Are you passionate about horses

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or do you feel swept away on a tide of ' I should be loving this more' cos everyone else seems to be.

I have had horse for the last 20 years and although I love them ( sometimes ) I am increasingly finding them a chore. I even have my own place so really no excuses re time/travel/costs etc but I've never been really passionate about them in that I don't live and breath them. Sometimes I feel really guilty but they are well cared for so would never know.

It might be to do with the fact i've never been lucky with them.
My first horse dropped dead of an aneurysm 2 days after his 8th birthday
My second needed lots of remedial training when I bought him as he was doped when we tried him ( the vet was struck off ). He then went lame and retired a year later, he's been retired 12 years.
I then bought a two year old who has turned into a horse from hell, he was professionally ridden for 6 years cos he was / is a nightmare, ands all being well i'm giving him away shortly.

Also do you think you can have a better bond when you ride them aswell as just care for them cos i've not had much opportunity to ride with the ones I've had.

Sorry long ramblings on a bored wednesday.
 
I think you can be passionate about them and that will ebb and flow, partly due to knockbacks like you have mentioned and partly because of other interests / obligations which as we have seen from many posts can stretch peoples' time. I think as a rider each time you go out on your horse you can say that you are going to learn something and as such it's a rewarding activity, whereas if I just owned horses without riding them I think the relationship will probably be pretty static.
With the amount of posts you've made I'd say you are pretty passionate about them.
 
A good relationship on the ground can make riding better,so stands to reaosn riding will help your out of saddle relationship.
I'm not sure how passionate I am about them.I miss the work more then then anything when not around them,but even when I am doing lots of yard work there is the odd perfect moment when your favorite comes over to you in the field for a cuddle that makes your day.

Mind you,OH tells me I get VERY ratty when not around horses,so must be obcessed on some level :p
Natural for you passion to come and go though,and sounds like you have had some tough knock backs with little ups to even it out :(
 
Sorry to hear about your setbacks.

Why should you feel guilty? If they're well cared for, you don't have to live and breath them 24/7. At least you're being honest with yourself. The worst is people who "can't live without my horse", is that really a healthy way to live? Being that attached to something only leads to suffering, its better to aim for "balanced" and not "obsessive" in my opinion.

When my horses were at home I got pretty bored of the routine and found myself riding less and less. Routine of any sort can become dull unless there's some aspect of self improvement to work on or something else to motivate you. Now my horse is on livery I'm much more into riding again. I am more of a rider than a groom, I just couldn't do the chores every day as I feel my time could be better spent doing other things. At least with riding you are striving to improve, and that creates more of a bond with your horse I feel than just being around them. But it does depend on the indvidual. Some people are happy enough just doing the looking after.
 
I honestly feel - and have always felt - that I cannot be any more passionate about horses than i already am. I still get butterflies on the way to the yard, feel so excited I want to scream, fantasise about the perfect horsey life, yard or ride. Someone actually said to me that they have never met someone so mad (literally) about horses. There is nothing I feel more strongly about in my life.
 
I made a similar post to this the other day as had come across someone moaning about how much 'hard work' looking after her horses was.

I don't see my girls like this at all, I drive a 40 mile round trip to see them everyday, I seldom get home before 9pm. I shovel poo out of their field every other day, I spend all of my money on them. But I never see any of this as a 'chore', it's a lifestyle choice and if it's not the lifestyle you're after then you should change it (i.e. sell up). I've never properly ridden the 3 I have now (I used to occasionally hack the Shetland out, one is retired with a leg injury, the other is to be backed this summer), but that doesn't make me any less passionate about them.

I've also had plenty of bad times with my horses, I lost 2 that I'd had since I was 6 along with my nan all within 1 month one year - it still hurts now.
When I was younger I had a lot of older ponies who, of course, couldn't live forever - I've had bad falls, kicks, bites, all of my toes have been broken at least once, my foot is broken. None of this changes the way I feel - my girls are amazing creatures.
 
I think you've hit the nail on the head there, maybe cos i've had years of routine of caring for them and no ridden work there's nothing to motivate me, no progress to see or goals to achieve. Maybe thats why I'm enjoying our yealing more cos I can see her develope with everything she's shown. With the other one I just have nothing but chores until he dies, which is an awful thing to say really.

I'm glad not to be judged, thankyou.
 
I think it also depends on what kind of person you are really.

