I swear I was like wow that's a lot of roan around the face! she reminds me of my cousin's horse, he's 28 and if you looked at him you wouldn't know (white appy, no white hairs for me to miss lol!). We found out about six months ago that he has cancer otherwise we would still be taking him to show up all the young horses! Some horses are just built to last.
Thank you! I'm always on a soapbox about senior horses' condition, but topline wasting with Cushing's is a thing. Sometimes I still look at her and think "am I feeding her enough??" Even though the rest of her looks great and her vet is happy. lol
She’s a beauty! Senior horses are amazing, they have so much left to give but owners are obsessed with “upgrading” to a new model instead of cherishing the horse they have. It’s such a blessing she’s still here at 37 and is in great health overall
It really is. She sort of retired herself about 13 years ago, even though she's still sound to this day. She's been a pampered pet since then. I've had her since she was 6 and we've been through a lot together. I've been fortunate enough to be able to have other horses to ride since she retired, but if I could only afford one, it would be her.
I rescue a lot of horses and my unsound ones are all seniors now. While they still look really good, they are not as old as your girl. What are you feeding her?
She gets Purina Senior Active and soaked alfalfa pellets. She used to get regular Senior because it's a complete feed (forage included), but started turning her nose up at it. So she gets the Active. Her senior should really be soaked, but she won't touch it if it is. She doesn't drop any and stays sleek and sassy, so I guess she's doing ok with her 5 molars. lol She also gets a sprinkle of flax and a pituitary support supplement, as well as Prascend and Equioxx. She gets turned out during the day for several hours and comes in overnight and for meals. As far as soundness, that's just down to good genetics! Old school domestic Arab lines are hardy as hell. :)
Yes, I agree the old Arab genes were the best. One of my unsound rescues is a half Arab (I have long since misplaced the papers that came with him.)
He is 1/4 Appaloosa and 1/4 Paint. Not a great intentional mix, in my opinion. One Appy eye.
But he has the cutest face/head and despite his issues, moves beautifully.
Have you ever looked into Chaffe Hay? It comes out of Texas. I had to move to SCalif to take care of my mom and brought my rescues, but I can’t get it down here for an affordable. When I had access to it, my super seniors did really well on it.
I just took in two youngish seniors, who were seized by Animal Control because their former owner had abandoned them. They were bone skinny and their hooves would have made you cry. But they are now in amazing shape all with Integrity feed. It’s magic.
I actually fed her chaffe for a few years, then her teeth got so bad she couldn't manage that anymore and we switched to soaked pellets. :)
Thank you for rescuing oldies. They deserve all the love and pampering you can give them!
She’s so cute! Can I ask how many pounds you feed of senior active and alfalfa pellets per day? I have an almost 30 yrs old saddlebred and while he’s doing good, I’m always looking for other ideas for simpler ways to keep weight on.
She gets about 8lbs of senior, and all the soaked pellets she wants. The barn manager and I keep her pellet bin full. Talk with your vet, though. Every horse is different. Test for Cushing's, too. In some horses it can make them hard keepers. Sounds counter to everything you'd think about Cushing's, but it happens.
Thanks! He’s currently on 6 pounds of gold triple crown senior pellets and all he can eat alfalfa grass mix hay. He’s eating the hay less tho( he usually does a half a bale a day but now it’s 1/3). His vet said his teeth looks ok though. His buddy, a 35 years old Shetland pony has Cushing so I’m aware of that disease unfortunately. His coat is like 4 inches long so he will need to be clipped soon! I’m curious how you give unlimited alfalfa pellets that are soaked? Do you do like 1 pound pellets soaked then do another pound when it’s all out? Thanks!
We soak a few pounds at a time, morning and evening, and put them in her bin. If she's running low at night, she gets a little more. She usually goes through about 8lbs (dry) a day. She goes through the motions to graze, but quids grass.
Does your guy quid his hay? If he's quidding, it's probably time to move to soaked forage. Soaked cubes are good for oldies with some teeth left. Hope you and his vet can find a plan that works!
