What age is to old for a horse to jump?

One of my horses is a 17.2hh t.b mare and is ancient at 26 she is still in excellent health and is easliy capable of jumping 1.40m course - she can still jump 6ft and won pussiance at my local show ground last year beating horses less than half her age that day she jumped 6.6ft - If she is kept fit and healthy I see reason not to jump her. My dad just keeps an eye on her she is given joint supplements mainly because shes quite light boned. Also keep in mind her teeth aren't what they used to be feed her quality feed - the oldies love their beet pulp & bran in the winter - just be aware get her vetted and go into it with your eyes open. good luck !

It really, really depends on the horse, their health, their conformation and ability, and how they were cared for. Some horses should be retired from jumping at 18, but many can jump into their 20s, assuming they are well and properly cared for. But they are rarely able to jump what they could in their youth, and depending on what they could jump in their youth this could mean that they cannot jump at all. I have a 20 year old TB gelding. He's from NZ, an OTTB. He was Evented up to Intermediate level when he was 9 or 10, and was doing 4' Jumpers when he was 16 or 17. We only recently have had to put him on Polyglycan, but otherwise a LOT of effort and money goes into his care. I am currently schooling primarily Training level (3'3"), with some Prelim (3'7") stuff thrown in occasionally. I have jumped him 4' in Stadium, and he clears all of this easily. He is, however, kept in fantastic shape and condition, and most people are surprised to learn he's 20, because he doesn't act it. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs037.snc4/34194_408404573621_754743621_4318883_4391762_n.jpg (Little fence) http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs304.snc3/28808_405299958621_754743621_4237584_2508765_n.jpg http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs545.snc3/29858_402640758621_754743621_4170750_7665985_n.jpg http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs546.snc3/29908_401999698621_754743621_4154809_3334032_n.jpg (Novice Level, this spring) http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs166.snc3/19352_227800868621_754743621_3084682_7792806_n.jpg (Crummy quality) http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs058.snc3/14551_202539873621_754743621_2981441_3845590_n.jpg http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs163.snc1/6090_109741758621_754743621_2137767_5023304_n.jpg http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v253/160/26/754743621/n754743621_504611_5881.jpg Very old pic, 3'. http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs086.snc4/35639_441094322931_769762931_5973688_7357186_n.jpg http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs639.snc3/32061_450903783624_546503624_5732301_7875970_n.jpghttp://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs549.ash1/32061_450899648624_546503624_5732129_5362012_n.jpg (Old, but Training level)

Age is a number. What really matters is their health and condition. So if she's in the great condition you say she's in, go for it :)

You've probably got a couple of years left in her.

Lets take a step back here- does the horse already know how to jump? If she is currently jumping, healthy, and sound, sure, you can continue to jump her lightly. If she does not jump, I would say it's too late to teach her. There are a lot of muscles that are needed for jumping that she wouldn't have, and starting her at 20 could be dangerous. Taking her over X-rails or small jumps occasionally isn't going to hurt, it will probably keep her mind active and interested. But teaching her at 20 to take 2ft and 3ft fences is a bad, bad idea.

It really depends on the horses health and how far that can take you my pony is 23 yrs old and could probably last another few years but you also need to look at how far you want to go and if this horse can get you there or if it is better to get a younger horse who you are more sure can get you to where you want to be.

Age is just a number. What really matters is the horse's health and condition (or mule, in your case). Before you purchase the mule, be sure to have a pre-purchase vet check. Have the vet check for anything that could be wrong with the horse and make sure that he/she knows the age of the mule. You'd be amazed by how well a horse can perform even at an older age. As long as he/she is taken care of and worked properly, you could have a good jumper for another 5-10 years! With an older aged mule, you may want to think about putting her on joint supplements or other supplements that she may need. This will make it more comfortable for her and help her perform longer and better. Hope this helps and good luck on the future purchase if you plan on buying her!

we a=have a horse that old and she still jumps but go slow with her and dont jump 3 foot go easy and jump like 2 foot

ive jumped older horses, and they still jump about as well as any other horse so long as theyre healthy.