Could my 21 yr. old Arab mare barrel race or pole bend?

Question

She is an registered Arabian broodmare and she had a baby a few months ago, if I got her really fit and worked with her every day would it be okay for her to barrel race? I don't want to hurt her if she is too old. She doesn't look like shes 21. But I would like to do somthing in rodeos or somthing, I would also like to try pole bending if barrel racing doen't work and If pole bending is not to harsh for her either. I just want to know if It would hurt her if I did any of thoes. Sorry if thats confusing. Thanks!

I forgot to add that I wouldn't start until her baby was weened and she was in better shape.

...and she was a trail horse and people that were taking lessons learned on her, so she has done alot of diffrent things.

We didn't use her as a broodmare, the people that owned her before did, and I was thinking that if it didn't work for her, I would try for her baby when he is older. Thank you!

oh 1 more thing... her abby is an Arabian/ Fresian so he is/will be very strong and fast and spunkey, but we will have a vet look at her. thank you to all that have/will answer.

I decided that i'm not going to do it becasue she ins't in that good of shape and she is really old, but i will probably on her baby, Miracle. Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm gonna assume shes trained to ride even though you listed broodmare.

I'm gonna assume that you , yourself aren't a competitive barrel racer, just want to learn also as you go??

I don't see any problem in it. You are learning, its not like your gonna push her to the limits and be the Charmayne James you always dreamed of on her.

I think you will know if its too much for her. Arabs typically are very hardy, hold their age well and remain useful well into their 20's.

I would just start patterning her and work her slowly and go from there. She sounds like a safe horse for you to learn off of and give you the skills so you could train one up younger next time.

Let me know if I have you or the horse pegged wrong.

Answer 2

There's no reason you couldn't train her to do poles and barrels. lol. I play around with my 19 year old with gymkhana events. haha Have you ever done any gaming events? Start out slow, and make sure you have the pattern set up the right size, and if anything a little bit smaller, because if you can do it closer together without knocking anything down, you can do it on the bigger patterns. lol. Some things that usually help people get their horses ready to slow down and turn around a pole or barrel is to say "hey" or something like that just before you get to your pole (or barrel) and lift up a little bit on your inside rein, the side that the horse will be turning on, so that they know not to run right past it. Make sure you don't start off too fast, because that can make her go crazy, and it could be dangerous for both of you. I suggest that you get SMB boots, that's what I use almost every time I ride, the protect their legs, and aren't toooooo expensive. If she has a long stride, you might need to get bell boots, so that she doesn't clip her front feet with her back feet. You can get a barrel saddle, it's not absolutely necessary though. You can find some pretty good quality ones on ebay for pretty cheap, and they usually come in sets, which is nice. If you get one, you should probably try putting finger nail polish remover on all the screws, because sometimes they can fall out, but it might be a good idea to do that on whatever tack you buy, just to be safe. I can't really help you on bits, I use a tom thumb for my horse, and goes fine in that, but I think there are bits actually made for barrel racing, I'm not sure though. Good luck!

Answer 3

I don't see any problem with it if she's physically fit and healthy. You might want to get a vet or experienced person to check her for you. My friend had a 32 year old clydesdale still doing pony club showjumping! She tried to retire him to just light work, but as soon as he caught on he jumped any branch, pole or bucket in sight to tell her he's not ready to stop!
The fact that she's had a foal doesn't play a massive part if she seems completely recovered from it, and the foals weened off. When you start getting her fit it will only be gentle work at first anyway right? So she'll still be taking it easy for a few months. You'll just have to keep a very close eye on her health. I'm thinking if she can have a foal at 21, the age isn't limiting.
I don't know anything about the arab breed barrell racing.. I ride English in the UK. There's not much barrel racing around!

Answer 4

Arabians are great at any discipline they are often called the most intelligent equine on earth and age has no bearing it is all dependent on conditioning,these horses are the pioneers of horse flesh and stamina is no problem for these horses,take your horse to your Vet and have a bone density test done on her it is inexpensive and will tell you about the only genetic problem with Arabs the hip bones wear down as age increases but if she has been well cared for it should not be a problem,my wife and niece compete in barrel racing almost every weekend and we are starting to see more Arabs in the mix,and they do great.

Answer 5

Well in general Arabs are not used in open competition in Barrel Racing and Pole Bending. Or at least from my 18+ years experience I've only run into a couple of them, and those didn't really compete. Most of the time they can not compete with the QHs, TBs, and QH/TB xs. With her age it would depend on her overall health. If her joints are healthy, you could give it a try, just start really slow. I would definitely consult a vet before I started anything that strenuous with a horse that age. Good luck with whatever you decide to do with her.

Answer 6

In all honesty any horse, any age, can get hurt barrel racing or pole bending.

If you are looking to go to local fun shows and just mess around you'd probably be OK, just dont go overboard, you can run fast, but easy, just for fun.

If you are looking to get into serious competition, Id probably get a different horse, but there is a chance that any horse you use can get hurt, these are just very physically demanding sports for horses, especially on their joints.

Answer 7

With the combination of recently having a baby and her age she should be taking things slowly at the moment. But it isn't really the horses actual age that matters particularly but the horse herself. Don't do too much work straight away but increase it gradually and see how she responds. If you feel the work is too hard for her go back into slower work. You never know - she might have another 10 years yet!! Good luck.

Answer 8

No, No would you take your grandmother to a high school track meet and enter her into the mile run. M. Vick may think of doing that but you should not. Ride and love your friend don't ask him/her to do more that is fair at the age she is. I don't care about the many "war stories" that are on this page it's not right to start pushing an older animal as they brag they have done.

Answer 9

The horse I learned to ride on was 25. He lived well into his mid thirties. We retired him and let him live out is final decade in a huge pasture with lots of company and TLC.

It sure would be nice, since you have gotten work out of your broodmare, to let her live out her days as a free agent. Just feed her and love her.

What about a quarter horse for your rodeo cravings?

My horse was great-grandson of a world cutting champ. Good blood lines sure did make barrel racing and cutting cattle fun!

I think he knew it was in his blood and loved it all the more!

Answer 10

My sister gamed her Arab mare until she was 22 (they're the same age). It wasn't very competitive, just 4-H and Little Britches Rodeos, but Annie (the mare) loved it. She usually won the pole bending events and placed nicely in barrels.

If your mare is in good condition and it doesn't seem to make her sore the following days, you should be fine. I wouldn't suggest the highly competative shows, but fun shows should be just fine.