! D:
http://ifuckinghatehorses.com
Honestly, what is the deal with all the hate in the world. Seriously, these kinds of people make me want to be sick. I’m all for freedom of speech and all that but good grief…rein it in folks. Hatred is just evil.
I don’t think this has to really do with horses…..I think that the person writing this blog hates women. The writer really likes the “c” word. And makes horrible off hand comments about women, and how they love horses etc. Maybe a bad break up from one? An unforgetable embarassing situtation. At any rate it is a horrible site filled with hatred toward people and animals.
I think it was Jay Leno who said, it’s not that everybody on the Internet is crazy, it’s that EVERYONE who is crazy is on the Internet!
I think you’re right about the woman-hating. My life experience tells me horse-haters usually hate women. I’m not talking about guys who are a little intimidated or not as passionate about horses as we are. I mean guys who really, really dislike horses.
We’re much like horses, aren’t we? Tough as hell, yet so sensitive we can die from a broken heart. Tender towards our foals, and we’ll kick the sh*t out of anyone who threatens them. Not to mention making the firm decisions about who gets to breed us. And let’s not forget the alpha mare administrates the herd.
And face it, if you’re going to be jealous of someone’s dick……..
You just made me spew lemonade…LOLOLOLOL!!!
So true!! – (choking on pizza)
YES! It probably involved a girl who spent more time with her horse than him, and when he said “choose me or the horse,” well…
His whole blog is to get back the attention of the horsewoman who said, “don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.” Oh well, I guess he has nothing better to do, living in his parents’ basement. He’s so pathetic, it’s kinda funny.
Sounds like a no-brainer to me ;o)
I was just thinking about that site for some reason this morning. That is the exact conclusion I came to: he had a horse-loving girlfriend who came to realize what a d-bag he was and when he gave the “me or the horse” spiel, she gave him the boot. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. What a loser.
Looks like a gigantic troll site to me. The way some people get their kicks is disgusting.
Sad thing is young kids find sites like this one and want to join the club……….so sad that people like this exist!
I want to believe they make me stronger by rising above and trying to educate………but really I think they make my blood boil and I want to track them down find them and make them very sorry for being an idiot.
I love the old horse story ……. from time to time I borrow a friends 30+ pony to give my 3 year old grandson rides……that pony is still a wild man runs the pasture keeps all the other geldings in line, yet he is just a sweet thing with a baby on his back…….he is a treasure!
http://picture.vzw.com/mi/525191228_1853607752_0.jpeg?
uhhh, sorry in advance for responding to an obviously dead topic buut…
i think that person is a big nasty troll who simply posts things like that to make people mad. yes, there are people who do that -_-
the only thing that makes me think that he is serious is how in-depth he gets and how much research he does.
but anyway, if you hate horses as much as he says he does, you probably wouldnt speak of them. he is just a douche trying to get your goat, lol. and it completely worked on me :/
When I lived in Holland briefly I helped out with a camp near Heino, Holland that had ponies. You know, rough, evil tempered ponies that occasionally ran away with us on their back when we secretly wanted them to. They had a fat 42-year old painted cob (could have been well marketed in the US as a Vanner) who had lost an eye to barbed wire, and spent most his time happily harassing any fool who went into his pasture. He wasn’t ridden by the kids, not because he was unsound but because he didn’t like it, and proved with with some amazing bucking skills if anyone tried. He also nipped a little and had the most evil look in his eye if anyone tried to come near him with a halter. He occasionally did pull a little cart, and inevitably liked to start out the ride by bolting for a mile or so, then stopping dead still at his grazing spot and proceeding to graze. Could not be moved at that point. He did warm up to you when bribed with apples and would then consent to follow you proudly on a pony ride and herd the slow ponies at the back.
I have never seen a horse more resembling a grumpy old man (without the physical handicaps). He had a very rough charm. I don’t know what happened to him but that horse had CHARACTER.
I’d sure like to know that arab mare’s bloodlines! I have a polish arab mare (just a youngster at 22) whose ancestors were all long-lived. Her sire was still siring at 32, and if I remember right, her dam was 34 when she died.
Of my six horses, there are two 22 year olds, a 26-27 year old, and a 38 year old pony. The pony was my son’s first trail pony, and is now giving my 3 year old grandson rides. (Lead line, though he begs for the reins!) No special diets for anyone yet, though they get their teeth checked every year, proper worming, etc. On excellent pasture 24/7, good grass hay added as needed in winter, and everyone wears waterproof sheets in winter as well. No supplements, just enough grain to keep everyone easy to catch, and tons of carrots, long scratching sessions, and riding around the neighborhood.
I was the proud Auntie of Stonewall Jackson, aka Hytone Boy, a Morgan gelding. Jackie retired from eventing at 35, continued to be ridden until he was 45, and was put down following a stroke at 52 — might have been 51, can’t remember for sure. He used to LOVE molasses straight from the bottle, and would make a horrible mess of it, but it made him happy — in the winter, he’d get molasses icicyles hanging from his whiskers! His summer coat was always gorgeous, and in the winter he grew enough hair for 4 horses. We don’t know a lot about his early years (i.e., before he was 28!), but we could tell he’d been in a cart accident because he had shaft scars on his hips, ground drove beautifully, but was terrified of a cart. What a character he was! Those old geezers can be so special.
I remember hearing about him and seeing pics of him back on Marv Walker’s mailing list. He didn’t even start to look aged until he was retired, it just sort of proves that sometimes keeping them active is what keeps them young!
I asked about him on the Morgan lists I’m on, and several people posted replies — he is remembered fondly by quite a few folks, including some neighbors of yours. His sire was Congo, if that means anything to anyone — ?
I need advice on my 28 year old. He gets Equine Senior twice daily at his boarding facility, and I’ve been supplementing that with a third feeding in the evenings. Due to his bad teeth he needs a pelleted/soaked product. This winter he will need more food and tlc. My latest conversation with the barn manager ended with her saying “old horses are going to be thin” and walking away. I am so pissed I can hardly see straight. I am afraid to move him because he goes off his feed when he’s moved and loses weight. So I’ve been doing extra feedings on my own to keep him up to weight. I am not optimistic about his future at a facility with this kind of attitude about old horses. Move him? Attempt to re-educate them?
Move him. Honestly, if they are so ignorant they still believe old horses are going to be thin, they are not qualified to run a barn and your horse is not safe there.
If I were you, I’d try to find a small, private facility for him – ideally with another horse owner that has an oldie that needs soaked feed and is used to “the drill.” If you post your general location (i.e. major city you’re near), maybe someone here on the blog can hook you up.
I totally agree! That attitude just scares me. I used to board my two horses at a very small self care barn down the road from me. The other two horses were in their mid 20′s – very fat. Then a friend of theirs brought their horse for the summer. A very large also mid – 20′s Appy, that was obviously too skinny. I kept asking the owner and other boarder about the horse and they would tell me he was old and that was why he was skinny! (while the other two oldies next to him were FAT!) So, I just started feeding him from my own hay, I just couldn’t stand it I was so mad! Well, the owner had the vet out, and the vet told her he was too skinny and he needed to be fed more! I felt very justified after that!
Move him. My BO doesn’t have a fancy facility, but you will never see a thin horse there, whatever its problems. He figures it out and fixes them. One of the boarders is a 35+ year old mare, mostly blind, who is as round and shiny as my Arabian half her age. Move him.
My boyfriend ran into that problem with his senior citizen – 27 year old Arabian with Cushing’s. He used to be the easiest keeper in the world but the last two years have been challenging to keep the weight on him. He wasn’t being blanketed early enough in the winter and he wasn’t getting enough food (“But the instructions on the bag said he only needs X scoops a day!”) Finally the vet came out and said his weight loss was unacceptable and REAMED OUT the barn owners, telling them to blanket him ASAP and that he needed to be fed more. He’s also not really high on the totem pole with the other horses, so he wasn’t getting enough hay when out in the pasture with the others.
