Comment from livery got me thinking

asbo

asbo

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When the vet was out people asked if big lad was ok, and i explained what was going on, and at 19 years old he was still quite young and it was a shame he had been retired for 2 years already. She said he could live forever and i think that she was quite surprised by my response of "I hope he does".
I think people find it hard to get round that i have willingly given up riding to keep 2 field horses that i can not ride.
Anyone else in that position? Its most likely i will not get another ridden one for a very long time, but, as much as i miss the riding part of it i would still not part with my 2.
 
I won't swap mine when he gets to bad to be ridden but I would get another. But two would probably be my limit so could end up with two oldies.
 
I already have 2, my childrens Sec A who is still ridden ( not by me lol ) and is 16 and my boy at 19. I am looking at something for my oldest to loan a day or 2 a week but I dont have the time with 3 children to get another for myself.
 
i have 3 hosses (2 much more manageable I reckon!!!)
One has been retired for years, one is a youngster who was retired but may be coming into work (gently) after all and one is my ridden horse who has had quite a few lameness issues and who I don't expect to stay sound for as long as I would like. She's rising 12 now.
At one point I had 2 unridable horses and one lame ridable!

Mine will be with me til they are too uncomfortable to be happy (years from now I supsect!!!)
but I have discovered I enjoy having them around and just looking after them on a daily basis - part of the family now - bit like the arthritic dog and OAP cat.
BLOOMIN' hard work though especially as not at home. out 24/7 at the mo - bliss compared to a few weeks ago with one on box rest and 2 in and out of stables all day.

My head tells me life would be a lot easier without the oldy and the field sound youngster (fingers crossed on that one) but my heart adores them on a daily basis.

I'm just hoping all my lovely horsey friends will want help riding their sound horses when mine aren't ridable any more!
They usually come up trumps when riding horse off work. The problem is finding the time to care for 3 and then go somewhere else to sort and ride another.
I also really enjoy helping out/judging at TREC events now, when I was younger I just wanted to ride!!!

Most of us get our horses to ride.
The older I have got the more I enjoy just being around them and the less energy I have to ride anyway!!!.
end of waffle.....:-)
 
I have been in a similar position for the past few years. My mare went lame, and never really came back sound enough to be ridden regularly. I would never part with her, she is a massive part of our family, and look forward to us growing old together.
Although now have 1 youngster backed and 2 more to do end of the year. After years of not riding its all been a bit of a shock ! particularly the falling off !!
 
My first horse is 16 and I've had him 5 years this month. He went lame last summer and spent most of summer out of work. He's had his jabs for arthritis and now gets steady rides out a few times a week as thats all his joints will put up with. I would never give him up - he'll have a home with me until his last day.

I got another one on loan so hes now my main riding horse. I'm fortunate as have the horses at home but I'm not sure I would have been able to take on another if I was paying livery. Its a difficult position to be in.
 
I agree, was talking to the Dad of one of the kids who loans a pony, he was asking me about my horses, and when I said one was 30 and not ridden, he asked what was the point in having her?

At this point I resisted the temptation to hit him...

I love spending time with her, and as long as she is happy, then she stays - and I hope that is for many many more years :-)
 
I have a 17 year Thoroughbred who is not rideable because he has a clicking knee. Have hopes of him living into his mid twenties or later. My 19 year old Highland Pony is only retired because there is nowhere locally to keep him. So he lives at the retirement farm with the TB.
 
Id have kept my old horse in retirement for as long as he wanted it tbh, he was more important to me than anything and I loved him and there would always have been other horses to ride :)
I didnt get as long as I would have liked with him sadly, but however long he would have had I would have been as happy to pay for his retirement as I was to pay for him when he was young and fit and I could ride him :)
 
I have two field ornaments at the moment. My mare (and horse of a lifetime) was retired over two years ago. Her replacement had to have a hock operation due to a kick 3 weeks after I got him and then was diagnosed with kissing spine. I decided to have him operated on but still don't know if I will ever be lucky enough to ride him again. If not, he will be retired like my girl. I would have to forgo having a horse to ride as PTS is out of the question whilst they are happy and paddock sound.
 
