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[RC] Frisky Old Horses - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Lauretta tikitiki69@xxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== While age can certainly play a part in a horse's ability to run around and keep up with its peers, I think it is more of an over- all health/personality combination that will determine just how 'frisky' a horse is, irregardless of the actual age. This will, of course, vary from individual to individual. Just observing the group of horses (there are fifteen) that reside at the place I board mine (they are all QH except Shaba, but I don't think the breed is necessarily relevant in this example) there is one mare in particular, about 5 - 6 years of age, has a slight case of laminitis, and doesn't really feel inclined to run around with the others. She will just kind of amble far enough to eat, and that is it. Then you have Fred. He is going on 37 years, and up until about a year ago was trucking around with the best of them. He was finally retired a year ago from barrel racing; the owner's four-year old granddaughter competed on him and won quite a few ribbons and even a saddle by the end of the year. While these two examples may be exceptions to the norm, my point is that I don't think that a horse being 'up in years' should necessarily be termed as geriatric until the body and/or mind of the animal shows this to be the case. Which brings me to my next question of what age would you consider as 'too old' for doing say, a 100 miler at a racing pace? I have seen that there have been horses that have done quite well in the longer distances up to their late teens (I be- lieve one or two have won Tevis at 17/18 years of age) and there was the horse that won in Abu Dabai last year at age 18? from France. But have there been any studies that have demonstra- ted a significant decline in performance parameters once a group of horses reach a particular age group, and do these parameters change from breed to breed? At what age would you decide that, though you have followed the game plan for conditioning and doing well in a 100 mile ride (where you actually want to place and/or win, and not just be a middle-of-the-pack or completer) that due to your horse's age you may be taking too much of a risk that, though he gives you every last bit of energy he had to get you that win or placing, it may be too detrimental in recovery time (due to stress on his muscles/metabolics from such activity) or risk of injury due to his aging systems that you would decline and opt to forego your goal and ride at a reduced rate as a better-safe-than-sorry approach? Or would you not even take his age into consideration and, even if he were in his mid-20's (just for an example), still moving fine and still had the good recoveries and recuperative response to a long distance ride, push him to perform at the same rate as you would with a horse at a much younger age? Lauretta and Shaba (who, at age 16, thinks he is invincible and will be at superhorse status for the next 50 years...horses can dream too, can't they?.......) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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