I am looking for a good first horse that can help teach my 10 yr. old daughter to ride and use her hands well.My friend has a 25 yr. old ex-national reining champion mare that she said would be perfect for her.I am afraid of the horses age even though she is total sound at this point.She is bombproof, pretty much push-button to ride and she has an amazing jog and canter.I am just afraid of the medical issues of an old horse and l worry about how much riding time she has left in her.We have to board our horses and we can not afford to pay for a horse that we can not ride. Your thoughts please.
She is only asking $500 for her but if that is too much she would take whatever we can afford.

My Arabian stallion won his last regional top five halter championship at age 29 & lived to be 34 - & sound the entire time.

At 25 - if in good health, this mare could have many wonderful years left in her. She would be a wonderful teacher for ur daughter.

As long as they r not asking an arm & a leg for her ---- l would go for it!

Edited: You said - ''She is bombproof, pretty much push-button to ride'' .. this is what u need for a young rider, a experienced older horse that will take good care of ur little girl! At $500.00 - this is a bargain.

She needs a steady babysitter type of horse - & being a reining horse, u know the mare is athletic & show ring wise, too!

Yes absolutely. With nutrition thses days, horses are living longer and staying useable longer. 25 is not ancient. Many horses are rideable into their 30s as long as they are taken care of. With the training that horse has had, l bet it would make an exceptional horse for your daughter to learn on. l think it would teach her SO much!

l would hope my mother never got me a horse that old as a kid =/ I'd be afriad of the age too- most kids get attached to their first horse. & when it is up there who knows how long it will live. Could be only a few months now, or it could still be a few years. But l wouldnt want to take that type of chance.
Could be nice to lease for a while maybe till she can learn to ride = ) But l wouldnt buy it.

to be honest yes l do think this is a bit old, she may be sound now but she is very close to retiring age, my pony is 37 and hasnt been ridden for ten years so thats a long time to pay for a horse you cant ride, and no one will buy her from you once you can no longer ride her, l agree with the person above about a lease

sounds pricey. At many SPCAs there are horse departments. You can get a cheap horse at a good age that has been worked with. It saves a life and it would teach your daughter responsibility.

Horses tend to live anywhere between 27-35 years old. If she is in good health, there is no reason u would not have a couple good years left. l would guess to say she probably has at leas 5 really good years left.
But that can also be a problem.how long do u want the horse?

l think it would be a great horse for a beginner, & l would probably get her. but the only thing l caution is that (even though she is still in great shape) I've had old horses, & it gets hard as they grow old!

l would not invest in one that is that old. Although she may be sound, the risk of an elderly horse getting injured is generally higher. Also, since she was such a super star reining horse, there is an excellent chance she has severe arthritis, which is expensive to treat (aspirin adds up). Senior horses also will need senior feed (if she is not on it now, she probably will need to be on it soon).

There r plenty of wonderful QHs available for her to learn to ride on. l think it is a wonderful idea to get her an older horse, but 25 would not be something l personally would invest in. Stick to the middle teens for a first horse, that is what l do for clients. Older horses r much more expensive to keep than younger ones ( l would know.. l have a 3 y/o & a 23 y/o. Guess who is cheaper?!) Hope this helps :)

l would have killed for that at her age (or, um, at any age). 25 is not too old, especially for a well bred horse. I'd jump on the opportunity.

EDIT: Waaah, l am a troll who likes to thumb down people to make me feel like l have some kind of control and power in my miserable life!

$500 is a bargain. l would not pass that up!

