Countrymouse- Your website is wonderful and you are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. It must be invigorating to ride at this time of year. I had a nice ride last night by myself but it was great anyway. I love this time of year. How about everyone else?
PJ

Growing up primarily in SW FL I used to love autumn/fall. I loved it when we lived in Puget Sound WA and the Mojave Desert CA. Now living here in Western SD (Beautiful Black Hills of Dakota) I HATE fall/autumn!!!

Here - after the first freeze I am never warm until long after the last freeze in the spring no matter how many layers of clothes I have on which is always at least 3. We have already had our first freeze last night (The 9th of Sept. for crying out loud!) so it will be a very long winter this year.

Actually I love the 'crispness' of the air, the 'colors' but knowing how long and brutal the winters are here I just can't enjoy them anymore. I am fortunate in that the horses are boarded at the only somewhat heated barn in the area with a fair sized indoor (68' X 175') but once it gets cold it is seldom above 45F in it - at least it never gets below 32 for more than a short time as all the water pipes in the barn (60 stall) are exposed so will freeze thus at least it is never allowed to freeze inside. Cleaning stalls is the pits as the fresh bedding pile is outside on the west end of the barn so it freezes to the point that you have to use a pitchfork (or sometimes even a pick ax)to get if loose enough to take in to thaw. Totally open to NW wind which ALWAYS blows - sometimes harder, sometimes not so hard but always blows.

Hi
I am a 68 year old lady that trail rides in NW Montana and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.. I wouldn't trade my life for all the tea in china.. :) We have four great horses, that I love to pieces and take turns riding them.. most of the ladies that I ride with are over 50 and up..

A great Life..

MThorselover

Wow - I just read all of these comments and I have to say that I'm surprised that there are so many of us! I am 60 - got my first horse 6 years ago - and I can't imagine any other life. Wish we could all ride together!

I am 55 and STILL HORSE CRAZY after all these years! When I was little, I wanted to grow up and be a horse!!!!! I started riding when I was 10 and bought my first horse when I was 13. Got married and had to sell the horse due to finances. My dad bought the horse back for me and paid for it's board until I could afford it again. I added another horse for my husband to ride and we kept them both until they had to be put down, one due to navicular disease and the other one to a rattlesnake bite.

Went without a horse for about 15 years, raising a family and working on my career. Got back into riding about 5 years ago and bought the little Arab mare I had been leasing. I call her "My Therapist!!!" Can't even imagine how I functioned without a horse for all those years!!!!

I've retired from my job now and ride often. I hope to always have a horse or two in my life from now on. If I ever get too old to ride, I will just have pasture buddies!! Nothing is as soothing as grooming a horse. You get back way more than you put into it!!!!

There's lots more horse loving oldsters out there than you think. I am 67, did not get my first horse until I was 44, have a 3-horse trailer, on my 3rd pickup truck (diesel), go camping and trail riding with my horse, meet lots of people my age and older at horse camps and on organized rides.

I brought my first horse on my 45th birthday. Molson was my present to me. Now 50 I just brought my second horse a tennessee walker...so I agree with alot of you out there!!

I am 50 and started riding hunter/jumper two years ago. I had ridden cross country as a teenager and just had the urge to try riding again. I bought my first horse 3 weeks ago and absolutely adore him. I hope to compete in my first show this fall. There are several riders at my barn who are in their 50's and 60's. I don't think I could feel alone even without those folks because everyone at my barn is so friendly. They even had a little 'congratulations on becoming a horse owner' party for me. I don't think I'll ever be too old for riding....

I started riding at 45. Bought my first horse at 50, moved on to a truck and trailer and joined a local fox hunt club. The best thing I ever did in my life except for my children

Hi All,
I just turned 55. I'm short and can't understand how I could get on a 16.1 TB when I was younger. I was also away from horses for the "family" years. I got a horse about five years ago and now have 3 mares, a 3yr.old and 2 yearlings. All three young ones were born here. A lifelong dream come true. I just wish I could ride as well as I could when I was 20.

As you can tell by my username, I have Connemaras. They are so great for people our age (really for all ages). They average at about 14-14.2hh. They're sensible, easy keepers, go barefoot, and are so people oriented.

To find out more about Connemaras, the American Connemara Pony Society website is:
www.acps.org
my site is: www.sugarbushfarmpa.com

Let's keep on keeping on.
Connies

What a great great thread this is! I am seeing two things here.

1. WELCOME to all of you new posters!

2. The "BOOMERS" still have it

Maybe if we petition the Board AdMins, they will make a "50+ Gang" section.

In the words of Travis Tritt & John Mellencamp "What say you?" Don't ask me to remember the name of the song. I can stay on my horse but my mind is gone

Well, we finally got all you lurkers to jump on in.

About darnit time ya did! Welcome to the 50s club.

I am 59 and really slowing down. Right now I am wondering how long I can safely keep jumping. I am not showing, but I ride almost every day. I don't know how I will live when I have to quit riding.

It's wonderful seeing all these replies. Since we promo'd the thread in the newsletter, I also received and email from a 70 yr old gentleman in Holland, who says (and I edited it a bit to make it easier to understand his English)

"I am over 70 and horses are my passion and my life. I am also instuctur and give lessons over the world. In Nov. 2007 I will be in Florida and be busy with dressage lessons. Horses are my life. I can feel the horses how they are and can give trust and confidence. A horse is an animal that is given to us from God and it is the connection between us and him, and if you understand your horse than you can also feel when you are in heaven."

Signed Dirk Gerards

I hope he excuses me if I misread and mis-translated his email

Great idea!! It would be a great place to exchange ideas about how things really work (or don't) at our "advanced" age lol. Like mounting, for example - when I took lessons in college in my late 20's (those were the days, my friends...), we mounted from the ground , big horses... Now? I don't think so. I'm lucky to mount from a normal size block on a medium size horse Let's hear it for our own section!

Oh, and I second the welcome to new posters! Stick with us and who knows how far we can go?!!! Bwhahahahah!