Does anyone come from a 'anti-horse' family?

5horses2dogsandacat

5horses2dogsandacat

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Just wondering, I do pay for my horses and do all the work. I try and sort any problems out without involving people, I do everything to make sure the horses dont encroach into any of my family's lives, but I still seem to end up getting loads of ear ache, told im not allow to have lessons or compete for the next 3 years as im at uni (im 24 and would rather spend time with the horses than socialise.. apparently I am to study non stop till im 27 :eek:!!) and my life with horses is made far from easy.

I am guessing their are many people who have had the same problems if not worse from their oldies!

Id love to hear everyone elses experiences and any advice people can offer :confused:

xxx
 
Yup me! Told I was obsessed as a child, blocked and even now as a 40+ woman have the same reaction! On the other hand everything I have and have done has been through my own efforts and my support comes from my Friends at my yard.
 
I'm very very lucky with my family, they're not very horsey any more, but have all ridden and seem interested in Ned. I'm sure I give them ear ache every now and again :P

However, I know how bad anti-horse families can be. I was basically told I was a talentless annoyance, who should stop going near such stupid beasts.
This was the first time I had met my now-ex boyfriends parents. Never met such rude, arrogant snobs.
 
Me too! My cousin died as (apparently) the result of a riding accident, but i diddnt know her well (not a family for keeping in touch) im not convinced. Im told she fell off, hit her head and that resulted in problems which eventually led to her death. I on the other hand wonder if it was the start of these problems that led her to fall off, and no one had noticed the start of the problem, the name of which i really cant remember.
Needless to say most of the family hates horses, the fact that im a voulenteer for one charity probably doesnt help! Im forever being told i should sell the horses, fact is i prefer horses to alot of people. My mother is always going on about the holidays in the sun or the better house i could have if i sold the horses. If thats what my sisters want, fair enough, but its NOT what i want.
 
My family are quite ambivalent to horses, but my boyfriend's family are very anti. They are all allergic to basically everything and particularly horses, and don't hold back in complaining loudly about the slightest animal hair causing them a sniffle (I'm not making light of it, I'm allergic to a few things myself, I just don't feel the need to create dramas about it).
They also think horses waste time and money, and that I have them specifically to upset them. It drives me potty.
 
rascal said:
Im forever being told i should sell the horses, fact is i prefer horses to alot of people. My mother is always going on about the holidays in the sun or the better house i could have if i sold the horses. If thats what my sisters want, fair enough, but its NOT what i want.
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Ah I know that feeling, prefering a horses company to a humans!

Im glad Im not the only one!!

I've been saving for a long time and bought myself an old horse lorry (kinda backfired as I was mis-sold it.. bit naive, guess thats what happens when you dont get help!) and also 2 new stables... the stables had to be cancelled and im trying to sell the horse lorry as I have been shouted at so much. I asked some people on another horsey forum and a lot of people said that would be proud if their daughter had worked and saved enough to buy stables and a horse lorry, mine just shout.. It goes back to even when I was 14 and competed a lot and was told I was talented enough to jump for GB (this was from a very well renowned trainer) and later on from a top dressage rider that I could ride Grand Prix level.. I guess im just bitter and twisted!! lol

xxx
 
My parents weren't anti horse but they certainly never encouraged it when I was a kid, it wasn't practical or affordable to them. I didn't buy my daughter her own horse til my mother passed away but my dad thought it was stupid, I expect my mother would have tried to talk me out of it too, she had my best interests at heart and was very sensible about such things, but once I'd done the stupid thing she'd have been ok. Three years later when I bought the 2nd one on the gamble the 1st would stay at its loan home and eventually be purchased, she might not have been so understanding....

My OH and his family are pretty anti-horse, (unless it's the racing) a few comments have been made but its too late now and I've done my very best to keep it from costing OH any of his precious and plentiful pennies. I did recently offer to shoot one of them and sell the carcass for meat to buy a washing machine for the 2nd generation on benefits pigdog teenage mum niece of my OH when the grant she got to furnish her free house for life didn't quite stretch to a washing machine and my M-I-L made it sound like she was going to have to go down to the river and beat the clothes on rocks or something, but thankfully no one called my bluff because I wouldn't have done it :D
 
