#horses - #To refresher train a 15 year old horse or look for a new horse? Looking for opinions.

To refresher train a 15 year old horse or look for a new horse? Looking for opinions.

Almost a year ago I rehomed a 14 year old Quarter Horse, Quest, (and his best friend a donkey) from a couple who had sold their country house. Mainly to be companions for my 18 year old QH mare, Showdown.

I use to breakaway rope with Showdown. Then just trail riding for a number of years and lately I've been trying to get her into play day / saddle club speed events. But she has been developing arthritis. Not bad enough to keep from riding her really. She gets a supplement. She's still fast on the straight but she doesn't flex as well as she use to above a trot. I think she might be as good as she's going to get. Which was 2-3 seconds behind the leaders at a show I went to on Saturday.

When I picked up Quest a year ago, I was told it had been 6 months since he was last ridden. Then it became a year. Then maybe two years... So who knows. Plus the year he's been fat and happy being a lawn ornament for me. His previous owners only used him for occasional trail rides and pony ride. They also decided he became lame, and stopped riding him at all, but never took him to the vet for x-rays. I did see a couple off steps when I first met him but haven't seen a single limp since bringing him home. And now that I'm getting him trimmed on regular, the cracks in his worst hoof are almost gone. My farrier agrees that he does not appear to be lame. Grandfather generation back, Quest does have some high point QHs in his family tree for performance.

I guess I'm just wondering about getting "my money's worth" on spending $500 to send him to a trainer when he's already 15. And probably with a several month waiting list. I'm not really at a point that I would try getting on him myself as I lack anything but my field to ride him in. And I know a bad experience getting back under saddle could make it more difficult if I do send him to a trainer. At the same time, my budget for looking to add to the herd would only be about $1,000-1,500 at the moment. Which around here could get me a fairly young and decent horse. Maybe not trained for barrels and poles but knows how to ride and has potential. I would just have to keep my eye on the sales and be picky.

Submitted April 30, 2018 at 05:18PM by FireflyRave
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/comments/8g3vg6/to_refresher_train_a_15_year_old_horse_or_look/?utm_source=ifttt