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 No Fear
Posts: 5089
 
Location: TN | How many of you compete on much older horses? What ages, competition level, conditioning and maintenance? Thanks.... |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| We just retired my daughters horse this summer at 28. He was still running 3D (at BBR Finals) and winning at the youth rodeos. Required very little maintenance, as his hocks were fused. Just senior feed and chopped alfalfa hay. Also gave injectable glucosamine. Awesome horse, worth his weight in Gold! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I love older horses. I have no issues buying something in the early 20's for our clients provided they are still sound and priced accordingly.
I expect maintenance on anything older then 12 so I just count it as routine. I put them on IM glucosamine, and I make sure to keep them in shape. The only thing I check more often on our older horses are their teeth. I want to make sure they are able to chew correctly and I put them on probiotics for good gut health.
I think those older horses are worth their weight in gold.
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| I ran a 20 year old last summer and she won 3 barrel races. She runs locally at the top of the 1D and sometimes 2D. She's still fat and sassy and I plan to pick good ground races next summer and continue to run her as long as she's doing good and feels good. Maintenance she gets MSM daily, good prairie hay, senior feed, and Platinum.
Edited by newracer 2014-12-28 8:23 PM
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No Fear
Posts: 5089
Location: TN | Thanks for the replies.....I was just curious if any were being hauled hard successfully.... |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I have continued hauling my 21 year old on a limited basis the last couple years. He used to have a horrible gate issue and he's had some breathing troubles so I run him on Ventipulmin and try to limit him to 3-4 runs per month and less than 30 total for the year. Joker gets a lot of time off but no major maintenance. We did inject his hocks in June, and I feed him SmartFlex Senior Pellets & SmartBreathe Pellets plus use Flair Strips, Air Power and Clearex ointment for every run. I keep him turned out 24/7, don't blanket him, leave him barefoot and basically just let him do whatever he wants. I pony him for exercise probably 90% of the time because he likes to run off and buck! LOL. I do try to not let him get completely out of shape because it takes a while to leg him back up and it's much easier to work him at least once every 10 days so I don't have to spend 2-3 months getting him back in competition shape.
He made 26 runs this year and I'm hoping I can run him about that much next year too. 3 runs were 1D times, 12 were 2D, 7 were in the 3D and he clocked in the 4D the other 3 runs including hitting a barrel at Bonus Race Finals. This is his run from today, our last NBHA district show of the year. He was about 10th in the 3D but got 2nd or 3rd place 2D points for our district because a non-district member smoked everyone by 3/10ths. http://youtu.be/1oO2kPh1sQw?list=UU3h0VmyuYbqBRUor4JBQVlA |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | We had a calf roping horse that was 25 and carrying guys to the short go at Pendleton. I ran barrels on him from 19-20. We sold him to a kid that would breakaway on him. He finally slowed down and died at 31. Poor 12 year old kid had to make the decision it put him down because he didn't have any energy to go out in the field and he LOVED that. I'm just glad I didn't have to make that decision. :(
if you keep riding them when they are old, they'll keep going. You just have to keep them in shape.
ETA: Adequan did wonders for this horse. He was 25 and acting like a 6 year old.
Edited by hammer_time 2014-12-28 11:11 PM
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| bracer41 - 2014-12-28 9:00 PM Thanks for the replies.....I was just curious if any were being hauled hard successfully....
Mine will be 21 and I think I will pick and choose where I take her. Last summer I went to 2 rodeos a week on her for a while but I don't think I will do that this year. She's a great mare and deserves a break. She gives 100% each run. |
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  Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Blondes Gone Wild showed me a horse she bought and is competing on at 20 and I was impressed! |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | We had a cutting horse (Mr Hickory Pep), that my youngest daughter won the High School National Finals on in 1998. We lost him this year at 31, but when he was 27 my wife legged him up and took him to Ft Klamath for the NCHA show and won the Non-Pro on him with a 74. I would not have wanted to campaign him at that age, but man, did that horse love to work a cow. Understanding and managing their over health program has given these horses many more useful years today than we got out of them twenty years ago. I am not afraid of working with horses in their 20's if they have been managed properly. |
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No Fear
Posts: 5089
Location: TN | I love seeing the older horses still being successful....nice video of Joker.... |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Our friends 22yo mare ran a 17.1 or .2 on a standard pattern this year. |
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Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | bracer41 - 2014-12-29 8:32 PM I love seeing the older horses still being successful....nice video of Joker....
