At what age?

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

At what age do you consider a horse a "senior"?

Just curious as to what every one considers to be senior age.

[TLC97]

Well that is a loaded question. I have know some 8 yr olds that are still spaztic and I would consider them jr's.
I have seen some 4 yr olds that are excellent and seem older than their years.

For showing purposes 5 yr olds are considered seniors.

[WashingtonBay]

Turning 20 probably :)

Doesn't mean they're over, definitely... Horses are living longer and longer these days, with good care. My Bay is still feeling good and riding at 28. But it does usually mean they need a bit of well earned consideration and special treatment.

[lovesfortune]

I think I read in one of my horse books that it was 15? I have a 17 yr old and I consider him a senior.

[TLC97]

Ok, I took a different line on that question. I would consider a horse over 15 senior, but some healthy and really sound ones not til 20.

[cloedoll]

I say twenty. Keidas is fifteen and I don't consider him a senior at all. He definitely still gets hot and just everything about him is younger than his actual age, lol. :p

[Dakota Sunrise]

It sort of depends on the horse for me, probably around 18 years old. Dakota is 19, and I consider him a senior.

[Ryle]

5 years old may be considered "senior" for showing but it's definitely not "senior" based upon age and lifespan of horses ;)

Somewhere between 15-20 years of age is when horses generally start being termed "senior" but when they need to be treated as senior depends on their body. Some horses start loosing muscle mass, having less efficient digestion, etc earlier than others just like with people, so some horses who are 15 may need special care while others who are heading towards 30 may need little in the way of change to care to maintain health/weight/activity.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10016

[FatSpottedAppy]

I consider 17+ a senior. Tyke is 23, he's definitely a senior, even tho he doesnt act it sometimes. :)

[mlle_beau]

Yeah, I agree with Ryle on the 15-20 range. Although I rode a 30-something horse that was still jumping and loving it, so it definately does depend on the horse.

[JetLagaside]

I think the horse dictates it but if you are just looking for a general rule then I'm going with 20.
Jet Lag was 25 and still acting like 8 even the vet was stunned and had to go check his teeth because he didn't look his age.

[All4Grace]

I think the horse dictates it but if you are just looking for a general rule then I'm going with 20.
Jet Lag was 25 and still acting like 8 even the vet was stunned and had to go check his teeth because he didn't look his age.

I'll never forget watching you jump in him at M's place, he certainly didn't act his age!!

Leah was the same way, she lived to be 28 but acted 10. We retired her from jumping at 22, not because she couldn't do it anymore just because we wanted to keep her running strong.

[iloveponcho]

it totally depends on the horse a horse a know is in his late 20's and just starting to show he's not so young anymore and my trainer has a horse in his 30's and he's still rideable

[Cat]

I would say around 20 would be average. However, it doesn't mean they are going to act their age! Heck, the sassiest horse I rode was 28.

[OwnedByOurHorses]

I think alot has to depend on how well the horse has been cared for. Our quarab was treated poorly and he is only 14 and it's like caring for a 28-30ish horse.. http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos4755/2/24/61/14/81/2/281146124209_0_ALB.jpg

[Gypsy Rose]

I think the care is the big thing, but I think genetics might play a tiny part in it as well.

To me, a horse becomes a senior when you have to start giving them a little extra help, be it extra hay, more frequent dental checkups, a change from regular feed to complete because of lack of the ability to chew hay, any number of little things that you didn't have to do before, or have to change.

[cheval]

a 30 year old horse calculates to 66 human years to that'd be senior enough I think :)


http://horses.about.com/library/calcs/blagecompare.htm

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Things have been crazy lately and I'd forgotten that I'd posted this - so I apologize for not popping back in.

I guess I asked this because KC is 15 now, and while I definitely wouldn't call him a senior, I am seeing some changes in him. I think it just has me worried because he sprained his ankle a summer or so ago and I had the vet do some x-rays and he found
"some very mild degeneration" which has been freaking me out ever since. The vet said it was normal for his age, but I'm fretting already.

He is on a joint supplement, but I want to do everything I can to help him stay healthy for as long as possible.

I'm also trying to decide when to switch him to a senior feed. He seems to be doing fine on what I'm feeding now, so I'm hesitant to switch at this point.

[FredRock]

20 is when I start to think of a horse as a senior. They could still be as athletic as a younger horse, but their teeth and metabolism start to change.