I have a 19 year old TWH gelding that I have had for 14 years. In all my years owning him, we have really found his “niche”. He’s done just about everything and I was riding him consistently until about a year ago. He was fed up with endless circles in the arena and just wanted to rush through everything(including trail rides). I ruined his work ethic and he was disconnected from me. So I gave him what he deserved, early retirement. He has been out at pasture(not counting occasional rides this summer) for the past year or so. I honestly haven’t been giving him the attention he deserves, but he isn’t lacking. I went to visit him today and he seems like he wants to re-connect. The thing is, I don’t know if he’s too old to re-train. I want to ride him again, but the reason I retired him is because no matter what you did, he wouldn’t slow down, he was go go go all the time because he just wanted to get it over with. I can’t work him in a pasture or arena without him acting like this and I wouldn’t immediately take him on trail after a year off of work. He would be sooo full of it and go so fast. I was thinking about possibly cart training him. When he was recovering from an abscess, I spent several hours ground-driving him to work him back up to being ridden. So he has some experience and did well.
I want to know if he is too old to re-train and if he isn’t how should I go about either(riding or cart training)?
He is sound and has only had a few soundness issues over the 14 years I’ve owned him. He had an abscess last winter, a minor stone bruise in the summer 2009, and was kicked in the fall 2006. The last couple years I rode him, he had sporadic mystery lameness in his left leg that seemed serious because of his TWH head bob, but the vet said it wasn’t, even though he couldn’t figure it out. We put him on regular cosequin and it cleared up. He hasn’t been on any supplements in over a year and is sound.
What do you think…
Thanks!
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Do You Think My Horse Is Too Old?
Posted on November 9, 2011.
I don’t think he is too old at all.
Since his lameness has supposedly cleared up, I do not see a problem with working him again. If the lameness returns, you need to have more thorough diagnostic testing in place in order to properly treat the problem.
I am glad you gave him a nice break and now that he is clearly asking you to reconnect and “get back to work” I certainly would! As a trained horse, he will probably remember plenty of things. He might just be a little fresh and need some occasional reminders on how to do things correctly.
Kudos to you for listening to your horse when he needed a break. Sounds like it’s just what was necessary for the both of you.
He’s not too old. But are you too set in your ways to train yourself? Seriously…..
The problem isn’t him, it’s that you are not riding him properly….sending the right signals….by that I mean,
When he speeds up, what do you do? Do you yank or pull back on both reins?
If yes, then you’re causing him to rush through the bit.
What about tack? Does the saddle fit right? Is it too tight and pinching his withers?
If yes, he will bolt forward to find an escape from that pain.
What about his teeth? Have they been floated once a year or every other year?
If no, then carrying a bit in his mouth will be painful. Teeth that have sharp edges will cut the tongue or the inside of his cheeks and cause pain and this will make him scared enough to bolt.
What I see from your post, is a person with good intentions, but no training.
And a horse that is not trusting that person and so pushing through pressure that he doesn’t understand or is frustrating him,….so he speeds up.
Solution?
1. find a trainer to retrain him and to train you
2. be your own trainer.
If you choose to find a trainer, then be a part of the training. Don’t send him away.
If you choose to be your own trainer, then invest in DVDs that will help you help yourself and your horse.
You need to understand how to use pressure and the reward of the release the right way….so that your horse can understand you.
You need to know how to use your seat and legs and stop thinking of the bit as a hand brake.
Clinton Anderson has great DVDs that are step by step lessons that anyone can do successfully.
There are lessons in One rein stop and other lateral work to teach you and your horse how to get along.
ALSO…
It’s a terrible idea to do cart work with a horse that bolts. You can end up in a wreck and get hurt and get your horse hurt.
A horse that is supple and always yielding to all pressure all the time….this is a horse that’s ready for a cart.
Yours and you are no where near ready to pull a cart.
nope not old at all. my horse i bought when she was 18 and she was great and a lesson horse at my barn is 19 and loves to run and all. They both have some arthritis but they still do fine
No,he’s definitely not too old. We have a 23 year old Haflinger and she can still run barrels and jump 3′ easy. Wonder pony. Anyway, as long as he’s sound, of course you can train him. I wouldn’t use a cart, because if he did bolt and didn’t slow down, either or both of you could be injured or worse. But I would do lots and lots of trail rides. If you feel comfortable, try riding bareback, and if he’s good, just use a halter. Some horses will just get to hate being ridden because they always are getting a girth tightened around them and a bit in their mouth. So doing trail rides bareback might really help you guys reconnect. And, if he is a nice horse, consider trying some bridless work. Horses really like that stuff. My mare (the 23 year old) actually likes jumping bridless better than with a saddle, and she won’t shy away. Try getting some books on natural horsemanship, and it will really help your bond. Just don’t ride him too much. Groom him a lot, and just avoid ring work altogether if he really seems to hate it. Some horses just don’t see the point in going in circles for hours. Good Luck, and Happy Trails!
It doesn’t just happen with older horses.
When my mare was 4, nothing I did was working-it was frustrating for both of us. I saddled her one day and then took a real hard look, unsaddled her and gave her 6 months off. I still attended to her daily, but I let her be a horse for those six months. When I got back on to re start her training it was like being on a totally different horse. It changed our relationship and the way I look at things and she couldn’t be a better horse for it.
At this age though I wouldn’t look at cart training unless you do have a professional, but just start riding again, slowly. When you do restart-you may have to put him back on Cosequin, but you may not.
It sounds like you have covered the bases that you can and are doing the best by your horse-and no amount of money can replace that.