young or old horse? ?

hey! I'd say that if you are looking for an older horse that you are wanting to compete i would go for something between 7 and 11/12 so you have a good amount of time to compete. Re when a horse should stop competing, varies on the horse, some horses can go up until really old ages like late twenties whereas some retire from competing at quite an early age like 15/16 so it all depends on you horse! hope this helped

Every horse and rider are different, but I see more issues coming from the young horses that are bought. You probably have the right idea with what you want.  

If you trust your instructor then they would be the one to ask and possibly help you start looking and offer approval on your final horse. They would also be able to look at the horse physically and see if their are any conformation issues that might not be a problem currently but could cut their jumping career short as they age. 

And I’m sure you’ve heard this and know enough to not be told again but having someone there to make sure your covering your bases when asking questions about the horse your looking is really important.  I hate seeing people get a horse and have expectations for it but it doesn’t pan out because of some minor issue that cause problems.

I always recommend a 10+ y/o for teenagers wanting their first horse to compete on. Financially it makes more sense and “rule of thumb” it’s a great age range for the rider. If you are 16 and get a 11 year old you can ride them for the time span of your interest and it will match up well with your current skill level. Then when you’re older and ready to get a horse that can move you up to the level you want to be at the horse will be old enough to be comfortably and reasonably retired (from you) and possibly used for a lease or lesson jumper (if that’s what you would want to do with them) or they can be sold as a beginner horse to a kid that will love them and you can get another horse that fits your skill level. Keep in mind when buying a young horse for competition. (This is probably insane, but it’s how I always feel going in) if the horse is calm and level headed at a young age, even if it is a product of great training, then that horse is probably peaking in its drive. It’ll be a great horse for you currently, but if you want to go further then you might out grow it. - I’m not talking about well rounded behavior (that should always be there), I’m talking about fire, skill, and still wanting to jump into their teens. It’s that look that they have when competing and ridding (if that makes any sense). 

And if you do get a young horse and don’t intend to sale it later, and if you want to get a new horse in six years that has more potential (when you’re 22 and your first horse (8 y/o is 14), then you are going to be stacking their ages closely together and might potentially be getting old around the same time. Which would mean you have two horse that might not fit you and retire within 5 years of each other and need to shop for a 3rd horse. It can be expensive especially if you are going to be taking over their care from your dad once you are old enough.

 I don’t like to sale my horses and always have other things they can do if they can’t be used for competition, so I try to keep at least 7-9 years in between horses that have the same purpose. It’s a lot of planning but it’s always good to keep in mind! 

Horse shopping is really fun, so enjoy it and have fun with it!!

It all depends on how you interpret "young." I'm sure you've had one or two bad encounters where an animal suddenly died before its time and left you frustrated. Horses of various breeds live for varying periods of time on average. By the age of 20, the average Thoroughbred is very old and dies before the age of thirty.

From the novice point of view and your dads

Pocketbook, if you invested in a good sound 5 year old seasoned jumper.   Save your money, such a creature does not exist.

In jumping and showing most 5 year olds are green for shows, that is they may have had a ton of schooling but very little time competing and may get easily stressed and are not the greatest standing and waiting especially at the end where everyone’s lining up.

About ten years old you have a horse that’s had experience in training as well as some show seasoning with all. The chaos and hustle that can go with it.

I would never recommend a green jumper for anyone’s first horse unless your planning on continuing both his and your training being finished up.   I realize any horse would be yours to learn on, but would also be in need of being trained for new techniques as well as his skill building.   If your not up to the task of training him yourself then dad would need to hire a trainer for the horse as well vs a seasoned horse that would not need additional schooling and is ready to go when you get home.

You didn’t post your schooling or experience level. Unless I have mis stated and you are a phenomenal rider that’s been at it since you were five years old and have won every Competition in every class no matter what, I would say go for a seasoned horse for your first horse vs a youngster by our going to grow up with.

For my daughters first horse we had a Morgan tired cross that was 16 years old.  Most buyers shied away from buying him because he turned grey on the face very young as well as his charcoal coat became shot with a lot of silver.  Arrow had all the schooling a horse could wish for as well as experience at the track as a lead pony, and for two years as a family horse.

