This is so much fun! We are getting to meet lots of new people and they are just my age. I love it! I am so glad you joined in ssunshine and all the rest. With all this input we should be able to resolve any issue facing us over 50 riders.

Hey Sunshine, Welcome
And Welcome also to all the other first-timers - hope this won't be a one-night-stand for all you 'old' folk
C'mon all baby-boomers - let's make this the BIGGEST thread on ES

The first ride when I got back into the horse world after a 25 yr absence was on an appy named Sunshine
Your username just brought back some neat memories

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I CREDIT MY HORSES WITH KEEPING ME FIT AND SANE!!

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Isn't that the truth??

Winston Churchill once said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man" (or words to that effect)

It's so true - my horses keep me grounded, keep me sane in a sometimes insane world!

When I first started reading the Equisearch forums, I thought it was just young teenagers posting. Having people your own age responding really makes a difference.

Quite awhile ago, on another forum, people asked about the stables we had ridden at when we were young. In the 60's, I rode at Cherry Meadow Farm with Don Sachey's mom, Dot (Dorothy). We competed against Rice Farm and Thomas School of Horsemanship. I was also showing my pinto pony, Pogo, against Tad Coffins pinto pony, Skip Jack.

A second comment is: How do you start competing in eventing? I've always been interested in 3-day. I've just finished building some cross-country type jumps that have 2 foot and 3 foot options. What is the lowest eventing level for adults? Any other information about 3-day would be helpful.

Thirdly: How do you all deal with all the aches and pains from riding at this age or am I the only one who gets sore? It seems I've always got a new bruise or sore muscle. That wasn't the case back in the "old days".

I'm just tacking this on here, not replying to a particular post. This has long been my favorite "horse quote" and I think it is particularly relevent to this thread

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If you have it, it is for life. It is a disease for which there is no cure. You will go on riding even after they have to haul you on to a comfortable wise old cob, with feet like inverted buckets and a back like a fireside chair...When I can’t ride anymore, I shall still keep horses as long as I can hobble about with a bucket and a wheelbarrow. When I can’t hobble, I shall roll my wheelchair out to the fence of the field where my horses graze, and watch them.

— Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of author Charles Dickens, in her book, Talking of Horses

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A second comment is: How do you start competing in eventing? I've always been interested in 3-day. I've just finished building some cross-country type jumps that have 2 foot and 3 foot options. What is the lowest eventing level for adults? Any other information about 3-day would be helpful.

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I never got as far as three day, but if you are interested in getting in to eventing, look into your local combined training association. They usually offer clinics, trials and events for their members.

I did Beginner Novice and Novice with Annapolis before he got EPM. Admittedly that was 15 years ago, so I was a mere 35 at the time. But there were a lot of adults at those events and we had a ball!

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I'm just tacking this on here, not replying to a particular post. This has long been my favorite "horse quote" and I think it is particularly relevent to this thread

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If you have it, it is for life. It is a disease for which there is no cure. You will go on riding even after they have to haul you on to a comfortable wise old cob, with feet like inverted buckets and a back like a fireside chair...When I can’t ride anymore, I shall still keep horses as long as I can hobble about with a bucket and a wheelbarrow. When I can’t hobble, I shall roll my wheelchair out to the fence of the field where my horses graze, and watch them.

— Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of author Charles Dickens, in her book, Talking of Horses

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What a great quote, I will print it out to remember! I think we all feel the same. Thanks for sharing.

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Thirdly: How do you all deal with all the aches and pains from riding at this age or am I the only one who gets sore? It seems I've always got a new bruise or sore muscle. That wasn't the case back in the "old days".

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I find that if I ride regularly then there are fewer aches & pains
But the weather can play havoc with riding plans (too hot, too cold, too wet, too icy ) AND it also plays havoc with my poor arthritic joints too damp & too cold is not fun.
So if & when I haven't ridden much, those aching sore muscles start yelling at me, but what causes more aches & pains than riding is mucking out stalls in the winter. It's sort of a catch-22 situation - the stable is cold, I get hot from the hard work, then cold again when chores are over - that never seemed to bother me when I was younger BUT it sure does now.

