Diary of an aspiring work rider

[ycbm]

I have concluded this is fantasy. OP says he is only interested in facts not opinion.
FACT - it would not be possible to get a train out of London to Newmarket (I assume this is the racing town 1 hour from London) on a Saturday morning arriving for 6am. First train would not get in till about
7am. If writing fiction, still have to check the facts.
I rest my case m’lud.

I think that's just another indication that he doesn't know his audience. 'Racing Town' for us immediately means Newmarket, but for a non racing/riding person it's just his pseudonym to prevent the yard being identified.

I'm conflicted. If it's fantasy, it doesn't read as if it's been written by anyone who knows horses. And if it's been written by anyone who doesn't know horses, there's too much detail about racing yards in it for it to be fantasy.

But it definitely is boring 😄

 

[D66]

It is reminiscent of the posts by “Jack” who was “learning to ride”. His posts were much shorter and generally, quickly reverted to sleazy content. That was around Christmas time too.
He popped up under a different name a little later.

 

[Chippers1]

Another who can't quite work out the target audience...most people on here know about mucking out and that people are at yards early, we do it every day! (Not mine, he lives out )
If it was a blog i wouldn't be interested in your walk to the bus stop.

 

[Denbob]

While I'm generally all for encouraging people to enjoy horses and push themselves to improve I think there's something quite arrogant about talking to a senior rider who's been riding since they were 5 - likely taking part in lessons and pony club and all the things you are dismissing out of hand with only one experience of them - and stating that if you rode for a few years (completely unwilling to put in the damn hard work that this rider will clearly have done and disregarding the fact that they have likely done much more than once a bloody week) you would be of a similar standard.

Put the bloody effort in and accept that you'll be better for it. Have proper lessons 3 times a month, stop assuming all non-racehorses are dobbins, and volunteer at the race yard the other weekend if you can't find the time around your job. They're much better suited for teaching people with no horsey background how to at least not get themselves injured or killed, or worse injure the horse.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I am thinking why on earth would someone want to regularly get up at 2 am on their day off from a busy job in the city to go stand and do basic chores in the freezing cold for little to no reward. And pay for that commute there and back, do the trains even run that early?

You'd have a lot more fun doing something like joining an ownership syndicate and going to the races to watch "your" horse race some even allow you to go watch your horse on the gallops etc. No I don't do it as i can't afford it but it sounds like a good option for you op.

 

[ester]

Still waiting for my invite

 

[JennBags]

Still waiting for my invitation

Corrected that for you

 

[Arzada]

Corrected that for you

Used informally invite is a noun.

 

[Rowreach]

Used informally invite is a noun.

it shouldn't be

 

[Arzada]

it shouldn't be

Probably heading for the statute books as we speak!

 

[ester]

plenty of historical usage as a noun so I intend to continue doing so, so there

 

[JennBags]

Well I'm shocked and appalled, Arzada and ester you are both correct that it is used as a noun, and has been for centuries. I like this sentence from grammarly:

Of course, while invite as a noun is sanctioned by historical usage, some people still consider it informal or even incorrect, so the more formal-sounding invitation is the safer choice in any type of writing where you need to be taken seriously. The prejudice against invite might be based on mistaken assumptions, yet we can’t ignore it.

 

[ester]

 

[Rowreach]

Well I'm shocked and appalled, Arzada and ester you are both correct that it is used as a noun, and has been for centuries. I like this sentence from grammarly:

Ignore it at your peril!!

 

[GreyMane]

Me: I don’t expect it to be easy. I’m in no hurry but not waiting ‘years’ either.

OP, with the limited time you have, the HL is right - it *will* take years. That's not to say they couldn't be really fascinating years though, if you approach learning in the right way, with a bit more humility. At the moment, I'm sorry but you do give the impression that your chutzpah is galloping several furlongs ahead of your experience and has its tongue firmly over the bit (ask the work riders).

Have you thought about the implications of having a riding accident might have on your day job? The way you are approaching your goal suggests to me it would be prudent to get insurance for loss of earnings.

