Are yours pets??

SatansLittleHelper

SatansLittleHelper

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Was talking to someone on Facebook earlier today who commented that I was too soppy and sentimental about my horses. He claims his are there to do a job and although he feels affection for thrm he doesnt "love" them.
He said I should sell my youngster and get something "useful" lol..he decided I was potty when I told him that Satan will be ice skating to work before I sell that horse :p
The other horse is less of a pet but is still new.

So Im curious as to how everyone else ferls about theeirs...are they pets/friends/family or are they there to do a job/for a purpose...or even a bit of both???
 
My connie will be around till the end but I shall decide when that is if needs be, my new horse has yet to be decided on, much to like but might be more than I can be good for. Whilst you have to put your life first and do what's right for yourself, I am extremely fond of all my animals and will always do what's best for them in the long run. I love them but not like I'd love a human, you don't often sell your husband on do you, though I'd be tempted to try sometimes!
 
My 18yr old WB was bought with a job in mind initially but is most definitely also a pet. I'm not sure I would feel the same about all horses but he is very cuddly and affectionate and a pleasure to have around in every way. There has never been a day in the 8 years I have had him that I do not look forward to seeing him. (that is not to say he hasn't had his naughty moments) :)
 
Mine have a job, are expected to do their job, and I think most horses are happier with stuff to do. But when they are beyond work they will still be kept and loved and looked after as long as they can enjoy life
 
mine was bought to sell, he had a job in the riding school but since he has been diagnosed with PSD and Navicular he is more like a big dog. He is coming back into work and hopefully he will have a job as a happy hacker/light schooling but if he cant, he will have a job as a companion. So he will always have a job one way or another but he is also part of my family as a big pet.
 
Pet, first and foremost. She does have to work for her keep (if you can call a couple of hours hacking work :p) but she's definately a pet as much as my collie dog is :D
 
Ours are pets I guess... big expensive ones! LOL! However they do have job to do, i.e the riding but I love spending time with them when not riding, just grooming and faffing around, they keep us sane! :D
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
Was talking to someone on Facebook earlier today who commented that I was too soppy and sentimental about my horses. He claims his are there to do a job and although he feels affection for thrm he doesnt "love" them.
He said I should sell my youngster and get something "useful" lol..he decided I was potty when I told him that Satan will be ice skating to work before I sell that horse :p
The other horse is less of a pet but is still new.

So Im curious as to how everyone else ferls about theeirs...are they pets/friends/family or are they there to do a job/for a purpose...or even a bit of both???
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Definitely a pet. He doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do. He is treated with the same courtesy as all other members of the family (please, thank you, preferences taken into account ;) ). He is more rewarding to be around than most dogs and cats, IMO (I've had both before). He's versatile, funny, well able to look after himself, likes being around people, sociable... Gosh, actually he's better than most members of my family :p

Fortunately, he also enjoys doing the stuff we do, so anybody looking in from outside would think he did have a job carting me around the countryside :D If at any point, he decides he doesn't want to do this anymore, he gets to stay in the field with his mates.

However he is far from cossetted, lives out year round, minimal extra feed or rugs, as little interference with his happy herd life as I can manage, and I just feel privileged that he likes spending time with me too :)

I can never understand why people think animals (including e.g. working dogs, farm cats, horses) have to be either working *or* pets. Why can't they be a bit of both? There's no law says we can't love our working animals as if they're pets :)
 
Hmm, yes and no. Yes, I do coo over him and buy him things and love him to bits. But ultimately he is there to do a job, and harsh as it sounds if he went unrideably lame I wouldn't keep him.

I can't afford to - I have to work two jobs and spend my entire life working or at the yard (and have him on grass livery so I don't even have to spend too much time there and can spend as much time riding as possible) just to keep him liveried, insured, shod, fed, physio-ed, saddled, teeth and vacs up to date and our lessons and odd competition. I most definitely could not afford to have two, and maybe it is harsh but I want to ride, so if he can't work then unfortunately I couldn't afford to keep him as a pet and still enjoy my hobby - and without enjoying my hobby I would very much resent working every hour God sends and having very little social life just to keep him going.

My last one I had to put to sleep due to lameness that we couldn't clear up - he was stressed and unhappy as a pasture puff, and would be intermittently field-lame as well under saddle so I made the decision in the end to pts. Depending on the situation, if in the same position with Geoff I would either pts, or if I could find a decent companion home/light hack home then I would, but ultimately I'd never want him passed around.

