Do you like looking after your horses as much, if not more than riding them?

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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Have just spent a lovely morning getting stables ready to start bringing horses in tonight. I love getting everything ready and although I enjoy riding I think I enjoy the care part of horses more!

Anyone else like me :rolleyes: xx
 
I think i'm 50/50. I love the fussing, buying rugs, making beds etc but I love riding too. If my horse was more of a people horse, then I guess I would be more towards the fussing!
 
Yes! I actually not all that bothered about riding at all any more, I like making her stable nice, brushing, patting and preening the neddy.
Last week I swept out my tackroom and rearranged it all, arranged all my boots, took my grooming kit home and washed all the brushes and chucked away a load of useless bits in the bottom.
Swept the bottom of her hay bar out and put than the summer rugs away and mended a rip in her middle weight.
I was waiting for the vet so I could clip my friends horse.

She is happy with not being ridden, we seem to have an understanding on the issue of riding! Ha ha
 
Depends on the weather!! If it's a cold wet day I love spending time pampering him and get absolutely nothing from riding in the indoor, but if it's a lovely day I'll rush to get us out and about. I do get a thrill driving down the driveway to the yard knowing I'm going to see him. I'm 41 and had him 6 years but there isn't a single day I don't grin when I see his head over the stable door, or hear him thundering down the field cos he's seen my car!!! :D
 
For me the pleasure is in the bond, the trust and the progress we make together... so that is more the riding to be honest. Although with youngsters I get as much satisfaction out of teaching them to accept new things calmly from the ground as well. I guess it's working directly with the horse that I enjoy, and challenging myself.
Having said that, mucking out can be good therapy time, and there is something very satisfying about bringing a horse in from the wet and mud into a warm and cosy stable with beautifully manicured bed!
I just love it all :D
 
I thought I did not mind wether I rode my horses or not, untill I put my mare in foal and since she is an older lady decided not to chance riding her infoal. And now I have a lovely 11 week old filly and will proberly wait untill the spring before I wean her I still have a while to wait, I am getting itchy bum syndrone.
 
Yes, strange as it seems, I very much enjoy the whole aspect of looking after them more than riding.

I know we moan about winter, the cold, the mud, wet soggy rugs, smelling of oss poo at work:o:D and all the mucking out and yard chores etc but actually once you get back into it, well I'm not sure about everyone else but I actually really enjoy it.

I look forward to seeing my horses heads looking over the stable door at 6:30on a morning, listening to them whinny as you walk across the yard while your rubbing your hands together deciding what's your first job to do.

Mucking out tones your arms up (bye bye bingo wings!), warms you up and wakes you up in a morning.

I love making the perfect bed, everything has to swept to perfection, not that the horses give dam, soon they come in they mess it up and ***** all over it. :D but like to take pride in my beds and scrubbed buckets :o

Grooming, I find in winter I spend more time grooming them, if it's raining and windy on a night rather than going in the school I'll give them a good groom and do some carrot/leg stretches or a gentle massage, it really builds a good bond with your horse.

Lado can get quite stressy in the stable when he first comes in (till he knows the drill) but once your in with him and you start gooming and talking to him he settles and starts chomping on his hay etc

I always drive to work in a happy mood after I've been down to turn my two out and I look forward going back down after work to hay up and give them their feeds.

I even talk to mice in the tack room :o


Very sad :D
 
Kenzo said:
I even talk to mice in the tack room :o


Very sad :D
Click to expand...

Glad it's not only me.

I agree. It's all about their care and doing my best for them. I don't ride anyway, but my daughter does. My life is making everything as good as it can be for the horses.. perfect beds, perfect haynets etc.

Shame the same degree of care doesn't extend to housework. ;)
 
I have had my boy just over two months and yet to start riding him! I love him to bits and love seeing him and spending time with him.
However on the other hand I am dying to get on him and cant wait to start riding him at the weekend (but not going to wish my week off away just yet lol)
 
i spent 2 years not being able to ride my horse (horse injury)

now i have one that is ridable but has saddle/back issues that i just dont mind as i know she will come ok in a month or so....

i love looking after her, doing her bed/hays etc (then she goes and craps all over it but still lol!)

so yeah.... its 50/50 for me - i like both.... because i have big goals for us ridden wise :)
 
Yes definately! I muck out every day and my sister does most of the riding, everyones a winner! Although she's starting to get a bit too good on him now so I feel some secret lessons coming on!!!!!:D
 
Originally Posted by Ladyinred
Shame the same degree of care doesn't extend to housework.

Hehe!

