The Stigma of Riding the Older Unsound Horse

Joy. For both of us.

For the last year, I felt Pig was very unsound. for those who haven't been through the management of a retired older horse, there's a significant difference between acute unsoundness that precludes riding the horse and ongoing soundness issues related to arthritis or chronic issues. The latter type of unsoundess requires the horse continue to stay active, so low pressure riding is often suggested to keep the animal more comfortable. This doesn't mean coming out into the ring to practice collected canter and flying changes, but it does mean a lot of walking and hills and some forward canter to keep the back and joints supple.

Easy hacking up and down some hills at the walk is super for older arthritic horses.

So, for the last few months that's all we've been doing. But with this joint supplement, Pig is so much more comfortable I've been able to challenge him a bit more to build supporting muscle in other movements. We're still not schooling a lot of trot, as that is his least comfortable gait. However, we're able to touch it much more now. That is a huge improvement. The more we trot, the more he's able to regain comfort in that gait.

It's not abnormal for horses to lose their comfort in the trot as they age. The canter and walk often remain comfortable longer.

While it seems counter intuitive to be riding a horse that is somewhat unsound, for these sorts of old-horse-woes, it is really helpful. I feel like this sort of need isn't often acknowledged in the horse world. We talk mostly about horses being unsound from acute injuries, which require rest. There's a bit of a stigma towards riding a horse who is "off". That's really unfortunate for older horses who would benefit from more light riding, not less.

A bit of forward canter is always helpful to keep a horse happy in their back and topline.

Pig's retirement plans always included keeping him in work as long as possible, for his own comfort and longevity. I'm so happy that he's finally back on that plan, and that he's getting to reap the benefits of "motion is lotion." Right now he gets ridden 3-4 days a week. He goes for long trail rides with a lot of forward active walking. He finds himself in the ring on occasion, where we focus on lateral movements and canter, helping him to stay gymnastically supple and continue to keep a comfortable range of motion.

With luck, all this activity will continue to keep him feeling younger for many years.

I wish I could explain to you how angry he was at me for making him stand for this photo. Haha. If you're riding, he expects to be moving, and gets really upset at being asked to just stand. Boredom is his enemy.

Anyone else out there riding their older arthritic horses? How do you feel about exercising a horse who is chronically unsound?