Couldn't agree more, D66... Ask the work riders how many injuries they've had; not even necessarily while mounted. Ask a local ambulance crew how risky it is to ride racehorses - even if you've been doing it for, yes, years.
What, if any, horse books are you reading?

 

[PapaverFollis]

The arrogance of the OP is really quite breathtaking. Just go have a riding lesson or two like everybody else has to. The only reason someone would put you on a racehorse at this juncture will be because you've annoyed them so much with your arrogance they've decided to try and kill you and think the jail time for manslaughter would be worth it. 😂

Its admirable to pursue a dream but you can't just demand stuff because you want it and think that normal rules don't apply to you! Some stuff you actually have to work for.

I'm pretty sure this is all just made up trolling however.

 

[Theocat]

OP - taking you at face value because i have met people like you before:

There is a reason that riding schools put you on a dobbin your first time. Horses are dangerous. They misinterpret instructions. You can fall off and die. That "dobbin" you are dismissive of has one job: to keep you safely on its back until you have mastered basic balance, steering, starting and stopping. No decent riding school will put you on anything remotely sensitive until you have proved you aren't a danger to yourself. The dobbin is the horse that will keep you in one piece while you learn what you need to in order to progress to more exciting things.

You have put a huge emphasis on watching by learning. You can learn just as much by listening, and that includes listening when you don't like what you hear.

As suggested above, the Manual of Horsemanship is hard to beat if you want one book to start you off.

Don't get too fixated on racing. I suggest you think about hunting. Have lessons, then sink a few hundred quid into a day out with an ultra safe hireling. No mucking out, and you'd probably enjoy it a lot more. There are parts of the hunting world that are already geared up to cater for people exactly like you, if you have the money. The racing world is not.

Your enthusiasm is admirable, but I can't see this approach getting you to where you (think) you want to go. Honestly - re-evaluate now and I think you can give yourself just as big a challenge with a much better chance of getting somewhere.

 

[blitznbobs]

It’s kinda like ‘Sheldon does racing’... scary but kind of addictive in a schadenfreude kinda way

 

[GreyMane]

Would also add, since OP said you are watching a lot on Youtube; be careful, there is no quality control.
As well as some useful stuff, there are a LOT of people giving bad, dangerous and stupid advice and sometimes, alas, getting a lot of praise for it.

 

[Tagoat]

Oh ffs ! Why even humour the daft git OP?

 

[bonny]

Oh ffs ! Why even humour the daft git OP?

If that’s how you feel then no need to read the thread but to come on and just be rude is unnecessary

 

[tankgirl1]

What a strange thread

 

[Dave's Mam]

What a strange thread

I must agree.

 

[SEL]

What a strange thread

I assumed troll - but it's entertaining distraction from Christmas shopping!!

 

[LaurenBay]

This really reminds me of a livery that was on my old yard once. He had watched westerns as a child and wanted to be a cowboy, he also thought the Horse would help him to pull women. I kid you not when me and YO went to collect the Horse with the trailer the man dropped the lead rope and went behind the Horse to push him into the trailer. He had never sat on a Horse, could just about tell one end from the other. He had a 16.2 WB that had competed quite highly in dressage. The man had a theme tune for him and everything. Luckily the Horse was a donkey on the ground but the only 2 times he tried to ride him he came off pretty sharpish. I guess that is what happens when you get on a Horse used to the lightest of aids, pony club kick it and scream "yah yah" at the poor thing. The man very quickly took up my YO's offer that she would school the Horse and in return she would give him free lessons on one of hers. YO loved the Horse so much she bought him (still has him) and the man gave up Horses. I could tell you many stories about this man.