Yep.... total black sheep, me.... no-one could understand my obsession from an early age. My mum was terrified of horses as she was chased by a bolting horse pulling a milk cart when she was a child. My dad seemed interested and rode a bit but I found out as an adult that he'd only done it to impress me! I gave up horses for a long time whilst I got married and popped out 3 children (all of whom betrayed me by not being interested in horses in the slightest!) and upon my return to horse-ownership my mother became jealous of the time I spent with Cherry and would ignore anything I mentioned about her or grunt melodramatically. 7 years down the line, I now own 3 horses.... and I no longer speak to my mother! :D
 
My folks arent anti - they made it possible for me to get my first horse many years ago and my Dad horse-sat for 5 years while I was at uni, they are used to the fact they rule my life:D and if you dont like the smell or the sneezing you can sod off:D but they arent interested at all if we've done well at a comp for example. Maybe if he wins Badminton and Mom can get a flash hat...:D
Thankfully Hubby knew what he married and he's been dragged in hook line and sinker - mainly has horse box mechanic, stable fixer, competition sponsor and more recently washing machine repairer (bloody saddlecloth!)
 
My mother is anti. I only have to have a cold and it is my pony's fault and I should get rid of!

When I was young, many moons ago, she hated the fact I mixed with 'horsey' types and I should 'know my place', only 'posh' people had horses!
 
My family are non-horsey and my mum doesn't understand why I ride! However, she feels they're dangerous and always worries I'll get injured. My partner's mum has just started riding but feels it's a posh person's hobby and one of her riding schools is closing and she says the instructor's going private (from what she's said I think he's switching to livery) but she resents the fact that all the fancy posh people are now getting to ride and she's missing out!
 
Nope my family have nothing to do with mine and never have except for the odd lift to stables. Im the only one in my full family that had an interest in them. I asked my parents to buy me a new headcollar and my response 'whats one of them?' and that was 2 days ago and iv had my pony 7 years!
 
yep:D
I think my obsession started when i was about 5 and has never been encouraged. It's over 25 years old this 'phase' and they still think i'll 'grow outta it' :rolleyes:
 
Yep my family hates it! they hate me having him and spending time with Sailor but they are coming to terms with how much he means to me and how he keeps me going! Atm if it wasn't for my boy, I'm not sure what I would do!
 
Molasses said:
yep:D
I think my obsession started when i was about 5 and has never been encouraged. It's over 25 years old this 'phase' and they still think i'll 'grow outta it' :rolleyes:
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Lol I think mine think they may break my spirt and turn me against horses... never going to happen. The first noise I made as a baby was a clip clop sound and only ever had my little pony... Barbie... she was a poorly paid working student groom :p

xxx
 
5horses2dogsandacat said:
Just wondering, I do pay for my horses and do all the work. I try and sort any problems out without involving people, I do everything to make sure the horses dont encroach into any of my family's lives, but I still seem to end up getting loads of ear ache, told im not allow to have lessons or compete for the next 3 years as im at uni (im 24 and would rather spend time with the horses than socialise.. apparently I am to study non stop till im 27 :eek:!!) and my life with horses is made far from easy.

I am guessing their are many people who have had the same problems if not worse from their oldies!

Id love to hear everyone elses experiences and any advice people can offer :confused:

xxx
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5 horses ! Only joking, I get heaps from mum, and OH and brother. But esp. OH. He pays for the property they live on.
 
my mother and her side of the family were very horsey but my father was totally against horses, he said they were dangerous smelly things. he was so against them that he wouldn't even allow a riding hat in the house or his car. he made things very awkward growing up though because my mother rebelled and owned trekking stables for a number of years.
my in laws think horses are a waste of time and money, claim that it's not good for my kids. however they spend a fortune on bird feed (they breed breeds) and vet bills and want my kids to go to scouts. needless to say i don't talk to them now!
 
I come from a non horsey family. In fact they are fairly non animaly at all, except for a family dog, which they can;t train, feed or groom properly aaarrrggg!
However my natural mother (I was adopted at 6 weeks old) apparently was a very good horsewoman, so is it in my genes (or jodhpurs lol)?
 
My Stepdad can have his moments with comments like 'it was totally the wrong choice to make'. Pretty sure it's my life and my choice so I just ignore. He see's it as a big drain on money, when in reality he doesn't cost me all that much. Yep we all have times when we're not as flush as we'd like but that doesn't mean it's my horses fault nor does it mean I would ever get rid of him.

Luckily my real Dad rode when he was younger and grew up with horses, AND knows that my horse makes me HAPPY.

Families can be really strange!
 
