Ok I've got a bit of a situation on my hands and l thought I'd see what the general public thinks.

l own this Morgan/Arabian horse. He is AMAZING. I've had him for 8 years, and now he is pushing twenty. Punky (his name) is my little boy and l love him more than life itself sometimes. He gets me through the hard times of my life and is just a great constant in my life.
The only problem is.. he IS twenty. I am an eventer, but not an avid show person. I've gone to a few in the past, but stopped because of a pushy trainer that only went to get the blue ribbons for her daughters.

I'd like to start showing again.
Punky is fantastic on the flat.. but his real passion is jumping. He absolutely loves it... I am just afraid that at his current age l should not try and move him a lot (like to shows) or jump him too much. I've laid off of jumping him in the winter when it is below 30 for his joints...

l like to ramble if you have not noticed.
Point is, more than anything I'd love to get a young horse that l could train and have some sort of project. l feel like l know my own horse too well and that my learning curve is dipping. l do not know what to do though. l can not sell him... he is literally part of the family.
And there is no way l could afford another horse. I am in college and it is hard enough to afford one.

What would YOU do in this situation? l know there is no definitebut I'd really like some opinions.

OH and Punky is only 14.3 and I am 5'4'' (not overweight though). So a bigger horse would probably be a bit more appropriate as well.
Oh and here is a picture of the little guy, all snuggly in his blanket ^_^

http://photos-a.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v1965/243/122/605796626/n605796626_1713576_2115.jpg

Pick your poison.

Either stick with what he can do, or maybe lease him out?

Either way, you are going to be dissapointed in some way l think.

Sorry.

Lease Punky out and buy another horse.

You could lease him out then he would still be yours but ud have money 4 ur other horse

Depending on Punky is condition, he may have a few years left in him. If he is in good health & has no existing lameness, he might be able to be ur eventer for a few more years until u get out of college & can afford a second horse. My old horse was an Arab, he evented into his twenties. Even when it was time to retire, he still wanted to go & jump but he was not strong enough anymore. You do not mention Punky having any condition working against him other than age. So, here is what l advise. Next time u go see ur vet for whatever reason, talk to him about whether Punky is sound enough to continue being ur eventer for a little longer. He may want to do a lameness exam to make that decision. He may advise joint supplements. There is no set age for horses to retire, so ur guy may still have some career in front of him.

Well l believe that he is got a few years left in him for jumping or eventing!!! my friends a jumper & her horse is 23 & he is in good health & he is still jumping. l own a 17 yr old STB that does competitive trail riding. Do not under estimate the power of ur horse. Only they know there true strength

l think u should just stick with what u have. There is always time to get another horse, but you've only got a limited time for punky.

He is absolutley adorable!

And if this helps ur decision. Think of all the good times u guys had together, competing, or just hanging out. Then think of a random stranger doing this. Maybe being to harsh or mean to him. l would not even wanna think about putting my horses in that situation!

There r facilities that provide retirement board. Your other option would be to lease a horse u can event on. Talk to ur vet about Punky & how he is doing. If u r a considerate rider u should not have a problem continuing to show Punky into his old age as long as a vet gives u the okay.

Trying to sell or lease out an old man like that is asking for trouble & it is not fair to him. Do what u can with him, take lessons at a place with lesson horses & when he goes to the big pasture in the sky get something else that u want when u can afford it.

Punky is too cute for words. It really shows that u love him dearly & want the best for him. If u feel that u would be pushing him to show another season, then do not do it. You know ur horse better than anyone. Twenty does not make him old by any means, but he is no spring chicken either.

Is he easy to ride? Does he like trails? Is he good with children? There r lots of people out there looking to lavish love on that perfect horse. Obviously u would not be able to sell him, but what about leasing him? When my quarter horse who l had owned from the time he was five got up there in years l leased him out to a woman who lived an hour from me (so l could go see him whenever l wanted). She needed a nice, older gentlemen for her daughter to learn how to ride on. l screened her very carefully & she received Bars on a free lease with the condition that should there ever came a time that she could not give him the quality of care he deserved, he would come immediately back to me.

She had Bars for the next seven years. l often saw him at horse shows, looking happy as could be winning the walk trot classes with her daughter on board. He passed away one morning in his sleep at her barn & l have never regretted the decision of leasing him out.

as long as he isnt lame, & ur not out to campaign him & show weekly, he should be fine for a while longer.
l rode my standardbred until the month before l had to have him put down at the age of 27. He was stable, strong & willing.

when u ride him, u will know if he feels strong, & stable on his feet. If he is eager or trying to slow down & stop.

