I’m finally in the financial position to board a horse. I’ve been riding other peoples but there is nothing like your own.
I saw a 4th level schoolmaster for sale in FL that 24 years old and the ad says there is no maintenance. Not sure about that but I wanted to see if anyone else has taken on this type of horse and the pros and cons.
This past fall/winter I am currently riding my coach’s 23 year old school master mare, I’d say she’s a 3rd or 4th level with sticky lead changes 
but everything else in place. She hasn’t been campaigned hard and is totally sound. I was asked to ride her to fit her up after a few seasons off and to get ride of her old lady back (it’s working!). She is doing really well. On the other hand, at that age you know your time might be limited and you do want to be careful not to overdo it (horse is just a little power house in the arena). She is a smaller horse (maybe 15.2), barefoot, and half Andalusian. Larger horses, OTTBs, WBs, horses that already need corrective shoeing, horses that have been campaigned harder, may be showing more wear and tear.
But being able to ride a school master and have all the pieces fall into place has been invaluable. On the other hand, it’s only in the last couple of years I’d say I ride well enough to really be able to be fair to this horse.
I would only take on an older horse as my own if I felt I could give it retirement when the time came. And therefore I would want to only take on a horse that could live on retirement happily in a pasture situation.
I think it just depends on the horse (and their care/training up to this point). I have one schoolmaster that I take lessons on who is 27 and still going strong with light maintenance, and had another schoolmaster who had to be retired at 23 but was such a good citizen up to that point.
And yes - any schoolmaster you purchase, plan to own that horse for life.
I think these horses especially deserve to have the best final home possible. They deserve all the love and treats and forgiveness of an amateur, and they deserve to be properly retired when it’s their time to retire.
I met a guy at a show last spring; he is showing a 22 yr old stallion at PSG/Int. 1 and doing very well. I think you need to look at the horse and get a good assessment of itstraining/working level and soundness. And hopefully the price is very reasonable. The pros are that a good schoolmaster can teach you a lot. The con is pretty simple - you do have some limit on your time to use this horse as you intend; if that is only 2-3 years, then what position will you be in?
I’m all for good older horses, I bought a 15 yr old school master; got five years of great learning/showing; then leased him out for a year and 1/2, then he ended up with cervical arthritis so I mostly retired him. But I was also in a postion to be able to keep both him and a new horse.
It never hurts to look. At that age, the horse better be perfect in terms of rideability, solid brain etc. Otherwise keep looking.
You dont say where in Florida, but I’m in Orlando area, if you want to pm me, maybe I have seen it, or know something about it.
Plan B - if you like the horse you could offer to lease it…
Your post doesn’t sound like there is a lot of financial room for when he does need to retire. I’d think about how that would happen because it could be 6 months after you purchase or 6 years (granted it can happen with any horse but starting at an advanced age does make the chances higher).
Could you afford to retire him and board another riding horse? Or would you be okay with just loving on him after he’s retired and go back to catch rides?
This could be a great opportunity if you are clear with your options.
If you buy one like that, you are the retirement plan and it will be under 5 years, most likely. Your options will be to retire him and go back to lessons or euthanize when he becomes unsound.
of course, any horse can have a career ending injury at any time.
If you are cool with those options, it could be a great opportunity. I definitely have bought horses with a potential soundness issue and basically told myself I will do what needs done when the time comes, and otherwise enjoy until then. I offer a retirement if possible but won’t do expensive measures to maintain basic comfort.
I almost bought an 18 year old PSG schoolmaster when I was looking to buy my first horse. Great weight, working full time and no maintenance needed. Lovely, happy horse.
I was sold on the idea of building my skills as an extremely inexperienced rider (only a couple years riding at that point). But last minute I changed my mind.
I had to think hard about his retirement, which would be coming soon, even as a well maintained animal. And I realized as an amateur who wants to ride as much as possible to build my skills… maybe wouldn’t work out. He would need to have more days off, work less hard on the things I needed to work on.
So those are my 2 cents.
I acquired a 23 year old GP schoolmaster a few years back. He vetted perfectly and I kept him on a joint supplement for peace of mind. I rode him for a few years until other circumstances had him retire. He was the best money I have ever spent on a horse and he really enjoyed still having a job. My husband did the same with a really lovely 3* eventer who was 18 at the time but again, the best money we could have ever spent on a horse for him.
Buying a horse is a gamble no matter which way you go about it. You could buy a 4 year old and have it fall over in the paddock and become unsound.
You might get 10 more years or you might get 10 months.
No guarantees with any age, but you sure up the ante when they enter their 20s & are still in work at that level.
My own TB was 27 & working lightly - biweekly lessons working at 2nd level, ridden 2 or 3 times more per week by me.
He probably had 5-10 more years before I’d have had to step him down.
But I had another, younger horse to take his place & kept them at home.
