Anyone from a NON horsey background?

I am the only person in my family who knows anything about horse. And I have to say its caused alot of upset, alot of understanding, and is seriously frustrating at times.

I started to ride at 11, A pony I looked after died a year after this and my dad laughed when I got upset.. not good.

He also made me do my A levels instead of go straight for the farriery. If I had gone to warwick at 16 and started my apprenticeship the year later I would have qualified for funding.. As I was older, I did not.. so will never be a farrier (this actually broke my heart)

Lou x
 
me!
begged for lessons and eventually got a half hour a week at the age of 11. I lived for that half hour every week!
Got a horse through default at the age of 16 because my brother got a racing go-kart after 20 minutes at a circuit. (Dad very into fast cars and racing!) Mother pointed out a bit unfair on daughter who'd spent every weekend/holiday for years working at the stables in return for a free ride! Got the 3rd horse we saw because Dad was loosing interest! Luckily he was gorgeous but i'd have had him whatever before my parents changed their minds! they would never have done it if they had known what was involved in horse keeping. My dad built a stable in the bottom of the garden (literally) and we rented an acre a mile down the road. I did it all on my own and only realise now how little i knew then!! Horse got sold at 18 as i was off to college and i was heartbroken.
No-one in my close or extended family rides, is interested in or has any understanding of why anyone would want to 'do' horses!
In my late 20s promised myself that any serious 'boyfriend' had to 'do' horses too. unfortunatekly OH faked it very well until too late to back out!!
Am trying very gently to get my 6 year old boy interested but bikes come way above horses at the mo, and the OH is eqully determined that he has nothing to do with them as thinks they give nothing but problems!

Nice to know i'm not alone.

and agree with others, it would be lovely to occasionally be asked if i had a nice ride, or how i got on in my dressage test, or whether the horse who was taken to the vet is ok or not?!!
I've learnt to keep my answers short and sweet when relatives 'politely' ask how the horses are.
 
Good to hear I'm not alone from being the only person who rides in my family! My mum doesn't understand why I would want to 'waste' my money on this horse share as I'm not going to make a return on it in the future. She makes it sound like the horse should be a house to invest in when really it's an animal who I am going to enjoy and ride!
 
My parents wouldn't know a forelock from a fetlock - or a horse's ar*e from its elbow! When I was about 13, my mum offered to get my pony in for the farrier. He could be really naughty to catch, but he obviously knew she didn't have a clue as he stood waiting for her to get a headcollar on and followed her to the yard. Then the farrier turned up and told her the headcollar was upside down! No idea how she managed that...

An ex-boyfriend's mum once asked me where horses are "parked" overnight. Nearly p*ssed myself laughing.
 
My family also non horsey i tried getting daughter into it and she was doing really well riding my 16.2 loan horse (schooling,hacking,jumping the lot)and i took her hacking up in scotland in the rain,sleet and snow) and she never ever came riding or even to farm again. Its quite frustrating as i like talking horse and nobody outside farm or this forum to talk to(i am really boring as nothing to say if it doesnt involve horses or riding). My Hubby justs looks as if to say oh no not again
 
My husband is non-horsey , but lends a hand fence judging . He's allergic to horses , so when I had mine , couldn't help me groom . Old horsey friends grew out of riding , so no-one to talk horse with
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Husband perves through Eventing magazine ( female human backsides are a favourite )& will watch showjumping or eventing on TV . He once commented that Vicarage Vee was a good looking horse - had to tell him it was the name of the fence , not the horse that had just cleared it
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No one else in my family at all rides, but my Dad spent enough years standing around at horse shows and ferrying my pony club friends around to be able to hold a conversation about horses now.
My husband is starting to understand a bit more now aswell due to me banging on about them all the time. He hated my last horse but he loves Milly which helps.
 
My real mother is horsey and rode at Badminton when she was young. Long before I came into the picture I might add. Her and my dad got divorced when I was very little and my dad got full custody of me. My Dad and my stepmum (who has basically bought me up) did *everything* in their power to stop me being into horses
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I haven't had any contact with my real mother for many, many years (for reasons not really appropriate for here) so I was faced with this quite an obsticle to me wanting to ride
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However I managed it through grit and determination
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Eventually I managed to convince my parents to come and watch me at an event I was 27 and it was the first time they had ever seen me ride. My stepmum turned up wearing high heels. They arrived just as I went in for my dressage test and when I came out of the test they told me they were leaving because it was 'boring and everywhere smells of horse sh*t'
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i
 
No-one in my family has a clue about horses. my dad used to ride with me but knew nothing about horses (still doesnt!), my mum used to ride when she was younger, but admits she hated it and is terrified of horses and my brother just isn't interested!
 
I'm glad someone started this post as my family are non-horsey but it didn't really bother me until recently. Anyone who saw my last post about starting a family and having a horse will know that I'm currently debating buying my loan horse but as OH wants to start a family soon I'm battling my conscience as not entirely sure we can afford both
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. Everyone on here was really helpful and made me believe it's possible to have both and I was feeling much better, until I mentioned it to my mam, who said people like me (skint) can't have both
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. Thanks for the vote of confidence. They don't seem to understand the magnetic pull a horse has. It's not just a case of 'do I have one, do I not'. I can't resist and am totally miserable without a horse. It's much more than just a pet, if it was just a pet no-one would make the effort involved in keeping a horse. Shame they don't see that. Anyway, I have decided to go against her advice (as usual
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) and am not giving up my horse to start a family. I am struggling to pay livery etc as it is and am terrified something will go horribly wrong money wise but I'd rather take the risk than go without altogether.
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Nailed, I really feel for you, your story struck a nerve with me. My dad is a bit like that and although it didn't affect me that much (or so I thought), he put my brother off following his heart and I still see everyday how it affects him (it happened about 15 years ago). Luckily my bro is older than me and I witnessed it all happening and whenever my dad says I can't or am not allowed to do something, I go out and do it
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. I really hope you've found something you're happy doing and don't regret it too much.

