When it comes to adopting a senior horse, the term may not always mean what you think.It is a very wide range of things, says Libby Hanon, equine adoption and marketing specialist at the ASPCA Equine Transition and Adoption Center (ETAC) in El Reno, Okla. She says that the term can mean late teens and onward in terms of age. Horses younger than their late teens that are experiencing issues typically associated with senior horses, such as PPID and arthritis, may also be called senior.Boundless PotentialBut labeling a horse as a senior is not about defining him by his potential limitations. Hanon describes senior horses as amazing, and enthusiastically relates that they have a lifetime of experience behind them to share.They can offer a lot of teaching, she says. They are a great option for beginners or people who have not had a horse in a while. In these situations, Hanon says that its often ideal if the horse comes with a wealth of experience behind him.They can also offer a calming effect on younger or high-strung horses in the pasture, she says, adding that they can also provide a much-needed confidence boost to their companions.Versatile and diverse, Hanon says that senior horses can be great candidates for riding, too, particularly trail riding. She says that having a suitable job often helps senior horses stay healthy and feel young.Likewise, horses keep us young and healthy, says Hanon. It works both ways.Despite popular myths, many of the adoptable senior horses available on MyRightHorse.org do not require medical maintenance or even extra budgeting to maintain their health.But if this isnt enough to convince you, there is a feel-good benefit that adopters often experience when they provide a senior horse with a wonderful, stable home in their final years.Overcoming EmotionsIf you are considering adopting a senior horse, it might be easy to get caught up in the fact that you will have a finite amount of time with your horse.Hanon, however, counsels adopters to think more positively.On several occasions, weve had a horse that we would consider late in life, she says. We felt they might only have a few years left. But she says that when a match with the right person is made, they often see these horses flourish and live more years than originally expected. With a good routine, positive interactions, and gentle exercise, such as liberty work and hand-walking, Hanon says that senior horses often see an improvement not only in their quality of life, but in the quality of life of their adopters, too.Rather than focusing on how much time you have left, she says its more important to focus on what you can make of the time you have.Preparing for the FutureWhile its important to note that not all senior horses will come with extra expenses, potential adopters should be aware that as their adopted horse continues to age, extra expenses can arise.To help compensate, some My Right Horse Adoption Partners provide incentives for adopting senior horses. While not guaranteed, some of these incentives may include reduced adoption fees and temporary stipends to help with medication costs.Even so, because senior horses need to have long-term, stable homes, Hanon says that if youre considering adopting a senior horse, its important to take an honest look at yourself and your budget to determine what is sustainable for you, adding that its OK to go in a different direction and consider more affordable choices.Success StoriesAnd senior horse adoption success stories abound. Nicole Walters oversees the West Virginia Horse Network in Charleston, W. Va. She has helped facilitate some wonderful senior horse adoption experiences.When I look at senior horses, I think of what they can do, says Walters. I dont think of what they cant do.She describes many adoptable senior horses as being excellent friends and entertainers and a joy to be around. The enthusiasm Walters exhibits toward senior horses is often contagious, so much so that people who have adopted a horse through her organization have realized that age is just a number, and have fallen in love with these horses as individuals.For example, each year, Walters and her team take adoptable senior ponies to the Adoption Affaire at the Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio. In 2023, one of those senior ponies, Fiona, was adopted by a little girl who was very active in taking lessons and showing.Her family could very easily have gotten her a riding pony, Walters says. But she fell in love with this senior pony, and now she sends us pictures of the pony dressed as a unicorn, Christmas pictures, Easter pictures, that kind of thing. The pony is the light of her life. The family doesnt look at Fiona as a consolation prize. They look at her at the Grand Prize.Though she could have looked for a riding pony, Riley fell in love with senior pony Fiona at Equine Affaire.This year, the organization took another senior pony, Noelle, to the Equine Affaire. Initially, a veterinarian was interested in adopting Noelle, but ended up walking away. However, another family soon followed.The family was grieving, the child having lost her father, and needed something to heal her. While the family was discussing the possibility of taking Noelle home, completely unaware of what was unfolding, the veterinarian reached out and said that while she could not adopt the pony for personal reasons, she would like to donate the cost of the adoption fee. Her donation made the decision even easier for the family to adopt Noelle.Harper had recently lost her father and found that adopting senior pony Noelle helped her with healing.Now the withdrawn pony who prefers children to adults has the perfect home, and her new owners are equally as thrilled.Senior horses are a gift to us, says Walters. We offer them not as an apology, but as an opportunity.This article about senior horse adoption appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Horse Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post Adopting a Senior Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.