[Bluey]

I guess you are aware the Dvorak wrote that in the United States and that that movement is based on the spiritual "Going Home". My husband sang that for the funeral of his 102 year old grandmother. I could not stop crying and she was not such a nice woman, she had a very long run and could remember members of her family and what they did during the Civil War. It was stunning.

Yep, know who Dvorak is.
Thanks for the history lesson.
Neat grandmother your DH had.

[Beentheredonethat]

I lost my heart horse five years ago. This was him at 28 competing I-1. I think we got 58%.
http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...botrotat28.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...imbopir117.jpg

This is him right before I lost him at 31.

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Dec06head1.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Jan07LisaB.jpg

He was still doing the I-1 work until the day before he died, and a kick ass trail horse. He had been completely blind since about 20, but his eyes started shriveling and clouding in his late 20's.

It makes me cry every time I look at them. It's like losing your first child.

[Bluey]

I lost my heart horse five years ago. This was him at 28 competing I-1. I think we got 58%.
http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...botrotat28.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...imbopir117.jpg

This is him right before I lost him at 31.

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Dec06head1.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Jan07LisaB.jpg

He was still doing the I-1 work until the day before he died, and a kick ass trail horse. He had been completely blind since about 20, but his eyes started shriveling and clouding in his late 20's.

It makes me cry every time I look at them. It's like losing your first child.

What a colorful horse he was.

Some horses seem to age so well, like yours did.

[PaintPony]

Here is my old Appy gelding at age 30 (I think?) http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...212_9251_n.jpg

He passed away after a long happy life in February at age 32.
He was the best/most gentle beginner/guest horse I have ever known and he was loved by many.

In fact when I posted about his death on Facebook I got SO many responses from people who had ridden him. For many of them it was the first/only time they had ever been on a horse.

It was wonderful to see how many people he had touched and left with a fun, positive horse experience. I always said he made up for being funny lookin' with his personality.

[RedmondDressage]

More beautiful pictures, how neat to see them and hear their stories.

I have a friend with a registered AQHA gelding, 40 year old this year, that she had since he was 2.
He is finally this year looking a bit old.

Now, maybe someone with young ones could do a spin-off for them?

I LOVE hearing this! I hope my QH is with me for at least that long. I got him when I was 10 years old so I've had him for more that 2/3 of my life. I have no idea what I will do without him, I honestly can't think about it too long because it sends me straight to tears. I'm trying to will the universe to let him to stay around as long as possible (as long as he is happy and healthy of course).

I lost my heart horse five years ago. This was him at 28 competing I-1. I think we got 58%.
http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...botrotat28.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...imbopir117.jpg

This is him right before I lost him at 31.

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Dec06head1.jpg

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...Jan07LisaB.jpg

He was still doing the I-1 work until the day before he died, and a kick ass trail horse. He had been completely blind since about 20, but his eyes started shriveling and clouding in his late 20's.

It makes me cry every time I look at them. It's like losing your first child.

Ok I love this one too! First of all, what a stunning boy! He looks gorgeous in front that backdrop in the last picture especially! And what a fantastic story, he sounds like he was an amazing horse. My gelding is making his PSG debut this year at 20. I often wish I had him when he was younger because I betcha we could have made it all the way, or pretty damn close... You're giving me a sliver of hope that it still might be possible

[Quinn]

On the left is dear Hudson (35) and the black on the right is Splash (21.) Both are retired and living the life of Riley.


http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q...93962090_n.jpg


http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[HungarianHippo]

Wow Quinn, what a great picture. Nice job keeping them so fit and shiny!

[Naina78]

This is Pegasus. He belonged to friends of my parents, and when I was a teenager ('90's) they gave me carte blanche to ride and take care of him. He was a cool horse, very feisty even in his late '20's. Sadly, he passed away five years ago. He was an Anglo-Arab, foaled in either 1970 or 1972. Picture is from 1997, so he's either 27 or 25 in it.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8465/8...daf476309b.jpg
Pegasus2 by R2U2PT, on Flickr

[Tha Ridge]

Not mine, but I've shown him a few times: http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto..._4424888_n.jpg

22 this year!

