Are yours pets??

A bit of both. B was bought to compete. Four was breed to compete (eventually) Norman has earned his semi-retirement after competing successfullly. Accenta ( when she arrives) will also have a job to do as an ambassador for her breed and eventually competing. They are also much loved but not a pet in the same way as our dogs or guinea pig.
 
Mine are definitely pets, I often find the riding is a pressure I could do without and I would not really be bothered if my riding horse needed a break or even to be retired (although I would care a bit from a financial perspective that I wouldn't be able to sell her in an emergency). I do however go through phases like at the moment I wonder if I might enjoy riding a different horse more. Still, I'm sure I'll have another one someday and as my girl is pretty easy to keep she can carry on doing her job looking pretty and being a pet... With her companion who would then be a companion to a pet!

I have always always wanted a dog, as well as a horse, ever since I was little,but having got horses and occasionally looking after dogs, I realise that it is quite nice not having fur all over everything (only some things, and plenty of mud), and I can go away for a whole day without worrying too much about them getting lonely or pooing in the house and the like!
 
My girl will be with me until the end of her days. I am the same with all my animals. Unless I ever am unfortunate enough to be in a situation where I literally in no way, shape or form, can carry on caring for them somehow, then they will be with me for their entire lives. I do also have it in mind that in the instance I can't carry on doing so, I may take the decision to pts all of them unless someone I know and completely trust can take them for life.
 
Mine are now pets. I've had them for 15 and 14 years so they feel like part of the family. One is retired and will be allowed to enjoy her old age for as long as she is comfortable. This is only possible because I have my own land and can keep her relatively cheaply. Before we bought our property I had them both on part livery. Had either of them needed to stop work at that point then they would not have been retired at a cost of £600pm. I would have had to have them PTS as it is not practical to be spending that amount of money each month on a pet/horse who has no job. My situation as it is now means she can be a field ornament and I can enjoy watching her potter around. Lack of turnout on livery yards in this area would have made a retirement unpleasant for her as well as ridiculously expensive.

I have a companion pony on loan but she has a job to do and if I replaced the horse who panics being left alone with one who could cope alone for the odd hour or so, then the pony would be returned to her owner. As much as I love having her here she isn't a pet and has to do her job of keeping the others company without causing too much trouble or being very expensive to keep. Escaping from the field several times a day last week was borderline being too much hassle and not performing her job from the garden! Good job she is so cute and cuddly and back where she belongs.
 
Definitely pets, they are expected to be well-mannered pets, as are the dogs, but they are here for life. We keep the horses at home now but we kept an unrideable mare at livery for years. Her 'job' was to look pretty and be a companion, which she did well, when she could no longer be ridden, she was 'replaced' by another ridden horse but she was still cared for properly, which enabled her to come with us when we moved, she loved watching us through the window!
 
It's taken me more than 40 years to find the one that will be with me for her life span. I do think some people go overboard about their horses often becoming overly soft with them. I love my mare dearly but she is not allowed to get away with any bad behavior.
 
I thought that "pet" meant a domesticated or tamed animal that is kept for companonship/pleasure. So surely a horse falls into that catergory whether it has a specific job to do or not. Do people with working gun dogs not consider them to be "pets" just because they have a job to do?
 
i can see no reason why they can't be both

we adore our two , we have had lucy for 15 years now and as we bred kitty from lucy we have had her all her life...of course we expect them to to carry out the work they are asked for kitty that is basically being my little pocket rocket in show jumping classes, hunting etc. whereas lucy who is now in semi-retirement (formerly my pocket-rocket :D) has to look after my dolly-daydream of a 11 yo sister on hacks and other pc activities.
 
pet and friend. By your friends rules he would no doubt have got rid of my gorgeous girl years ago. It is hard when they are ill or old, I can't imagine if you didn't love them what would happen to them. If you don't enjoy their friendship and companionship then once they are not able to do their 'job' then what is left? I hate to think about the number of happy horses that are put down because of that attitude. I also think they deserve more from us than to consider them just to do work for us. The poor people that don't appreciate what else these amazing creatures can bring us, what a shame for them.
 
dogatemysalad said:
Agree. I always want to laugh when people say their horse isn't a pet and has to 'work'.
Unless they provide all or part of your income, they're pets. Riding or kissing them, it's all the same. a hobby.
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Just because it's *your* hobby doesn't mean the horse doesn't have to earn it's keep! It's not monetarily earning it's keep, but it's making itself worth it's keep to you. Well, mine has to.

Doesn't mean he's not also kind of a pet, but I'd get rid of a horse that couldn't do a job (even if I did somehow have the resources to retire a horse it would still have a job as a companion or something) in a way I wouldn't if I got a dog - I don't have the same expectations of a dog as a dog isn't my hobby! However I know dog agility people who would have the same attitude regarding a dog as I do regarding a horse, even if they aren't professionals...
 
Buds_mum said:
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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Hahahah Yes ditto. ;)

Mine are part of the family, and will stay on the place until their feet turn up. I love my big black boy more than most people, even thought he is a grumpy cantankerous creature, who's greedy to a fault. He brought my through a very dark time in my life, and you can't put a price on that. I can't even let anyone else ride him, never mind own him.
 
I generally only have horses to compete as I think they're too much effort work-wise to only be pure pets! However, in saying that I currently have 2 elderly retired ponies and a 16hh who injured himself last year so is now a retired field ornament - all will live out their days with me. My 17hh can no longer be competed so I'm looking to rehome him as a hack as I hate hacking but he loves it so don't want him wasting away with me. Then hopefully I can get a 4 / 5yo and start from scratch and get out competing again!
 
Mine provide an income. My income is solely derived from the horses. I do have some personal horses who also do a job and even though they won't ever be sold I still don't really view them as pets. I'm very fond of all of my horses but I couldn't honestly say I love them all. There's one or two of them that I do love but they are still here to perform a job, and I have a couple of oldies that might be classed as pets nowadays. I think there's a faint line with some horses as to what they'd be categorized as but for me most of mine are business stock. Earlier in the year my favourite mare died. I loved her so much and it really broke me to lose her and since then I've viewed the rest of the horses differently; I'm much more detached from them now.
 
khalswitz said:
Just because it's *your* hobby doesn't mean the horse doesn't have to earn it's keep! It's not monetarily earning it's keep, but it's making itself worth it's keep to you. Well, mine has to.

Doesn't mean he's not also kind of a pet, but I'd get rid of a horse that couldn't do a job (even if I did somehow have the resources to retire a horse it would still have a job as a companion or something) in a way I wouldn't if I got a dog - I don't have the same expectations of a dog as a dog isn't my hobby! However I know dog agility people who would have the same attitude regarding a dog as I do regarding a horse, even if they aren't professionals...
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Yes, most people who like to ride and/or compete want a useful horse and some will not keep a horse when it cannot do what they want it to do, but that still doesn't mean its not a pet. It just means you might not keep them when they're old or injured.

Similarly, my dogs are primarily used guard my property. They're very important. However, the old girl is now deaf and slightly senile. She costs a fortune in vet bills and special feed. I keep her in her retirement, but as you say, some dog owners wouldn't.
 
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