Instructions
Look for signs of reduced vitality. Even young horses need to rest between training sessions so they don't lose interest and to avoid injuries caused by exhaustion. As they get older, horses need more and more days off. If you notice your horse consistently needs more than one day before it feels like training again, take it as a sign that it's getting too old to train.
Observe the time it takes for your horse to warm up. Normally, a horse needs 15 or 20 minutes to warm up. If it starts needing about 45 minutes of warming up before it's ready, it's time to retire it.
Watch for changes in the horse's attitude. If your horse starts to display a lack of enthusiasm for work, training or any activities that it used to enjoy, it might be trying to tell you it's tired. Fatigue and general disinterest in anything but rest are both signs of a horse ready for retirement.
Watch for signs of reduced endurance. Another way you can tell your horse is ready for retirement is when it starts displaying signs of poor coordination and becomes weaker. If it sways when you mount it, frequently starts to lose balance or stumbles, it is no longer suitable for riding.
How to Evaluate a Horse for Retirement
A horse is considered retired when it is no longer ridden, trained or used for work. There is no single retirement age for horses. How long a horse can work until can't work anymore depends on how it was fed and how it was kept through its life. Because of this, determining whether to retire a horse can sometimes get tricky. However, there are some general signs a horse that is ready to retire will display.