You should get the horse looked at by a vet and look at her previous vet history if there are any reoccurring problems then it is not a good idea but an old horse is a good horse to start out on they are calm and tend to know what their doing
so age wise they are pretty good
horses can live till their around thirty with good care and attention

It sounds like a perfect horse for your daughter. If she is very sound at 25, you should expect several more years out of her. If you are concerned about her age and what to do when she is unrideable, ask your friend if she would consider a free lease to you. That way, you pay all the horse is expenses, but when it comes time for her to really retire, you can return her to your friend (and stop paying). By then, your daughter might be ready for another horse anyway.

older horses can be wonderful for children, but yes, they do get sick more often then young horses.
depending on the horse, it might still have some life left in it. do not expect the horse to be ridable for many more years.
some horses r still ridable when they reach 30, but u need to keep them at an easy workout & be very careful with what u do.
if ur daughter is looking for a friend to take care of, then go for it. make sure she understands that her friend is old & might not live very long.
if ur daughter wants to compete, likes riding at a fast pace, or is planning on competing in the future then this is probably not the horse for you.

each horse is different. i've met a 40 year old horse who still gives lessons, & i've known 19 year olds that r no longer ridable. use ur best judgement, but be prepared for the consequences.

hope this helps =)

what if you bought this horse and your daughter fell in love with it but then it got sick. it would cost u big bucks and ur daughter would probably be soo upset if her new horse passed away or worse had to be put down. l do not think u should buy that horse! a younger horse(10 - 15) can still be amazing sound , bombproof and have lots of experience and a lot more riding time.

l got my second horse(first was crazy and just sat around) as a companion for my first horse at the age of 24 and she turned out to be an excellent teacher, they seem to be alot easier so l would it would help her learn position and all of the essentials and then in a couple of years you may want to think about a better horse for her if she enjoys it..i was 8 so l think so have her ride her first and see what she thinks.

$500?!?!?!?!??!?!?! that is hardly anything!!!!!!!!!!! l got my horse for $1000 and that is considered cheap!!!!!! omg well :O

l think it should be fine. check the medical history and maybe her lines but for the most part she should be a great first horse. good luck! and good job on getting your daughter interested while she is still young.

l think this horse would be great. And $500 is a great price!!!

l would get a vet exam first. Reining horses go through considerable hock & hind leg tendon stress in a lifetime, & l would want to check it out. If the horse is 25 & shows no signs of hock damage, that works in the horse is favor, since typically u would see changes & there would be at least stiffness that u could observe. l would want to be sure the horse is not being medicated & has not been surgically altered in any way, & I'd get blood work done to check her overall health. If she checks out sound & healthy, l would consider buying her after observing my daughter riding her & making sure it was a good match. l would also be concerned with how she has been kept as compared to how whe will be kept when boarded. It is best for an older horse to be out moving around much of the time.
All of that said, many 25 year old horses r in better shape than some much younger horses.

YES! That sounds like a great horse! Will have plenty of good years left too! $500 is a great price also!
Make sure u get a vet check though. It does not matter if the horse is free u do not want to be throwing away money caring for him if he has something that will make him not being able to be rode.
Also do u know how much caring for a horse is? The purchase price of a horse is the cheapest part. If u can not afford the full $500 right now u might not be able to afford to care for him. A horse of any age will have the chance to have health problems that can become very expensive! He will need regular farrier, shots, wormer etc. Especially if ur boarding ur horse it will be anywhere from $200-$500 a month & more depending on the area.

l would go for it! my first horse (which l still have) was a 24 yr old arabian, now 26 & keeps up with my 4 yr old app in the pasture! she still has plenty of life left in her, l have seen her age just a bit since we have had her but we actually had some one try to tell us we had the wrong papers for her!! if l were u l would explain to ur daughter that the horse is older & that there is a possibility that it wo not be around as long as she would like..and when ur daughter is riding well enough to advance to another horse u could always get her another to sort of wean her from this one & she could still take the older one on trails, etc. & when l bought my horse we got her, the saddle,pad,brushes & the whole nine yards for 500. maybe u could work in a deal like that :) good luck!

Forget the kid, I'd buy her for me!

Seriously, l think a champion reining horse of any age is too much for a first horse. She needs something a little less pushbutton; something that will teach her how to deal with a horse. Kids who learn to ride on pushbutton horses, in my experience, do not get all the benefits one would hope.

A less highly polished pony will teach her to do things right, & teach her how to handle the hiccups of riding - & of life.