After the VET yelled at them, the BOs put him in the round pen for a few weeks so he wouldn’t be run all over the place and he was fed separately, giving more than half again what his usual feed quantity was AND his hay was soaked in warm water before he was fed.
Amazingly enough he put on tons of weight. Go figure…
At least they came around. It’s a really nice little private farm, otherwise – it’s like they just didn’t realize that a little more feed, differently prepared, could make all the difference.
It baffles me that these “horse experts” know everything yet do not identify that horses are individual and each have their own set of “rules” for function. Like humans (and every other species), horses require adjustments to what and how much they require to eat. I used to keep my horses at a small boarding barn where the husband was in charge when the owner was out of town (which was very frequent). He was instructed to go down the isle and dump said amount of grain into each feed tub and give each the same amount of 4 or 5 flakes of hay. Most of the horses were so fat (all breeds: morgans, QH, percheronX’s, TB, my STB, walkers, you name it) it was incredible that no one foundered, and this went on year round. When I brought my horses there I was instrumental in developing a feeding program for each horse and made sure that the process was easy enough for the husband to do it in the morning and I did all feeding in the evening. In the summer I set everything up so that all the husband had to do was bring the horses in from the field in the morning. All the horses dropped the weight to better health and the barn owner was amazed at how much money was saved with the new program. It was a no brainer, to me. The husband, on the other hand was extremely pissed because I knew more than he. and he was not a horse person. No surprise.
But it goes to show that not every horse’s needs are the same. duh!
My horse colikced in the field one evening and had to be put down….some thing smelled fishy there. The husband was the only one around, and he hated my horse…and me. I wouldn’t put it past him that the horse hater website be his. His wife left him and he blamed her horses on that. She told him she got a better orgasm riding her horses than from riding him :-}
I feed my 34-year-old Arab mare Life Design Senior, by Nutrena, twice a day. I add 50 lbs of Cal Manna to every 100 pounds of the senior diet. I don’t make it a mush. She’s also out on pasture. We’ve been doing this for a couple years now, and she seems to be thriving, and staying nice and round. She didn’t particularly like Purina’s senior diet.
if you have access to seminole senior feed, buy it. ive tried equine senior on a couple of rehab oldies ive had and didnt like the results ive gotten. i had a 28y/o mare, was one of Impressives first babies, Impressive Dew was her name. i tried everything on her to try to get rid of her obvious skeletal structure. i finally settled on seminole senior. boy did she bloom and fast, she was fed 2 times a day, soaked of course. and it is a complete feed so you wont have to add anything or give hay if they cant chew it, plus it has ultrabloom/rice bran in it. i even use it on my younger rehabs because i get results quicker with it.
Vegetable oil, a cup or two as top dressing on the grain, wait a few min. and let it soak in, softens the grain. It works as empty calories, rather than hot feed. My 26 y/o has maintained as a pudgy girl with alfalfa, 3 lbs of senior and a cup of oil for 6 years. I also have her on hoof coat and joint supplement so she still moves. When a new vet joined my regular vets looked up her record to record shots, and asked where the 26 y/o was. I think I giggled, she was the one running around like she was 6.
I’d totally move the horse, by try getting it used to the oil 1st. Should put the weight back on in a couple of weeks.
In the long run, moving him would be best. Its near impossible to re-educate most horse people unless they are asking for advice and your gelding’s health is more important. If you are able to find a facility able to work with a special diet you could move him before winter and have enough time to get him back on his feed and fattened up. Knowing someone is willing and understanding enough to do what needs to be done to take care of him is the most important thing.
Move him. What if you get the flu and can’t get there? You’ll worry yourself even sicker, and it will become a vicious circle.
Old horses ARE going to be thin — if they aren’t fed properly or enough. Hmmm. Come to think of it, that applies to ANY horse.
I will repeat my vet’s surefire method of putting weight on any horse. Mine had issues (I wrote about them in a recent post here). Pellets (I feed Thoroughbred from Secate Mills–alfalfa pellets. They make several mixes — alfalfa bermuda blend, etc., but I get the alfalfa one. The pellets soak beautifully and are very consistent), soybean meal or pellets, and rice bran. The pellets and soybean are protein, the rice bran is fat. I feed a 3# scoop of the alfalfa pellets, and about half a scoop of soybean pellets and the same of rice bran.
Requires more effort, but it is very tasty. I also add a bit of either chopped or extruded (broken little pellet consistency) of alfalfa and molasses, just because my horse loves it — and I can “disguise” stuff if I have to. I have found that the
Sorry. My computer is just “doing its own thing” this morning.
As I was saying, I have found that the cost of buying “all this stuff” is not that much greater than buying the complete feeds. I just need more containers. The horses seem to love all the textures and flavors, and I have made mush out of the mixture more than once if I’m adding new supplements or I just feel like “stirring the pot.” We do what we have to do for our horses, and if you’ve got a clueless lazy BO that doesn’t feel the need to care for ALL the horses in his/her barn, do what has to be done and be prepared to fuss over your horse after the move, since you know moves upset him. He may be happy in a happier place, if that makes sense.
Your BO sounds like the same person who put down all those rescues because they weren’t “attractive.” Wonder if he/she participates in the “Ihatef*ckinghorses” blog.
Not related to this post, but I came across this ad on Craig’s List – http://watertown.craigslist.org/grd/1833602848.html – and thought I’d submit it for your viewing … eh … “pleasure”.
wow, I love those front legs!
Eh, I don’t think that horse knows that he has had plenty of feed and TLC…..
Looks to me like he wishes he was a gelding and broken to ride and got actually FED at least twice a day…
It also looks like they might have dumped him in a pasture going ‘He’ll be right’
My arab gelding’s sire died at the age of 19. However, his grandsire lived to be 42. I’m personally hoping that the dying young thing skips a generation
Anyway, the grandsire had stopped being interested in doing in-hand breeding in his 30′s. The breeder had him tested and he was shooting blanks. They considered having him gelded, but at 36 the vet didn’t think it was a good idea and said that since he wasn’t fertile to go ahead and turn him out with the other horses. The breeder had 2 herds and would alternate every year. They threw Ali out with the herd that was in the “off” year and he ran around on 3,000 acres with that herd and their babies that had been born the year before.
When they went to gather them in the spring, lo and behold, all the “off” mares (except 2) came in bred… That was quite a surprise for her. Luckily she had the room and the staff to accommodate that many bred mares
After that, he bred until he was 39 and then was retired to a gelding pasture (just in case) until he died at the age of 42.
I’m an hour southwest of Minneapolis
We have at least 3 horses over 30 in our herds for therapeutic riding. One of which is at least 36 and needs to be ridden at least 4 times a week or he’s just too full of himself for our riders.
Cute!
My old vet in Wisconsin had a 36 year old TB that tried to buck her off one winter.
First time I ever got bucked off was by an 18yr old gelding named Easy Does It. Ten years later, he bucked off his owner. Only two times he’s ever bucked.
I got bucked off by my 25-year-old and broke my wrist severely — he didn’t buck again and I rode him till he was 31. Then he started having hind-end issues, so I would just hand-walk him on excursions, which he really enjoyed.
I had to put him down at 33 when his hind end gave out completely. He had a stroke three months before and we thought he was done for then — in fact, they had brought the front-end loader into the indoor ring (where he lived — his giant stall that probably increased his lifespan, vs. the box stalls all the other horses lived in back in those days) and he lifted up his head to look at it! Boy, that was an up and down day! But February 14, 1995 truly was the end of the road for Gabriel. I could not feel the same about Valentine’s Day for some years.
He was a Morgan-QH cross and still the best horse that ever looked through a bridle IMO. Forward under saddle and a perfect gentlemen on the ground. He came into my life off a kill-buyer truck in the mid-70s, bought by the stable owner where I took lessons at the time — he had first refusal from the KB and he got a lot of lesson horses cheap that way (he was a great judge of horse potential — only a few of his selections didn’t work out. In those days we didn’t think to ask what happened to the washouts…).