My last (short term) share horse was on full livery, and so is the one I have just started sharing.

I've always had part livery through the week and DIY at weekends with my own horse and previous shares. While I've never minded stable chores I'd always thought that they didn't really bring me closer to my horse. So long as I did the grooming, playing and riding surely it didn't matter who mucked out, as long as it was done well.

However, I find that the horse doesn't feel nearly as much 'mine' if all I do is turn up, groom and ride. I didn't realise how much satisfaction I got from mucking out and doing it well, or leaving the yard neat and tidy knowing my horse was comfortable in his stable for the night.

Ultimately I prefer doing things that have me directly interacting with the horse: riding, grooming, groundwork, turning out and bringing in. But I'm surprised how much I miss the other stuff!
 
i've had a couple of years where the riding hasn't been guaranteed with my horse so i've had more fun just being around him. i've got 2 youngsters as well and had loads of fun being with them too.

i find it therapeutic just being around them now. i lost my nerve big time a few years ago so i only ride the horses i trust (mine!) but i only trust my horse now because i spent the first year of owning him doing everything from the ground, i couldn't ride (pregnant) so it fitted in well that i could build a bond before riding so when i first got on him i trusted him and he trusted me.
 
I love looking after my horse too. :) I am another obsessive mucker outer. And OH laughs regularly at me sweeping straight lines on a bed which messy horse is already tramping around! :rolleyes:
I love just spending time with him - I wonder whether it dates from him having lots of time off, that I am used to not always riding and therefore find the other bits satisfying too. Due to his many problems I dont have many ridden goals for him other than to enjoy him really so the pressure is off which makes me appreciate just general time with him.
 
Considering I buggered things up with Phil (all my fault not his) and therefore barely rode him between the age of 4-9 then I'd say yes, the looking after him means a lot more to me!
 
No! For me riding is definately the main attraction but I really enjoy looking after them myself too. I wouldn't ever want to put them on full livery and not care for them on a day to day basis but on the other hand, I would not want a horse if I couldn't ride (at least at this point in my life).
 
Thank God... I thought it was just me! :o I LOVE just being with my horses and I'm really not fussed about riding at the moment, I'm having far more fun just caring and maintaining my new yard/field. In fact I've just had my TB's shoes pulled for the winter so he won't be ridden. I also have a traditional yearling and they are being joined soon by a Welsh D weanling. I LOVE the babies and teaching them things, such fun :)
 
Supertrooper said:
Have just spent a lovely morning getting stables ready to start bringing horses in tonight. I love getting everything ready and although I enjoy riding I think I enjoy the care part of horses more!

Anyone else like me :rolleyes: xx
Click to expand...

I love the mucking out and grooming and petting side of things, but I do love the competition side of things more. Driving my horse home from an event I find myself trying to work out where we can compete the following week!!

I hate it when my horse is injured but I do enjoy 'mothering him' when he is poorly too.
 
Seeing as we have three horses out of work at the moment, obviously! Also, I've never had as much fun as I've had with my gorgeous yearling and clearly I cant ride her!
 
I love looking after my two horses, my OH works away during the week so we mainly ride at weekends. Spent all day Saturday at the stables grooming and clipping. I love making the yard look tidy and bringing them in at night when the weather is bad.
I also enjoy poo picking and being out in the field watching them. If I didn't have horses my house would be a lot tidier, I would be richer but I think I would be fat, lazy and bored! It's great to get some fresh air and daylight before going to work especially in the winter.
 
I love looking after as much as riding good job too as my old man is now retired and my loan horses are injury prone and like ripping shoes off too. So most of my days now are spent loving them! However I am truly fed up of mucking out now...old man been in all year so it would be nice to have a break but i do like him tucked up in a nice stable espec when its wet and windy!
 
i love looking after them- just as well as both cloud and matrix are retired! i love fussing them- or trying too, little matrix is grumpy :p, i take matrix out for walkies, and just being with them, filling haynets etc.
even with misty, who i do ride, i find myself, really enjoying the grooming, feeding her, making sure everything is in order! not to say i dont love riding, i do very much, but i love looking after them too :)
 
Im definately in the 'petting' camp!
Mels hasnt been ridden for about 6 months, and Seri is too small (12.2) and in foal, they are both living out for the 1st time this winter and Im hating not having stables to bring them into! Im going to batter the shelter bloke if he doesnt come and put it up soon!
Im a non-riding groom on a full livery, so I pamper horses all day!
I do loathe poo picking though, I end up just sitting in my field watching the girls, chatting to them and eating too many polo's!!
If I never rode again it really wouldnt bother me.
 
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