Whether horse owners consider their horses old seems to be a matter of personal opinion based primarily on physical changes noted by the owners.1 

Survey results from 2,717 U.S. horse owners found that 22.8% considered their horses to be senior at age 20. Another 14.1% considered their horses to be in their golden years at age 25. Only responses from owners of horses 15 years of age or older were included in the survey. 

Other ages were grouped by owner response saying when owners considered their horses to be aged:  

  • 15–19 years (24.0%) 
  • 21–24 years (22.4%)  
  • 26–30 years (13.9%)  
  • > 30 years (1.9%) 

Why Owners Considered Horses Old 

According to survey results, these were the top three reasons owners considered their equids to be seniors (with multiple response selections allowed): 

  1. The horse showed reduced ability to work/exercise (43.6%). 
  2. The horse showed signs of age-related disease/disorder (43.5%). 
  3. The horse’s hair turned gray or there was an increase in gray hair (29.3%). 

Management Changes as Horses Get Old

The researchers found that 90.6% of owners made management changes for their horses once they considered them as seniors.  

Here are the top three management changes made by owners: 

  1. They changed the horse’s diet and/or supplements (65.9%). 
  2. They exercised the horse less intensely (31.3%). 
  3. They stopped riding or driving exercise (29.6%).  

Reference

1. 122 U.S. senior horses: When are they considered ‘old’ and how does that affect their management? Herbst, A.; Coleman, M.; Maco, E., Harris, P.A., Adams A.A. J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 May 

Further Reading