So no, not a pet like a dog or cat... but I am still very affectionate to him and love him lots (although not as much as my old boy I'll admit), I just wouldn;t be able to justify the time and money for a horse requiring as much management as him if he wasn't fulfilling his purpose. Feel free to flame me, HHO, but that is my situation and feelings on the matter.
 
mine are certainly pets, as they will be with me for life even if they both had to retire and i do more caring for them than working them. but i also like them having a purpose, my mare likes to work and go out in the trailer to things, after 4 weeks in a row going out the next week she seemed grumpy and bored. my boy has now had diagnosis of arthritis in the hocks and has had numerous periods of lameness over this summer for the first time in 7 years of having him, but i am still fighting hard to keep him ridden, as he enjoys work and i would miss riding him.
technically most peoples horses are going to be pets unless you actually make any money from them, as riding and competing even is mostly a hobby not a career
 
khalswitz said:
Hmm, yes and no. Yes, I do coo over him and buy him things and love him to bits. But ultimately he is there to do a job, and harsh as it sounds if he went unrideably lame I wouldn't keep him.

I can't afford to - I have to work two jobs and spend my entire life working or at the yard (and have him on grass livery so I don't even have to spend too much time there and can spend as much time riding as possible) just to keep him liveried, insured, shod, fed, physio-ed, saddled, teeth and vacs up to date and our lessons and odd competition. I most definitely could not afford to have two, and maybe it is harsh but I want to ride, so if he can't work then unfortunately I couldn't afford to keep him as a pet and still enjoy my hobby - and without enjoying my hobby I would very much resent working every hour God sends and having very little social life just to keep him going.

My last one I had to put to sleep due to lameness that we couldn't clear up - he was stressed and unhappy as a pasture puff, and would be intermittently field-lame as well under saddle so I made the decision in the end to pts. Depending on the situation, if in the same position with Geoff I would either pts, or if I could find a decent companion home/light hack home then I would, but ultimately I'd never want him passed around.

So no, not a pet like a dog or cat... but I am still very affectionate to him and love him lots (although not as much as my old boy I'll admit), I just wouldn;t be able to justify the time and money for a horse requiring as much management as him if he wasn't fulfilling his purpose. Feel free to flame me, HHO, but that is my situation and feelings on the matter.
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Pretty much agree with this. If mine was retired through old age at the end of a very long time with me, I'd certainly owe him a retirement. But he's only 8, and I enjoy riding - if he became unrideable tomorrow I wouldn't be willing to keep paying for livery and everything else for the next twenty or more years, because I couldn't afford another and it would effectively mean the end of a major part of my enjoyment of horses. If I had my own land and costs were minimal things would be different.

I love my horse, but ultimately he's with me to do a job.
 
Very few of my animals are pets. I think with farming I grew out of 'pets' - I look after animals 24/7 so doing it for the sake of doing it is no longer fun. One of my oxen (avatar) has a home for life and a bullet on the farm rather than market or slaughter when the time comes though. My favourite ewe was similar, she died last year out in the field in the sun at a ripe old age and that felt nice (but sad).
 
Mine are pets but they are also expected to work for their keep. By work I mean hacking really and we will have a go at anything but not massively competitive. When the time comes that they can't work I will just retire them. Hopefully I will have the space to do so and always have one that is able to be ridden.
 
Of course some have a "job"but for many of us they are pets. My babys "job" was to keep me sane make me smile &laugh and love me like i loved her. so hey she had a job:)
 
Well, mine are my babies, so I guess if you had to pick one category then 'pets'.
While I can ride them, I will. And when the day comes they can't be ridden they'll enjoy being field ornaments!
 
As most animals like to be active mentally, I would say mine are working pet's, my old ex brood mare was bought soley as a field companion for my grieving lad, a hat rack, 18+ she has proved invaluable as a confidence giver to novice riders, once up to work, loves hacking and all the attention from kids, I'm lucky that I have mine at home and have the land to keep them till it's pts time, the younger ones are expected to work when asked and can spend a year in the field chilling, then come school holidays do light hacking, school work, 2 of mine have troubled backgrounds (traveller stock) and seem to appreciate not being ridden into submission or knocked around. Pets with benefits is how I would describe mine
 
Ned is my best buddy. He's not a pet and he's not a tool for my enjoyment.

BUT, I do expect him to do what is asked of him. Whether that be riding, or having cuddles, or standing to be groomed.
 
A horse is not going to do the job that's asked of him to the very best of his abilities and to the complete satisfaction of his owner without there being some sort of 'bond' between him and his owner. Ergo, they transcend the barriers between pet and a job. If your friend invested more sentiment in his association with his horse, it is more likely to perform better, not least because he has sympathy (in its truest sense) with the horse. Tell your friend to put that in his pipe and smoke it.:p
 
He is my life.

I love him far more than most of my family and I like him a hell of a lot better than the majority of people that I meet.
 
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