Am I Crazy To Have Such Young Horses at My Age?

[1roadtoad]

I have been curious as to know how old or young, (depending on your prospective) the average mini horse owner is on this site. When my mini Lady died almost 2 years ago, I was left with 2 mini donkeys, it would have been the perfect time to downsize after 30+ years of owning horses. But, I found my backyard was much too quiet and a bit boring, so I made the decision to get another middle aged mini so that all my equines could get old together and I could still manage their care. I was not successful in my quest for a middle aged mini, so after looking for almost a year I ended up with 2 young, recently gelded males, 1 is now 5 and the other is 8. I am in the latter part of my 6th decade (almost 70), so my animals will probably outlive me! Before I got my boys I pondered for an entire year as to whether I should get any more animals or not. I absolutely love all of my animals and can't imagine not having any of them but, I'm still wondering whether it was the right decision or am I crazy to have such young horses at my age?? I have enjoyed seeing all the activities that members on this forum do with their animals especially the trekking. Because of this I have just begun taking my boys for walks into the woods. I've just done it a couple of times but so far it's been great fun and the perfect way to bond with my boys. Anyway, I am just curious, are there other "long in the tooth" mini owners on this site? I'm just hoping I'm not alone

 

[Capriole]

I'm 60....when I started looking for a mini/pony last year I was looking for an animal around 12 - 15 yrs. old....I ended up getting Prince, who was around 7 yrs. old (for some reason it's really rare to find older minis or ponies around here). Then ended up getting Kazoo, a mini mule, was told he was around 8 yrs. old a few months ago...there's a really good chance they will both outlive me, especially Kazoo as mules live longer than horses (generally).
I was very hesitant to get Prince due to his age at first, but, eventually I figured no one really knows how much time they have anyway....at least I know they'll probably outlive me so can prepare for it.

 

[chandab]

They'll help keep you young. None of us know how much time we have, as accidents happen (horse and human), so just enjoy them. I'm a bit younger, but have minis from 2 years old to 30 years old; so will likely still have the youngest when I am your age, and if I have my way, may have a few more young ones over the years.

 

[secuono]

I'm in my 30s. I'm only 11yrs into owning horses.
Youngest is now 1.7yrs, I think. Oldest is somewhere in the 16-18yrs range.

I should probably put them in a will or something to guide where they may end up if a bus hits me or one of them tramples me.

Don't think I'll get more once I'm elderly, but who knows. I added cattle recently, for some dumb reason, after all.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I am 69 and recently got Billy. He is 17 and Dapper Dan is 26. I am hoping both of these boys will take me through the next decade. But I wouldn't say "no" if a younger one came my way! I do find I don't take chances with driving any more. I'm much more aware of the consequences of a drive gone bad. And they are good companions on my walks.

 

[MaryFlora]

Enjoy them 1rt! I’m probably within a few months of you and have 4 minis and one mini donkey. All of mine are now in their twenties with the exception of my mini, Tinker, who is a teen…..little whippersnapper.

I agree with all the above postings, and since mine are in good health we are able to be active together. I would absolutely consider a younger mini if the opportunity popped up. We do have a will, however, and a designated person (who agreed) to properly take care of any animals when the time comes by rehoming.

Recently, I read an article by an equestrian in the Chronicle of the Horse online magazine. In it she wrote, …”I can dream in decades….”. I love that. So enjoy those minis, keep walking and share a photo if possible!

 

[1roadtoad]

Thanks for your responses. I've recognized that I will have to figure out where my animals will go, if I go first and make arrangements for their forever care. I've owned 6 horses (2 at a time) over the last 35+ years and kept every one of them until they passed away of old age. I guess that's why I'm a little bummed at the prospect of someone else taking care of my critters after I'm gone. On the brighter side, I will continue to enjoy and take care of them now. One thing to note is that they definitely help to keep me in shape and as Crimson Rose mentioned "young."
Prince and Kazoo look very sweet, thank you for chiming in about having young animals and letting me know that others in the same decade as I am, that have made the decision to get young equines too!
I have a follow up question. As I mentioned, I've never had such young horses before, so I don't really know what I could/should do or try to do with them. Every horse I've owned in the past have been middle aged, "push button" horses. I've had a trainer come to my place a few times a month for the last 6 months to teach them ground manners (stand for grooming & farrier, walk on a lead line, desensitize them to loud noises, etc.) because they were young rescue minis with no training. I love the idea of someday being able to go on a long hike with them but, have no idea as to how to start such a venture. I am just getting comfortable walking them around the neighborhood. Note: I have no experience in training animals of any kind and am a bit timid around horses (not good). It doesn't help that I am under 5' tall and 100 lbs. To me, a miniature horse is a big animal!! Anyway, any advice as to how I could begin taking hikes with my boys or any other fun ideas as to what I could do to interact and engage with them would be much appreciated. Thanks again for your input.

 

[1roadtoad]

Hi again. As I was writing my response, new posts came in from Marsha Cassada and MaryFlora, I love you both. Thanks so much for the encouragement and to you Marsha, thanks for letting me know that you are enjoying your animals at 69. I will turn 69 next month which is probably the reason I've been wondering about my animal choices lately. I guess I will table old age for a while and just enjoy these youngsters while I can. They are such a hoot to watch!! Thanks again.

 

[chandab]

. I've had a trainer come to my place a few times a month for the last 6 months to teach them ground manners (stand for grooming & farrier, walk on a lead line, desensitize them to loud noises, etc.) because they were young rescue minis with no training. I love the idea of someday being able to go on a long hike with them but, have no idea as to how to start such a venture. I am just getting comfortable walking them around the neighborhood. N

Just keep doing what you are doing. Work on your confidence, and expand from where you are with your walks around the neighborhood, in time you'll be able to go on those longer hikes. I once read "go where you can, not where you can't". [So go with what's comfortable for you, and as you gain that comfort and confidence, start expanding where you go.]

