Re: RC: Elderly Horses and Distance

[SoulsSerenade@aol.com]

Hi...
In my opinion, it totally depends on what the horse has done and how they 
were taken care of.  If a horse was trashed as a youngster then by the time 
it gets to be around 18, it might not have much left.  But if the horse was 
taken care of, and doesn't have a whole lot of old injuries, and still LIKES 
to go out, then there's no reason that the horse shouldn't be able to do what 
you want to do.  

I had a 17 year old horse that I wanted to do endurance riding with, but it 
turned out that his endurance miles were all used up.  He was ridden hard 
when he was young and had quite a few injuries.  I ended up selling him to a 
gal who uses him as a trail horse and he's MUCH happier.  

I have a friend whose mare did her first ride at 16 and went on to do Tevis 
at 22.  
So never underestimate the ol' fogeys. :-)
Older, more mature, horses can be way more fun than those young 
whippersnappers :-D
just start slow with your mare and take it from there.
and don't forget to have fun!! <g>

Renee