Anyone with 8+ horses

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JJones

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Not talking studs/schools but private individuals that have them for riding or just pleasure?
Just curious how you fit all the exercise in or if they are just field ornaments. And how you ended up with so many?
 
We're just down to 7- was at 14 last summer. But we are a family of 5 and dad drove a 4-in-hand that needed spares! The 7 we have now are 2 retired, one each of the horsey ones of us with an extra shared pony, though realistically they're all pretty shared :) Dad got a groom to work his 4-in-hand as he's very busy but now he's down to one horse he does that himself :)
 
We currently have 7 with a loan coming back and a youngster that we are helping the family with after an awful tradegy.
I have two kids who ride a lot but it is too many so some will be moving on if I can find good homes. Anyone want a 13hh forward going games type allrounder :)
 
I know somebody who had 8 on DIY between them! They also had a massive livery debt, no time to do anything with any of them, and seemed to be constantly stressed and tired!
 
I have 17 to deal with of my own every day and 2 out on loan. Some are reeding stock, some are youngsters, some are retired. All have been or will get shown and I only ride 4-5 of them during the show season. Ride 3 a day, walk out the other 2.
 
I did have nine!
One out on loan, two are my daughters old ponies one of which is 20 yrs the other 16/17 yrs . One we had to pts as she was dangerous and couldnt sell her. our working Shire retired at 22/23 and then was pts a year or so later. My riding pony, my retired Arab who is in his twenties, and a horse i bred :eek: who was for both me and my daughter, that just leaves the pony my OH decided would be a good investment to break and sell on!!!! :rolleyes:
So i now have only six (if you dont count the one loaned out)
Any light weight riders out there? All help greatly appreciated!! ;)
 
Having known someone with 6 all in work and constantly drained (emotionally and her bank account from the sound of it!) I can't ever imagine having more than 2 in full ridden work.

Fii said:
I did have nine!
One out on loan, two are my daughters old ponies one of which is 20 yrs the other 16/17 yrs . One we had to pts as she was dangerous and couldnt sell her. our working Shire retired at 22/23 and then was pts a year or so later. My riding pony, my retired Arab who is in his twenties, and a horse i bred :eek: who was for both me and my daughter, that just leaves the pony my OH decided would be a good investment to break and sell on!!!! :rolleyes:
So i now have only six (if you dont count the one loaned out)
Any light weight riders out there? All help greatly appreciated!! ;)
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How light is lightweight? ;) Haha. Unfortunately for me I don't have 1 much less 8! XD
 
10.

3 mares that are rideable, but only 1 in regular work.

Others are breeding stock.

All at home so no livery costs or travelling.

I also have 15 liveries, but all at grass 24/7 so beyond the usual feeding etc I don't do anything to them.
 
My old boss had about 12-13 I think :)
2 ex eventers now just hacks
2 mares to back
2 cobs to school+sell
1 broodmare
1 3yr old
1 2yr old
2 yearlings :)
1 2yr old pony+ also a friends horse to school+sell for her :p
 
I keep my girl on a friends private yard and she has 10 of her own, but we have a good routine between us... I usually get there for just before 7am, hay, feed and start the mucking... then when my friend has dropped her son off at school, she arrives at the yard, we tend to chat and get nothing done for a little while lol and then we carry on with the jobs and ride... 2 of her guys are not ridable and 2 are mother and son but the rest are ridden horses... they range from 8hh to 18hh, so quite a mixed bunch :)
 
We used to have quite a lot, the most at any one given time was 9/10. We had our own land and we used to breed a few welsh cobs, and I think keeping them on your land makes it so much easier. I spent my life outside with them all very happily,kept me out of trouble, mostly :D
I now have 1 as it is all I can afford for a start, but I dream of having my own land again one day, and if I do I may start to amass a few more and have them as big pets. I would like to if I could one day breed rare breeds as there is too much breeding in general but obviously not the case with rare breeds. I would have to win the lottery to be able to do this ofcourse! :D
 
7 in total, 4 youngsters, 1 out on loan, 1 to break this summer and 1 who is just a hacker type due to medical issues.

Would love to cut down at some point but really struggle emotionally to make the break :-(
 
we have 9 Welsh ponies :)

2 yearling fillies
2yo filly
2yo colt
3 mares
2 veteran mares
and we have just been gifted back a homebred mare we sold.

They are used for showing, breeding.

we both work full time
 
8 at present but only one I ride. Will be down to 5 by next winter though. Used to be fine as have plenty of ground but with the last 5 or so wet summers harsh winters my 26 acres doesn't sustain them all so feeding has been a huge cost this winter.
 