 

[Mule]

This really reminds me of a livery that was on my old yard once. He had watched westerns as a child and wanted to be a cowboy, he also thought the Horse would help him to pull women. I kid you not when me and YO went to collect the Horse with the trailer the man dropped the lead rope and went behind the Horse to push him into the trailer. He had never sat on a Horse, could just about tell one end from the other. He had a 16.2 WB that had competed quite highly in dressage. The man had a theme tune for him and everything. Luckily the Horse was a donkey on the ground but the only 2 times he tried to ride him he came off pretty sharpish. I guess that is what happens when you get on a Horse used to the lightest of aids, pony club kick it and scream "yah yah" at the poor thing. The man very quickly took up my YO's offer that she would school the Horse and in return she would give him free lessons on one of hers. YO loved the Horse so much she bought him (still has him) and the man gave up Horses. I could tell you many stories about this man.

Oh dear. I can never understand how people jump in to something serious like horse ownership or just serious things in general without doing research.

 

[JFTDWS]

This really reminds me of a livery that was on my old yard once. He had watched westerns as a child and wanted to be a cowboy, he also thought the Horse would help him to pull women. I kid you not when me and YO went to collect the Horse with the trailer the man dropped the lead rope and went behind the Horse to push him into the trailer. He had never sat on a Horse, could just about tell one end from the other. He had a 16.2 WB that had competed quite highly in dressage. The man had a theme tune for him and everything. Luckily the Horse was a donkey on the ground but the only 2 times he tried to ride him he came off pretty sharpish. I guess that is what happens when you get on a Horse used to the lightest of aids, pony club kick it and scream "yah yah" at the poor thing. The man very quickly took up my YO's offer that she would school the Horse and in return she would give him free lessons on one of hers. YO loved the Horse so much she bought him (still has him) and the man gave up Horses. I could tell you many stories about this man.

I was on a yard with his female counterpart - except she didn't want to be a cowboy, she wanted to ride English, but couldn't tell one end of a horse from the other, and went out and bought a big WB ex-SJer, which ditched her regularly and was ridden by a freelancer (local incompetent). I'm fairly sure the horse was only there for bragging rights

 

[Cowpony]

I honestly don't know what to make of the OP. He wants to progress very fast - so fast he scoffs at being told it will take years and prefers to talk about months; but then he says he knows riding racehorses is very difficult and he's prepared to work at it for as long as it takes; then he ignores all suggestions of how to progress faster - ie by having proper lessons, and seems to prefer to learn by watching, which will take much longer and won't help with the riding part of it.

OP, if your ambition was to become an Olympic gymnast would you go about it by going along to a gym and watching the British team practising, whilst "helping" by washing their kit? That's effectively what you are doing here. The only way you are going to learn to ride is by getting lessons. On a horse. Which isn't going to happen unless you go to a riding school.

 

[SEL]

Oh dear. I can never understand how people jump in to something serious like horse ownership or just serious things in general without doing research.

I worked for a guy in Australia who owned 70 horses in a trekking centre. When I asked him how he'd got into the business he said he'd been there on holiday, had a go on a horse, liked it so bought the whole yard off the owner. Explained so much!!

 

[LaurenBay]

Oh dear. I can never understand how people jump in to something serious like horse ownership or just serious things in general without doing research.

I was on a yard with his female counterpart - except she didn't want to be a cowboy, she wanted to ride English, but couldn't tell one end of a horse from the other, and went out and bought a big WB ex-SJer, which ditched her regularly and was ridden by a freelancer (local incompetent). I'm fairly sure the horse was only there for bragging rights

He kept us amused that is for sure. The good thing about him was he would actually ask lots of questions and did want to learn. Unfortunately he did do some pretty stupid stuff too. I remember when he refused to turn his Horse out with the 3 others as he read that geldings and stallions can't mix. We had to point out several times that it was a no stallion yard and all the Horses where in fact mares. It took us about 3 times of explaining for this to get through. The first time he ever rode his Horse was interesting, he had watched me get on my Horse bareback from the field and ride her back to the yard one day. Next day I turned up and was putting my boots on when I heard "woah boy WOAHHHH" then saw a cloud of dust where he had fallen off, with no hat and no tack. His Horse hadn't been sat on in 2 years and when he told me what happened he replied "well I got on from the fence and the Horse just stood still, so I jabbed him hard with my heels and used the lead rope to smack his neck like they do in the films, and I don't know what happened but the he just wanted to run".