If u decide u want to get a new horse to ride, why not list punky as available for a 4-H'er to lease? he would still get alot of attention & loving from a rider, while u could work with a younger horse.

Oh.. & at 14'3 there is no reason u cant ride him. l am Tall. 6'2 & rode a 14'2 quarter mare for 4 years. She was built with a huge barrel & we didnt look to odd for showing. Dont rush to get a bigger horse, shorter ones have some Huge advantages.

l have a friend that rode her pony in its twenties so if he is looked after well then it should be fine. Just dont over work him. if you really want to get a new horse then l suggest leasing punky out. if you cant really afford another horse maybe you should just lease one out yourself.

dont Listin to them dont lease out ur horse just get someone to sponser u thats what l did l live on a ranch with 113 horses & when l went to boarding school l brouht my horse but he got hurt l couldnt afford another horse to keep there so l got someone to sponcer me. bascly just ask l owner to let u use there horse & in return give them like half of the winnings or exchange it for work & stuff hope l helped good luck btw l may be only 15 but trust me l know what im talking about l have been with horses all my life & know all. & l compete in shows 4 or more times a week

aw! come on! ive got a 21 year old tb, l event him novice/training level! he still rocks! it just takes a longer to warm him up! but there r some nice horses (even if ur on a budget) that just take a little training & work, but bonding with a new horse is great & u cant shoot one down just cuz it needs a little work! :) theres really no such thing as a push button horse. cuz key word is horse. they have their own mind so any horse u buy is gonna need a lot of work, but it will be worth it!

l have heard that Arabian & Arabian crosses only get better with age. ;) They just keep on learning. It sounds like u have a good plan with not jumping in winter to let his joints rest & not get bad.

You just have to make out a decision. Way out the pros & cons of both. You could lease out Punky, he would probably be a great teenagers/childs advanced beginner eventing horse ( l am not sure how hard he is to handle but beginners horses who r sound & have some life left in them like Punky r worth their weight in gold).

Well, ur in quite a pickle r not you. If Punky is in great shape & still moves without a fuss & does not look like he is arthritic then l believe he should still be all right to ride. But if he is getting too small then that changes the situation a lot. If l was in ur situation l would try to improve myself a little more & get the best out of Punky. If l has had him for that amount of time & as u say love him to bits l would be heart broken. Selling would not be an option for me. As l said get the most out of him while he is good to go & sort out ur options & think about 'Do l really want to sell a horse l have come so far on'.

That is just what l would do & l really hope for the two of u that things work out okay & everybody is happy.

l still jump my mare who is 20 but we only do 2'6
if you want to compete, try leasing a horse
and maybe lease your horse out to someone else
in the cold, you just need to warm him up really well
warm up for about 30 minutes or more before you start to jump

If your horse is really healthy you could probably still do shows my friends horse is 22 and still does shows and he is fine and healthy!

(your horse is really cute :] )

Just stick with Punky until after you're done with college. If he is healthy, happy & sound, there is no reason to worry about taking him to shows & jumping him. Just make sure u always have a good warm up & cool down, & be sensible. 20 is not really that old if the horse is doing well. My son is pony will be 28 soon & last summer he used him for all pony club sports, as well as trail riding & other fun stuff. Several other pony club kids' horses r also in their 20's. l just keep a close eye on him to look for the first signs of problems but until then l see no need to slow him down.

Loaning him out while u get a new horse is also a good idea, but u have to consider what u will do if the loan does not work out & they want to send Punky back to u - can u afford to keep two horses, if only for a few months? That is why l say just wait until college is over & u r settled wherever u will live & will have a job to support ur horses. (oh, sorry - l am starting to sound like my father did when l was in college!)

Wait a minute - if you're who l think u r - l named ur horse!!!! he has a pierced nose, right?

l am betting that he still has plenty of miles in him. Why not consider leasing him out?Maybe not as a cross country horse, but if he could do hunter/jumper stuff. And if u do, call me first - l have several little girls who might be looking for a pony this year. Leasing him out would give u the time & money for a green-bean to play with - they're pretty cheap around here right now.

Unless he stresses out very badly, he should be fine travelling to shows. l have several older lesson horses who show, & they never have problems.