If you are a beginner looking for a safe, trained horse to learn with, a common misperception is: an older horse is safer than a younger horse. It would be unwise to make this generalization. Reactive or fearful behavior will not go away with age. A safe horse is the product of inherent temperament, training, and handling not age. A horse will become steadier as they age and gain experience but only if they are trained, handled properly and used consistently. There are many older horses that have spent most of their life grazing; this does not qualify as experience, handling and use.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences undergraduate study found that reaction and fear responses did not vary significantly with age. The study concluded that reactivity and fear responses in younger horses and older horses were essentially equal. This has been our experience as well.
When considering a horse, focus more on the horse’s innate characteristics and temperament. We have found that our best horses are curious, calm, and outgoing even when they are very young, it doesn’t require age. Rather than choosing a horse based on age focus on the experience the horse has gained a look for temperament traits that are the foundation of a safe trainable horse.
Other facts or industry consensus on age:
- Horses can live to be 30 or older with good care but rarely compete in competitions much beyond the age of 20
- Horses generally reach their physical growth maturity at approximately 4 to 5 years
- Mental maturity generally follows physical maturity relative to the horse. But, like people, maturity means different things for different horses and does not always relate to overall intelligence or trust.
- Training under saddle is usually started between the ages of 2-4
- A horse over the age of 16 is considered a veteran
- Average age for a horse being bought/sold is 9.5 years.
- For performance category horses, depending on the sport, peak performance years fall between 6 – 15 years.
The up-side of an older horse:
Generally speaking, a well trained, older horse is going to be less influenced by the inexperienced rider’s ability. They will help build your confidence and be patient with the things you don’t know. They are also less apt to do something really ridiculous that could result in you or them getting hurt.
The down-side of an older horse:
The downside may be that the horse has experience with inexperienced riders and may know some tricks to avoid having to do what you want. If they use their experience against you it is worse than a horse with no experience at all. Another down side is if things work out really great their age will limit the number of years you have together. Taking care of their physical needs can result in expensive vet bills.
The up-side of a younger horse:
The younger horse is more mouldable to what you like and your needs. It has more upward developmental potential giving you the chance to get a great horse at a cheaper price. If things work out you have many potential years together. Additionally, if you need to sell you will likely realize more upside in your valuable investment. Presuming the horse is healthy care and vet cost should be low. You will need professional coaching and you must be willing to spend many hours training and working with your horse to succeed (this point can be seen as either and up-side or down-side depending on your perspective).
The down-side of a younger horse:
The younger horse will be very influence by your behavior and skills. For this reason many inexperienced owners with horses spend allot of time worrying that they are ruining their horse. If thing go wrong, you may not know why and this can be hard on your confidence. They are more apt to do something goofy that could result in you or them getting injured. Coaching and training cost will be higher and you will need to be able to commit to many hours with your horse to succeed.
Finally, when considering a horse of any age, focus on the quality of the horse’s experience. Learn as much as you can about the current owner, their abilities and use of the horse.