Gabriel was my name for him: he was Evel Knievel at the barn (which they abbreviated to “Evel” but that sounded like “evil,” so not appropriate!) because he loved to jump. He jumped out of the ring, which was easily 5 feet. When the horses were turned out in the ring, he would jump over the vertical barrels just for the fun of it. But our pre-purchase x-ray showed some navicular degeneration so we didn’t jump him. He was a former camp horse who was so well trained and willing that they ran him practically to death, so he was skin and bones.
I remember riding him in his first lesson at that barn, on a nice September evening. He was a student favorite for a while, then, after he’d had decent food and care for a while, his true nature came out and he was too forward for many of the lessons. Long story short, I eventually bought him and had him for the next 18 years.
I have two oldsters, both still in at least a bit of work.
The oldest is our Belgian gelding Zeus, a former CBER nightmare that my SO paid meat prices for. If he was aged properly when the vet looked at him, he is somewhere between 33 and 36. It is hard to tell because unlike most horses who stop erupting new teeth at 20, he is STILL growing new tooth. Up through last summer he was also still doing a great deal of trail rides, though this year he’s just going for short jaunts as he has lost muscle tone.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-dhA8mVj8PemepZ_SGCjBA?feat=directlink
Cashmere is a former 2nd level dressage horse, who has no clue she’s a ‘former’ anything at 28. She is a DraftX, most likely Belgian/TB. She is also fat and sassy, and we are actually hoping to find someone working with our trainer to learn from her. She is a great teacher. However, she will also still take off bucking and galloping if I let her run on the racetrack out our barn.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EPR0LWOWdMd6rJKE0WoSZw?feat=directlink
Try contacting Feather Brook Farm in Corcoran MN. Beautiful facility, wonderful care, the owner is top notch. I have seen the barn and what they can do with a rescue.
Perhaps they can help with your older horse. Good luck!
I don’t have any pics but I do have a couple of old horse stories.
First there was the 1st horse/pony I ever fell from. He was a little black and white pony who had been used for children’s photos his entire life. I don’t remember the exact story why my BO at the time got him but this pony came to us and my trainer was asked if she could use him for lessons. So she put me on him to see how he was, it was obvious this little guy had never been ridden, only sat on. The first time I put my leg on him for a trot he took off and started bucking, a few good bucks later I kinda slid off to the side. Well after a few days he was doing w/t/c just fine w/ me bareback and we decided to use him for the little little beginners at a walk trot. Later we found out he was at least 31 when the BO got him and he did lessons for about a year after I “broke” him, lol.
Then for about 2 years I rode an Arabian Stallion who was 32 when I started riding him. He was a great horse, and his owner decided she wanted him closer to her and he moved away. The girl who was riding this stallion before me took him to a jumper show and won the 3’6″ and 4′ divisions with him just months before I started riding him (She left for college and I got her job).
I learned to ride, as a kid, on my aunt’s 28 year old Arabian stallion, JB. He absolutely loved kids . . . we hung all over him and harassed him regularly, in his paddock. Amazing horse! He lived to 35 years old. Cherished memories
Had 1st incident last week where horse was in distress & tried to lay down w/ saddle, tack, etc… Although it is my belief he became severely overheated (heat exahustion, stroke?) several witnesses said it appeared he was “trying to colic”.
Previously believed “colic” = tying up = won’t eat/drink = no digestive sound. Maybe 30 min after the event, we got him into a trailer & he ate heartily. Then someone explained “colic” can be used as generic term for abdominal pain.
Can anyone recommend sites dealing with “colic”, laying down, things like this. This happened over a week ago, and he seems fine but I am really paranoid now not knowing an exact cause.
Well, I hate to give you some bad news, but chances are you will never know why it happenned. It’s a rare case where a vet or anyone can point a finger at the exact cause of a colic.
“colic” is a general term that is often used vaguely. It is NOT the same a “tying up” that is a totally different and disticnt problem that cannot be mistaken for colic by anyone at all knowledgable about it. Tying up is essentially massive muscle cramping caused by electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, and a number of other things.
In general, colic is caused by some sort of digestive upset- gas, bad feed, intestinal blockage, or dehydration, to name a few. Heat stress can cause colic through dehydration- when a horse dehydrates they suck the fluids out of their gut to replenish the bloodstream- this can cause their intestinal contents to dry up somewhat and get hard, resulting in impaction.
The best way to avoid colic in the average horse is to follow basic sound management practices. Feed small meals on a regular schedule. Don’t change feeds suddenly. Make sure your horse has access to clean, fresh water 24/7, use a tank or bucket heater in winter. Feed only good, horse-quality hay. When it’s hot, make sure your horse has access to shade, as well as clean water. If working in the heat, offer water often, and consider learning about electrolytes and how to use them.
I ride 40 and 60 mile competitive trail rides, sometimes in 100 degree heat in the deep south! Learning about proper use of electrolytes, and how to monitor my horse’s vital signs for signals of distress, is invaluable to me. Even for casual riders who don’t do competitive distance, learning what is normal for your horse (gut sounds, pulse, respiration rate, hydration, etc) and being able to recognize when something isn’t right, is valuable.
Also- keep in mind that a fit horse is less likely to have heat and dehydration related colic. The fitter your horse is, the better he can cope with heat and stress and exercise. Taking a horse that gets ridden infrequently for a hard ride in the summer heat is asking for trouble. (Not saying you did this!).
Sometimes even the best-cared-for horses colic and we never know why. My competitive mare, who is in tiptop shape, and who has an ideal life in regards to preventing colic, nevertheless got an impaction colic on Thanksgiving Day! Vet’s best guess was that the odd weather (hot, then cold, then hot, then cold) we’d been having had her drinking less and she got dehydrated and impacted. I’ll never know. Fortunately the vet’s basic treatment- nasogastric tube, lots of warm water and some mineral oil- got her rehydrated and she got over it ok. But I’ll always wonder why it happenned!
I used to jump a TB gelding that was 35. He ended up having to be put down the next year, but he was still jumping crossrails and the odd 2′ vertical. He was a real sweetheart too, ground tied like no other! He’d stay where you dropped him no matter what.
And I know there are a few school horses at Watchung Stables now who are well into their 20′s or better who are still doing regular lessons. I can guarantee two at least are 30+ And they’ve been there for most of their lives. Perhaps not the best life, but they’re fed and watered and loved, so it could be worse
Humphrey, Giacopuzzi & Associates Animal Hospital is just wonderful. I think I might even have my own wing there LOL. They have taken great care of my horses from large to a dwarf mini. The dwarf spent over 30 days there and became a mascot. She would follow the techs around in the office. I am glad they were able to save your mare. I can not say enough about them or their facility. After moving I can say you do not realize what you have and how lucky you are until it is not there.
WE had a QH mare that passed away at age 33. She had all the yummies and care to keep her healthy. She was ridden (trail rides, open fun shows) up until age 30, when she started getting stiff in the knees. Someone would occasionally hop on to ride her out to close the gate (our driveway had a gate. She was wonderfull. Totally taught me how to ride with my seat and legs. With steering and control like that; who needs hands. She passed away early spring about 1998, in her cozy stall, wearing her blanket. She looked like she had layed down and went to sleep. She was buried at her favorite sun bathing spot, and has a little flat tombstone. She is dearly missed.
Funny side note: Penny had gotten sick one particulary harsh winter, and our barn wasnt completed yet. SO my mom and I cleaned out our attached garage and dragged in the rubber mats we were saving for the barn stalls. Tons of bedding later and some horsey proofing, Penny had the biggest warmest stall ever, SO she could use all her extra calories healing, and we were able to keep a close eye on her. My dad was pissed, but we couldnt leave her out in the run in shelter during all the snow storms.
