My friend is worried about age of horse...?

Question

my friend wants to buy a 12 year old horse but she keeps asking me if thats too old.i try to tell her that my horse is 12 and I don't consider that old at all,but she won't listen and she qon't quit worrying.can you please tell her what you think so shell relax?

thanks!

Answer 1

Perfect age!  It will probably be rideable for at least 12 more years!

Answer 2

Thats is a great age! Horses live a LONG time. I knew a horse that live till 40! And it might be bad if he buys a horse too young.

Answer 3

no way...thats not too old!! that horse is in her prime!! between 9-18 years is there best riding years!! My oldest horse is 24yo and she is still acting like 12!!!

Answer 4

no that's not old at all... prime age!

Answer 5

I love horses that age. Im selling my 6yrold because shes to green and im looking into buying a 12 yr old.

Answer 6

No, not at all. If your friend had much horse experience to start with, then she would already know this. Since she doesn't then a 12 year old, well broke horse is probably just what she needs.=)

Answer 7

No it's not too old!

My main show horse is 14 years old , and last year I showed an 18 year old TB gelding.

If the horse is in good condition, then there shouldn't be any problem at all.

Answer 8

no, it not. my horse is about ten or 11 now and shes extremely lively! theres a horse at my riding instructors that is 30 years old and is the jumpyiest and peppiest there! at 12, their just now broken in.lol.

Answer 9

12 is not old at all.  Most horses can live up to 30 years old if taken care of.  A horse that is 12 will probably be more relaxed and easier for her to handle if this is her first horse.

Answer 10

10-12 is supposedly a great age to buy a horse... they're old enough to be well trained and socialized, but young enough to not have a great risk of health problems yet.

Answer 11

A 12 year old horse is a perfect age to buy it. Now the horse has a lot of experience and has learned from the previous owner.

The horse still has a big chunk of his life to live with your friend!

~With Love

Answer 12

that is not old at all!

Answer 13

No this is not too old. I have a friend that barrel races and has 4 horses one is 17 one is 19 and one is 21 and they all still run she also has a horse that is 30 but he is retired. All of my horses are under 5 years old except for the kids horse and my brood mares but I just like the young horses there is nothing wrong with an older horse. Just be sure and try him befor you buy him and make sure he doesn't have any BAD habits some horses develope bad habits after they get sold a few times and by the time they are 12 they have ussualy had a fe owners well good luck and no 12 is not too old. And I owned a pony that lived to be 42 years old. So she should have a good 12 or more years with him if she buys him.

Answer 14

Actually, a 12yo is considered to be in the prime of it's life. Fully grown and mature both physically and mentally. Ready and able to continue  advancing in its chosen field yet still young enough to swap fields and start a totally new career.

Answer 15

NO WAY! that is a perfect age i think for a first horse! if they are too young they could be frustrating to handle. Just tell her that a horse can live till it is 30 and sometimes even more. He is not even halfway through life yet!

Answer 16

12 is not old - we have one who is 25 and ha can still outrun my much younger horse. He also bucks people off for fun !

Answer 17

Twelve is not old at all for a horse. My horse is 16 and I still barrel race on him, and probably will until he's 18 or 19.

Answer 18

There is nothing wrong with a horse that old.  I have a horse that is over twenty and is still in really good shape.  Most of all check the horse and look at its teeth to make sure that it can still eat properly.

Answer 19

horses usually live to be about 30, and i've seen older as long as you care for it properly.  not that i wouldn't have it checked first, if it's healthy.  you can still easily have 18yrs with it.  your only concern should be the temperment.

Answer 20

depends on what your friend is planning on using the horse for.

but 12 is middle age for a horse. plain and simple.

most horses live for 25-30 years.

but that doesn't mean you can ride them or show them that whole time.

if your friend is thinking about serious hunter showing or eventing, then 12 is a little old for that. but if she is a beginner-intermediate, 12 is a pretty average age.

Answer 21

Well let me say this horses live to be about 30 - 35. Im 18 and own a 5  year old horse and they are a pain. A horse calms down around ages 10 - 13 and is a lot easier to work with. That is a great age. Exspecially since she sounds like a beginner and its her first horse. If she thinks he is to old have a vet(your vet) go out and vet check the horse she is potentially intrested in. Older is better for first time owner.

Answer 22

12 is a youngling horse!

My horse is 14, and I am reteaching him stuff. We jump 3ft now, up from walk and trot kiddie lessons.

12 is a perfect age, old enough to know the ropes, but young enough to do everything you want.

Answer 23

i ride BN eventing with my 19 year old OTTB, so 12 is YOUNG!

think about it, you can ride horses until their 25 (ish, usually)

so the horse has another 12 years of riding, and no matter what she'll be out of school then anyway..

Answer 24

A lot of people want really young horses so they can "grow up with them" or "grow old with them". People think that once a horse hits 10 its over, but actually most horses live to be in their late 20's to well into their 30's! If a horse has good health, I see no reason why it can't be ridden into it's 20's, and can't live into it's 30's. Most people forget that horses are NOT dogs and cats who will most likely die in their teens, horses can and have lived longer!

I personally own a fairly young horse, and have always owned young horses. But with that said, I wish I could buy an older more experianced horse! horses between 10 and 15 are in their prime, have a great amount of training on them, and still have 10-15 years left ridding hard. Why not buy a horse in their early teens?!

I have several friends that own horses in their 20s and still show them heavily. In fact, I have a friend who has a 27 year old horse and shows all-around. This horse wins in barrels, poles, reining, western ridding, jumping, english pleasure, western pleasure, and the list goes on! My friend took him to a world show last year, and won most of her classes competing against top riders and horses many years younger than hers, but that horse is still going good, he loves what he does, and he is 27!!

I think 12 is a perfect age to buy a horse, and tell your friend about my friends, tell her that one of the best times to buy a horse is between 8 and 13 because they are just entering their prime, and then you'll have 15+ years ridding that horse, and 20+ years living with it!

I hope you can convince your friend, and claps to you for knowing your horse years! :)

Answer 25

IDK if she's a beginner or advanced. If she's a beginner:

"I know you think 12 is old, but my horse is 12 and look at her / him! Don't take this personally, but you ARE a beginner, so a 12 year old would be good for you, because they are in the age range where they have experienced a lot but aren't old."

If she's advanced:

"I know you think 12 is old, but my horse is 12 and look at him / her! 12 years old is in the middle, so you can still do everything you want to do, because the horse can still learn things fairly quickly, and they are old enough where you don't have to teach them EVERYTHING."

Answer 26

A 12 yo horse has been there, done it and has the t shirt.  However it's not over the hill and could teach your friend a thing or two about improving her riding, so providing the horse is in good health go for it.

We have 7 competition horses, 3 are eventers that compete at intermediate level, our youngest horse is 8 and the best eventer will be 15 next year.

Answer 27

I don't think that 12 is too old. I think that is just okay, because the prime is like 4-9 or 10, just depends on the horse. My horse is 24 and I still run barrels and poles on her. I don't compete but my cousin and I run them in our neighbors arena and in our grandpa's field. 12 is definatly NOT too old!!!