Growing Old Together

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

                                                                                                      Mark Twain

At the last Region 3 Arabian Horse Show, I was glad to see that though many of us are “riding over the hill” it is not stopping us from riding and competing on our horses. The large amount of amateurs that enroll in classes divided by age, 35 to 54 and 55 and over, show that for many of us age is not slowing us down.

It is good to see that with better healthcare, 50 is the new 30, 60 is the new 40, and 70 is the new 50. All this means we can ride longer! Thank God since I bought Valerie at age 50. It makes me feel I can keep on riding for a long time.

One of the competitors, who impressed me by her spunk and determination, was a 75-year-old woman who was showing her Arab in the Hunter Pleasure division. This petite woman had ridden and competed on horses all her life, so as long as her health permitted she would continue doing what she had always done. Not only was she comShe gave me hope to continue riding on into my sixties and seventies!peting at this competitive Class A show, she was beating other riders who were twenty or more years younger.

At the last Olympics,  there were three riders aged 60 competing in Beijing. According to The Virtual Equestrian,  Ian Millar, a Canadian rider who is 61, is the oldest show-jumper in Olympic history. However, he is still not the oldest.  Hiroshi Hoketsu from Japan is the oldest rider at the Games at 67-years-old.

Ian Millar

In addition to older riders competing, there were older horses going up against young ones in the show ring. My trainer, Shawna Parks, competed with Crystal Emir, her dad’s 20 something- year-old Arabian, in Hunter Pleasure and in Sport Horse In-Hand. Normally, Emir is used as a lesson horse for Shawna’s students since he is well-behaved and trained. At the barn, he is quiet and low key. Recently Shawna has brought Emir out of retirement to show again and the old guy seems to love it! His whole demeanor changes in the show ring. Shawna’s dad rode and competed on Emir for many years winning many firsts and championships. So for Emir ,it means doing something he remembers and enjoys. At the last show, he beat 13 other younger horses to win third place in the Sport Horse In-Hand class. Good for you Emir!

Shawna Parks on Emir

So the moral is–keep on trucking older ladies and horses. We still have a long way to go!