Opinions on taking an older rope horse and putting it on the barrels?  She is 13 years old, rides out nice and sound.  My friend needs to move her due to a personal situation and I don't rope and not interested in breeding her but do like the horse.

My little horse who i got almost 4 years ago when he was around 13 (grade) just won me the 4d saddle at a local club last year. And then finals a few weeks ago he ran his fastest time in that pen and put me 3 holes out of 3d money.  Hed never seen barrels before i got him, didnt even know his leads and picking up the right one was a hard time. Really dont think it matters how old they are.

Absolutely.  Rope horses generally know how to collect and get under themselves and they're used to the sights and sounds of the arenas.  13 is a wonderful age for a horse if they're sound and conformationally correct for barrel racing.

13 is definitely not too old. My husbands rope gelding is 21 and he will run barrels, poles, whatever you ask him to do. I say go for it.

my barrel horse is my husbands, steer roping horse.... rope horses usually make the best... as Frodo says, they know how to collect, and they

usualyy have a handle on them.... Our house our horses have to be all things, so if they can't go out to the pasture to gather,  rope something that may need dr.

sort cattle, they don't stay long.  They are just not a barrel horse at the house. 

Their usually stiff and because they're trained to keep their shoulders up you might have luck with a roll back style when you start working the barrels.

I got bored going round in slow circles as a teenager and turned my 16yo pleasure mare into a barrel horse. Mostly because neither me, nor my parents could afford a barrel horse at the time. 

She was a killer 4D horse and was 3D in smaller arenas.  She wasn't overly fast, but could rim a barrel like saran wrap.  Super sensitive and easy to run. Point and kick. She ran until she was 26.  

I’m presently starting  my 15 year old former reining mare on barrels. She’s fat, sassy and sound so why not. I will likely give her legend periodically through the season to help her. 

Wow thanks for the responses.  I appreciate it.

Go for it! I’ve started several older ones.

I think a horse can NEVER be to old to learn barrels or anything else, as long as they are sound, healthy and got a good brain and broke they should be good to go. A older horse is always willing to learn something new.