She was a great grand daughter of Joe Reed. Which was a big deal I guess. We had a kook trying to buy her for their breeding program to preserve the blood line, and she had some grand idea that the reed bloodline would produce paints. BAh. No thank you. Penny was part of the family.
she was a great mare. Sadly we lost her daughter a year after Penny passed. Some jackass thought she was a deer. Dark chestnut, massive bulldog mare. Standing in the field. with other horses. eating hay. 100 yards from our front door. WTF. but that is another story.
RIP Penny and Joey
A question. My friend has two miniature horse/welsh pony crosses. They are in their mid teens, broke to ride and drive. Both get very fat very easy, but the one (Sandy) seems to have lost some muscle, especially in his hind end, even though he is a lard bucket. He also is getting a wee bit sway backed, and doesn’t shed out very fast. So far he has lost his winter hair, but this year he has only just gotten totally shiny, and the season started a month early. His buddy has been summer slick for 6 weeks already. Sandy just doesn’t seem to be nicely filled out over the whithers and hip bones anymore. He certainly isn’t ribby and his summer coat is soft and shiny.
They both had their teeth checked this spring, and are good, and both have been wormed this season. He isn’t rubbing or itching or anything… Do some horses, and ponies, just get old fast? Or is there maybe something going on?
I’m a bit puzzled by him. Also, he reacts very badly to vaccines and gets sick for a week. Does anyone do alternate year vaccinations, and if so, which ones?
have him checked for cushings…
So glad to see a happy post! This is my old quarter horse gelding, Trigger (registered name Win By Two). He has been in our family since he was three and is the horse that I learned everything on… and from. He’s not quite 30 yet, but will be 27 this year and is still going strong! He will always have a home with our family and will be pampered ’till his dying day. We retired from showing a few years back, but he still enjoys a leisurely stroll to the pond. Hope the pic link works, this is my first time posting one!
I am considering a lease or purchase next year, and since I am an adult beginner, would love to find an older schoolmaster type dressage or h/j. My riding goals are modest: a weekly lesson and homework with a few teeny crossrails or low level dressage, an easy trail ride on Sundays, schooling show a couple of times a year at my lesson barn. I see sale ads frequently for such horses in their late teens whose owners want to move up or are off to college, but I also wonder how many years I might have with a horse that age before I would need to retire him from riding. (I’m 50 myself, and have some arthritis, so I don’t know how long I have either!)
I am also large for a woman (5′ 10″, and weigh, er, a size 12), so I am wondering how long a horse in that age range could safely carry a larger person. I’m aware of the 20 to 25% formula to determine weight appropriateness, but does that change much as the horse ages? I assume a very thorough pre-purchase exam and history paying close attention to joint health will be the best longevity indicator, but am interested to hear from those of you with more experience.
5’10 and size 12 is NOT large, you know.
I would think there would be a lot of horses in their late teens plenty sound enough to teach you to jump. What part of the country are you in? Someone here may have one!
“I am also large for a woman (5′ 10″, and weigh, er, a size 12), so I am wondering how long a horse in that age range could safely carry a larger person”
What??? The only thing you’d need would be a slightly taller horse, so you don’t look misplaced with your longer legs! We should ALL have those proportions! (Or we wish we did!)
Size 12 is fairly small. At 5’10″, it’s skinny, so I don’t know what you’re worried about. Did you see that the guy with the 42 year old Arab weighs 240 (Western saddle is about 40 lbs.)? These guys gallop around being “big boned,” and no one says a thing.
As you said, the general rule is that a horse can comfortably bear 20% of its own weight, including tack.
Absolutely I’d check for arthritis or any other joint problems. Personally, I’d feel bad riding a horse with leg injuries. However, lots of horses in their teens+ DON’T have leg pain. It has to do with: how young they were started, genetics, and how hard they’ve been used.
We had to put down a 10 year old QH for congenital joint weakness. He’d only been used for 1-3 hours of level ground trail riding a day, and light showing. He was on pasture 10 hours per day, never abused, never foundered. OTOH, I’ve known 20+ year olds with no pain at all.
That pre-purchase check is paramount. Get as much of a history as you can, too.
You are not large at all!! Tall, yes, but large, no. I am a plus sized woman and constantly worry I am too big for my mare but make sure she is properly conditioned at all times for the type of riding I do. I’m hoping to lose the weight soon, but until then I am working on my balance and seat and trying to make her job as easy as possible.
Since I started riding again @ year and half ago, I have lost 30 pounds, so maybe my self-image has not caught up with reality, and I am worrying about nothing. Wouldn’t be the first time! I agree with you that a competent, balanced rider of any size is always easier on the horse; otherwise I wouldn’t spend all this $ on lessons!
Try a Morgan! They are packers, they are versatile, they are long-lived and there are some tall enough so that you would not feel that your feet are about to drag on the ground. Whereabouts are you?
I am in Southern California. I know very little about Morgans, but when I volunteered at Equine Affaire earlier this year I saw the Morgan people had a *gorgeous* mare in their breed exhibit the day I was there, and she was a big solid girl. I even took her photo (poor cell phone pic, unfortunately) in case I had a chance to talk to them, but never did. I’d be happy to learn more about them!
I will seek out some resources for you — maybe there are Morgan clubs near you. So, having said that, Southern California is a big place — can you localize yourself any more (San Diego area, Los Angeles, San Jose, etc…)?
I have located some Morgan resources for you — don’t know if the links will work as links here but you can cut and paste:
http://www.mhcsc.org/ This is the website for the Morgan horse association club for S. Cali.
A Morgan list acquaintance suggests that if you would like to meet with some Morgan peeps and met some fancy horses check out http://www.millerequestrianservices.com/shows.html — Or call up Stacy at http://rushtonstables.com/
Despite show season everyone is pretty cool about visitors.
She even says that if you would like to enjoy Morgans on the trail she would gladly let you ride her Morgans — she has great trails just out her backyard.
But, how do we get in touch privately so that I can give you the information? If anyone else knows, please tell me!
I’m bigger and shorter than you, and I’ve taken jumping lessons on oldies with no problems, so I think there are plenty of horses you can find that will work for you out there. Don’t get anything with severe leg faults or a weak loin (google Deb Bennett and her conformation books) if you’re worried about weight bearing, and spend the money for a saddle that fits. Balanced riders are easier to carry than noodle people, so really concentrate on being a balanced rider so your horse will be happy to carry you, like a properly fitted camping backpack verses a drawstring bag over one shoulder. You’ll know if a horse isn’t comfortable carrying you or doing what you ask. I’ve only been on one horse that was very opposed to me riding him, he sloshed around like a cat walking on a water mattress even at the walk – and this was a 16hh Paint halter horse that was usually used for children’s lessons, so it’s not the height that matters! – and it was very strange to ride.
Mo- 30 or so (we’re really not sure) SB gelding who we ride almost weekly through the hills and hollers of god ole Kentuck- found abandoned last April on the side of a TN hwy only a little over 600 pounds
Doc- 33 year old AQH stallion who was brought in same shape as Mo. Still carrying his kid around in his adopted home.
Yay! So glad to hear that she is doing well and pulling through! I agree though, if you handle the situation correctly, you can usually get them through. We haven’t lost one to colic either, and we have had a couple oldies.
And since we are on the topic of oldies, my “first horse” was an appy gelding that my family leased for 2 years when I was 7 to see if my case of the horse bug was temporary, or if it was really going to stick (it obviously stuck). After teaching me to ride, he went back to his family at the age of 28 and taught 2 more of their children to ride. He was then given to their 4 year old niece. Last I heard he was 36 and she was still riding him daily (and he was still as peppy as ever).
Forgot to add, lost track of him after 36 years of age… he probably lived even longer than that but I don’t know for sure.
Can anyone honestly say that they didn’t find this title the least bit amusing? “Horses Declare War on US : 4th July Parade RUINED!”
