This summer is my 25th anniversary with my first horse!!! He’s 29 years old and recently retired, but doing really well. It’s amazing to have such a long running partnership with an animal. He went away to college with me, comforted me through heartbreak, followed feral horses with me in the foothills, protected me when I got in the path of a vicious horse, was in my wedding photos, and recently t-boned another horse to prevent it from trampling my dog. He is truly the most beautiful and loyal creature on earth
Wow! 29!
What an inspiring story and congratulations!
Very sweet. Happy Anniversary!! (I have a 29-year-old, too, but didn’t have him quite as many years as you have!)
Congratulations! He is gorgeous!
My Princess Butterball turned 29 this past March. I’ve known her since she was foaled, but took ownership when she was a 3YO. She’s still hale and hearty, though retired for about 6 years now. She like to think she runs the show at the track shedrow with our Standardbreds, even though she’s an appendix QH.
It’s nice to hear that there are other spunky seniors out there!!
Her spunk is one of the reasons I quit riding her. I tried her at a turnout farm where she spent all of her time outside. Unfortunately she didn’t thrive there, and lost weight even though there were 2 large round bales available at all times for 4 horses. I brought her to the training centre we had the racehorses at, and she bloomed again weight wise, but had turned a bit feral on me in the months she lived outside, so I just never did more than light riding on her after.
Happy Anniversary!
He is a wonderful and loyal family member. What is his name? unless I missed it somewhere?
What a lovely, lovely thing to share - I needed a little lift today and your post just provided that!!!
His name is Austin. When I first got him, I gave him the show name Golden Opportunity. He placed well in a few green shows, but we both seemed to prefer bush whacking and adventuring, so we never showed again.
Great show name! and Austin is the perfect bush whacking, trail blazing, best friend kind of name.
Ah, Happy Anniversary! And what a gorgeous photo!
He’s so handsome! I adore sassy antiques
My heart mare turned 29 this year too. We retired her in June due to injury but until she was still leaving strides out down the lines because nobody tells her what to do. She’s on stall rest and we weren’t sure how she’d take to confinement but she’s thriving. The vet greenlit short walks to grass for some hand grazing so I’m pretty sure between that, and all the grooming sessions and snacks she’s been getting (bc poor baby!!), she thinks she’s living the royal life she has always deserved. The humans are waiting on her hand and foot, and she no longer has to cart our butts around