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| Looking for personal experience. Anyone ever started one that old? Halter broke and leads that's about all. Good idea to start or just turn into a broodmare? |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
 
Location: Cocoa, Florida | I just broke and patterned a 10 year old mare.... question is, why is the horse not broke yet? Did someone just turn it out and forget about it or does it have issues? I'd rather have an older one that hasn't been messed with yet personally! It's never to late to start one |
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| An older gentlemen has her, health and finances caused him to just turn her out along with 30 heads, his plan was to race her which didn't happen. The one thing i like about besides her temperament and conformation, is her pedigree, she has truckle feature, fly laico bird, partnership, miss olene, go rebel go all on her paper's with no dash for cash blood, so that makes an awesome outcross down the line. I'm hoping to get her doing something before she's bred. |
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Member
Posts: 47
| Yep.. she belonged to my neighbour who bred the dam just to have a baby and never did anything with her except halter broke and led. Ended up starting her at 7. It can be done but when they're that old they already have their own "habits" instilled... ie have enjoyed the good life and might not appreciate the new working lifestyle  I found she took more time and patience then a baby.. don't bother muscling them around. Definitely doable, just might take a little extra time thats all. Personally Id rather ride something before breeding it, just in case there was a screw loose somewhere Id rather not have an equally nutty baby.
A girl I ride with commented that the mare would turn out better since nobody had done anything with her to mess with her joints, since she was 7 everything *should* have fused completely. Turns out at 14 she's starting to get really stiff in her hocks, with some arthritic changes (she's pretty post legged and that probably didn't help)... My gelding who was started at 2 and left till 4 has less problems joint wise than her. Just an interesting fact I thought I'd mention since everybody is always debating the merits/downside of starting older 
Edited by Tundra 2017-01-03 11:39 PM
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I bought one several years ago that was broke as a 6 year old, had about 4-5 months under saddle when I got him. He made a nice horse. Barrels wasn't really his thing and he had no desire to run even though he was royally bred for barrels, but he ended up being super fun to ride, great work ethic, and absolutely would not quit you. I sold him as an old lady horse. His next owner trail rode him all over the US, and won some 4d and 5d stuff on him. She sold him last year, he has ended up with a disabled owner, and is apparently a rock star for what she needs.
I bought a green 10 year old last summer that's making a really nice horse. My daughter has her eye on him... I've had several horses that were green broke and mature that made good ones, but they were all started as babies, just didn't get ridden consistently until I got them. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | I bought a 7 year old paint mare that was "green" broke a long time ago. To be fair, I was still relatively young, and while I had been riding horses my whole life I was still new to the whole training aspect of it. She was also double bred Skipper W, and I have been told (now) that those horses either like you, or they don't.
Anyhow, I didn't have her long. She was fine doing slow work, but anytime you asked her for more than that, she had a habit of breaking into a buck. She would jump three times, and if you weren't off when she landed on that third buck she'd spin and take off running. Well, I got a pretty nasty concussion. Got stepped on in three places, kicked in the head and knocked out cold. Needless to say after that I sold her cheap with a disclaimer and decided to leave training those unbroke horses to the pro's lol
I'd know people who have started older horses and have done wonderful, I would just say make sure you know what your doing, and if you don't, to get some help. And make sure you like the horse ;)
Edited by DashNDustem 2017-01-06 1:34 PM
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Never Named
Posts: 1837
Location: Southern Alabama | I recently bought a 5 year old mare. She has really done nothing her whole life, but, be a pretty pasture ornament. She's a nice looking grulla roan mare. I have started a few that were older. It takes more time, that is for sure. |
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Regular
Posts: 59
| My little mare wasn't started until she was 6 and I bought her when she was 8. She turned out to be super fun! |
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Expert
Posts: 1432
| We've started some that were 6 and older. Got along fine with them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I've started some older ones and its not necessarily slower, you just have to be a bit more careful. With a baby you can *sometimes* get away with making mistakes and ironing them out later, but an adult horse with an adult mind I feel like you have to do right by them the first time around because what you teach really sticks with them. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | picked up a 7 year old. After watching her buck with the saddle for the very first time. I figured I should take my time and make a big impression on her. After 15 rides on her hauled up the mountain and rode through timbers water and mud like a pro for 6 hours without any bobbles. fun horse. |
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| My Husband and I Also have pulling horses so besides the barrel horses we have half a dozen percherons kicking around. 2 years ago we bought 2 percheron mares that were 6 and had done nothing but have a colt or 2 they had never had a stocking stuffer them we had to chase them into the trailer like cattle. These two mares have turned out to be the best 2 horses we have. In 10 months they went from feeder cattle to doing parades, farm teams competeions, plowing and have never been worse then 3rd in the pulling ring. Just goes to show that sometimes they just need a chance |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| 3 yrs ago bought an unbroke 6 yr old. 16H and built like a freight train. Started him on ground, had a cowpuncher ride him for 2 weeks on his ranch. Brought him home and he is the best! His disposition and character is kind, gentle and sweet. He does still sometimes get "mad" when you over train. Have to know when to quit. I attribute his tude to his sire side bc I have another by same sire and he can get ****y too like that. He's 9 this year and will enter his first barrel race soon. Would have been sooner but I've had a pretty eventful personal life over the last 20 months. I'm super excited bc he is a turner! |
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