 

[MaryFlora]

Second chandab! Great advice! Walking them around the neighborhood is awesome! Minis love attention and seem to enjoy going for a walk as much as we do. They also don’t judge us. Whether you walk around the block or hike in the Adirondacks, they don’t weigh or evaluate, they just enjoy the moment.

If you get a chance find the hiking/walking thread and just read through it. You will see a wide range of walks from short to long. When you go for a walk make a note and post too! Join us!

Yes! Absolutely table old age!

 

[1roadtoad]

Good advice. Thanks for the information and encouragement. I'll post photos after my next walk.

 

[Becmar]

65 yrs young! 3 minis. 20 yr old retired pinto mare, 3 yrs old appy gelding, and my newly trained 4 yr old gelding! Never too old. Just make arrangements for them.

 

[CADtudor]

I have been curious as to know how old or young, (depending on your prospective) the average mini horse owner is on this site. When my mini Lady died almost 2 years ago, I was left with 2 mini donkeys, it would have been the perfect time to downsize after 30+ years of owning horses. But, I found my backyard was much too quiet and a bit boring, so I made the decision to get another middle aged mini so that all my equines could get old together and I could still manage their care. I was not successful in my quest for a middle aged mini, so after looking for almost a year I ended up with 2 young, recently gelded males, 1 is now 5 and the other is 8. I am in the latter part of my 6th decade (almost 70), so my animals will probably outlive me! Before I got my boys I pondered for an entire year as to whether I should get any more animals or not. I absolutely love all of my animals and can't imagine not having any of them but, I'm still wondering whether it was the right decision or am I crazy to have such young horses at my age?? I have enjoyed seeing all the activities that members on this forum do with their animals especially the trekking. Because of this I have just begun taking my boys for walks into the woods. I've just done it a couple of times but so far it's been great fun and the perfect way to bond with my boys. Anyway, I am just curious, are there other "long in the tooth" mini owners on this site? I'm just hoping I'm not alone

I am 70 and just bought a 5 year old Mini. I also have 2 miniature donkeys that I trained to drive this year, and a 15.3 hh Tennessee Walking horse. I lost my Egyptian Arabian this year to cancer. So, I needed a new companion for my TWH and next year’s project is to train my miniature horse to drive. Never give up and enjoy them for as long as you can. All the work involved keeps you active and fit. I will be 71in January, still ride and enjoying the driving.

 

[Cayuse]

I'm 62 and have 2 minis and a pony. I had planned on getting another when my hubby retired but changed my mind because of my age and my concerns about their care after I'm gone. I have arrangements made for them in my will but even that's not a sure thing. So unfortunately I'm going to be the Debbie Downer of the thread and say I have let age disqualify me from further horse ownership.

 

[1roadtoad]

I am super happy to know that there are other mini owners around who are very close to me in age!! And with young animals too !! Before I got my two boys from a rescue last year I tried to search the web to find out if there were other older (relative term) individuals involved with horses, but everything I found focused on riding horses (like at a facility) and not actually owning and managing young horses. I think that the reason that I was curious to find other older folks with equines was because I wanted to know what they thought about having animals that may not be able to live out their lives with them, in one place. It seems that horses often move from place to place, heck, that's how I got all my previous animals. But, once a horse has comes to my place, it stays here until it passes from old age. Fortunately, I've never had the experience of owning a horse for a while and then rehoming it. It is a very foreign concept to me and I was concerned that it may not be fair to the horses. It's obviously too late to be wondering if I've made the right choice, 'cuz here I am !! I love all 4 of my little minis. I work my butt off keeping them happy and healthy which in turn keeps me happy and healthy !!
Again, thank you, I feel inspired !

 

[1roadtoad]

Cayuse, you're not a Debbie Downer, just pragmatic. I haven't made arrangements for my little ones yet, but I will be doing so in the near future. I figure I'll have to find a home to send them to along with a "dowry."

 

[Kelly]

Never too old! And if there ever comes a day that I can no longer take care of them, then I will hire help or board them. Smart that you went with minis instead of biggies, minis are so much easier to handle.

 

[1roadtoad]

I had riding horses for about 20 years, always 2 at a time. When I was in my early 50's and was left with only 1 riding horse, so I decided to downsize, literally. My farrier gave me my first mini named Lady to keep my last riding horse, Chico company. I was smitten. It's been minis ever since. The minis are much easier to handle and their personalities are wonderful. Yes, when I can not longer keep up with them on my own, I will definitely hire help before boarding them with anyone. Thankfully, I'm not there yet. For now I'll just enjoy them, they are so much fun.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I do worry about Dapper Dan if something happens to me. My husband said he will certainly take care of him. My sister would. But they are older than I am! I never thought of a "dowry" but that is certainly a thought.

 

[1roadtoad]

For years when talking to my niece, I've joked that I am going to leave her my animals (my niece is local, my daughter lives in AZ). I've told her that I will build her a barn and leave enough to take care of all the critters. I should probably tell her that I wasn't joking and see how she feels about it. Of course, if I am lucky enough to be long lived, she won't take custody of them until she's almost 60! It's odd that I never really worried about the "what if's" before getting the boys. I got my donkeys 10 yrs. ago. They were just a 1 and 1-1/2 yrs. old. At the time, I didn't really give my age much of a thought.
I have always wanted to learn to drive, but am aware that at my age, bones probably break easier and take longer to mend, so I'm going to settle for walking them around the neighborhood and perhaps work up to some longer hikes.