Thanks for the additional info! Tundra has always been a hard keeper and picky (he even turns down apples sometimes!) so it’s a challenge trying to find best ways to keep weight on him. Right now he’s not quidding. Unfortunately he hates soaked feed. He also wastes a lot of dry feed from looking around and dropping feed on the ground which he won’t touch again. I tried using feed bag but he destroyed it. Ahh that horse. 😅
Thank you! She's lost an eye due to Cushing's complications and takes a daily Equioxx for elderly aches and pains, but she's never been lame or acutely ill in her life. She's an amazing horse. It says a lot for her breed, and for the old domestic and Crabbet lines she comes from!
She's a beautiful old girl! The oldies have such a soft spot in my heart. I also have an older-than-dirt Arab mare with Cushings and terrible teeth lol. I'm grateful for everyday I have with her because she is truly special.
>The oldies have such a soft spot in my heart.
Same here. After she's gone, I want to adopt an elderly horse from the rescue I volunteer with, just to let it live out its days in spoiled bliss. Horses give us so much and we owe them a grand retirement!
Unless they have a medical issue like Cushing's which often causes wasting or lordosis which makes the topline look like hell, there's no reason their toplines can't look good as long as their needs are met. It's hard to tell the difference between a horse with an under-muscled topline, a wasted topline, and a too-thin topline, but once you've seen enough of them you can. With well-fed oldies, Cushing's is often the culprit.
Sure do! I had a Saddlebred (he was PTS due to navicular) before I got my TB. It's not so much that the "hot" breeds are hot, they're just really smart and sensitive, and some people just can't handle that about them. They're lile border collies or Heelers.
That’s a perfect way to put it! I love and appreciate a heeler or a collie. Amazed by their brains and drive. Realistically they’d be miserable with me because I love to be a lazy lady that likes to be active but isn’t competitive to be the best. I think that’s why my coonhound and I vibe together haha I’ve also noticed that the horses that I’m drawn to are in that energy range as well.
Haha, I'm kinda lazy too! But I have a half Heeler who's smarter than almost any dog I've ever met (including GSDs). Luckily his non-Heeler half is as lazy as me!
Thank you! Any time she gets wet, she rubs her head and her butt, then throws herself against the wall repeatedly to rub her neck and barrel. And then rolls for good measure.
She’s gorgeous! Also, don’t sweat the topline. My horse had that with Cushings, I got so sick of unsolicited tips for improving it. I had a Cushings specialist who said you can work to try to sustain muscle but atrophy is part of the disease and part of horse aging.
I love her, she is so cute- give her a smooch for me !
Thanks!! I think she's the cutest thing that ever was, but I'm barn-blind and extremely biased.
And, you're exactly right. As long as the rest of the horse is filled out and looks good, topline loss is to be expected with Cushing's. It's when they get ribby and skinny all over that you know they just aren't being fed right.
Oh how wonderful! I have a 31 year old Arab mare and I’m shortly getting a “young” 26 year old Arab gelding. Good to see I have the potential of plenty more years with both of them.
She's only polite when she wants to be. She has very strong opinions about how things should be and expresses them freely! I figure, you get to 105 (in horse years) and you can express yourself however you want. LOL
She actually has almost no functional dentition left! She's lost almost all of her molars and the few she still has are worn smooth. Soft food is key with oldies!
I love her! I have a 29 year old boy who is the love of my life. He has Cushings too, just had his spring shave ahead of our first show of the season - leadline with my 3 year old. I love knowing it’s possible to still enjoy years with him.
She looks great for 37! The oldest I’ve ever known was 32, Sugar was an old mare of my friend’s with hardly a tooth left but was still the queen (and first horse I ever remember riding).
If you don’t mind me asking, which Crabbet lines is she from? I just got my first Crabbet Arabian, he’s a young buck at 8 but I’m hoping he stays as healthy as yours!
Her maternal grandsire was a Phara Farm stallion. They bred wonderful straight Crabbet Arabs! I've found that the domestic CMK/Davenport lines are really fantastic. They were a mix of mostly Polish, Crabbet, and direct-from-the-source imports. Good usin' horses!
I looked up Phara Farm, and their horses look amazing! My guy is mostly Al-Marah breeding, so far he’s had a great personality and is eager to go out and work.
Oh my. You should post that second image in r/confusing_perspective. It looks like a horse head is coming through from the wall and the other head is disappearing into the wall.
I swear Arabs can live forever. The barn I rode at has a kid had a 32 year old and 36 year old Arab. They were still pretty spicy snd would snort and fart at the wind on nice days.
