Reader Story: Letter to the Editor, Senior Horses

We've bumped our reader story to Thursday this week--even blogs get Christmas day off! Happy Holidays to all of you from NWHS.

Am just now reading your December issue. Re: The Senior Horse, I thought it might interest you that I now have the 30-year-old registered Quarter Horse mare in the photo (see Monday's post) and another 31-year-old. Both are under blankets now, as well as my 18-year-old Thoroughbred (pictured below). Some 15 years back I had a running Quarter mare who made 40! It was months prior to senior horse feed coming out. I'm on a 167-acre "ranch" in north central Idaho. I've been into horses all my life. I'm 78 now and still keep 4 horses. At one time my husband and I had 59 horses and mules. We outfitted for big game in the mountains between Idaho and Montana.

I can take on these old horses now and feel I owe it to them. Incidentally, the 30 and 31 year old are still sound and occasionally ridden in summer. Recently we had 0 and 3 to 4 degrees for a prolonged period of time. That's hard on man and beast!

I do hope this may be of interest and that you and yours hae a wonderful Holiday Season.

~Sally Shawley