[LoriO]

Here is my girl, this was taken about 2 months ago. Lizzy is a 26 year old TB mare and still going strong!!!

http://z1.ifrm.com/1501/29/0/p1033605/Liz.jpg

[toxicity]

Not mine (my current and only horse I've ever owned is only 9), but this was my favorite lesson pony I learned to ride on. He died in 2007, I have no idea how old he was, probably late 30's. A lady at our barn took him to her farm for retirement and he patrolled the driveway in his remaining days.

Disco in ~98'
He was a sassy thing, as ponies should be, and I loved him.

[Polydor]

Now that I've seen each and every picture-it's so great to see the oldies relaxing and eating, I had window after window of an old horse just head down eating grass and that's the perfect retirement for a good horse.

Horses with kids, the best, horses get so kind as they get older and they learn how our babies can be their babies-I know my old lady horse took care of my own children as well as she took care of my husband when he was a kid.

It's such a gift, to have an old horse that you know well even if you didn't know them long. Horses just get kinder and gentler as they go, when they're loved... I'm so proud of our oldie and my husband still treats her as the matriarch here though she's long outlived her only foal. She stomps around after him like any mama and fusses when he rides horses that are younger than she is now...

Thanks for sharing your "old"horse pictures, folks... they all deserve a rub and an atta horse for making it.

Very well said cowboymom!

Also love how you said : "she has a little more thought in her step now " . Very well put!

Do love my oldies. Will have to dig out a few pics of the "babysitters" from the farm. All are retired TBs most of who have won over a million in money at the track. Won a few group races between them. Pretty cool dudes.

P.

[baylady7]

Here's a link to a recent photo session done with my 25+ y.o. Appaloosa, Cadet:

http://horsephoto.photoreflect.com/s...aspx?e=8702801

He is indeed my heart horse.

[snbess]

This makes my heart smile. I have a 19 yo who is doing his best to teach me 3rd level. I am hopeful that we'll be able to continue up the levels a bit farther. He's sound and happy and a wonderful guy!

[QUOTE=RedmondDressage;6625047]



The chestnut in the photo is my other kind-of-old-man... He's a Hanoverian gelding and he'll be 20 this spring. He's going strong as well, we'll be making our FEI debut at PSG this summer!

[Schune]

She's getting 'older' and having some soundness issues right now, but here is the TB mare that's been a part of my life for 11+ years.

Age 11
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ndSquirrel.jpg

Age 16 and winter fuzzies
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ucyDec2010.jpg

Age 17
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...seupfacial.jpg

Age 18
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...LucySF2012.jpg

As you can see, she has always been an air fern Depending on whether the lameness issue can be resolved, she might be retiring completely from riding in the near future.

[Puddin Pie]

I am hoping my link works for Facebook. This is Dandy, my 29 years young, half arabian, that I have owned for 27 years, taking a run across the field last month. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...8144833&type=3

[JenLS]

This Weapon this summer. He's 31.

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...12/Image17.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...012/Image5.jpg

http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/...12/Image16.jpg

[PRS]

Here are some pictures I took today of my 29 year old Mare. http://s833.beta.photobucket.com/use...rary/Blueberry
I took these when I ran home on my lunch hour to feed her her lunch of mush. She gets soaked beep, and alfalfa 3x a day. She has never been lame (although she was ill last winter) but she does have what the vet described as a significant heart murmur. The only supplement she is on is SmartOmega3. She does still enjoy the occasional leisurely trail ride. Leisurely is my idea...she has no idea that she is 29 years old with a bad heart. Love this mare

[cswoodlandfairy]

Oh I'll play!!!

I just came back from the TB Celebration show this past weekend and got some amazing shots of my old man. Indy, Little Bit Indian, is 25 years old! He's still out and about strutting his stuff!!!

It had been 6 years since I have shown him let alone over fences!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=567969003901&l=0a72eff15d


And here are some professional shots...will be ordering these!

http://csyoung.smugmug.com/Horse-Sho...Vw2wk&lb=1&s=A

http://csyoung.smugmug.com/Horse-Sho...W3Ccs&lb=1&s=A

http://csyoung.smugmug.com/Horse-Sho...2mgTV&lb=1&s=A

[Lord Helpus]

This is Commanche Trail (yes, his name is spelled wrong). I rescued him from the track at age 8, after he had run 65 times and his ankles were shot.

He is now 24 and he loves him some baths in the hot sunmer.

http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/p...thJuly2012.jpg

(This tub is specially for his baths. His automatic waterer can be seen over his back.)