"Experienced" Riders

Topic for older horses and older riders
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"Experienced" Riders

Postby calvin » Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:18 pm

Thank you Chancellor, and your DH, for your efforts.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby musical comedy » Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:42 pm

Calvin, I'm confused. What does 'experienced' riders mean in context of this thread?

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Chancellor » Sun Oct 11, 2015 3:57 pm

I think it was a nicer way of saying "older".....

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby musical comedy » Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:11 pm

Oh, ok. Probably not a great idea to have an age limit, but you know how some ladies think that 50 is old. It is not, especially when you are close to being 70.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby PaulaO » Sun Oct 11, 2015 4:22 pm

One of my life goals is the Century Club--combined age of horse and rider must be 100. I'm 58, shareboarding a 14 year old. I'm not convinced I will make it, but who knows!

I am creakier and must use flexy stirrups or my ankles lock up and I fall when dismounting....

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby calvin » Sun Oct 11, 2015 5:56 pm

Thank you, Chancellor - yes "experienced" as in those who have fallen, have been stepped upon, have been run away with, have tried to thaw frozen water buckets in the freezing cold ... . I was thinking of the range of experiences - and lessons learned - that senior riders have acquired the hard way. Perhaps "gently used" riders is a better expression.

If we are still fortunate enough to be riding, are we really "seniors"? There is something about horses which keeps one young, creaky joints notwithstanding.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby westisbest » Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:18 pm

musical comedy wrote:Calvin, I'm confused. What does 'experienced' riders mean in context of this thread?


Yes its this in addition to the Seniors thread? I've had only 23 or so years of experience and I'm 67. There are 40 year olds with more than that. Not sure what senior is anyway, over 55? We know who we are.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Keysfins » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:34 am

I think I qualify, since I have a "senior" horse, who is 22. But I also hit the AARP birthday this year ;)

I've been riding more this year than any other. I am a working student, and between the riding and general activity, I am feeling more fit than in the last 10-15 years. I do creak, with some chronic issues that do, at times, limit what I can do. But like the Previcox/Equioxx that works so well on our animals, my Celebrex keeps me mobile. Most of the time. There are some days that I just have to be a ground person/groom. But overall, I am very pleased with the last six months or so, for my riding progress and fitness level. (And a good bit of weight loss!)
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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby mzloolue » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:28 am

calvin wrote:Thank you, Chancellor - yes "experienced" as in those who have fallen, have been stepped upon, have been run away with, have tried to thaw frozen water buckets in the freezing cold ... . I was thinking of the range of experiences - and lessons learned - that senior riders have acquired the hard way. Perhaps "gently used" riders is a better expression.

If we are still fortunate enough to be riding, are we really "seniors"? There is something about horses which keeps one young, creaky joints notwithstanding.


So, I qualify. :)

On one freezing day I was hauling a bucket of warm water to an old horse.
And it occurred to me that when I was hauling water at 15 I never would have believed that I would still have been hauling water to the SAME horse when I was 51.
Of course, when I was 15 I had no idea that old would come so soon! :)

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby westisbest » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:39 am

Keysfins, what's the AARP birthday? working student, go you! :)

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby clanter » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:06 am

musical comedy wrote:Oh, ok. Probably not a great idea to have an age limit, but you know how some ladies think that 50 is old. It is not, especially when you are close to being 70.


I look at it when a person is seeking a shorter horse to get on :lol:

When we doing Competitive Trail after a while most riders were looking around for a smaller horse as the getting on/off in the wilderness was a challenge

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby kande50 » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:39 am

clanter wrote:I look at it when a person is seeking a shorter horse to get on :lol:


Or maybe it's when we start getting the urge to get off when our horse starts acting up?

I don't think I ever voluntarily dismounted during my first 60 years, but have done so more than once in the last 5.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby clanter » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:19 pm

kande50 wrote:
Or maybe it's when we start getting the urge to get off when our horse starts acting up?


that isn't going to happen with ours as we have International Exotic Animal Sanctuary nearby who will take a horse to feed the large cats ... and we remind them of that if they think they are not going to mind

http://www.bigcat.org/index.php

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby boots-aregard » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:06 pm

clanter wrote:
kande50 wrote:
Or maybe it's when we start getting the urge to get off when our horse starts acting up?


that isn't going to happen with ours as we have International Exotic Animal Sanctuary nearby who will take a horse to feed the large cats ... and we remind them of that if they think they are not going to mind

http://www.bigcat.org/index.php


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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Keysfins » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:52 pm

westisbest wrote:Keysfins, what's the AARP birthday? working student, go you! :)



(((50!)))