Not quite the same but still got my 14.2 I had as a kid, although still rideable if she retired tomorrow would still be with me as long as she's alive. I did have a horse too who competing wise was more suitable for an adult, following my divorce people were very shocked I kept the pony & sold the horse. Pony only 15 at time & worth the same as the horse, never crossed my mind to sell her. And now she's older there no chance she's going anywhere as long as she's happy.
 
I had my horse as a 6 yo, he's now 19 and semi retired. I would never part with him. I got an unbroken filly and backed her and she is now 8 and my main riding horse and I will never get rid of either of them, to me they are part of the family just like dogs and relatives, and we dont dump them when they are poorly!

But if I could only keep one for some drastic reason, I would keep the old chap and sell/rehome the healthy young one. Partly cos she would have a better chance of a good home, and partly cos the oldie needs you more I think.

Not that either of them will ever leave us, unless its an outgrown childrens pony I think horses are for life, through good and bad times and I cant bear people who try to dump one horse cos they cant ride it and say they suddenly cant 'afford it' when actually they mean, cos Im going to get a horse that I can ride (until that one gets broken).....
 
Lots of people told me to sell mine when she tore her tendon and became a happy hack. Everyone knew I wanted to be out there competing but I couldn't if I still owned my broken mare. I would never have sold her - I bought her to look after her, not get rid as soon as she wasn't useful. I had her for five years until she died of colic, but I would have kept her forever had she lasted that long. IMO, when you buy a horse you make a commitment to care for it and only sell it on if you know that care will be continued. I couldn't guarantee that so I kept her. No matter what anyone thought!
 
I intend to keep my boy even though I dont ride him. I was working on him lasting till about 26, but saw an article in the paper this week re a horse that was 51! In which case mine could outlive me !
 
Great to read so many posts from real horse lovers who believe their horse is for life. They give us so much joy the very least we can do is continue to love and care for them when they can no longer be ridden. I've never had my own land and only ever been able to have one horse/pony at a time, hence I'm only on my 3rd in 50 years of ownership. I love to ride and compete, but have happily given up both when the time came for each ned to slow down and then retire. Their comfort, health and happiness came first and both my first 2 had a home with me until their last day, when I was there to stroke them, talk to them and give a final apple just before they slipped away. I needed time to grieve before returning to the saddle and eventually looking for another youngster to take on. I have found, each time, my enjoyment of riding, training and competing my new horse was heightened and even more appreciated because of the years out of the saddle looking after my golden oldie. Now I'm 65 and having the time of my life with my gorgeous 9 year old.
 
I have two horses I don't ride.
I had an elderly TB which was retired about June last year and then after he deteriorated he was PTS in October. I would happily have kept him retired forever if he had been happy, but sadly it wasn't to be.
Just before he was PTS my mare went lame and went to Glasgow vet hospital for further investigation. About an hour after Rebel was PTS I got a phone call from Glasgow to say that she had navicular, bilateral spavin, arthritis of the fetlock where she had a bone chip removed and Proximal Suspensory ligament desmitis. (That wasn't a good day!). The chances of her coming back into work again are slim, although I am hoping to be able to take her out for walks and long rein her out if she comes sound enough. She is very happy, canters round the field and as long as she isn't worked, she stays field sound.
My other horse is a youngster, who will be 3 in May. She is very underdeveloped so won't be broken in until next year. I love leading her out for walks, she has been taught to lunge and long-rein.
I don't care really if I never ride again. I certainly don't want to ride anybody elses horse - if I ever ride again I want it to be my horses....maybe that sounds strange, but it's not the riding that I miss - it's the riding of MY horses. In the meantime I just love spending time with them, doing ground work with the youngster and looking after them.
People can think what they want - two fingers to them - my horses, my money, my business.
 
I also have 2 field ornaments- companion from my first pony, who is an ex broodmare and still going to at 40, and a welsh sec c from ilph we got after seeing her on pet rescue who has always been unrideable! Would never get rid of either of them, and once the older one goes would get another rescue companion!
 
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