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Wildland Acres · Jan 16, 2022 12:53 PM

Hi, so I have been working on painting breyer stablemates to look like the horses from the novel I have been writing. There is one that the right model for it could be driving soon and I am so excited, though I need to do the math but I think the age that certain characters were stated to be when he was a foal places him in somewhere in the late teens or possable as old as 25 at the oldest. Now I am struggling over is it feasible that this horse is still a battlement at this time, like I should be retiring him before the next book where his rider is in battle, but for the sake of this custom job, he is still feeling young enough that he can be ridden in war situations, but he definitely has a few... experience levels under his belt. Would it be appropriate to put a few silver hairs on his muzzle and by his eyes, or is that usually an indication that they are physically slowing down to the point where a horse that shows those should be retired?

MakeMeABird · Jan 16, 2022 5:55 PM

I rode a healthy and hardy top notch dressage boy that was 23yr old. What we call a school master. You wouldn't know his age by the way he moved. He had little grey around his eyes but that was it. Mo-Mo is 27yr now and still giving lessons to little girls. In his younger days he was competing at high levels of jumping and dressage. So he was really used, kinda like old war horse. You can probably find old videos on YouTube under Momentum Mo but I'm not sure.
My friend has an old guy that's 33yrs. She was light trail riding him into his late 20s.
I also rode a mustang when I was a kid that was 20 something and completely blind. First time riding him. I thought he just gonna easy walk around. It be nice relaxing walk....NOPE. Little turd toke off at a full gallop. He was ready to rock and show me a lesson that day. Good old boy he was. My love mustang came form him. You could throw him off a mountain and I swear he would think nothing of it. Tough as nails.
I say it really up to the horse when it's time to retire. Kinda like people. Some people work up till the day they die because they loved working. I honestly don't think it's abuse or wrong as long you follow what the horse is telling you. Kinda like my horse Buzz who had been completely retired by 15yrs. He told me his body couldn't do anything but be a pasture bum. That was ok. Just like it was ok to let Mo-Mo to give lessons to little girls still. Hope that's helps.

Wildland Acres · Jan 16, 2022 6:53 PM

Wow. Thanks! So I am not being bad to fake horses and that can realistically happen. Thanks. And I will be trying to look up Mo for sure! hat mustang sounds amazing. Like to gallop blind??? He must have had a really good sense of senlf, place and trust in you... lake wow! Thanks!

BlaxkDiamond · Jan 16, 2022 8:00 PM

I agree it depends on the horse, as well as the breed. Some horses just break down quickly, I know a 12 year old horse and he is a gem but already has arthritis and bad teeth. He is a horse I would trust to ride pregnant, or as a first horse for a small child. Worth his weight in gold, but I honestly don’t think he will make 20.

On the other hand my family has a decent herd or ranch horses that the only time they ever get ridden, they are ridden hard. I mean flat gallop down a steep slope, split second stops, turn off at a gallop in a different direction, all over ground that’s dangerous. Then they go and pull calves to the branding fire all day. They are just starting to retire one horse and I’d guess he’s in his 20-15s, they are saving his strength now for the branding pen, but physically other than being slower and tiring faster he is still sound. I honestly think if they worked to keep him in shape instead of leaving him out to pasture until they need him; he would still be physically able to do a all day job. But if they did that maybe he wouldn’t be as sound as he is now. I honestly don’t know. He also isn’t the first horse they have used hard to his age.

The breeder of my mare is adamant it has to do with bloodlines. Because all of the horses she has gotten with quarter horse blood have either went lame or died really quickly. The top gelding is an example of her luck with them. But her Welsh ponies and Morgans have never had issues, and keep going despite age. Her personal mare is probably 30 and she is still mostly sound.

Windigo · Jan 16, 2022 9:53 PM

I rode and competed on my (then)30 year old mare in 2013. She loved it, she wanted to do it, and she was so dang consistent that we were in the top 3 for year end awards in all three of our events. Those events were speed events, Barrels, pole bending, and goat tying. She was older than me and had been in my family since before I was born. My sister broke her as a 2 year old, and was competing and pulling checks on her at 3. She won more money/trophies/saddles/jackpots/awards than pretty much all my other horses combined. We kept her in shape year round because she hated not having a job or something to do. She did slow down in her mid 20s, but was such a consistent runner. she never hit a barrel or pole, never blew past anything. You could count on her to keep you in the top 5 average for playday series, all you had to do was show up and hang on. Not too shabby for a pigeon toed, half QH half something gaited, barely 14 hands and nearly just as wide mare with too much sassitude.
The older she got I just let her choose her pace, I never pushed her for more. She never saw a whip or spur from me the whole time I had her, cause honestly, she would quit on you or chunk you if you even dared. There was no need anyhow, she left everything on the arena ground. Arthritis didn't bother her til towards the end of her last playday series, when she was 30. I retired her then, cause no matter how she loved to compete, it was time. The only reason I did the last few years was for her and her alone. She was so eager to go I couldn't leave her behind. But when she started getting sore I knew.
It definitely just depends on the horse. She was one of a kind for me, but my son's 27 year old mare is still healthy and happy and totes him all over the place willingly, even with hardly any teeth. She's a chonk and gets by on soaked alfalfa and mashes, rotten brat lol. She can't do regular hay but does well with fresh grass, so we plant winter rye for her every fall.

Ktarpey · Jan 17, 2022 11:02 AM

My family had a part Arabian mare that we rode until she was about 30. It was just pleasure riding around trails and pasture, but she certainly kicked up her heels and did her share of galloping in the pasture when she was feeling her oats. She had no back teeth so she got grain mash with lots of supplements. She lived to be 42. If you want you could add into your story that whoever is riding this horse babies him with special feed, to explain why he's still doing so well at an older age. :)

I had to sell my own gelding, unfortunately, but he was starting to gray around the eyes and muzzle at around 28 years or so, I think. He was still being ridden frequently by the young lady whose family bought him from me, I think she even did some roping on him. He passed a couple of years back, probably around 30 years or so. :(

whywishesarehorses · Jan 17, 2022 3:50 PM

My first horse has lived to be 37! I got him in his early 20s, expecting a few years worth of kid's horse, and he way outshone expectations! He went grey around the eyes early, but besides some arthritis in his shoulder, he's holding up well. He's a pasture puff who eats the best senior feed with another oldie where they can keep each other company.
I second what Ktarpey said about mentioning some babying!

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