Oh wait, it gets better… “Got spooked? Unlikely. This was premeditated without a doubt. Those fucking horses had been planning this shit for years! “
OMG! It all makes sense now! Those damn horse are making an evil plan to kill us all! ROTFL! ROTFL!
Thirty year old RT (Royal Tardez) actually belongs to a young woman to whom I gave lessons when she was in middle school. When she went off to the big city, her mom had trouble finding a place that would take care of him the way he deserved, so one mid-winter they called and asked if I would haul him across the state to my place. He was underweight, and he’s just a little guy to start with, and hates being trailered, but made the trip okay and has been here ever since, livin’ the life o’ Reilly.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h8Tp8AXdL5I/TCexva7A9qI/AAAAAAAACk8/GS7dnjIGsIQ/s1600/DSC_5381.JPG
Last summer, when my grandson’s regular riding horse was a little off, RT was willing to fill in as lesson horse. Of course, where Misty is a mellow Paint, RT is a spitfire Arab. I likened it to moving up from a ’57 Chevy to a Ferrari!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h8Tp8AXdL5I/SnCs-HAzmkI/AAAAAAAABVk/nKzauLFPWE8/s1600-h/IMG_2783.JPG
Last winter his job was babysitting weanling “Jackson” who was missing his Mama in this photo!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h8Tp8AXdL5I/SxGrTpLveHI/AAAAAAAAB2E/lhLg-NLHITs/s1600/DSC_3950.JPG
He will have a place her as long as he lives. In fact, taking care of him has inspired me to consider opening up my place as a retirement boarding facility!
(FHOTD in: Blogger doesn’t let you remotely link but you can click to see the pics!)
btw, RT is out on grass pasture 24/7 with the rest of the herd in the summer–gets separated for his senior feed/vitamin mineral supplement twice a day, and is kept separate in the winter (paddock and run-in that he rarely spends time in) so he can have free choice hay (none of my tanks Paints need that!). We just added a joint supplement, as he is having a little trouble holding up his back legs for trims. Yearly tooth work is due, too, before winter. He still farts around with the rest of them, though!
One of the horses I learned to ride on was my aunt’s Appy mix gelding named Cloud. He was ridden by me and my younger cousins until a couple days before he died. (He colicked.) He was 33 and in amazing shape – fat and happy with great hooves and teeth. He was the first horse I fell off of. I was learning to ride bareback when I was about ten years old and he got sick of his comfortable little jog trot and decided to be a Dressage horse for a minute. He just trotted around the arena, showing off this beautiful extended trot for about two minutes after I fell off.
He was one in a million! Cloud is (obviously?) the white one!
While Cloud passed away in 2006, my grandma’s horse Rusty is still goin’ strong! He’s 34 years old and my grandma bought him 6 years ago. He’s my grandma’s trail horse and is being “leased” by my 7 year old cousin. I still ride him occasionally, and my 14 year old cousin learned to do flying lead changes on him. He was a Western Pleasure horse when he was younger, and then was sold and started competing and giving lessons in Hunter/Jumper until he was “retired” and my grandma bought him. Other than having a little arthritis and stiffness he’s in great shape and still has tons of energy. Here’s some pictures (and video at the end!) of him and my 7 year old cousin!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIfZ5s9L4AQ
That video is the perfect example of why the seniors are so special. CUTE CUTE video! Thanks for sharing.
Helmet: $29.95
Pink Boots: $34.95
Rusty: Worth his weight in gold!
[Love the follow the leader activity--great way for the little gal to learn control.]
Yeah!!! Happy Post!!!! Yeah!!!! Fugs that your mare survived!!!! Yeah!!!! For old horses that teach us so much!!!!
Loved the video, almost made me cry!! I have a soon to be 6 year old daughter and all she wants to do is ride our 19 year old QH mare around bareback. We have a 10 hand pony, cute as a button, but she is only 6 years old too, so my daughter needs to use a saddle for good control. Pony’s not bad, just has an opinion every once and a while. Ya gotta love these older horses.
My friend’s appy mare Turned 30 July 1st. She doesn’t look her age what so ever, aside from the fact she is a marble app and therefore she has a grey fuzz all over her, giving her the appearance of ‘old and grey’. This mare runs barrels and poles with the kids in our field, and knows every trick in the book. Several times I have gone in to fix her blanket for the night and ended up being dragged out the door and around the field. Dawn is as spry as you can get, and she is showing no signs of slowing down. She’s a little arthritic and stiff some mornings but show her a barrel and you better hold on tight. My friend owned her mother so those two have been pals since Dawn fell onto the ground. She gets no special feed, and no supplements other than her salt lick and some bute when her stifle acts up. She will be around for many more years I have no doubt.
My guy is in his early 40′s. He doesn’t technically qualify for this post as the last time he was ridden was a year ago, but he was still teaching little kids how to ride at 40+ so I think he counts
He’s still sound. The lesson program and barn he was in shut down, and so without any little kids to ride him anymore, he began real retirement. He has an ideal situation now – he lives with his girlfriend, an elderly QH mare, in a nice flat paddock with a run-in barn attached. The two share food wonderfully and gum on senior pellets all day.
Anyway, here he was two years ago with a young rider after they won a walk-trot class together
http://thumb10.webshots.net/t/63/663/9/58/30/2934958300099979390emEVMQ_th.jpg
His old best friend was a TB gelding who has passed away, but he had amazing longevity too. He was my coach’s horse, and was the ohio hunter/jumper association 2’6″ childrens hunter champion of the year when he was 30. He still went in lessons (albeit crossrails) until he was 35, and he wasn’t quiet enough for the beginners until that last year or two
He died at age 37 or 38.
dang, that was the link to the thumbnail.
Trying again:
http://image63.webshots.com/663/9/58/30/2934958300099979390emEVMQ_ph.jpg
(FHOTD in: Sorry, Webshots doesn’t like to link either, but I think clicking will work!)
I got a forbidden on that one.
Awe, all those old guys remind me of Peanut my best friend’s horse. She got him whe she was 10 and he was 12. First horse I rode bareback and first horse I fell off of- same day of course- I rode him to his only novice western pleasure blue ribbon that I thought I had lost when I couldn’t get his right lead. The judge told me later I was the only one that kept trying and didn’t just take any lope that happened. Sherry got married after a couple years of college and moved away and later when Peanut was 28 he was given to a friend of Sherry’s mom with a boy wih down syndrome. The boy had just started jr high. Peanut would stand and be brushed all day long in the summer and on school days would walk to the edge of the property and wait for the bus with him. His eyes were getting bad so he never went into the nice shade barn they built just for him anymore( SW Florida) He usually waitied until he bus pulled away then quickly walked to the shadow side of the barn out of th sun to wait till the bus came back. The year the boy was a senior he walked to the bus like usual but neighbors reported he stood in place at the fence by the road most of the day. Early in the afternoon that day he went into the barn and quietly laid down and died. Parents were stunned and sad but just had to close the doors because the bus was coming soon. Boy was told God needed Peanut in heaven for a litte boy angel and the barn was closed now because Peanut didn’t need it anymore. They took care of his buriel the next day during school and the boy was proud that his horse was the very best one picked out by God. The parents had that story planned for a while but never expected wonderful Peanut to help make it easier for them by choosing to go into the scary dark place all on his own.
What a touching story…..made me tear up a bit
A BIT?!?! I’m a wreck! Gosh, what a sweet story. Once again fellow employees will think I’m having a crisis because I’m sitting here crying behind my Reception desk. God bless Peanut and his favorite boy.
WTG on the happy ending of that nice mare’s ordeal. The horses do come first and we can survive for a few days w/o our fugly fix.
I don’t have personal experience with the oldsters except as an observer and I hate to be the fly in the ointment here, but I also hate to see such a heavy man riding the heck out of Magic. That can’t be good for her old knees or her old back. I think he should leave her to the twins.
