HI Spy: Share Your Senior Horse Stories

Older horses have a great deal to offer. Tell us how an equine senior citizen has enhanced your life in the saddle.

By Cindy Hale | 27-Aug-09

Senior horse Look into the eyes of a young horse and you’ll probably notice a bright, curious expression. Greenies have so much to learn about life and they have no idea of what awaits them. When you look into the eyes of an aged, older horse, however, their wisdom is apparent. Equine senior citizens have seen a great deal. Some spent a stint on the racetrack. Others have resumes that include decades on the show circuit or multiple seasons working tirelessly on a ranch. These life experiences make an older horse valuable. They have years of training, an asset to novice or nervous riders. Yet even equestrians with advanced riding skills appreciate an older horse. Sometimes it’s wonderful to hop on and simply enjoy a pleasant ride on a finely schooled horse.

Older horses have other endearing qualities. They tend to have well-developed personalities that make them memorable characters. Their quirky mannerisms can make them the favorite of the stable. Though they might be a little bit creaky in their joints they still have a spring in their step when it’s time to go for a ride, head for a turnout or dunk their muzzle into a bucket of carrots.

Most horse lovers have enjoyed at least one relationship with a senior horse. For this installment of HI Spy we want to know the important role an older horse has played in your life. Did you take lessons on a show ring veteran who found a second career as a school horse? Was your first horse an elderly equine that patiently introduced you to the world of horses? Do you recall a gentle old soul who gave you back your confidence? Is your lifelong four-legged partner enjoying his or her golden years in your care? Share your favorite story that will let everyone know the benefits of being friends with an older horse. Just click Submit a Comment below. Some of the responses may appear in Horse Illustrated.

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Reader Comments

andrea new holland, PA

8/13/2012 9:50:47 AM

Acorn, my horse of 5 years, is 17 years old. He has taught me many things.
1. don't let a horse know you're scared.
2. get on again after you fall.
3. don't chase a horse to catch him; it will. not. work.
4.perseverance is a virtue.

He might be a 36" high mini, but he is my horse and I love him.

Marie Brentwood, CA

8/7/2012 3:27:46 PM

My 23 year old Quarter Horse gelding is a dream come true. Any training you could imagine, he knows it. Anything you ask of him he does it. He has changed my life forever. Whenever I feel like breaking down and crying he's there. The smoothest bareback lope you'll ever feel. He's the total package and he's all mine. I wouldn't trade him for the prettiest black stallion alive.

Jozie *********, WI

4/8/2012 8:02:28 PM

Chief, my 21-year-old Quarter Horse gelding is the best old boy I could ask for. He's great with his little brother, 5-year-old half-Mustang gelding, Lakota. Chief helps me a lot with my confidence, and hopefully this summer, him and I can canter more with my best friend and her Arabian mare. He helps me with more than my confidence, but he is my confidant, my savior, my love, my life. I love him so much, and after he goes, and then far down the road I do to, I'll go up to Heaven and search for him, Lakota, and Cheyenne, my late Kentucky Mountain mare.

Erika Eckstrom Burdett, NY

3/1/2012 3:52:51 PM

Before Pretty (aka. Sock It To You) and Bubba came to me, they lived together in the same stall, same paddock, and went on the same trail rides for 10 years. Pretty had lost vision in her right eye midway through as a result of leptosporosis. While Pretty relied on Bubs for her right-sided vision. Bubs relied on Pretty for confidence and companionship.

Midway through their second summer here, Bubba died, tragically. Horses usually mourn, but not the way Pretty has ever since. My fast but reliable horse no longer would lead trail rides. She would get nervous more often, even buck and rear if being pushed.

In other words: Pretty started acting like a half-blind horse.

I wonder if she would act this way if the relationship she had with Bubba hadn't been so special due to her blindness. And I wonder if she would be the way she is if she weren't blind.

Now, a couple years later, she is completely blind. I wouldn't trade her for the world and she has been my trail guiding horse despite her blindness and despite the fact that I have many other horses that could replace her.

She now lives with my stallion, Sierras All The Gold - APHA Stallion, and she has truly found a new mate in Sierra. When Bubba died I truly worried about her. I'm so glad she paired off and can live protected in her paddock as a pair.

I'm also so glad that because she is infertile, she keeps the stallion company; meaning she keeps him calm, happy, contented and disciplined. This has given her worth to the stable beyond a riding horse and as a result she is guaranteed a space in the barn. For this I am also thankful for because I never want to have to make the tough decision to re-home her in particular.