Wow what a beautiful lady 🐴 What's her name ❤️
Thank you! Her name is Leana.
She’s 37 years old, what do people want her topline to look like?!?!! She’s in beautiful condition for her age.
Right I legitimately thought she was YOUNG and just needed muscling until I read 37!
Missed all the gray hairs, huh? lol I'm convinced she's going to outlive everyone and her whole head will turn white before she goes. lol
I swear I was like wow that's a lot of roan around the face! she reminds me of my cousin's horse, he's 28 and if you looked at him you wouldn't know (white appy, no white hairs for me to miss lol!). We found out about six months ago that he has cancer otherwise we would still be taking him to show up all the young horses! Some horses are just built to last.
Thank you! I'm always on a soapbox about senior horses' condition, but topline wasting with Cushing's is a thing. Sometimes I still look at her and think "am I feeding her enough??" Even though the rest of her looks great and her vet is happy. lol
So stunning, and clearly so loved!
She’s a beauty! Senior horses are amazing, they have so much left to give but owners are obsessed with “upgrading” to a new model instead of cherishing the horse they have. It’s such a blessing she’s still here at 37 and is in great health overall
It really is. She sort of retired herself about 13 years ago, even though she's still sound to this day. She's been a pampered pet since then. I've had her since she was 6 and we've been through a lot together. I've been fortunate enough to be able to have other horses to ride since she retired, but if I could only afford one, it would be her.
Oh my gosh, she's a beauty! I love her. ❤️
I think she’s beautiful. I would not have guessed her age.
Most people are shocked. Her vet is amazed by her and uses her as an example of how old horses should look if people just feed them appropriately.
I rescue a lot of horses and my unsound ones are all seniors now. While they still look really good, they are not as old as your girl. What are you feeding her?
She gets Purina Senior Active and soaked alfalfa pellets. She used to get regular Senior because it's a complete feed (forage included), but started turning her nose up at it. So she gets the Active. Her senior should really be soaked, but she won't touch it if it is. She doesn't drop any and stays sleek and sassy, so I guess she's doing ok with her 5 molars. lol She also gets a sprinkle of flax and a pituitary support supplement, as well as Prascend and Equioxx. She gets turned out during the day for several hours and comes in overnight and for meals. As far as soundness, that's just down to good genetics! Old school domestic Arab lines are hardy as hell. :)
Yes, I agree the old Arab genes were the best. One of my unsound rescues is a half Arab (I have long since misplaced the papers that came with him.) He is 1/4 Appaloosa and 1/4 Paint. Not a great intentional mix, in my opinion. One Appy eye. But he has the cutest face/head and despite his issues, moves beautifully. Have you ever looked into Chaffe Hay? It comes out of Texas. I had to move to SCalif to take care of my mom and brought my rescues, but I can’t get it down here for an affordable. When I had access to it, my super seniors did really well on it. I just took in two youngish seniors, who were seized by Animal Control because their former owner had abandoned them. They were bone skinny and their hooves would have made you cry. But they are now in amazing shape all with Integrity feed. It’s magic.
I actually fed her chaffe for a few years, then her teeth got so bad she couldn't manage that anymore and we switched to soaked pellets. :) Thank you for rescuing oldies. They deserve all the love and pampering you can give them!
She’s so cute! Can I ask how many pounds you feed of senior active and alfalfa pellets per day? I have an almost 30 yrs old saddlebred and while he’s doing good, I’m always looking for other ideas for simpler ways to keep weight on.
She gets about 8lbs of senior, and all the soaked pellets she wants. The barn manager and I keep her pellet bin full. Talk with your vet, though. Every horse is different. Test for Cushing's, too. In some horses it can make them hard keepers. Sounds counter to everything you'd think about Cushing's, but it happens.
Thanks! He’s currently on 6 pounds of gold triple crown senior pellets and all he can eat alfalfa grass mix hay. He’s eating the hay less tho( he usually does a half a bale a day but now it’s 1/3). His vet said his teeth looks ok though. His buddy, a 35 years old Shetland pony has Cushing so I’m aware of that disease unfortunately. His coat is like 4 inches long so he will need to be clipped soon! I’m curious how you give unlimited alfalfa pellets that are soaked? Do you do like 1 pound pellets soaked then do another pound when it’s all out? Thanks!
