Senior show horses

[Kawgirl]

What is the age of the oldest horse you've ever shown and in what class or classes? How well did you place in the class?

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

What is the age of the oldest horse you've ever shown and in what class or classes? How well did you place in the class?

Well I didnt show the horse personally but my neighbor had just bought a 18? year old stallion. She showed him in halter and country pleasure driving classes. She placed about 2 or 3 in halter out of quite a few, cant remember for sure but in driving she got 5th out of 13 and it was her 3rd time ever driving. So as long as they still look good go for it!

 

[mydaddysjag]

I just bought a gelding who will be 9 this year. Not what I would consider a senior, but according to show classes he's a senior, and hes not a 3 year old senior like some of the "senior" show horses. He will be showing AMHR.

 

[~Lisa~]

We have a 12 yr old gelding who is consistently in the ribbons in halter, obstacle, hunter, jumper. He almost always places 1st or 2nd in those classes as well as liberty his favorite class! He just started driving so will be doing that this year as well. I have to say honestly there is not a horse on this earth I would trade him for. I LOVE this little horse his age, experience and work ethic make him irreplaceable

Here he is showing last year- excuse the dorky face Raven was making she was trying to keep track of all 3 judges LOL

 

[Millstone Farm]

Germel's Abraham, at age 11 was the AMHA Reserve World Champion in Sr. Geldings under 32" (Open)

this is a photo of him from earlier that year:

Kristina should post something on here about her dad's stallion who won at the World Show as an even older teenage!!

 

[Suzie]

We have a 14 year old stallion we show. He is full of life and places in the ribbons still. He shows in driving, halter, liberty. He knows he job and gets right to it. We absolutely adore him. We will be showing him as long as he still enjoys the challenge.

 

[Sandee]

My daughter started showing this past year and I wanted her to have an experienced horse so we pulled my elder gleding out of retirement. He was 20 last year and she showed him in obstacle halter where he placed in the top ribbons at a few shows. She also drove him in Pleasure under and if I remember right he placed 3rd or 4th at the Area VI show. (For anyone who keeps up with AMHA, this "old man" is one of the grandfathers of the "horse of the year 2006")

 

[midnight star stables]

Well, I show my Nitro. He is a 1999 gelding who started showing in 2006. He nearly has his HOF in Halter and a few driving classes too. Last year he was AMHR Area 2 High Point Youth Horse in the Over Division and Multiple Canadian All-Star Champion too. I plan to continue showing him for another year or two still.

Nitro in 2008:

Also, in 2004, 2005 and in 2007 I showed my old retired stallion who is now 29. In the 2005 show I showed him in all areas - halter, colour, jumping, driving and liberty etc. and he placed pretty well. First or Seconds in halter, jumping etc. Fourth and fifth in driving. Didn't place in Colour though. Just to give you an idea.

Midnight in 2005(Please note that he is whinnying, and that is why you can see his ribs. In realty, he ribs weren't showing - although older horses can be harder to keep weight on.):

Midnight in 2007(In better weight here, but not too different fro above):

It IS a lot of work to show an older horse, but it is possible. Best of luck!

 

[KTS@Sawmill River]

Honestly, I think a majority of horses are better as they age. We have shown many older horses over the years and have had great success doing so. I know of many World champion performance horses who showed at the AMHA World show in their late teens and won.... Fanfares Check My Label, Landrys Johnny Walker Red......

Our grand old lady, NFCs Flash Dance showed at the World show in 1999 at the age of 15 and she came home with a World Champion(then National Champion) in youth halter. Previously, at the age of 8, Flash was the AMHA World Grand Champion Sr. Mare and we just kept on showing her... She reinforced that older horses could still hold their own, so we never hesitate to bring them out.

We had a wonderful little gelding, SRF Encore, who was the Reserve World Grand Champion Sr. Gelding in 1999 at the age of 6, and then came back at the age of 12 in 2005 to win that title again!!! He also had many National Champs, and World and Res. World Champs in between.

As an 8-12 youth, I showed a 15 year old gelding, Shadow Oaks Dan Cupid, and pinned in the Top 5 in both Youth halter and Country Pleasure driving.

This year, I will be showing a 13 yr. old Stallion and a 12 yr. old Mare in Amateur, and in my opinion, they look and act just like they did when they showed as younger horses, if not better.

Germel's Abraham, at age 11 was the AMHA Reserve World Champion in Sr. Geldings under 32" (Open)
this is a photo of him from earlier that year:

Kristina should post something on here about her dad's stallion who won at the World Show as an even older teenage!!

Hey Jen!!

I remember Abraham from when I was really little....

Dads gone to sleep, but I am not sure what stallion you are talking about? Brain freeze from this New england winter.... lol

 

[TomEHawk]

We are still showing horses in there teens. Some ponies are still showing in their twenties, and winning. Our oldest lately has been our over division gelding the we show in the roadster division, and is still winning on the national level. His name is Excaliber's Little Thunder and he is 13. I might be showing a horse this year that is around 16.

 

[MinisOutWest]

You will have to have Breanne confirm this one, but she let me use Magic and we won an AMHA Reserve World Championship in Showmanship . He is like 16 or 17. I think she won her showmanship class with him too. He iis so cool. Thanks Breanne !!!

 

[JWC sr.]

Jose Perez, our farm manager had never gotten to show Cherryville's Rio de Oro, who is our long time Sr. Herd Sire.

Even though he had trained him back when we had him with a trainer in the area years ago. He kept asking Cindy to let him show him once just to see him in the ring. She finally gave in with the stipulation that he only adjust his feed and not use the sweats on him or work outs as she did not want him to have to go thru all the rigors of full time training.

Anyway he was entered in the Dallas state fair show put on by the Southwest club that year which was the last show of the year at age 23 and he won Grand Champion stallion for Jose. At the same show one of Rio's daughters was grand champion mare and so they showed against each other for the supreme, which Rio won one and his daughter won one.

Then it was back in the breeding pen never to come out of it again, according to Cindy. LOL

 

[My-Lil-Pony]

The horses at the barn I work at are mostly Warmbloods and T/B's we do have a few short stirrup ponies as well. It takes many years to get them trained properly and they are considered in their prime around 10-15 years old. Many of our short stirrup ponies compete way into their 20's.

 

[Davie]

Multihitch (Jan T.) has a gelding in her bay 4-up hitch that I believe is 23 years old this year. His name is Little Bit O Trouble and he is still going strong. She still shows him in liberty and SPD on very limited ocassions.

I may bring my 17 year old gelding back out, but only if he shows that spark to want to show as he has been showing since he was 3.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I last showed Rabbit five years ago when he was 25 and he went Champion!!