Ya, I am loving the working student thing. But I just don't have the energy/endurance that I had when I was younger. I get up before dawn, work, come home and take a nap before getting up to eat something, then crash again just after dusk! We are down one person so I am back to full time/5 days a week, for as long as I am able.
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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby KathyK » Thu Oct 15, 2015 2:21 pm

PaulaO wrote:One of my life goals is the Century Club--combined age of horse and rider must be 100. I'm 58, shareboarding a 14 year old. I'm not convinced I will make it, but who knows!

I am creakier and must use flexy stirrups or my ankles lock up and I fall when dismounting....

I was so sure I'd do a Century Club ride on my gelding, but had to retire him a few years ago due to lameness. We would have been 74 and 27 when the time came -- only 6.5 years from now. Owning another horse is unlikely, but I'm still riding and I hope I'll be able to borrow a horse someday for a Century Club ride. It's a great goal to have, and I hope we both make it, Paula.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby musical comedy » Thu Oct 15, 2015 2:33 pm

Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby kande50 » Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:17 pm

musical comedy wrote:Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.


The younger crowd is going to smirk at us (the same way we smirked at older riders when we were young and were so sure we were never going to get like them) whether we do Century Club or not, but the great thing about being old is that we now have a clue and they don't. :-)

I can't imagine that I'm going to be able to remember a test when I'm that much older, or stay conscious if it's a hot day, but if I get the urge to do it I'll figure out how to get it done.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby westisbest » Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:03 pm

musical comedy wrote:Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.


I feel the same way. Not to mention that there are no Century Rides here in Canada. I want anything I DO accomplish to be free of ageism.. for both me and my horse. I have been contemplating writing a post asking if other riders feel that they or their horses are not valued as they age. At my barn, the BO is always dissing the older horses. said my horse was too old to jump. He can still out jump any horse on the place but maybe she meant it would be too hard on his legs now. Certainly doing the over 1M's would be. There are a lot of older horses in our barn actually. But they have to be in work with the exception of one that they let in. They don't hesitate to say that they don't have room for "retirement" horses. Same with trainers they don't want an older horse that needs special care. They want the young up and comer.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Chisamba » Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:25 pm

musical comedy wrote:Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.


if young riders smirk, that is their problem. not a reason not to try something. If you do not want to do it, then let it be your own choice.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Chisamba » Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:33 pm

when you said experienced riders i thought you were talking about skills, not age,:)

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby musical comedy » Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:39 pm

Chisamba wrote:when you said experienced riders i thought you were talking about skills, not age,:)

We are old AND experienced, Chisamba :D We can even sit the trot!

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby chenders » Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:05 pm

westisbest wrote:
musical comedy wrote:Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.


I feel the same way. Not to mention that there are no Century Rides here in Canada


The Dressage Foundation allows rides from Canada. We had a lady do her Century Club Ride at our local CADORA show a few weeks ago. She was the second person in Canada to do it.

It was awesome! She is 74 and her horse is 26. She did a Training Level Freestyle and there wasn't a dry eye on the show grounds. I think she inspired many to reach for that goal someday.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby westisbest » Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:58 pm

chenders wrote:
westisbest wrote:
musical comedy wrote:Five more years for me and my guy to qualify. There's a good chance we will make it. I'm fairly sure I will still be able to ride in five years (albeit maybe usdf w/t :D ) Not sure how my horse will hold up. However, it is not a goal and I would not do it. It's actually a joke amonst the younger better riders. Instead of us old gals getting some respect, we are smirked at. No thanks.


I feel the same way. Not to mention that there are no Century Rides here in Canada


The Dressage Foundation allows rides from Canada. We had a lady do her Century Club Ride at our local CADORA show a few weeks ago. She was the second person in Canada to do it.

It was awesome! She is 74 and her horse is 26. She did a Training Level Freestyle and there wasn't a dry eye on the show grounds. I think she inspired many to reach for that goal someday.


I don't think we have CADORA anymore.. All our shows are run under the auspices of Equine Canada. Freestyles start at First Level. Not sure how she could do one at Training level at a recognized show.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby demi » Sat Oct 17, 2015 12:37 am

Thanks Chenders, for the post on the 74 yr "old lady" (and I use that expression with love and respect!) and her 26 year old horse. Awsomazing!
I saw your post in the "tell us about YOUthread" and loved the pic. You look so happy and your horse looks noble. That thread is my current favorite.
I am getting confused with all the different "Senior" threads. Too much jumping around. I had a bad sinus headache today and couldn't ride. I never had a sinus problem till I got into my 50's. I think this comment should go into the "creaky" thread but...