WE've got 10, but 1's out on loan. 2 are rideable, 1's just being backed. 1's out of work - sarcoids, but hopefully back in soon, 1's retired (broken navicular and dicky heart) 1 had a foal last year, 1 is the foal, 1 mini shetland and 1 welsh A. We look after 2 for friends too. We rent our yard and land, and fit them in between my full time teaching, my daughter's part-time work and my husband, fortunately retired.
 
One stallion.
Two in foal mares.
One yeld mare.
Two 3yo's.
Two 2yo's.
Two 1yo's.
Two foals due in May.
So 10....and counting.

We practice family planning!:D
 
FlyingCircus said:
Having known someone with 6 all in work and constantly drained (emotionally and her bank account from the sound of it!) I can't ever imagine having more than 2 in full ridden work.



How light is lightweight? ;) Haha. Unfortunately for me I don't have 1 much less 8! XD
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Well i am about 91/2 stone, so not much more than that, also three of them are ponies so looking for someone who isnt very tall! ;)
 
FlyingCircus said:
Am only diddy - 5'2, haha!

You guys are crazy, how do you afford/find the time necessary for so many horses :O ?
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Well we never go on holiday, very rarely buy new cloths or go to a hairdresser, i go out once in a blue moon buy a lot of things second hand, make our own haylage (last year)... the down side is i hardly have the time to ride at all in the winter due to work and short days!
 
I was up to 8, but now back to 6. The 6 I currently have are: 2 retired (23 and 30 but both still occasionally ridden), 2 youngsters in work, 1 yearling, 1 mare due to decide whether to bring back or not, but yearling has recently crushed and damaged my ribs so not doing any work with any and now recovering (relying on OH, friends who help!)

Priority is always horses, i do wonder sometimes what life might be like - holidays are rare and I worry whilst away, we do everything on a shoestring and with regard to time.... Busy people make time!
 
Reading the replies is fab. I've got 10. 2 retired due to health probs/old age. 2 ridden ones. 1 just backed, 1 to back this year. Another to back next year & 2 yearlings. I've stopped worrying about not getting to ride them all enough times a week. As long as my main horse is fit , I just pootle around on the others. Thankfully live on a farm and work at home. Wouldn't like to own that many if I rented or had to work full time though!
 
12. And trying to sell most
1 stallion (show jumper/dressage)
3 broodmares (1in foal due any day now)
5 youngster
3 DIY livery riding horse
 
10
2 retired
1 yearling
1 20yr old who was my first pony
6 in work
make our own hay, no social life, holidays etc. 2 for sale and yearling also to go by the end of the summer hopefully!
 
I'm very impressed with this thread, couldn't imagine having 10 horses!! :eek:

Out if interest, how many of you work 9-5 and how do you find time for them? And those of you who don't, how do you afford it!?
 
I am down to 11 as of last Saturday, when I sold my last broodmare. I used to breed, but I can't afford to keep breeding quality foals for a market where people are not prepared to pay a price that even covers costs. I now have

2 x 2 year olds (1 Hanoverian, 1 Spanish)
2 x Spanish 3 year olds that I will need to back this Autumn,
1 x Welsh D 4 year old I backed last Autumn and turned away - she now needs to be rebacked and start work proper
1 x ID 5 year old in full work
1 x ISH 7 year old backed last year just being brought back into work
1 x ISH 8 year old bought as a project - 14 year old daughter getting on very well with her, so will probably be her SJ horse
1 x newly gelded Spanish - for sale as too small for our long-legged family!
1 x Welsh B for 8 year old daughter
and last but not least an 11 year old Welsh D gelding who has done BD to elem and is progressing, and did some BE last year after I had him gelded

So that is rather a lot to do for mainly 1 person (me). My 14 year old helps out when she is around, but she has very long school hours. I have a part time job as an accountant which helps pay the massive feed bills that I am incurring right now, due to the prolonged winter and less nutritious forage we have this year.

I have the horses at home, and the only way it is possible to afford so many is because we have our own hay fields and the local farmer gives us a barnfull of our hay in exchange for taking the rest of the crop for himself. He also brings up 2 x large haylage bales per week through the winter. Most horses live out, and there are vit/min blocks in the fields.

I need to cut down 1 or 2 of the riding horses so that all my spare hours are not devoted to the horses!

If I added up all I have spent on them over the years (including massive stud fees, AI fees, other vet fees) I would probably be sick. Unfortunately I started my small stud just at the start of the recession.
 
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