At What Age Should You Stop Riding A Horse

Introduction

When I was 20, I had a friend who loved to ride horses. She was also 50 years old. As an inexperienced rider, I thought that was amazing! But as the years went by, I began to wonder: Is there an age limit on riding? At what point does someone become too old for horseback riding?

So, here’s the deal. There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Some people continue to ride horses well into their 80s, while others may have a debilitating accident in their 30s. In general, most people retire from riding around age 60. Many riders stop riding at 50 or earlier due to injury or inability to handle the physical demands of horseback riding.

Two of my friends are older than me (I’m 51). They used to compete at the advanced level in eventing — you know, like the Olympics — but now they’re basically retired from any serious competition and only hack around once in awhile with their retired school masters.”

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Some people continue to ride horses well into their 80s, while others may have a debilitating accident in their 30s.

The decision of when to stop riding needs to be made by you and your doctor, taking into consideration your physical health and limitations.

In general, most people retire from riding around age 60. Many riders stop riding at 50 or earlier due to injury or inability to handle the physical demands of horseback riding.

However, some people continue to ride horses into their 80s. In fact, more than one-third of all American adults have ridden a horse at least once in their lifetime and three percent rode in the past year (National Survey 2012). These numbers mean that there are likely many people your age who still ride regularly—and will probably continue doing so well into their retirement years if they haven’t already stopped.

Most Olympians are no longer competing in international competition after age 40, and most top riders retire their horses by then as well.

As a general rule, most riders should retire their horses by the time they turn 40. This is because horses are not tools, but rather living creatures with feelings and emotions that deserve our respect. It’s also important to consider that horse ownership requires a long-term commitment of nurturing, training and caring for them until they die of old age. The thought process behind this rule is simple: while there’s no harm in keeping your horse as a pet after you’ve grown out of riding it competitively—and indeed many people do—it’s important to maintain an awareness of how much work goes into owning a horse at all times.

When it comes down to it, your age isn’t important — your ability is.

When it comes down to it, your age isn’t important — your ability is. If you can ride a horse and handle the physical demands of riding, then you should be able to continue riding. However, if you are injured or unable to handle the physical demands of riding then there is no point in continuing to ride.

If you’re injured, but still have a strong desire to ride, that’s OK too. You can go and help take care of horses instead of riding them yourself! Just make sure that this is what YOU want and not something someone else has told (or forced) on you.

Conclusion

We are a society that is not always kind to our elders. We tend to exclude them from conversations and we often don’t use our skills to the fullest extent. But in this case, your age isn’t important — your ability is. If you can still ride then, why stop? If you’re looking for something more physically demanding than riding horses… maybe it’s time to try out a new sport instead of giving up altogether!