Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

working with older horse

From: Sandie

Dear Jessica, I'm back again with another question for you. My gelding is seventeen years old and he is still jumping 3'6" and doing good first level dressage. I'm very very happy with Sam! And I want to go on riding him for a long time, but I do realize that seventeen is not young, and I need some advice about how I can keep him comfortable so we can go on working together. I have to ride indoors this winter because our riding field has just been re-seeded and we have to stay off of it. So what should I do indoors this winter? The arena at the barn is small and it doesn't get graded very often. Thanks, Jessica, you are absolutely the Best!

Sandie and Doctor Sam

Hi Sandie! There are several things you can do to keep your horse fit and happy over the winter.

First, always, always, always WARM UP your horse thoroughly. As he gets older, he will probably need a longer warmup -- more walking, more trotting, more long-rein quiet canters in a half-seat. If you walk for fifteen minutes, ask for a trot, and your horse offers a canter, accept it and let him roll on. Many older horses are more comfortable if they are allowed to canter before they trot, because they find it easier to stretch their muscles at a gentle canter. So, if Sam is one of these horses, it won't hurt him to canter before he trots -- but always warm him up well at the walk first.

Second, don't work him hard in a small arena if the footing is bad. If your arena is pounded flat and hard after two weeks, spend a few days just working at the walk. It won't hurt Sam -- and pounding around on a hard surface could hurt him quite a lot. Similarly, if your stable manager adds new arena footing -- sand, sawdust, tanbark, rubber, or any mixture of these -- spend a day or two doing walk-work and then add trotting slowly and gently. Deep, soft footing can cause just as much damage as hard ground if your horse isn't used to it -- give him time to make the adjustment, and remember that it's much, much easier to prevent an injury than to repair one. Also bear in mind that an injury-caused "time out" of a month or two is much harder on an older horse than on a younger one.

Finally, listen to your horse! Sam's attitude will tell you a lot about how he is feeling, and any soreness, lameness, or other changes should be issues that you discuss with your veterinarian, your farrier, and your barn manager. Don't just accept them as the inevitable signs of ageing -- your horse may need something changed! Medications, diet, shoes, turnout time or place, exercise routine -- any or all of these can be modified to help many conditions.

It's a challenge, but a pleasant one. And since you've managed to get Sam to age seventeen in great shape and cheerful and working well, I'm sure you can keep up the good work.

Jessica

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