When the fences get that high, the riders have to be perfect or the horses have to save their butts. Sometimes the horses just don't have the talent to pull it off.

snapmyapp~ Many of the top showjumping horses compete at those heights well into their late teens and some even into their twenties. These horses are some of the best cared for equines in the world. My own personal horse was shown at these heights before I owned him both by his junior owner, her trainer, and Aaron Vale (and quite probably a few other top professionals). I got him when he was 14, and when I took him to get a pre purchase exam his x-rays were pefectly clean. As long as they are maintained properly, horses can jump those heights just fine for many years