Just an old horse. Aged, possibly arthritis, perhaps missing some teeth here or there, or have worn down teeth. Maybe they don’t quite have the spring in their step like they did in their younger days. Often times, old horses will get passed by when people are in search of a family horse, because they want something with a lot of years left in them to last their kids, etc. Just because they are old, doesn’t mean they are not golden. That old horse might do one hundred times more confidence building for your child, than the beautiful 8 year old geldings you bought to last them.
My old horse is 24 years old. She is a beautiful flea bit gray grade Arabian mare. She’s never had much of a forelock, and she has some black marks on her nose where she must have had a halter on too long in her younger years. I used to photoshop out the black marks in pictures of her for a photography shoot, but they are part of her. She has scars below her knees on both front legs, and I would love to find out more of her history, but I don’t have a lot of history on her. I have had Lightning for over a year now, and she’s with me forever. Prior to coming to me, Lightning belonged to a wonderful family for ten years and was her first horse. Before that, she came form a rescue.
Initially, when we got Lightning, she was pretty spicy. Lightning was broke, but hadn’t been ridden in some time, and she certainly had an attitude if she wanted to go her own direction. Lightning rode better for Nathaniel than me, but she made me tense when I got on her, and I’m sure that tension transferred from me to her. I got frustrated with her time and time again because she always trot and never want to just slow to a walk. Sometimes, it’s nice just to be able to relax in the saddle. You would never guess Lightning was old, based on her love to trot and run!
Lightning used to be a bolter. It took a while to figure out that she associated me riding her with her bit to having a heavy hand on her mouth. She had been stuck in a rut of bad behavior. She knew if she was at a trot, people would be yanking on her to get her to slow down, and it just further fueled her fire. It really felt like it was out of necessity to be heavy handed, because she was unresponsive if you wanted her to slow down. One time, she ran off with me despite me trying to turn her head, and continued and suddenly stopped in front of the fence line. I was so thankful that she didn’t toss me over the fence! She is very good at continuing to run in a straight line with her head turned completely to the side. It is quite the sight to see!
I started riding her here and there bareback, and she was an amazingly different horse. I would ride her in a rope halter around the pasture. She would rarely try and trot off with me, and I noticed when she felt that my balance started to slip, she would slow down. I was working up my confidence bareback riding on her. I even got to the point with her I could put a rope around her neck and she would ride off of leg pressure. One day, we tacked up, and while taking Lightning for a ride down the road, she kept behaving horrible for me, and my husband and I switched horses. I rode Jester and he rode her back. She immediately kept a walk for him, and I noticed he was able to one hand rein her. I didn’t understand the difference, because in a rope halter and bareback, she is just fine. The saddle fit well, nothing was pinching. The only thing different basically was her bridle. But in his hands, the bridle was fine.
We got back from that ride, and I took her bridle off, and slipped on a rope halter, and kept her tack on, and got back on her, and she was a different horse for me. I didn’t have to fight with her to stay at a walk, she was responsive to my leg and very light pressure with my simple tied rope halter reins. I rode her through the neighborhood and didn’t have any trouble with her at all.
From that day forward, Lightning and I have and a mutual understanding of each other. I ride her in a hackamore. I don’t use a bit, and she doesn’t run off with me. I trust her to take care of me. Riding bareback with her, has improved our bond a lot, I think. Over the summer, I got to the point I could lope her bareback. I can ride her trot easily, and she can feel if she needs to slow down and let me get adjusted. We have had many bareback rides through the little subdivision around our farm. and She’s helped us round up a loose horse or two. Lightning has run barrels, and poles, and flags, and trails. She is such a good trail horse! She loves being in the lead, although lately, she doesn’t care as much. She’s just happy to be out and about with us.
Sometimes, she makes me chase her. And we have worked out an understanding in that area as well. I chase her and change directions twice, then I walk up and put the rope around her neck. I’ve caught her by her tail before. She seems to enjoy her games of chase! She knows MOST of the time, I won’t give up, and is always ready to give in after a couple minutes of her naughtiness. She makes me laugh, and she makes my day better on any rough day.
An old horse can teach you a lot. Almost every horse, regardless of their age, has some quirk or two to work through. Lightning’s was just a result of previous behavior and people’s reactions through the years I imagine. After we established a mutual trust with each other, she has become an amazing horse. Not just anyone could ride her and run her. But I trust her. Lightning has taught my kids a lot. I have given them some lessons on steering, walk, trot. Lightning and I have done some beginner liberty training and she is great for pony rides off of a lead line. Little kids feel like they are big stuff being able to ride my horse independently, while I walk nearby and give her hand signals.
Lightning has done fun shows with my kids and got to help instill in them a love for horses, and allowed the to be a part in the “big people” fun of horses. She’s done barrels and poles with the kids and a costume class being Flash’s sidekick horse.
Lightning turns into a marshmallow for kids. At the beginning, I could have been running her and having to turn circles, or fighting to stay at a walk instead of a trot, but after a frustrating ride, she would be an angel the minute I put my children on her for a ride. She still loves the littles.
If you’re thinking about a horse for your children…Don’t pass by the old horse just because of their age. They may not have a decade left to give your family, but the lessons they will teach you are worth so much. The patience of an old horse far surpasses that of a young one. They have been around, and seen it all, and rarely will you find a spooky old horse. They may have a quirk or two to figure out, but a little time, and that relationship will develop. Take the time and listen to them. You’ll figure each other out. And you will have a horse that you will have such rewarding memories, you will cherish them the rest of your life.
