How intensively can an older horse be trained? “Some people are worried about overloading their old horse and end up training them very lightly. This really just equates to exercise, rather than training. But there really is no problem with getting them to do a little work, obviously providing they can handle this physically. You will often find that older horses’ strength starts to deteriorate, rather than their stamina. That’s why I would recommend doing a little more intensive training for brief periods once or twice, making sure the horse’s strength and therefore his muscle mass are appropriately maintained. An older horse will quickly experience something as intensive, but you could include things like galloping slightly faster for brief distances (towards a medium canter) or switching more in each gait.

Plus you could also include a hill or viaduct every now and then when you’re enjoying an outside ride. You could do this a few times per training session twice a week. This will ensure you’re doing just that little more than normal and the muscles will be nicely stimulated. The horse will therefore be getting sufficient training stimuli.” Is your horse fit enough to do a low jump? Go for it! “This isn’t just good for the muscle build up, but a bit of variation is obviously great fun too. Or possibly include a little cavaletti work. It goes without saying everything needs to be in moderation. Don’t start racing or attempting high jumps, do remember that his joints are pretty old too.”