Well I hope these turn out, I’m not sure if the are the right ext…..
Goldie is a friend’s 29 yr old mare that still enjoys trail riding with us…we met her trail riding in the coldness of winter and snow here in PA and we’ve been logging miles through the woods ever since. Goldie has alot of spunk and can canter right up with the rest of us.
here we all are crossing the lake. he underwater road keeps getting deeper until the horses have to actually swim across a 10ft span, then they pick back up the road and ascend up out of the water…Goldie’s rider is in the grey shirt.
Hi, first time poster long time lurker but I just had to respond to this post! I had a quarab mare named Gala who was riding (and jumping) sound until she suddenly had to be put down at 32 with a twisted gut. I got her when she was 20 and she was sick once and lame only twice EVER in the time I had her. Nobody believed me when I told them how old she was, she was super hot and more than a little spooky despite her age and I was once asked how my “3 year old’s” training was going by somebody who had just seen her for the first time. She spoiled me rotten and made me a quarab lover for life. She is 30 years old in the picture.
We have a pony mare who turned 43 this year (her profile has said 41 for at least 2 years, lol), she was being ridden late into her 30s and needed an experienced rider the whole time, she loves to go! She went blind two summers ago and has started going deaf, her teeth were terrible when she came to the rescue, and this summer she is starting to look old.
I’ve never owned a horse that old, but I did get the chance to know two at Days End.
One was DeeDee, a rather ornery little pony mare. Her front legs were deformed, each one made a horizontal ‘v’.. but that little mare could RUN! and boy would she, with teeth bared and neck outstretched. She was so funny to watch, and demanded respect from anything and everything that came near her.
The other was Bubba, an ancient little Shetland gelding. I think he was 47 or 48 by the time they put him down. He was the best friend to many many messed up horses over the years. He eventually got to the point where he was choking on anything he ate more or less, no matter how mushy or soupy his feed was.
They were both great little ponies who no doubt enjoyed their twilight years.. and this was after they had endured years of abuse and neglect at the hands of some jerk. It’s nice to know that good care can make such a difference even after bad care has been administered.
erm, not horizontal.. vertical AND inverted ‘v’s. Her legs kinda looked like > <
When I was 16 I bought an old cow-bred mare out of Boston Mac. A little grey 15-hand mare with a ton of heart. At the time she was 23, she’s at least 30 now if not older. Even at 21 she was a great mare with a lot of spirit and patience. She could chase cows, turn barrels or slow down and take me through a trail or western pleasure class – whatever I wanted to do. She taught me about using my seat less than hands, and about being a soft rider.
But, she was also the best lesson horse a kid could ask for. Light and responsive, but patient and very very kind. When I brought her to the barn, she was the one horse kids would scramble to ask to learn to ride on. She endured summer camp, bareback rides, trail rides and all sorts of kid games.
When I went to college, I sold her to the farm down the street for their grandkids. She’s remained at the farm since, but has changed owners. A 14 year old bought her to do pleasure and cleaned up locally, then resold her when she went to college. She’s everyone’s dream horse!
Here she is teaching my best friend to ride last year. She has the most amazing donkey ears that flop when she trots or canters, and she’s got a cute little pink spot on her muzzle. In this picture she badly needs a bath, but she’s still kicking it hard and cleaning up locally. I can’t count how many kids she’s taught to ride that I personally know.
And here she is taking my trainer’s daughter (2) around the barrels at a walk (with a spotter on her side, no worries!) at the fair this winter.
OMG she is ADORABLE!!!
I love your little mare with the floppy ears!
That’s weird. I was just watching ‘Broken Trail’ and fell totally in love with Robert Duvall’s gray with the pink muzzle spot. If you haven’t seen this mini series, you have to pick up the DVD. The horse is amazing and his face (from the front) is so much like your mare’s. Duvall said in an interview on the “Heart of a Horse” rescue site that this gelding was the the best he ever rode in a movie.
On your mare, so happy she is ok. I am SO with you on the not laying down thing…..I have vets tell me “It is ok if they lay down, just let them” and yet you will still find me walking , walking, walking or standing but NOT letting them lay down. What I tell the owners (I board some horses) is “If you want to come out and let it lie down I can’t stop you but I don’t care what your vet says I am NOT going to be the one to let it lie down and roll !!!”.
I also agree on the fluids.
Happy to hear no stones, that is always a nice thing to be told. I had my 23 year old mare Xrayed for those last year and I was lucky she had none as the man I bought her from at age 21 had her on pure alfalfa her whole life and she is an arab.
I saw that article on Magic as she is local to me (San Diego) and how great is that…..42 years old!!
My mare is only 9, but I hope she turns out to be another Magic! I want her to be around for a long, long, LONG time.
So what was it with sick horses this weekend? Friday, one of my mini’s looked like she was foundering. Wouldn’t eat and was standing in the typical stance. I gave her some Banamine and told my husband to keep an eye on her during the day as I had to go to work. I got periodic updates and she was doing better but gave her some more Banamine that night. We went to dinner and I came home and checked on the horses. My typically perky and always hungry Morgan was not. I could tell she was breathing hard and obviously did not feel well. So I took her out and walked her a bit. I gave her some Priobios in case it was a simple stomach ache. She was feeling hot, so I sponged her down. But she had no interest in anything.
In the area I am in, it had been fairly cool and then on Friday it was mid 90′s and no breeze.
So I took the hose and hosed her down. Keep in mind it was 10:30 pm at this time but it was still warm out. Walked her some more and then took her to her stall. I took off her halter, she pooped and laid down. Oh no, honey that is not happening, so I put her halter back on and brought her to the house and gave her some Banamine. Walked her some more, and then put her in her stall. She just stood there for about 5 mins and then laid down. So I sat there with her to make sure she did not roll. I sat with her for a half hour with her laying there and farting, she does tend to be a gassy mare.
I got up to leave, she got up and put her ears back at her stall neighbor and I knew she was feeling better. Both of my horses have been fine since. But Holy Cow, what a weekend!
I don’t know but Angel Acres had a colic too – I had quite a few friends who had a colic!
I don’t know where every one is but here on the east coast (mid-Atlantic) it has been so very dry and extremely hot, hot, hot! My horses are grazing on pasture that is drier than the hay they get at night. During the day is when they drink their bulk of water and don’t seem to touch it all night but it is always there for the choosing…fresh and cool. I know Angel Acres is in PA and it’s been dry and hot there where they are (my old hometown!), too.
Water! Water! Water!!!!
I read the blog Dressage Mom, and while her arab dressage horse isn’t super old (19) she does EVERYTHING to keep him going, including lots of turnout and topnotch care. What I really like about her relationship with her horse is that she does NEW THINGS with him–mounted games and even an a training session with the mounted police. Too often people get bored of their older, dead broke show horses because they lack the creativity to find new challenges.
Sheri, the blogger behind Dressage Mom, is part of the Live from Lexington blogger contest which ends tonight at midnight. Check out her posts and vote for her if you have a chance. The mounted police post includes a video of her and the horse she’s owned for nearly 15 years..so cool. She is a great horseperson and totally devoted to her older gelding. Please vote for her tonight if you like what you see! (Her Dressage Mom blog is linked off the Purina site as well, if you like her work.) Click here/a> to see her contest profile page and/or vote.
0 likes
No photos, but I was friends with a very old gentleman of a horse when I was a kid–he was a 30 year old, lovely Arab gelding who lived around the corner from me when I was 10. I don’t know how old he was when he finally passed but I was in high school, so late 30s at least. He was leading parades almost up until the very end.
I used to go to the tack store and buy liniments etc for him because I was dead certain that his owner didn’t love and pamper him enough, and he put up with me very patiently, but with a very ‘wtf?’ kind of tilt to his ears. He trotted along the fence line–’chasing trains’ we called it, because the fence ran parallel to the track–with his tail flagging and his nostrils flared like a stallion 1/3 his age.
