Older horse...Is it time to retire her?

Question

Since I was little I've had this big big warmblood mare. She has been on our farm for ages, and my mom used to compete her. she was always an amazing athlete, evn now that she is in the mid 20's. Lately though, she has started to get very lazy, and she does not want to go forward or collect herself at all...this change has happened so suddenly, I'm not sure what to do...is it time to think about retiring her?

Answer 1

emm-take her down the work like for a few days have fun like canter then work your way down to a trot then a walk-if shes still fit and going then a 20 min walk would harm her jyst to keep her fit but yes aprt frm doing that i think you better stop-if your not sure get a vet to look and see if she is stll going strong

good luck

Answer 2

i JUST went through this with my horse, it even got to a point where i was looking for a retirement/easy trail home..

but instead i called the vet, she gave him about 2 months of no riding (tun out and grazing, though) and we put him on corta-flex, and just got his hocks injected.. you WOULD NOT believe how different he is! hes happy to work again, and acting like a 5 year old!

i wouldn't retire her without trying some new things first..

by the way, i have an OTTB gelding whos 19.. so hes been though alot in his life..

Answer 3

i would, she has lived a long, good, work life, and deserves to eat grass, and get fat, and have a good relaxing life, for her final years, but part of that is my personal belief that no horse should be worked over 18. good luck

Answer 4

I'm a big believer in keeping older horses in work, as long as they are comfortable and enjoying what they do. I would guess that she is starting to feel the aches and pains of old age. Consult with your vet, there are lots of great supplements tho keep her comfortable and functional. Also be consistent with her work load - gentle exercise on a regular basis will help her stay fit.

Don't give up on the old girl yet! Half of my lesson horses are over 20 and all are fit and sound enough to go in the show ring tomorrow. I even had a 40 year old QH mare who was still working - she loved it. Heck, I used her to teach flying changes when she was 38! If I'd retired her at 20, she would have wasted half of her life.

Answer 5

I would maybe not show her so much if you do and when you ride her don't ride her so that she is big time sweating. I would retire her when she starts getting sore

Answer 6

I agree with senior feed will help. & I also think cut her a break. Keep riding her for fun, not so much work. She has put  in her time,  now let it be easy & fun. But I would keep her going it will keep her moving. If you stoped all riding then I think that is not good either. She needs to keep moving.

Answer 7

You need to have your mare thoroughly evaluated by your vet and find out what's behind this change in her attitude. Horses can work well into their 20's and 30's- one of my sister's polo horses is 25 this year, and he's still playing one or two periods a game. I suspect that your mare probably has a physical problem of some type that you don't know about yet- and her reluctance to collect and go forward makes me even more suspicious that this is the case. I would start by having the vet do some bloodwork to be sure the mare doesn't have hormonal problems, that she isn't anemic, and that she doesn't have pituitary or thyroid problems. She also needs to be evaluated for cancer or tumors anywhere in her body- sometimes this can cause a change in attitude. Have the vet check her blood for infections as well- horses can contract Lyme disease, and one of its symptoms is dullness and intermitent, unexplainable lameness in different legs.  This horse my sister plays on had Lyme a few years ago, and the way we knew he was sick was because he started acting like your mare suddenly has, without any warning. One simple blood test, a 3 week course of antibiotics, and some Redcell in his feed, and within a month of being diagnosed, he was back to his old self. I am not saying your mare will follow the same pattern, but I would look into it, for sure.

What are you feeding your mare? Have you asked your vet about the possibility of allergies to something in the feed or hay? How about her teeth- when was the last time they were checked and floated? Has her parasite control program been kept up with??  Have you ever had your mare's back examined by a chiropractor to see if she needs to be adjusted or treated for back pain? This is a major cause of not wanting to collect- if a horse is hurting in the spine, he or she will usually do whatever it takes to evade that pain. What about your saddle and tack- does it fit correctly, or does it need to be reflocked or restuffed? Does your mare need a wider tree in her saddle to be comfortable? A lot of warmbloods have this requirement, and there are saddles out there with adjustable trees which are designed specifically for use on them.

Finding answers to all these questions will take time, but it will be worth it in the end, because there is no reason why you need to retire your mare just yet. Unless it turns out she has a problem that keeps her from working, I would be diligent in finding out what is behind this, so you can continue to enjoy your horse. Good luck.

Answer 8

if i were you, i would retire her, i had an older appaloosa mare who suddenly did this... she all the sudden got really lazy and lost A LOT of weight that she wouldn't gain back for ANYTHING. we gave her to a friend of ours that wanted a lawn ornament. our mare was very happy. =]

so yes. if you notice changes like this i would suggest retiring a horse. you are at best judgment, as you know the horse the best!