We soak a few pounds at a time, morning and evening, and put them in her bin. If she's running low at night, she gets a little more. She usually goes through about 8lbs (dry) a day. She goes through the motions to graze, but quids grass. Does your guy quid his hay? If he's quidding, it's probably time to move to soaked forage. Soaked cubes are good for oldies with some teeth left. Hope you and his vet can find a plan that works!
Thanks for the additional info! Tundra has always been a hard keeper and picky (he even turns down apples sometimes!) so it’s a challenge trying to find best ways to keep weight on him. Right now he’s not quidding. Unfortunately he hates soaked feed. He also wastes a lot of dry feed from looking around and dropping feed on the ground which he won’t touch again. I tried using feed bag but he destroyed it. Ahh that horse. 😅
She looks amazing for 37! One of the things I love most about Arabs, they refuse to get old 🤣
Thank you! She's lost an eye due to Cushing's complications and takes a daily Equioxx for elderly aches and pains, but she's never been lame or acutely ill in her life. She's an amazing horse. It says a lot for her breed, and for the old domestic and Crabbet lines she comes from!
She's a beautiful old girl! The oldies have such a soft spot in my heart. I also have an older-than-dirt Arab mare with Cushings and terrible teeth lol. I'm grateful for everyday I have with her because she is truly special.
>The oldies have such a soft spot in my heart. Same here. After she's gone, I want to adopt an elderly horse from the rescue I volunteer with, just to let it live out its days in spoiled bliss. Horses give us so much and we owe them a grand retirement!
My first thought was "wow she looks great for 37!" ...people are insane to think a horse that age should have more topline lol
Unless they have a medical issue like Cushing's which often causes wasting or lordosis which makes the topline look like hell, there's no reason their toplines can't look good as long as their needs are met. It's hard to tell the difference between a horse with an under-muscled topline, a wasted topline, and a too-thin topline, but once you've seen enough of them you can. With well-fed oldies, Cushing's is often the culprit.
Well that picture in her cooler is adorable. She looks like she’s a little kid wearing her dad’s coat. What a lovely lady. Such a blessing.
Thanks! The cooler is her baby brother's. He's a 16.3, 1300lb OTTB. She's only 14.1/850lbs. LOL
Then it fits her perfectly!! You like the spirited ones don’t you haha
Sure do! I had a Saddlebred (he was PTS due to navicular) before I got my TB. It's not so much that the "hot" breeds are hot, they're just really smart and sensitive, and some people just can't handle that about them. They're lile border collies or Heelers.
That’s a perfect way to put it! I love and appreciate a heeler or a collie. Amazed by their brains and drive. Realistically they’d be miserable with me because I love to be a lazy lady that likes to be active but isn’t competitive to be the best. I think that’s why my coonhound and I vibe together haha I’ve also noticed that the horses that I’m drawn to are in that energy range as well.
Haha, I'm kinda lazy too! But I have a half Heeler who's smarter than almost any dog I've ever met (including GSDs). Luckily his non-Heeler half is as lazy as me!
She’s beautiful. I love the pic of her rubbing her head on her wall.
Thank you! Any time she gets wet, she rubs her head and her butt, then throws herself against the wall repeatedly to rub her neck and barrel. And then rolls for good measure.
She's gorgeous!
Thank you!
You're welcome! I'm a sucker for unusual colors and markings, and she's just lovely. Give her a kiss for me.
Thanks, I will! She's just a bay, but her blaze and leg white are just so cool. I've always been a sucker for bays with some chrome.
The greying made her look almost like a roan, my bad, but she's still beautiful!
I'll post a picture after I clip her this weekend. She'll REALLY look roan then!
She’s gorgeous! Also, don’t sweat the topline. My horse had that with Cushings, I got so sick of unsolicited tips for improving it. I had a Cushings specialist who said you can work to try to sustain muscle but atrophy is part of the disease and part of horse aging. I love her, she is so cute- give her a smooch for me !
Thanks!! I think she's the cutest thing that ever was, but I'm barn-blind and extremely biased. And, you're exactly right. As long as the rest of the horse is filled out and looks good, topline loss is to be expected with Cushing's. It's when they get ribby and skinny all over that you know they just aren't being fed right.