Now I am almost 30, and I’m pretty sure I need that liniment more than he ever did!
Ugh what is going ON with horses this month? I know so many people that have had terrible deaths and illnesses in the last three weeks.
I personally lost my horse to lightning on June 21st when a band of intense electrical storms ripped through SE Wisconsin. Just terrible. One friend has lost 4 horses this year.
Oh, I’m sorry. That is such a shocking and unexpected way to lose one!
I can’t find any photos (which is sad) but my best horse wrecks (the ones with the longest adverse side effects (no broken bones but lots of scrapes and weeks of soreness) were by a pair of geldings well over 30 at the time they tried to kill me—with cause, by the way. Both kicked in the flanks while riding double.
Took me awhile to come to the conclusion riding double wasn’t so smart …
Oh that website is a lame attempt at humor. Here is a similar site that is funny.
http://www.fupenguin.com/
Ok so not quite 30 but getting close!
When we picked him up last year we were told he was ‘about 20.’ Information from people that used to ride him when he was younger led us to believe he could be older… Vet confirmed the other day (whilst doing his teeth) that he is indeed around 27 or 28.
He is a QHxTB, does NOT look his age, but is starting to get a little bit of a dippy back now. LOVES being ridden, when he’s not super excitable, I can throw complete beginners on him safely.
I took this photo about a week ago, the angle is bad I know but you can see there’s no excuse for an old horse being thin! He has patches of fat that wobble when you poke them. It’s Winter here, and he has just the one rug, but free access to a round of oaten. Wormed regularly, and fed hard feeds sporadically, I have to admit I’m pretty lucky with the old boy.
We paid just enough for him to ensure the old owners that we weren’t going to dog him. He loves a cuddle, and is very affectionate. Home with me for life this one!
Couple more piccies sorry!
Two months ago, heading into Winter-
Back in Summer, first time I’d ridden bareback since I was about 12. (Very nervous rider is me).
I just got back from a ride on my 33 year old buddy. I’ve had him since we were both 13 and he is a once in a lifetime horse. Al is the most kindhearted, trusting, generous horse who doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He is both a grumpy old man and a fun-loving, mischevious flirt. He measures and reads whomever is working with him and adjusts his level of fiestiness accordingly. He is a brave and forward horse, always a leader on the trail, and yet a cuddly personable fella who will do anything for a belly rub or a pat.
Al went through every phase with me….4H, trail riding, camping, cattle moving, ponying young horses, jumping, vaulting and everything in between. He spent many years as a lesson horse in a therapeutic riding program and brough so much joy to his riders. I retired him a few years ago from this and he became pushy…bulldozing leaders and pushing down fences. If I ride him regularly he is a perfect gentleman, if I skip a week or two he’s a crank. Nowadays we bumble around on the trails and I fuss over him, but he does love a job and a schedule. Recently we raised $800.00 for the Childrens Wish Foundation on a trail ride.
On our 20 years together I have had 1 non-routine vet bill. This horse is solid and never puts a foot wrong. He’s not the prettiest conformation-wise, but he is solid and they just don’t build them like this anymore.
Riding him is as easy as breathing for me. We’re a great team. When we ride if I even think something he responds to it…especially if it means “giddy up” because we’re both always good for a rocking gallop. Al has a monster of forward walk on the trail and most horses need to jog to keep up. there is nothing better in this world than to see him striding out htrough challanging trails, loose rein, ears perked, and him practically grinning because he’s so happy.
My vet says I won the horse lottery and he is so right, both in my horse’s longevity and health as well as what a perfect fit we are. I am so thankful for every wonderful memory I have over the past 20 years together and am building more ona daily basis.
Here is a pic from last summer.
I LOVE that picture!
Thank you! It really captures his personality.
Can I put a plug in? It was taken by a cowboy turned photographer friend of mine, we did a whole little photo shoot last summer and I literally have about 40 amazing pics from it. He works super cheap! This guy is the best around and truly loves horses and it shows! He hauls horses on the side too and is all over bc and up north, etc. So if anyone is thinking of getting some great shots ill pas along his name.
First off, amazing story (that made me well up a little;) and amazing photo to boot. Secondly, if you’re talking about Kevin, I couldn’t agree more. He is awesome, and such a safe and careful hauler as well!
Thank you! It really captures his personality.
Can I put a plug in? It was taken by a cowboy turned photographer friend of mine, we did a whole little photo shoot last summer and I literally have about 40 amazing pics from it. He works super cheap! This guy is the best around and truly loves horses and it shows! He hauls horses on the side too and is all over bc and up north, etc. So if anyone is thinking of getting some great shots ill pass along his name.
Here is a pic of my old man…He is 30+ My dad says I add a year every time I say how old he is. He has a tattoo but it has not been legible the entire time I have owned him. Bought him off an horse trader when he was 13ish he has been everywhere with me including sleeping in the middle of the 4-H halter ring (the bum). He was a roping horse when I bought him, used him on barrels, a turn back horse at the ropings I worked, trails, rides for the neighbor kids or anyone needing a safe mount (although he did grab the bit and run off with my husband), baby sat weanlings, and taught yearlings manners. He currently is alone in pasture as his pasture mate died a few years ago. He has always been a lean guy gets Purina Senior feed + a loose grain 14 % sweet feed (enough to get him to eat the pelleted food) and free choice bermuda hay ( I am deathly allergic to Alfalfa but I think we will be adding alfalfa pellets this winter). No supplements, and teeth are still good. He is no longer ride-able due to an old hip injury (prior to my owning him) which caused the muscle to atrophy. He shared his barn (in the adjoining run in stall) with two yearling angus bulls this past winter and tried to bite them every chance he got. He has constant pasture access. This pic is of him the day I attempted to bring pasture mate for him, a mare … He forgot he was gelded and tried to breed her (pics are of his bad side – atrophied hip)… He had been pastured with mares many times before without a problem but I guess she was just too alluring so she went back and he got his brain back. I hope the images come through.
I hate to burst the bubble here BUT:
Mr. Manns was contacted for the mare’s registered name as some folks on a forum were interested in her bloodlines. Mr. Manns gave the mare’s registered name as BINT SUTEZA.
Per Arabdatasource.com, the mare BINT SUTEZA is a GREY mare whose markings include NO LEG WHITE, a FAINT star, a strip, a snip and LOWER LIP WHITE.
In addition, one of BINT SUTEZA’S 6 foals is a GREY gelding by a NON-GREY (Bay) stallion named RAINPOOL TORO. For this to happen, the mare, BINT SUTEZA had to, definitively, be GREY.
So, either someone sold Mr. Manns a hokey bill of goods along with the mare, perhaps giving him the papers to a deceased mare they once had, hoping he wouldn’t notice…
OR
Mr. Manns knows full well that this mare is NOT Bint Suteza (which would explain why he never transferred the mare into his name…something he was quick to mention to the person inquiring about the mare.) and he’s trying to pull a fast one and get his 15 minutes of fame.
Either way…this mare is NOT Bint Suteza as Mr. Manns claims and it is Bint Suteza, foaled 15 June 1969, who would be *40* (not 42 as claimed)….not the mare pictured in the article and known as “Magic”.
I have the screen captures from Arabdatasource.com for those who require evidence, as well as the screen capture from the forum where the information on the mare’s registered name was given.
Sorry…meant to say the mare would have been 41 in June rather than 42. I was born in 1969 myself, so Bint Suteza would have only been a few months older than me…and I’m 40 turning 41 in a few months.
Hey, good detective work.
a friend of mine gets retired polo ponies (your favorite!) and makes them into jousting steeds at the Ren Faire and they LOVE it. Last summer his first and oldest passed away at 38 years old working till the end. The horses would get so psyched up to make the passes.
I bet they would love that!