BUT to answer your question - I think the best thing to do for all the usual aches & pains is to just keep going.
If it's an unusual ache (maybe injury related like a pulled muscle) then I guess some TLC would be in order.

I agree with mouse, the aches and pains get less when I ride more. Or maybe I don't notice them as much. I do find now that when I get off my knees are really weak and sore, so I try to take them out of the stirrups and move them around a lot when I ride for long. I've also experimented with Ibuprofen about 1 hour before I ride (kind of like bute!) and that also helps.
What can we do? when you love something this much, you work through the pain...

RC, I've never thought of taking ibuprofen (my drug of choice ) before a ride.
Do you take 2 tablets (for ordinary pain relief) or 3 (as an anti-inflammatory)?

Well, gee, here's another 50+ rider. I'm 59 & have been the ONLY horselover in my family all my life. I recently "retired" from being a therapeutic riding instructor to have more time for family (new grandma) & travel. I have a partial lease on a 25-year old TB mare who has both a racing & eventing past. We're both too old to jump, but otherwise are proud that we don't act our age, & I am taking dressage lessons on her.

Yes, it's an addiction that never goes away. My mom used to say I acquired it right after I was born, as she watched the rodeo parade in Phoenix, AZ from her hospital room. Other than marriage & my daughters, the most memorable events in my life have all been associated with horses.

I also am a member of the horse show committee of the San Antonio (TX) Stock Show & Rodeo, & I would guess that at least half the 200+ members of that committee are over 50. There are lots of us staying healthy & active with those magnificent gifts from God.

The perscription strength dose for ibuprofin is 4 regular 200 mg tabs, which I take every time, one hour before I ride, with food in my stomach to lessen the side effect of meds on an empty stomach. My knees don't stiffen up, my back stays supple, not rigid and any other every day pains (the shoulder I slept funny on last night or whatever?) kinda go into the backround. Then as you ride, you move those joints and muscles and help to limber them up, making them stronger in the process without pain when riding or after you ride.

I know this has helped me in staying comfortable while I ride. Yoga helps too. The stretch and hold you do while performing Yoga poses adds strength and agility. Try them both!

I think that's an excellent idea. I am reading some posts here that are really inspiring and make the old eyes water.

Mr Gerrard from Holland summed it up wonderfully when he said that horses are a gift from God.

That profound statment is never more obvious than when reading thru these posts.

Not only are these magnificent animals entrusted to our care and keeping, but if we allow it to be so, we entrust OURSELVES to them for our own sanity, peace, and tranquility.

Never was that more obvious in my life as when I lost my 19 year old son in a car accident 14+ years ago. Family and friends marveled that I didn't end up "off the deep end". Along with deep Faith, I owe my sanity to Streeter-The-Arab and Duke-the-Tennessee Walker; both of whom are still with me.

Yes indeed, PJMN has unwittingly stumbled onto something with this thread. I am excited to see where it goes

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Wow walk you have summed up my feelings perfectly -what a beautiful quote and experience. Although I am not quite in the 50 group (43) I have read this thread from the beginning. You all have inspired me.

I deal with pain issues too and the ibuprofen trick works well for me too~

I will be 50 next week and I enjoy my horses very much. When my children were young, I took some time away, not far, just not as involved. But now that they are grown with children of their own, it is my time again. So, I would like very much to include myself in your gang. Sounds like fun. I spend about 1-2 hours daily, just feeding, brushing, and cleaning stalls. And the ocassional ride. Which makes it all worth while. I look forward to many more hours and trails with my horses.

Bebe, Classy, Hot Shot, and Tessa

Mouse, I usually just take 2 because I am just looking for an offset for the pain, but I will up it as needed.

There are some inspiring words here, and, no doubt, lot's of wisdom. I look forward to where this thread will go!