In another Sr. Thread ( or maybe this one...I told y'all I was confused) someone called her husband a "man child". I have one,too. He just came in here needing a stick about three feet long skinnier than a broom handle. I asked him to wait just 5 minutes but he said he couldn't. He took down a curtain rod and said I could reassemble it at my leisure :roll: on the other hand yesterday when I said I only had enough time to ride my horse or vacuum up the inch of dog hair on the floor, he said "go ride your horse!

Manchild is back and he's poking me with the curtain rod. Gotta go.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby kande50 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 10:00 am

demi wrote:on the other hand yesterday when I said I only had enough time to ride my horse or vacuum up the inch of dog hair on the floor, he said "go ride your horse!


I also have an enabler dh. He doesn't care how many horses we get or how dirty the house is, and has no problem with doing more than his share of the work--which is probably not a good thing, because it just makes it that much easier for me to slack off.

I also really like the "tell us about you" thread.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby demi » Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:56 pm

Kande, ha ha on the enabler husband!! You said he doesnt mind how many horses you have and mine is the same way. This can be a big distraction because I ALWAYS want and look for new horses. The problem is that I only have enough time and energy to take care of the animals I already have.

I vacillate between thinking I need a school master if i am ever going to advance in dressage, and then thinking that if i had a schoolmaster Rocky's training would suffer. I REALLY want to succeed with Rocky and I think getting her to Prix St. G is a reasonable (long term) goal. SOOOO, I am fighting all thoughts of a schoolmaster. On my side is the fact that finding an appropriate school master at a price that we would be comfortable with is probably not going to happen.

Also, Kande, you mentioned looking at the "intro to counter canter" thread. I hope you'll join in. Now that I am in a position to be an active contributer to this board, i would really like it to keep going. I have a feeling that to keep with the title of the board, the training forum needs to be developed and become the most active of all the other forums (fora?!). I don't think we need to all be advanced riders (thank goodness) to contribute, we just need to be serious and show reasonable progress. So far, it seems to be a kinder, gentler board than in recent past, and this I think is also a good way to keep it going strong.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby musical comedy » Sat Oct 17, 2015 3:44 pm

demi wrote: I have a feeling that to keep with the title of the board, the training forum needs to be developed and become the most active of all the other forums (fora?!). I don't think we need to all be advanced riders (thank goodness) to contribute, we just need to be serious and show reasonable progress. So far, it seems to be a kinder, gentler board than in recent past, and this I think is also a good way to keep it going strong.
Of course not. However, I would not provide suggestions and help on something where I wasn't reasonably proficient or had success. That's a problem I have with a lot of topics, not limited to training. It can be counter-productive to follow suggestions or advice given by someone that really doesn't have the experience in what they are writing about.

Kande wrote: I also really like the "tell us about you" thread.
I like to know only about the people I am discussing things with. I've noticed that the bios thread both here and on TDF have the most posts. People want to tell about themselves, but they don't participate much in discussions, especially dressage training discussions.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby kande50 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:23 pm

musical comedy wrote:It can be counter-productive to follow suggestions or advice given by someone that really doesn't have the experience in what they are writing about.


I think most everyone who is offering advice got it from their trainer, or several different trainers, so most of it is good training advice. What's sometimes lacking is the experience and/or eye to have a good idea when training suggestions are appropriate for the subject at that time, but the recipient is the one who has to decide that, because they're the only one who knows whether or not they're ready to try it. And even when the recipient isn't ready for the advice, there are so often others who are that it's never wasted.

Kande wrote: People want to tell about themselves, but they don't participate much in discussions, especially dressage training discussions.


Maybe for the above reason (that they don't feel qualified), and don't want others picking their ideas apart? What I like about it is that if I do get into a conversation with someone and want to know more about them I can go and find out more. I don't usually do that because I want to discuss ideas independent of who offered the ideas, but sometimes I'm just curious about what they're working on, or what they're riding, or what part of the country they live in.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby kande50 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:47 pm

demi wrote:Kande, ha ha on the enabler husband!! You said he doesnt mind how many horses you have and mine is the same way. This can be a big distraction because I ALWAYS want and look for new horses. The problem is that I only have enough time and energy to take care of the animals I already have.


Same here. I'm done buying or raising more horses (I hope), because I don't want them to outlive me, and especially not when they''re old. The last one I got was from a rescue and they still own her, so she can go back if we can no longer keep her. Most of the rest are in their 20's, and the hope is that we'll outlive the two youngest ones (9 & 11).