Just my take. The age is not a problem.

There is a lot to be said for a ''wind-up toy'' as a friend of mine calls these old show horses. l have one & l love him. She has had a couple. They r great for kids to learn, they r like schoolmasters, instructors in themselves, & they give kids a chance to develop confidence in the show ring without having to worry about a nervous horse. These old veterans often have a lot left in them, especially if they r not worked as hard as they once were. But they r aging, they r approaching retirement. If u cannot afford to care for them in their (rapidly approaching) twilight years, then it may not be the best choice. That is a tradeoff u make when u take on an old champion.

Sounds like a great starter horse for your daughter and she is going for a good price

l believe u have a great thing going there. Take a good look at the horse, get a vet check...is the horse old in years, or actually elderly? What has she been doing for the last (maybe 20) years. l disagree with the posters that did not like the idea of a push button horse for a young rider. Success breeds success. If u daughter can have a great time starting on a horse that OBEYS, she can learn to ride without having to learn to MAKE the horse do what she says, THEN she can learn to work with more complex horses. You can 't beat safe, either. Many old show horses r been there, done that, & nothing upsets them.

l have had two of these horses. One l had from 2 years old, showed very, very hard, & then turned her over to some young riders.she taught several kids to ride before l brought her home to live out her last years. The other l have now, he is 18, & has some ''old horse'' lameness issues, but has been teaching my daughter to ride for the last 5 years, while her friends on their less trained horses have been hurt, & some of them have been through several free horses. These horses will stand forever for little girls to groom, braid & climb around on.

With the economy like it is, there r probably a LOT of older show horses that r ready to be retired to light riding, that would LOVE a home with a little girl.

Absolutely l would. A pre-purchase vet exam that shows no other issues and I'd be on it.

There is a 37 year old half Arab out there competing and winning in competitive trail riding, he recently acquired the record for trail miles. (over 20,000)

Remember her age, be watchful of her health and start off gently when riding.

Yes, absolutely. If your child is interested in learning to ride well, you would be hard pressed to find a better choice. That horse is a goldmine of experience. $500 is a terrific bargain. If she vets clean, l would not think twice about it. When you do the math, that is no more than a few lessons with a decent instructor. l would absolutely go for it.

Have her vet checked for soundness.
It depends on what the safety of ur Daughter is worth to u if this really is a great kids horse.
If it is a really big issue, then do not buy her. She is 25 & has been rode hard most likely.
If she gets to lame u always have the choice to have her put down.
Which is less than $100.00 in our area & would be in her best interest. That would eliminate the board cost.
l do not want to sound cold hearted, sending her to a action to end up as slaughter is much worse in my mind.
l think old horses were born to be kids horses.
Give it some serious thought.
Good luck with ur choice.

YES - In a heartbeat!!!!! If the mare is sound at this age after reining (do please have a vet check to make sure u know what you've got; nominal arthritic changes r to be expected & could still be OK) she is probably built right & going to stay sound for a good while yet; the time the mare has left working is a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY for ur daughter to learn to ride well, & this sounds like a dream horse for that purpose. If u get five more good years from this mare, which seems reasonable, ur daughter will have gotten a good start from an excellent teaching mount & be ready to move on to more horse; l would leap at the chance for a horse like this for my child. The most valuable quality this mare has is her experience. Please do not sell a true jewel short due to her age, she may well have a whole lot left to give. l would choose quality over quantity in this situation. I, too, would have given anything to have had a horse like this at her age. The mare is experience is worth her weight in gold.

She sounds great! Have your daughter ride her a couple times first to see how they get along and then try for a trial period of about a month and then if you're all happy with how things are going, commit to buy.

thats a great price for an older reining horse.. l had a friend sell a horse like that for 20,000 and the horse had so many vices.. you are very lucky to have a friend like that. and reining horses are the best to learn on. l love my reining horse.. this is my 7th year reining and have been riding all my life. l have a little experience. ;) so jump at this once in a lifetime opportunity.... u are one lucky girl!! :)