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Question:
My horse is getting older. I don’t know how much I can continue to
ride him or if I should stop riding him. He doesn’t have any health
problems but I don’t want to injure him.
Answer:
At this time, like the medical care for humans that extends our
lives and allows us to remain active as we get older, the same is
true for horses. If you keep a horse in good physical shape by
riding two or three times a week, provide good nutrition, and be
consistent with worming to keep the digestive system in good shape,
an older horse should continue to have a comfortable and active
life. Correct shoeing and chiropractic care as needed are
important. And, for an older horse, dental care is really
important. To have adequate nutrition, a horse needs to be able to
grind up his food for absorption. I don’t retire a horse until a
veterinarian tells me there is something physically wrong with the
horse. The first horse I ever rode was a very active 33-year old
Army horse who ran away with me. That was over 50 years ago when we
did not have the level of medical, chiropractic and dental care that
we have today.
One of the most
important ways in which we can extend the life and health of our
horse is proper exercise and riding. My horse Tennison is 22 and he
looks like a 7-year old. He still has a nice looking top line, he
has only dropped slightly in the back which is normal and he still
has lovely muscle tone in his shoulders and hind quarters. Because
of his age, I recently had his hocks injected for the first time.
He is now feeling even better and is more active. The second
picture is of Duca, a 24-year old Paso Fino. He is ridden three to
four times a week. He does arena work and goes up the steep trail
to the rim of the canyon above the ranch. With proper care and
proper riding his muscle tone and top line have remained good.
With proper
care we can keep our horses sound for a long time. I’m 65 and when
people ask me why I don’t retire my response is, “Why, so that I can
get fat and lazy?” When we don’t stay active, we gain weight and
the quality of life goes down. I am still riding eight to twelve
horses each day and my days are ten to twelve hours long. I take
care of myself and stay fit and healthy and we can do the same for
our horses.
It bothers me
when someone says they have to retire their horse. As a horse gets
older you can’t use him as strenuously. You can’t go on 100 mile
rides but you can certainly go on a nice trail ride and work your
horse enough to break a sweat. An older horse, in good health, can
go on a 25-mile ride without a problem as long as you have
maintained his conditioning. If you let him go until he is out of
shape and falling apart and then you go on a 25-mile ride, you are
going to damage him. With proper care and exercise our horses can
have long, healthy enjoyable lives.
Charles Wilhelm
It’s Never Ever the Horse’s Fault
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