I learned a useful thing yesterday. If you need to measure a horse without a measuring stick, use your body. For me, 15 hands comes to just above my top lip. Now that I know this I can always get a rough idea of a horse’s size in a second. To work it out for your own body, use an ordinary measuring tape and mark 60 inches (15 hands) on a wall. Then see where this comes on your own body. Of course, 16 hands will be four inches higher, etc.

Heck I rode my gelding till he was in his 50s. He was healthy and strong. I sold him to an elderly couple for casual riding. They had him for six more years. Then i lost in touch with them when the gentleman got sick. I gamed and trailrode my mare till she was 32. The same with a little mare called chunckie. She took children to shows and trail plus camps till she was 47. riding older horses depends on there health and spirit. Good luck.

I have a 31 year old quarter horse I am leasing. I am a bit too large for him, but he does fine. I have taken him out for trail rides up to four hours long. Mostly walking and trotting. And I have been fox hunting with him in third field. He loves it. I am sure part of this is genetics, but he is also on a special senior horse feed regimen which has helped out a lot. With a better and more suitably sized rider, he could probably hang in second field for most of the hunt.

My trainer told me horror stories of timid people being plowed down in the round pen. What would you suggest for round pen training?