Some people are passionate about everything - it almost doesn't matter what, they just love to be immersed in it and totally 'there'. My friend from work always used to say oh I'd love to do that, and this, and this. It used to bug me cos I never felt that way about anything - but then I just realised that she just loves things passionately.

I think thats why many people go from being totally horsey as a teen, to totally into boyfriends, there is no middle ground. :)

If I'm honest, I prob feel the same way about my OH, I do love him, and love spending time with him, but I am never going to be one who gushes about how great he is - even though he really is great! :)
 
I agree with Dressager - I think it is a little unhealthy to be TOTALLY obsessed with horses. People at work say that I am totally obsessed. I talk about my ponies constantly! :D

I look forward to seeing Zoom and can't wait to get to the field and I generally fit everything else around her. However, I think it is important to not lose sight of the fact they are a hobby. MY hobby, not my family's or my OH's so I have to make time for them etc.

I don't see them as a chore. If I did, I simply wouldn't have them! But then I do meet people who are freakishly obsessed with their horse and that is a bit scary!
 
If you've never had a good run of galloping across beaches/hacking round forests/winning competitions/whatever it was that you really wanted to do with your horse the day it arrived in the yard, its no wonder you feel fed up with them.

I find the yard I'm on and the other liveries make a massive difference to how much I enjoy riding and having a horse. I'd hate to be on my own.

I find your position hard to understand because I will sell/pts/give away horses that I don't want. Its what you have to do to enjoy the hobby. All the competition riders in CR aren't just luckier than you, they will have been ruthless about getting rid of "passenger horses".
 
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I think I just feel envious of people like TK and the way he / she feels towards their animals, that level of delight in them must be lovely.

Don't get me wrong my boys have never wanted for anything and I think deep down there must be something there cos the old boy has been retired 12 years and everyone was saying shoot him cos he was dangerous but I never have / would and the other has been equally as challenging. Other people can say they're no use now I can't ride them so have them pts but I can't do that, its not something I could ever do if they're pain free and healthy just because they don't suit my needs to want to ride.

I just can't find that all consuming passion that others seem to feel, the thought of waking up and can't wait to see your horses.
 
See Flame, i'd love to be detached enough to say ok they're no good have them pts but I just am not made that way, I was brought up to believe that animals are for life and I couldn't do it. I came within a hairs whisker of putting the nine yrs old down because I couldn't see another 15 / 20 years of mucking out etc ahead of me.( even not ridden he's a very difficult horse and not a pleasure to deal with ) But feeble me couldn't do it when push came to shove.
 
I do remember when my old Fell Pony was diagnosed with Liver disease, she was up at Leahurst on the Wirral. The vet called me to tell me the news, told me she could live for another few years quite comfortably on meds but I wouldn't be able to ride her again and then asked the question; 'Do you want her PTS?' I was shocked by this and told her straight no! The vet was relieved I Have to say but told me that some people will have their horse PTS simply because they wouldn't be able to ride it again....I just don't understand this myself (and neither did the vet).
 
I would say i am passionate about horses.

all of my free time goes into them and most of my time away from them i am thinking of new schooling exercises, reading training books, planning competitions etc.

even in an important meeting at work this morning i caught myself daydreaming about them and what i can do about my stupidly enthusiastic horse jumping!

of course there are periods every year when i lose a bit of motivation but i find having a few weeks of not riding boosts me back up again!
 
Flame_ said:
I find your position hard to understand because I will sell/pts/give away horses that I don't want. Its what you have to do to enjoy the hobby. All the competition riders in CR aren't just luckier than you, they will have been ruthless about getting rid of "passenger horses".
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Erm....I have to say I TOTALLY disagree with this! Thank god there are enough of us who enjoy our knackered old manky horses who have served us so well......even when they are no longer useful!
 
Agree with montyandzoom! im a comp rider and all mine and my families horses are anything but disposable - i would do anything to treat my horses with the respect they deserve esp after the years of being used for my pleasure and fun and trying bloomin hard for me when im sure all they fancied doing was eating grass with their mates - the least i can do is look after them in return - rideable or not.
Re; The original subject though - somedays i feel passionate about horses esp show days or sunny days when im out hacking but there are periods when i think what the hell am i doing with all my spare time? Only you know whats best for you - if you cant ride your own - could you book a hack with a local stables and see if its sparks the interest up again?
 
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