Tips to help your veteran thrive [video]

If anyone knows how to keep their veteran horse in top shape, surely it’s those who contest the veteran horse supreme ridden and in-hand classes at Olympia.

Horse & Hound asked Amy Taylor — whose Highland Kincardine Corriechoille took the ridden supreme title at Olympia 2013 — how she keeps the 16-year-old fit and well and what advice she would give other owners.

Amy’s top tips for healthy veterans

• Regular massages help loosen them up and keep them relaxed
• Her veteran is a good-doer who is fed on chaff, sugar beat and a veteran mix during the winter
• He is also fed haylage and enjoys lots of turnout
• Keep veterans active and working correctly to prolong their ridden career
• Listen to your veteran: they will tell you when they are ready to slow down

Judging the veteran class at Olympia

Judge Clare Frost explains: “The class is judged 50/50 on marks. The first mark covers presentation, condition and type. The judge is looking at the suppleness of the animal bearing in mind its age, how it’s turned out, what the skin tone is like.

“The second mark covers manners, movement and way of going. Manners remains important when it’s a veteran or a young horse. And the movement of the animal and how it goes in it’s show.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now