Thank you. He's not a 1D horse anymore and never was really a true 1D horse but he's had a great career and doesn't owe me anything at this point. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 492
| My gelding is 21 (technically 22 in a couple days). He had a lot of success in the Great Lakes Circuit and still holds the average record at the finals. He's one tough dude and still runs 1/2D down here in Texas.
I pony him 90% of the time, and like others have said, I try to keep him in at least decent shape through the winter. I will send him to the Aquatred for a couple weeks before the BBR Finals.
I feed him alfalfa, a mix of oats, barley and beet pulp and give him Formula 1 Noni. I think the most important thing is giving him his turnout time. He hates being cooped up too long, so he goes in the pasture 10-12 hours per day.
He does require a little maintenance. He has a chip in his right front coffin joint, so his coffin joints get injected when needed. His hocks also get done once a year. He wears wedge aluminum shoes on his fronts to help the coffin joints.
I would take on an older horse again in a heart beat, especially that's has a heart like this one! |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | I retired mine at 20, but he was running better than he had ever run (for me), usually 3D at big shows, sometimes 2D. He has arthritic knees and suddenly developed a limp. After injecting again (twice), the vet said it was time to retire him.
BUT, after a year off, his limp is gone and 2nd vet thinks he was misdiagnosed! He thinks they missed a soft tissue injury b/c his knees look ugly. I'm going to try to bring him back b/c I have three kiddos and no time to ride... I miss him and need him for my sanity! 
When competing, he gets glucasamine and polyglycan IV, plus knees injected as needed. No special feed b/c he holds his weight well, but top-dressed with Formula 707 Daily Essentials.
Edited by just4fun 2014-12-30 2:47 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 194
Location: OKLAHOMA | I have a mare that will be 25. I have owned her for 18 yrs, due to personal reasons she did not get her legs hauled off. I ran her in 2012 and still placed in the 3D, in somewhat tuff Oklahoma races. She is awesome.. Last year I found a 13 yr girl that had lost the use of her pole horse due to and injury . So after many prayers and visits, i loaned my gal to her. She rocked it. Got to go the Little Britches finals in Colorado. She ended up running barrels and poles on her and they are a great team. My mare has been off for 90 days with an inflammed check ligament. But she goes back to them this week to start legging up and see if she is sound. I feed ADM feed, she has had very little maintenance in all the years. So I can't say that twenty something is to old. If she pulls up sound she will run until i fell like she doesn't want to or has some other issue. God Blessed me with my mare and now is blessing somebody else with her. One more thing, we all pick the places she goes and runs. She doe not get run every week. I love the family that uses her.
Edited by rostymom 2014-12-30 3:27 PM
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No Fear
Posts: 5089
Location: TN | These are all great replies....I have one horse who will be 31 in a month....I rode him until a couple years ago. He never showed his age until I retired him....I really think he misses working. |
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | My 1990 model mare ran the 16th fastest time out of 250+ runs in November, won 2D money, outran my two 'faster and younger' horses. Not bad for a 24yo. The kicker to this is she didn't consistantly run that fast in her glory years. Where did that come from? And she ran that two days in a row so it wasn't a one-time fluke, she felt good that weekend! She normally runs about 1.3 - 1.49 off and I keep running her thinking she'll slow down enough for 4D money. I also keep running her because I hate the thought of her aging faster if she isn't being used. |
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