What are your plans for this horse when he can no longer do the work you are buying him for now?
in some ways an old horse who has been in consistent work at your work load or higher that vets out sound is less of a risk - anything leg wise that was going to fail will have done so by now
Agree with everyone. If this horse is still sound and working, that’s a great sign. No reason you can’t get another 6-10 years. Mine was sound and doing I-1 work until the day I lost him at 31. I have a 21 year old now who has FEI moves who is better than when I got her at 8.
Keep them moving, preferably not in a stall, barefoot if you can, and he will tell you when he needs to be backed off or doesn’t want to do it.
I was lucky enough to land a 19-coming 20 year old this past November, and I am over the moon. She has a home for life with me when she needs to retire, whether that’s in a month (not likely, but - horses!) or in 10 years. The opportunity to consistently ride a horse who knows her job better than I do and know for certain when I get it right is a godsend. It’s helped me develop my feel and timing tremendously even in the past few months.
I think the biggest caveat here is your capacity to manage the horse if it needs to retire/step down. There is a market for a sound, working, 24 y/o schoolmaster, but definitely not for a 26 y/o pasture sound former schoolmaster, so this horse will be on your feed and vet bill for the rest of its life. Can you do that and still keep up your riding goals?
In the end, horses are horses and always a risk. I have this 19 y/o working soundly, and I have another mare - coming 15 this year who may be permanently retired due to soundness issues. If you love the horse, buy the horse
You never know when something will happen to a horse. It is always a gamble. But older horses, like older people, are more prone to some problems and slower to recover (speaking from personal experience!)
24 concerns me unless you are really hoping for only a few years of riding. I would be more comfortable with a little bigger window of, say, 20 years old. As others have mentioned, it really depends upon your ability to retire this horse when necessary. As someone who boards, I would have to think very carefully as I likely could not afford another horse when I had to retire the first. If you have a good retirement option that will allow you to get another riding horse, this horse looks a lot more attractive!
I leased a schoolmaster for 2 years, he was 21 (I think) when I first got him. He had some inflammation issues but nothing the vet wasn’t able to resolve, and he ended up feeling better than ever. If I was in a place to own two horses (one to ride and one to retire), I’d get an older schoolmaster in a heartbeat. I feel like the learning curve is quicker with schoolmasters, so you end up getting more for your money. I know so many young horses that had to be retired within a year of being bought, so anything can happen.
I found that preventative work & getting the vet involved when something feels even the slightest bit wrong is the best. Don’t wait until you know something is wrong. It will cost more and you lose more time with the horse.
Body workers (massage, chiro, acupuncture) & laser or PEMF therapy were key for my horse. I did stretches every day before and after my rides. I invested in a light therapy pad & learned how to give simple massages on my own using muscle relaxing cream or magnesium cream. Back on Track & human heating pads were my horse’s best friend during the cold weather before I rode. I may have spent more time getting my horse ready for our rides and more time cleaning up, but those extra minutes help provide more time over the years. I loved the process and learned so much about equine anatomy.
As far as buying a school master of any age, think also about your own riding level. If you are still really a beginner then you will not be getting the advanced level moves out of your 4th level school master. Some things are pretty much impossible before you have an independent seat and hands and know where your weight and legs are at all times. Highly trained does not necessarily equal docile and takes a joke well.
I’m all for older horses and hope mine lives forever as long as he’s happy and healthy.
I am honestly surprised that people would say that a horse would be rideable for another 10 years… Really, 34, this is an expectation or even a strong possibility?
That would be great news for me but I’ve never thought of it as an option.
I agree with other comments here that offering a forever retirement home is needed if you take this horse on. How does that look for you? Should he become un-rideable on your watch, this may not be realistic if you board. I have a forever lifelong home here at my house for my beloved 18 year old gelding, and when a wonderful jumper was available to me when I switched disciplines a few years ago, I passed despite him being perfect for me to learn on, as I could not commit to 2 forever old horses here I could not ride should he not last soundness wise.
It isn’t common. The longest I kept one going is 32 and he definitely dialed back at 30. I have retired 2 at 17. It really depends on the horse. I do have a friend who was able to ride her 40 yo QH until he died. He was a hearty dude.
I’m a big fan of schoolmasters, but 24 is tough. Is he currently doing 4th level, or is that the highest he’s done? What level is he working at now? Is he super fit?
Realistically, I’d hope to get 1 year of work at his current level, and 1 year of work at a lower level. You might get less, you might get more. Either way, you’ll need to keep him through his retirement and budget for that.
A comparison to humans.
I have a lot of older colleagues. At 65 they can retire and take pension, then return to teach part time until they are 70 I think?
When people retire at 65 they tend to appear just fine to keep going. Doesnt look like they need to step down at all.
By 70 you can definitely see they have lost some ground.
I think a horse in the 23 or 24 age range is like a 65 year old person. They might be just fine at their job now but in a couple of years they are going to be slowing down.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
