Is 28 a bad age for a barrel racing horse?

Question

ok i just bought a 28 yo quarter horse who is very fast. he ran a 16.885. but i dont want to put to much pressure on him. should i stop barrel racing or should i keep going??

Answer 1

I agree with Erin- as long as the horse is healthy, sound, and wants to work, there is no reason to retire him. Horses age differently than people do, and there are some horses who actually are miserable unless they have something to do besides stand around and be a pasture ornament. My sister plays polo, and her oldest horse is 25 and still going strong. She doesn't have the heart to retire him yet, because he loves to play and is healthy and happy. He isn't the only horse I have known who worked well into his 20's- my former coach and employer actually had a stallion who was still doing upper level dressage in his 30's. She TRIED to retire the horse at one point- but he got so depressed and miserable that he went off his feed and started kicking his stall out of boredom, so she put him back to work as a school master for the older teens and working students. He loved it, and perked right back up.

Not every horse takes to retirement well- and its a mistake to think that just because a horse is a certain age, it automatically means his career and life is over with. I have known broodmares who had foals when they were in their 20's, too- and as long as they had teeth which were strong enough to allow them to get enough food, they were just fine. Your horse should do just fine- but take it easy at first, until you know how he will react to the stress of training and hard work. Get him vetted out thoroughly before you start, just to make sure that he doesn't have any underlying problems which will cause pain, like arthritis, and that his teeth are in good enough shape that he can eat properly. Feed him a special senior feed- there are plenty of those on the market now- and plenty of good hay, and he should be fine.  Good luck, and congrats on your new purchase.  

Answer 2

It;s a bit old ,, if he is in perfect health etc I would say very little ridding

The real problem,, I see is a heart attack while you are ridding

And it's very common to happen  

Answer 3

if he's physically sound and capable then go right on ahead! don't retire him if he's still perfectly capable! keep him on a joint supplement though to be on the safe side.  

Answer 4

WOW! 28 is very old. I am surprised he is still alive in all reality... that is a very old age and he should probably be retired to the pasture.  

Answer 5

i think you should stop just to be safe but you can still exercise him its just that barrel racing could hurt him

Answer 6

At 28 he is ready for retirement.

That is far to old to be barrel racing on him.

He could be ridden very lightly some but you should stop racing on him.

Answer 7

well i think you should try it out and not put him in a lot of pressure if HE IS HURTING OR DOESNT WANT TO RACE at all you should stop if not keep on going intel u see the horse do what i said before in caps.

Answer 8

thats way to old he may get really indgured if you try

Answer 9

No you can continue to do it if the horse is not lame, or sore. I work on a ranch where they still use horses that are 25-30 years old because the horse is still healthy and sound. Horses don't get retired by age they get retired by physical needs and demands. Some horses get retired at 3 years old, Some 30. So if your horse is healthy and happy go ahead and continue racing.

Answer 10

Stop hiim hes wayy Over hiS age

Answer 11

To race, yeah i think you should stop, some horses retire at 25.