And on horse farms around the country the population of senior equine citizens is growing too. About 20 percent of the nation's horse population is 20 years old or older. In horse years, that's old. Like their human counterparts, older horses are active, continuing to compete. They're even used in breeding programs.
Some breeders prefer older mares since they're more likely to have a good production record.
Once a mare produces a top-performance foal, her value as a broodmare greatly increases. And if other of her foals also perform well, she is much-prized. If you use a mare in performance events, she may be 8-10 years old before having foals old enough to perform. So owners want older, proven broodmares. And that's the catch.