Answer 9

i would try the supplement route, special padding under your saddle. your right though. she might just be tired. oh! you might consider giving her a VACATION instead of stopping alltogether?

Answer 10

I would check with your vet, make sure nothing is wrong.. Just because she is 20 doesnt mean she its time to retire her.. my daughter qh is 16 and its her equestrian team horse he has the heart ofa 5 yr old i swear..but also go with your gut ultimately its what you feel is best for you and her..Good luck its a hard decision

Answer 11

try feeding her senior equine or something equivalent, maybe it will restore her energy. maybe it hurts to move maybe she is getting arthritis,take her to the vet, they might be able to diagnose if she does or not. maybe don't ride her as much, if she still likes going out then maybe twice a week. good luck

not chrondrontin, bad bad.

Answer 12

Absolutely!

Answer 13

I think it's time to start seriously looking at and planning for her retirement.

In a training barn scenario, she would likely be moved to the "terrified beginner's horse." She sounds like the ideal candidate just to get someone over their fears on a horse.  A wise, trusted, experienced professional who isn't in a hurry to get anywhere in particular.  

There may be a considerable range of options between performing at your level and retirement, but if you're a private farm, private owner, they might not be available or feasible for you.  Look for a new competitor, and take her out for the occasional stroll on the trail from time to time.

OH...and bless you and your mom for RETIRING this faithful horse...not moving her down the road to an uncertain future.  Two cookies for YOU!!!

Answer 14

I truly believe that the longer that a horse is used and is interacting with his/her human, it will live not only a longer but a more comfortable life...there are so many good supplements on the market today, that can/will make your mare feel like pretty much her old self...I still do weddings with a 25 ish Percheron gelding and when he gets hooked up, he steps up and shows off and has a reason to live...good, high oil content senior feed, good quality hay, worming and teeth floating on a regular basis and the supplements that I was referring to.  Interaction with his/her human every day helps plus light exercise to keep her legged up...I wouldn't retire her, when it's time, you won't have to ask.

Answer 15

i would retire herr

Answer 16

Well, if she's getting old, her body's probably not working like it used to. She might be starting to have pain or something. I wouldn't risk an injory, cuz it sounds like she's a special horse.

Answer 17

I would try some glucosamine/chondroident on her for a couple months and see if that brings her out of it. If it does, keep her on it. She may be getting sore! I've seen that make horses do 180's in how they feel! I've seen horses in their 30's still competing...good luck!

Glucosamine/chondroident is not "bad bad".

Answer 18

yes thats a good idea

Answer 19

I Think you should retire her gradually, while still doing some light work.

Answer 20

YEA SHE SOUNDS ABOUT RETIREMENT AGE.

GET THE VET TO CHECK HER OVER TO SEE IF SHE HAS ANY SIGNS OF ARTHRITIS OR OTHER OLD AGE STUFF.

BUT IF SHE DOESN'T JUST CONTINUE WITH SOME LIGHT WORK ONCE A WEEK! =]

I HAVE A 28 YR OLD WHO IS STILL DOING SMALL JUMPS!

Answer 21

Since the change happened suddenly, my first thought is that you should consult with a vet. There may be something going on that makes her not feel well, and it may be treatable so that she still has some working time left. Or, old age may have caught up to her. The vet will be able to tell for sure and is a great resource of information to help you make the decision.

I don't think you should retire her just because of her age - only if her condition warrants it. Some horses work very nicely through their 20's and some are done. Even if it is time to retire her from her 'full-time' job, she will probably still need regular exercise for general health. Teaching a youngster how to ride is often a great way to to that. Lunging also can keep her moving, or a nice easy trail ride.

Also, you might want to talk with her some, just to see what she thinks. She will tell you when its time.

Answer 22

I'd guess that she's running into some arthritis issues. I'd put on her Corta-Flx HA. Have used it many times and it works great.

Also, if she's not already I'd put her on feed specially designed for Senior horses. I personally use Nutrena Life Design Senior but Purina and others make good quality feed as well. Also get her some supplements for senior horses. They too are specially designed to provide what elderly horses need.

Regarding retiring her, she probably is at an age that the harder work is getting to her but she might not be ready to totally stop. Like humans older horses tend to go downhill when exercise or work is stopped totally.

You might want to just cut down her work load, vary it up with some long relaxing hacks. Always be sure to give her plenty of warm up time with stretches ect before asking her for the harder movements and after work give her lots of cool down time walking and stretching. That's important with all athletes but even more so with the older ones.