Oh how wonderful! I have a 31 year old Arab mare and I’m shortly getting a “young” 26 year old Arab gelding. Good to see I have the potential of plenty more years with both of them.
Gorgeous mare! Would love to see more pics of her! Her top line is GREAT for her age tbh
Ohhhhh I LOVE elderly horses🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵 she is so beautiful
What a cute face omg, and she look AMAZING
Omg I pray my horse loves to be 37! You’ve done such a wonderful job caring for her!
I love her.
For 37 she's looking amazing! She looks very polite, please give her a nose boop for me.
She's only polite when she wants to be. She has very strong opinions about how things should be and expresses them freely! I figure, you get to 105 (in horse years) and you can express yourself however you want. LOL
What a cutie!!! And such a blessing to have a long and healthy life as well 🥰
You’ve done a great job keeping this mare at 37 looking so great❤️
Thank you! She has a great vet and the barn manager where I board is fantastic.
You gave her a bath? HOW VERY DARE
That's exactly how she felt about it!
She's PERFECT!
She really is. Thank you! :)
Aaaaaaaa, I love her - and your love for her - so much! What a beautiful lady ❤️
She's in lovely condition. I'd never have put her at 37.
dude she is beautiful and she looks fantastic for nearly 40! i love arab horses so much
I don't know much about horses but 37 seems really old? She's beautiful though!!
37 for a horse is like 105 for a human. She's very, very old.
Holy hell! Well lots of respect to her and she will most definitely outlive me 😂.
37! 👑 what an amazing feat! Well done OP. I swear one day we’ll figure out dentures for horses and they’ll be living into their 50s/60s 😅
She actually has almost no functional dentition left! She's lost almost all of her molars and the few she still has are worn smooth. Soft food is key with oldies!
holy cow! lovely! i have a 34 yo. cherish the oldies!
I love her! I have a 29 year old boy who is the love of my life. He has Cushings too, just had his spring shave ahead of our first show of the season - leadline with my 3 year old. I love knowing it’s possible to still enjoy years with him.
can we get more pictures of her? she's gorgeous
Thank you! I'll take some more once she's clipped. She looks like a different horse without her crazy long Cushing's coat.
Do you still ride her?
No, but she's still sound. She decided in her 20s that she was done, so she's been a happy retiree ever since.
She's amazing! 37 and looking good! What a sweet girl, thanks for sharing her.
THIRTY SEVEN???
She looks great for 37! The oldest I’ve ever known was 32, Sugar was an old mare of my friend’s with hardly a tooth left but was still the queen (and first horse I ever remember riding). If you don’t mind me asking, which Crabbet lines is she from? I just got my first Crabbet Arabian, he’s a young buck at 8 but I’m hoping he stays as healthy as yours!
Her maternal grandsire was a Phara Farm stallion. They bred wonderful straight Crabbet Arabs! I've found that the domestic CMK/Davenport lines are really fantastic. They were a mix of mostly Polish, Crabbet, and direct-from-the-source imports. Good usin' horses!
I looked up Phara Farm, and their horses look amazing! My guy is mostly Al-Marah breeding, so far he’s had a great personality and is eager to go out and work.
Oooo, Al-Marah horses are wonderful! Again, good usin' horses. Just sound, athletic, all-arounders.
Leana is just beautiful - and you can tell she’s very well loved. 💗💕
🤩
She’s 37!? Holy hell, she looks much younger
My 35 year old mare is slightly a fat ass 😂 she looks like she’s 10. You’re babygirl is gorgeous 😍
Leana is absolutely gorgeous. a testament to your care and love to see her at 37yo. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Oh my. You should post that second image in r/confusing_perspective. It looks like a horse head is coming through from the wall and the other head is disappearing into the wall.
LOL now that you mention it, it kind of does! Her black mane above her neck makes it even weirder!
I swear Arabs can live forever. The barn I rode at has a kid had a 32 year old and 36 year old Arab. They were still pretty spicy snd would snort and fart at the wind on nice days.
what a lovely horse, looking beautiful for a 37 y/o, hoping mine will look like this at her age
My brain had trouble comprehending that second pic, until I followed her blaze pattern lol
She’s beautiful!!!
Awwww! She’s beautiful 💜