Senior Show Horses
The top 5 things to consider for aging show horses
by Allison Trimble
I went through the near-retirement of my good bridle horse, Smokums Playlena “Playboy,” a few years ago. It was a heartbreaking reality. As an 11-year-old, he was starting to have some health and maintenance issues. After quite an ordeal, he was finally diagnosed with tendonitis under his coffin and navicular bones. Cow horses are considered “aged” when they are seven or eight years old, after four or five years of hard showing. The goal is to create a show horse that can have a long career, so how do you go about increasing the likelihood that your horse will be around like our good friend Flashinic, who showed as a competitive cow horse into his 20s?
Nutrition
Even in a young cow horse, it is important to get the right balance of quality feed. Good quality, high protein hay combined with a complete, balanced grain is best. I really want to emphasize here that your horse needs to be neither too thin nor too fat. Both of these extremes become more detrimental as your horse gets older. Too fat is just as bad as too thin because it puts an unnecessary load on aging joints and bones.
Vitamin and Joint Supplements
There are so many complete vitamin and joint supplements out there, and as your horse gets older, joint supplements become an even more crucial part of their health care. Find a complete supplement that will help your horse’s body stay nourished and his joints free and flexible. There are many other ways to address joint issues, such as injections, but it is important to remember that keeping your horse comfortable is as important as any training you can put on him.
Proper Shoeing
You can’t imagine how many horses battle through poor shoeing and what a big impact this can have on their soundness. You need to evaluate your horse's feet and you need good communication with your farrier. If your horse’s feet don’t have the proper angle or are not hitting the ground evenly, the longevity of your horse as a show pony will be shortened dramatically. Often, older show horses require some sort of supportive shoeing; find a farrier who is knowledgeable about the needs of an older show horse.
Dentistry
I think most people know how important good tooth care is in older horses for feed purposes. I also want to add that dental issues can cause a lot of discomfort for an older horse packing a bit. Have your horse’s teeth checked every year by your vet or equine dentist.
Fitness
I believe this is the most important part of adding longevity to your horse’s career. There is a fine line between overworking a horse and keeping him fit. If you ride your horse like you are getting him ready for the finals at the World Show every time you ride him, he isn’t going to hold up for very many years. On the other hand, an out of shape cow horse is headed for injury. Many people feel that as their horse gets older, he is so broke they can just pull him out of the field and show him. Cow horse, reining, and cutting are sports that require a very high level of fitness. It is more dangerous to take an unfit, broke horse out and work him hard than it is a young colt. Any good show horse is going to give you all he has, and if he isn’t fit, that can lead to all sorts of injuries.
Furthermore, a lot of subtle soundness issues can be maintained by having a horse that has strong supporting muscles. You will notice that if you lay off show horses for very long, you will see little hitches in their git-along that you didn’t see before.
The most obvious reason to keep your older show horse fit is that it just gets harder as they get older to get them back to the level of fitness they once had. I think most of us can understand this—I know that getting in shape is a heck of a lot harder than it was five years ago for me.
You should consider all of the items above in any show horse, but I want to drive home the point that these things are crucial in an older horse. I suggest having a good relationship with a vet who specializes in show horses. He or she will be able to help you troubleshoot unforeseen issues. I was fortunate enough to catch Playboy’s issues early enough, and with a great vet was able to get him to recover to the point where at the age of 14 he won a little girl her first saddle. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a special horse that has taught you so much stay in the show pen long enough to give that experience to a new generation.
by Allison Trimble
I went through the near-retirement of my good bridle horse, Smokums Playlena “Playboy,” a few years ago. It was a heartbreaking reality. As an 11-year-old, he was starting to have some health and maintenance issues. After quite an ordeal, he was finally diagnosed with tendonitis under his coffin and navicular bones. Cow horses are considered “aged” when they are seven or eight years old, after four or five years of hard showing. The goal is to create a show horse that can have a long career, so how do you go about increasing the likelihood that your horse will be around like our good friend Flashinic, who showed as a competitive cow horse into his 20s?
Nutrition
Even in a young cow horse, it is important to get the right balance of quality feed. Good quality, high protein hay combined with a complete, balanced grain is best. I really want to emphasize here that your horse needs to be neither too thin nor too fat. Both of these extremes become more detrimental as your horse gets older. Too fat is just as bad as too thin because it puts an unnecessary load on aging joints and bones.
Vitamin and Joint Supplements
There are so many complete vitamin and joint supplements out there, and as your horse gets older, joint supplements become an even more crucial part of their health care. Find a complete supplement that will help your horse’s body stay nourished and his joints free and flexible. There are many other ways to address joint issues, such as injections, but it is important to remember that keeping your horse comfortable is as important as any training you can put on him.
Proper Shoeing
You can’t imagine how many horses battle through poor shoeing and what a big impact this can have on their soundness. You need to evaluate your horse's feet and you need good communication with your farrier. If your horse’s feet don’t have the proper angle or are not hitting the ground evenly, the longevity of your horse as a show pony will be shortened dramatically. Often, older show horses require some sort of supportive shoeing; find a farrier who is knowledgeable about the needs of an older show horse.
Dentistry
I think most people know how important good tooth care is in older horses for feed purposes. I also want to add that dental issues can cause a lot of discomfort for an older horse packing a bit. Have your horse’s teeth checked every year by your vet or equine dentist.
Fitness
I believe this is the most important part of adding longevity to your horse’s career. There is a fine line between overworking a horse and keeping him fit. If you ride your horse like you are getting him ready for the finals at the World Show every time you ride him, he isn’t going to hold up for very many years. On the other hand, an out of shape cow horse is headed for injury. Many people feel that as their horse gets older, he is so broke they can just pull him out of the field and show him. Cow horse, reining, and cutting are sports that require a very high level of fitness. It is more dangerous to take an unfit, broke horse out and work him hard than it is a young colt. Any good show horse is going to give you all he has, and if he isn’t fit, that can lead to all sorts of injuries.
Furthermore, a lot of subtle soundness issues can be maintained by having a horse that has strong supporting muscles. You will notice that if you lay off show horses for very long, you will see little hitches in their git-along that you didn’t see before.
The most obvious reason to keep your older show horse fit is that it just gets harder as they get older to get them back to the level of fitness they once had. I think most of us can understand this—I know that getting in shape is a heck of a lot harder than it was five years ago for me.
You should consider all of the items above in any show horse, but I want to drive home the point that these things are crucial in an older horse. I suggest having a good relationship with a vet who specializes in show horses. He or she will be able to help you troubleshoot unforeseen issues. I was fortunate enough to catch Playboy’s issues early enough, and with a great vet was able to get him to recover to the point where at the age of 14 he won a little girl her first saddle. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a special horse that has taught you so much stay in the show pen long enough to give that experience to a new generation.
Labels: allison trimble, On the Plus Side
posted by NWHS at
7:09 AM
1 Comments:
You forgot the most important reason your Quarter Horses are considered 'aged' at 7 or 8 yrs of age... you ride the MUCH too early MUCH too hard. Look at how athletic a dressage horse must be and the fact that it is normal to compete at upper levels well into their upper teens.
Perhaps if the Cow horse, cutting and reining industries as well as AQHA started making futurities for 4 and 5 yr olds and NOT 3 yr olds, you'd have horses lasting longer since there wouldn't be a need to be riding them at under 2 yrs of age and riding them fairly hard by 3.
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