So many great stories and pictures! I had quite the opposite happen to me and a friend of mine. I scouted and found her the perfect horse for her daughter who was advertised as being 10 years old. We went to look at him and both of us thpought he was upwards of 15-20. He looked very old! My friend didn’t care and took him anyway. During a visit from the vet my friend asked the vet how old she tought the horse was and the vet said the horse is 10 years old, but has lived a very hard life. My friend has put a bunch of weight on him and he packs her daughter around beautifully. He is all business when tacked up and knows his job. The best we could find is that he worked on a trail string for quite a few years and then they retired him. He has had some swelling in his legs, but has been manageable so far. If necessary my friend will get him on a joint supplement. I think he has had a hard life but he has an awesome home now with people who love him and in no time he’ll be back to the way he should be.
Well. I ride a senior member of the equine community. She’s not 30, but she is 24, an ex-racehorse (Arabian, and she was really only trained and tatooed, not raced professionally), missing her left eye (melanoma/ulcer thing…this was before I met her so I don’t know the details), has hock issues (injected when needed, she’s owned by a vet), has broken at least 2 of her splint bones over the past 10 years, was diagnosed with a permanent heart murmur last year, had colic surgery a year and a half ago at age 23, and has competed 3000 miles in competitive trail over the years.
She also happens to be the last horse that dumped me (nearly into a tree, I might add), the last horse to dump my friend, and the horse that makes her owner laugh the most. She still has the soul of a racehorse. She runs away with you and is reluctant to stop (hence how I fell off…I was also riding bareback in a halter at the time. Not one of my smartest moments) though she does remember her manners. She looks about 12, she acts about 4, and is one of the best horses I’ve ridden because she’s still a challenge.
I have a 30yr old arabian gelding,Hurrasafar. My mom bought him when he was 4yr old & she gave him to me when he was 22yrs. I have his registration papers so I know his birth date. I ride in Poker rides every year & he has no problems keeping up! In fact last year he out walked my 2 friend’s horses at the poker ride. They were half his age! He is a great horse & still has plenty of spirit. He is great with my kids and pretty much bomb proof. He eats Alfalfa & always has even though everyone swears it will ruin his kidneys. I tried to change him over to different types of hay but he’s pretty set in his ways & it just caused him to lose weight. He also gets Remission ,rice bran,oil and a joint supplement added to his senior feed. he is in a small pasture with a run-in shed. He has horsey friends on either side but seperated by fencing. He loves to get ridden,he gets really excited & will actually load himself into the trailer. For the last few years he has been barefoot & I use boots & his feet have never looked better! (Thanks to my trimmer Tami
) Here’s hoping I get another 10 years at least!
So what’s that overweight wanna-be cowboy in his honkin’ big saddle think is impressive about riding shit out of a 42 year old arab? The only thing impressive is the heart on that little horse and her only reward is more abuse. The safe carry weight for a horse is 20% of its own healthy body weight – the way I see it is she’s carrying at least 100 pounds too much. So thats my rant – and I do know what I’m talking about – I have owned, showed, trained and trail-ridden horses for 45 years.
At present my sound, active, happy arab is 34 years old and has given me 25 years of service. He is semi-retired now as I have a thoroughbred who takes most of my time and the lady who used to lease old Harry sadly died this spring (she was 73). Harry has worn out his teeth and is insulin resistant – he stays fat on beet pulp, low-carb pellets, rice bran and alfalfa cubes (all soaked in water of course). His supplements are vitamins, probiotics and chaste-tree berry (For the insulin resistance). His paddock is attatched to his stall and he is rarely locked in – just winter nights when things are really nasty. Otherwise he has winter and spring blankets as needed. I have enough pasture to turn my horses out for 2-6 hours a day depending on grass condition – and how fat they are. Harry has always been healthy and I am hoping he’ll be around for a good long time!
I don’t have any picture unfortunately, but I do know a few 30+ year olds that were ridden and happy to do so.
Most memorable was 40+ years old. A little POA pony that is a trail leader in Cooks Forest, PA. She was fat, sassy, and happy. The girl asked me how old I thought she was and I said in her 20′s. I was pleasantly shocked to hear the truth.
My mother in law had an appy and a POA that were ridden into their 30′s until blindness took one and arthritis took the other. The Appy mare went blind over the course of a year and wouldn’t move from one spot. She got scared when everyone left her and it was too hard to watch. The POA gelding got to the point where supplements were’nt working. They passed through intervention at 34 and 36 (I believe).
I seem to collect Sr horses, love them and enjoy caring for them. My oldest at this time is Trademark, a 32 year old registered Morgan gelding. He works in my lesson program and enjoys hunter paces. He still attacks every jump we come to! He is a strong, aggressive horse to ride on the trail and a really fun ride! He is being fed 3 lb. of Nutrena Senior with 2 flakes of grass hay twic a day, pasture turnout all day and in a stall at night. He is on no supplements, no shoes, no special care at all and looks gorgeous!
I don’t have any pictures of my mare, but I had a 36-38 year old Arab mare, Farr, who taught me how to ride a diva. I was told she was 18 when we purchased her and thought she had a ton of spunk then, only to find out by reading part of her freeze brand that she was in her mid-20′s! I never got her papers, but she did everything with me! We rode trails all over North Florida, showed English & Western, puttered in Dressage, Hunter O/F, and speed events! The last time I rode her was 4 years ago- she’d gotten “up in arms” over the fact that we were giving pony rides on other horses, but nobody was paying attention to her, so I got on her bareback with a halter and lead like I’d done before. My then in her 30′s mare TOOK OFF and ran away with me- I bailed when she wanted to jump a log in her pasture- and proceeded to give us a fine demo of her floating trot for the next hour as I tried to catch her. She was just upset that she wasn’t getting attention. My younger sisters (3, 7, & 9) learned to ride on Farr up until September 2009. She was PTS October 15, 2009 when my husband’s hours were cut at work and we couldn’t afford to keep her over the winter. I still feel horrible about it, because she was just starting to get arthritic, and other than being a hard keeper, there wasn’t a thing wrong with her. Please, before you bash, all the rescues in my area were full, and anyone else I would have trusted her with was in the same financial position we were in. She needed extreme detail to her feed prep, like any true diva- She ate an extruded feed (but you had to mix some sweet feed in or she wouldn’t eat it)-wet down and stirred with beet pulp that was wet, but NOT SOGGY (very important to her), and alfalfa cubes that were “al dente”, of she wouldn’t touch it! My mom used to watch me mix Farr’s feed and joke that even Mariah Carey wasn’t that picky!
I miss my beautiful lady every day, and I hope to rescue an older mare later in her memory! She was truly my “heart horse”.
*OR she wouldn’t touch it. Sorry I got a tad teary and apparently couldn’t spell!
I don’t think anyone will bash you for doing the right thing — you ended her life lovingly and before she could suffer. What better alternative could there possibly have been under the circumstances? I am sure it hurt very much, though.
I don’t have any senior citizens of my own, but the barn I’ve been taking lessons at for years has a few lesson horse oldies! Shadow died at the age of 46 (!!!) and we still have Folklore (34) and Murray (36). Folklore still teaches up to 18″ – 2′ lessons, and Murray can still do horse strides at 2’6″. Susan, the barn owner firmly believes that it’s keeping them working that helps them last so long. They’re in great shape for their age and happy as clams. Susan’s theory is that it’s the muscles that help hold the bones together, so keep those muscles in shape! I don’t know what they’re fed, some sort of sweet feed, but they’re great horses.
This is a picture of Murray from last year:
(sorry it’s a facebook picture! I never rode him much, this is another girl on him)
And Murray in his “prime”:
I couldn’t find any pictures of Folky. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true!
Bennie is 31 years old and still going strong. He has been on many trail rides and in several parades. He is ridden by my 17 year old granddaughter. Very bombproof. 16.2HH, has no back teeth and suffers from choke. he gets soaked senior, bran, beet pulp, 3 times a day and eats the chaffe out of alfafa hay. still sound and full of life.