There is just something special and priceless about a senior horse. I am grateful my clients and I have received so much of their wisdom over the last decade working as an equine- partnered life coach. I also find what they share in animal communication sessions to be enlightening for humanity as well. Here are some lessons I believe senior horses are particularly ready to impart—if only we are willing to listen and learn.
“See past the physical and find the loving essence inside.”
—A senior horse on aging appearances
This is what any senior horse might say if humans sat quietly and took the time to listen to them. So many of us fear aging, in ourselves or with our animals. We are scared of getting sick and moving closer to death. We try to cover up gray hair or sagging body parts. Yet if we look closely at a senior horse, there is no judgment of their gray muzzle or swaying back.
There is so much value put in youth and being athletic, especially in the equestrian world. Yet that doesn’t immediately equate to happiness. In fact, if you ever watch retired senior horses who have friends, great forage, and space to move around, they are quite content.
They don’t seem to regard their aging bodies with as much distaste as humans. What if we could learn to love our own bodies just by watching how horses enjoy being in theirs?
Of course, care costs can go up with a senior horse for blankets in the winter or extra supplements or feed to keep weight on. It’s the same with all animals, humans included; we may need some extra support in our later years.
In fact, learning about what an aging horse needs nutritionally, fitness-wise, and even emotionally can also serve as a reminder to do that work for ourselves so we stay balanced and healthy as we age.
One of the best things about horses is their non-judgmental nature. They embrace the now moment and what is: full acceptance. We can learn from their way of being and their environment. We would never judge an older tree or want a branch to be skinnier. Why do we do it to ourselves?
Horses can be way-showers for us on how to accept the aging process and how our body changes and adjusts. They would remind us that physical looks are not what truly matters, but that our energy, lifeforce, and loving presence have a much bigger ripple effect.
The next time you go to judge your gray hairs, remember how you find it adorable on a senior horse and apply that compassion and kindness to yourself. Confidence will grow from there!
“We are more than what we do, we are here to be.”
—A senior horse on work and retirement
We attach so much meaning, identity, and purpose to being able to work. So often horses are abandoned because of their age, supposedly not “earning their keep”—a saying that drives me and my horse-loving community a bit bonkers.
However, our purpose is not connected to just our work in the world. Our purpose is to love and be loved. A senior horse is the perfect teacher of this concept, one that will take us far when practiced.
We have to ask ourselves what our horses truly need and deserve after they have been a part of our lives for so long and provided entertainment, sport, work, and companionship. I personally believe they deserve to be treated like royalty and pampered after so much dedication. Yet many discard them, and they can end up in precarious situations.
Tucker’d Out Ranch Rescue, based in the front range of Colorado, takes in many of these horses. Another is Saffyre Sanctuary in Los Angeles, Calif. I’ve been blessed to work with horses from both facilities in my equine-partnered life coaching practice and helped them with fundraising or animal communication and healing services when needed.
Rescues that specialize in senior horses are incredible at providing a safe haven for their last chapter and making sure a horse that isn’t ready to pass gets to live and end his life on a great note. It can be harder to take these types of horses in if they have extensive medical needs, and because their time is limited, getting emotionally attached to them can create an added difficulty.
At both of the rescues mentioned above, the horses are cared for by the humans who love them, and while they are providing a service to the animals, the horses also provide a service back. They comfort the volunteers who come to clean, they participate in community and educational events, or they are rehabilitated and adopted out to forever homes to become new companions.
I’ve watched both of these rescues completely turn senior horses around even though they once seemed hopeless and helpless. With good food, friends, and care, they became young at heart again.
“All of life matters and is precious; be there for those in need and you will feel blessed.”
—A senior horse on service
One of the ways senior horses are partnering with humans is in the equine-assisted psychotherapy/equine-assisted learning (EAP/EAL) space. They do groundwork exercises to help all types of people with mental health, emotional intelligence, leadership, and more.
Hooves & Heroes, a non-profit based near Seattle, Wash., has predominantly senior horses in their program. They specialize in supporting veterans and first responders.
Led by Sonia Jorgensen, she finds great joy in how her older horses support those coming for stress reduction. Jorgensen spent her career working in healthcare and finally made the leap to leave corporate life and go full-time into her service-based business.
She has found that her horses enjoy having more time with her now and love to work alongside her. They find that the veterans who come need support and to see a model of collaboration that her herd demonstrates.
Her seniors show the participants how beneficial staying calm and grounded can be and the reminder that wellness begins within. Her horses are happy to be working, and seem fulfilled serving the local community.
“Breathe and be with us, dip into the silence and remember that time is an illusion and all that matters is now.”
—A senior horse on wisdom and grace
Older horses have seen and been through a lot. They have often witnessed multiple homes, humans and living conditions, as well as many other horses and training styles.
They have silently observed humans and have a lot to share. They exude a presence of confidence and clarity based on a life fully lived. If only humans were willing to slow down and breathe with them, they can receive from this field of wisdom, which in some ways is like talking to a grandparent who has lived much more of life.
This is the work I most enjoy doing through the human-horse-heart connection in the EAL space. I create mindfulness containers for healing, coaching, and intuitive guidance to surface just by meditating with horses, brushing, watching them or journaling.
I have been blessed to have been given two senior off-track Thoroughbreds that were once performance athletes, later passed around because they weren’t ridable anymore. I’ve watched them blossom with a new “career” as a partner in equine coaching and become so enamored with teaching and helping humans that they often leave their food just to be with clients. They are proof that a good forever home that sees them as sentient beings and doesn’t need them to be ridden can still help realize their potential.
There is simply an energy of grace to watching these seniors work, whether it’s how they nuzzle a human’s cheek when they need it or intentionally move around a chair as a person surrenders to receiving from them. It’s an incredibly moving experience for both myself as the facilitator and the clients as they sit in awe and wonder that wise, older horses want to make a meaningful contribution to their lives before they pass.
Their remarkable selfless service and lives are significant, and they deserve to be honored, remembered, and immortalized.
This article about lessons learned from senior horses appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