We purchased him for a pretty low price, especially when you knew he was so seasoned and would easily fall into whatever routine you set for him.   My daughter finished her schooling on him as well as bringing home many ribbons.  Arrow retried from the competition show ring at 25 years old and still had the drive and heart to be my sons schooling horse and best friend until he was 29.  He was retired to the pasture but still gave my 10 year old thrills when he snuck rides on his back to go swimming or to sneak out and play in the sand flats.

If your planning on this being the one and done horse I really would push for at least an 8 year old vs trying to bring up the horses skill level.  Good luck and try to find a friend, instructor or knowledgeable person to look at horses with you,  just a little bit of knowledge can get you into a lot of trouble when it comes to buying a horse.

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There are many things you have to consider other than age. Honestly from the way you put it doesn’t sound like you are ready for a horse of your own as you lack the knowledge. You have to consider the horses health can it keep up with what you want to do? Regardless if it is young or old? What is you riding level? Are you novice , intermediate, advance? You say you want to start competing in the 120 jumpers but you don’t list your current riding level. 

Have you ever competed before? Do you know how showing works? Do you know what to look for when searching for a competition horse you are compatible with? Do you know a Vet who can do your pre purchase exams? If you are a first time owner you shouldn’t go looking for a young competition horse. Honestly I have been around horses nearly my entire life , owning my own horse , competing, riding English , training. Make sure you know everything before getting a horse or else it won’t end well. 

Your dad is thinking more about money than he is about your SAFETY, when it should be the other way around. An older horse is better for a first time owner and buyer, because they generally have more seasoning and experience than a younger horse does. Plus, you won't have to take as much time to bring them up to speed (competitively speaking) as you will for a younger horse. And riding an older horse is safer- much safer- than riding a green youngster. There's less risk of the horse being silly or spooky, because most of the time, older horses have passed their first youth and are more tractable. That means less risk for you as a rider.

You're better off getting your coach to help you find an older horse with some seasoning as your first mount. And you need to decide in advance whether you want a mare or a gelding. Each gender has its pros and cons. I DO NOT recommend that you get a stallion, because they require calm, competent handling by a professional.

When a horse should be retired from upper level competition depends on the animal and his or her health and well being. Horses that do a lot of jumping are prone to lameness and degenerative joint diseases (such as navicular) which come from constant pounding and stress on their legs. But this shouldn't be a problem with a horse that is between 10 and 15 years of age, because horses in that range are generally in their prime. I personally have known several horses which were active competitively when they were in their 20's. They played polo, they jumped, they did lessons, and they went on trail rides and to shows. Most of these animals were Thoroughbreds or TB crosses, which shows the durability of that breed. If the horse doesn't colic, and his or her worm load is kept to a minimum, he or she may very well live to be 25 or 30 years old and still be going strong. It has happened before.

How good a rider you are doesn't mean you know how to care for a horse. If you know how often to worm a horse, signs and symptoms of common illnesses, understanding feeding, stable and field maintenance...basically know a fair amount about the horses body, you get a horse. I'm assuming you do.

It's not always about the age. Obviously I'm not talking ridiculous here (like get a 3 year old or a 20 year old). I would go more on what the horse has done over it's age. I would be looking for an 7-10 year old, with experience. 

This is just my opinion as I'm not an expert on showing or show horses as I disagree with it. Hate me for it by all means, but when you've worked with retired show jumpers, dressage and show horses and see what this poor old things have to suffer with just so humans could get pleasure, it definitely makes you rethink. Many of them where not even serious show horses, just owned by young people. They all had feet, leg, shoulder and back problems. The ones in the rescue that didn't show were often older and in better shape. 

The best person to ask for advice is the people you know around you who have good horsemanship skills. Any one on the internet can pretend to know what they're talking about.

All the best at this exciting time.

Since you've been riding your instructor's no doubt well polished jumper, and you want a finished jumper you can immediately be competitive on, I'd recommend an older horse, definitely.

At 16, you probably won't have time to actually finish a horse before you age out or go to college, so I agree you don't want to bring one up.

Horses can compete for a long time as long as they remain injury free - but that's totally unpredictable.  The older the horse, the more likely it is to be injured or to aggravate an old, apparently healed, injury.

So how about a compromise, and you get one in the 8-10 range?

Your coach would probably know better. If you want to win, better find out what the winners do.