My parents divorced about 5 years ago and I live with OH now but still want my parents' approval of my horsey lifestyle but have never had it yet.
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I'm not as miserable as I have made myself out to be in this post
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Yep, completely non horsey, TBH they don't really like animals!! My mum started us on riding lessons about 30 years ago, and i have been hooked since.
She will come to the farm if she visits and can tolerate feeding a polo, but that's abouts as close as she will get.
Non of my sisters continued riding.
 
Me too!! I started riding when I was 7 and was instantly hooked. Somebody mentioned magnetic pull and that's sums it up for me. Gave up riding while I was at uni and then came to London. Had to totally remove myself from them as it was too upsetting otherwise. I've been riding again for a year and a half now and I will never give it up again. It's my sanity and it's the thing that makes me happier than anything else. I've asked for a horse every year for Christmas and Birthday (now 36!) and have finally decided that I've got to just get on and make the dream a reality.

Parents think I'm bonkers and can't believe that I'd rather use my savings to buy a horse than get a new kitchen!
 
No one in my family had anything to do with horses till my sister started riding aged about 12. We all left her to get on with it. I cannot remember one discussion about horses in our house. My sister went on to have a career in the equestrian industry which was alien to the whole family.

So it was a bit of a shock when I married a horse obsessed woman. OH and kids ride, I now ride after a fashion, the rest of the family are totally bemused.

Have to admit I was shocked how much effort riding takes.
 
I come from a non-horsey and poor background, so although I begged for riding lessons, I didn't get them and had to wait until I got a horsey friend and I rode her ponies, plus worked at a riding school. None of my family ride at all. When my Mum and Sister came to visit me a couple of years ago, they both sat in the car while I did the ponies, which I thought was a bit crap.

OH is also non-horsey, but likes looking after them. Have recently taught him how to put a headcollar on and he can even apply lotions and potions, now, for Chloe's SI. Hurrah!

A little point, though, horses DO need to lie down for REM sleep, although they can sleep (non REM) standing up.
 
Me too...nooe rides although my sis did for a bit when we younger. My dad came and helped during the horrendous snow, hip deep in snow and mud he held my horse whilst I mucked out :O my sis watches me at shows just for moral support and holds neddie between classes (normally in exchange for dvd night and wine after the show!) but my mum has never seen any of my horses and doesn't understand spending all my money on them .... although she is super mum when i found a stray dog she has adopted him and loves him to bits (even though she is a neat freak!) I cant complain about my non horsey family Im never alone although they know nothing they will help me as best they can and if it weren't for my parents letting my live at home whilst doing uni I wouldn't have my horses!
 
My mother has been for nearly 60 years , sister has dabbled and then sold her horses, brother and dad never, my Oh is very much into them, daughter ridden on/off has had ponies, now 16 at college and cant be bothered.
 
I'm from a totally non-horsey background, I only started riding because our nextdoor neighbours acquired a shetland.

My mum is frightened of the horses, we have a photo of me on the shetland I learnt on, and my mum holding the lead rein while the owner took the photo, she is holding the very end, standing miles away and looking petrified! It got worse the bigger the horses got.

The worst episode was when she came to collect my sister and I from the riding stables where we used to help out after our lessons. She must have been in a hurry because she never used to come on the yard in case there were horses around but she did this day. She had to climb a stile and cross a field to get to the yard from the car park, there weren't normally horses in that field at the weekend but this day there were, she assumed that there was a fence between where she walked and the horses, when we cam to walk back the horses had moved closer, she realised there was no fence, and my sister and I were begining to think we'd have to catch the horses to get her back to the car!
 
My aunt went for a weekly hack at her local RS for years and years and maybe it was that that got me into them, or maybe it was that we went shopping every Saturday in Newmarket when I was a kid...
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But my parents have no interest and (when I was young) even less money, so horses weren't exactly a priority for them. Mum did get to the point where she could identify one of the hunters I used to do being ridden past our house, but only because she was strawberry roan. She wouldn't hold a leadrope though...
 
Me too. Parents have never ridden so have no idea where my horse/pony obsession came from! To be fair my parents funded riding lessons adn contributed towards my loan horse but were mightily relieved when I no longer needed them to take me to the stables!!!

Now they don't really show much interest, and when I fell off last year my dad asked if I thought riding was for 'the young'!!! Husband sort of understands (or pretends that he does!) but as daughter is as now as obsessed as I was/am it's a 2-pronged attack!!!

I also had a pony on the top of every birthday and Christmas list, but it never happened.....
 
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I'm the only horse rider in my family, sometimes it would be nice if they took an interest, but I'm used to it now.

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Ditto this, none of my family give 2 hoots what I do
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But my 15yr old bro's rugby is wonderful!


They dont understand thats easy compared to horses!
 
My parents were totally non-horsey and still are but were very encouraging in a non-horsey way. \

My mum was terrified of them - and more importantly anything like mice, rats etc. yet both used to walk with me when riding my ponies, picked up food etc, and generally indulged my very expensive hobby. Also my mother managed to overcome the fact she had probably transported mice and rats in her car when picking up straw and hay (this is going back 20 years) and not instantly sell up and move to a top floor flat.
 
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