I vacillate between thinking I need a school master if i am ever going to advance in dressage, and then thinking that if i had a schoolmaster Rocky's training would suffer. I REALLY want to succeed with Rocky and I think getting her to Prix St. G is a reasonable (long term) goal. SOOOO, I am fighting all thoughts of a schoolmaster. On my side is the fact that finding an appropriate school master at a price that we would be comfortable with is probably not going to happen.


I'm fortunate in that regard, because I'd rather get to training level with a horse I trained myself than into the upper levels with a horse someone else trained, so have zero interest in getting a schoolmaster. In fact, the older I get the less interested I am in advancing, except in a very relaxed sort of way where it just happens little by little as his balance improves enough to make up for my decreasing abilities!

Also, Kande, you mentioned looking at the "intro to counter canter" thread. I hope you'll join in. Now that I am in a position to be an active contributer to this board, i would really like it to keep going. I have a feeling that to keep with the title of the board, the training forum needs to be developed and become the most active of all the other forums (fora?!). I don't think we need to all be advanced riders (thank goodness) to contribute, we just need to be serious and show reasonable progress. So far, it seems to be a kinder, gentler board than in recent past, and this I think is also a good way to keep it going strong.


My plan is to try some counter canter next time I ride Sting, as cantering takes a lot more effort for me than trotting so I think it would be good to start working in canter more.

So counter canter it is. I'll get some video and put it up and then we can dissect it, which I always find both interesting, and motivating.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby demi » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:52 pm

PRACTICING THE QUOTE FUNCTION!!Please bear with me:

musical comedy wrote:
demi wrote: I have a feeling that to keep with the title of the board, the training forum needs to be developed and become the most active of all the other forums (fora?!). I don't think we need to all be advanced riders (thank goodness) to contribute, we just need to be serious and show reasonable progress.
Of course not. However, I would not provide suggestions and help on something where I wasn't reasonably proficient or had success. That's a problem I have with a lot of topics, not limited to training. It can be counter-productive to follow suggestions or advice given by someone that really doesn't have the experience in what they are writing about.


I agree with you MC about not providing suggestions on something unless I was reasonably proficient or successful. In my case, I will hopefully just be offering the results, good or bad, about what i happen to be trying, especially with regard to suggestions made to me by someone who knows more.

kande50 wrote:What's sometimes lacking is the experience and/or eye to have a good idea when training suggestions are appropriate for the subject at that time, but the recipient is the one who has to decide that, because they're the only one who knows whether or not they're ready to try it.


I agree Kande. It can be tricky sometimes, but since I mostly train on my own, this board is a good training aid and it's worth ferreting out the good advice...because there is LOTS of it.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby demi » Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:59 pm

About this board being a good training aid, the whole concept of UDBB training is still relatively new and still in the process of refining. I think of DDBB as just an updated version of original UDBB, and even the AOL chat group that it spun off from. We are in exciting times.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby Woost2 » Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:01 pm

It makes me sad that: 1. people are smirking and 2. anyone would care that people are smirking.
My dear friend did her Century Ride in 2008 on a Hano/AA mare she bred. It was just lovely, not a dry eye in the audience and a great little brunch/party followed. It was a great goal for her, not to keep riding .... she was still riding and taking lessons regularly with her Hanoverian. But to get that bloody little mare that was standing around the pasture to hang together at the canter. She had always been a firecracker and still was at 24.

She wrote: “What does an aging dressage rider do when the available old-enough-for-a-Century-ride horse happens to be as hot as a campfire in the wind?” Carriellen answered herself: “Find a gifted trainer, take advantage of past experience and pray to the Creative Universe.” Then, looking at her hot mare, she said: “Let’s give this a try!”

Eff the smirkers.

I remember talking to Peter Lert when he was considering doing the Century Ride with his daughter's homebred FEI horse. He hadn't ridden a test in many decades (maybe never, I don't know) and was pondering what to do about the sitting trot. :lol: That little goal was going to get him on a horse and into the arena. A place where all dressage judges should tread once in awhile. ;) Win Win.

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Re: "Experienced" Riders

Postby piedmontfields » Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:11 pm

A random comment for the thread:

Many of the better amateur riders I see in my area are well north of 60....

Personally I think of the century rides as a way of honoring the horse! It's wonderful to see a healthy dressage horse at age 25 or 30 still moving well. I'm less surprised that there are good 75 year old riders!!!!


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