I was born obsessed with horses. My grandad who I barely knew used to have ploughing horses but my mum fell off a horse when I was 12 and ended up with brain damage and my lessons and hacks stopped abruptly.
I got my first loan horse at 21 and my father never even went in the field, hated them. my mum likes them but is now very nervous of them.
My stepdad said when we were moving that I was very selfish insisting that we bought a house with land. He said that the kids would be happier with a decent house. I was upset but both kids ride now and all the ponies are theirs!
 
Although my parents aren't horsey, they did encourage and support me.
My OH detests me having a horse, even though I had 2 when we first met and worked with them as well! He hates the time and the commitment more so than the actual animal (and the lingering smell of wee!).
I can usually combine work with doing Markie, just to keep the rows to a manageable level, but, if we're showing etc then he gets really a$$y as it's a full day away. If I didn't have Markie them my life would be much harder than it needs to be, so I just ignore the rows!
 
My parents got me into riding to begin with, then when I hit my mid teens they decided it was far too dangerous and expensive. So I was on my own with it from there.
I did keep riding and even worked with ponies at a camp for disabled kids over the course of a summer. But I had to give up when my only local riding centre closed down and I couldn't afford the travel to anywhere else.
I met my now husband about a year later. He was and is allergic to horses, though he thinks they are amazing animals. Ten years on and he is supporting me in buying my own horse!
I daren't tell anyone in my family about getting back into riding. I would be verbally tarred and feathered if I did! They are very controlling and have it in their heads that horses and riding are very bad things! Just easier not to let on...
 
Yes: it meant I had to stop riding as a teen in fact, as my parents wouldn't pay for lessons and forbid me working at my local yard to get free lessons as they wanted me focusing on school work 7 days a week (though my grades never ever dropped the years that I rode). It's all because Dad's a paramedic: his only experience of horse riding is scraping people off the floor and taking them to A&E, so all he thought was that it was ridiculously dangerous. Mum's not horsey so never understood the obsession.

Lcukily, now that I'm an adult he doesn't complain. I guess as an adult it's my money, my body and my choice. In fact, he wishes me fun at the yard by text most weekends. When I own though, neither one of them is ever doing meet the neddy - I know they'll never ever be interested!
 
My Mum has always been pretty 'anti horse', strange really as she is from a farming family and my Dad wasnt. He would have preferred me not to ride, but as a child, he did take me to my weekly riding lesson and once I left school at 16 and got a job lent me £400 to buy my first horse. On the odd occasion I was unable to get to my horse he used to call in, check he still had 4 legs and throw him some hay. I got back into horses 4 years ago after a 10 year gap and still havent told my Mum, who is in her late 70's, that I have a new horse, let alone a "mad ex racehorse" (she thinks racing is cruel and the horses all mad). To be honest, I just cant be bothered with the disapproving looks I will get so I just dont mention it, shame really because she can see that Im really happy and has no idea why!
 
Ahhh it's SO good to learn that I am not the only one suffering the anti-horse attitudes of other family members. As a 44 year old married woman with 4 children of my own, I do think I'm past being nagged by my parents. Just a pity THEY don't feel the same :rolleyes:
 
I wouldn't say my family are 'anti horsey', but I have competed SJ, Hunter Trials etc for the last 8 years and I can count on one hand the amount of times they have come to watch. Even when they did come, the burger van held more appeal than the SJ class I was in.

I found the best way to cope with it is not to speak to them about the horses as they don't care and have nothing positive to say, so stick to speaking with the 'horsey people' who give you loads of support and encouragement.

I dont want to compete in the 2012 olympics, but a bit of support would be nice...I do find that if i dont speak about them, they do tend to ask questions now and then.

Chin up...If it makes you happy and your not hurting anyone...keep going!
:)
 
I showed a pic of my pony to my mum tonight 'ooo hes looking nice but why have you put a bandage on his leg' she meant his sock it did make me chuckle it shows how anti horse she is :-)
 
my family are typically Welsh... rugby rugby rugby. i came along and have always wanted to ride but just get constantly mocked by my family.
i'm the only rider in the family and after trying all the family sports (rugby, tennis, athletics) i happen to be bad at them.
my parents can't afford a horse so i have been having lessons like most people every week but they have even said that they should never have let me start and that horses are taking over my life... Isn't that what they're supposed to do?:) They've told me that i'll NEVER make it to the top because we're "not that type of family"!!! i've always wanted to be a groom and work my way up from there. yes, money is kinda bad, but it works for others don't it? just look at Carl Hester, Mary King, Emile Faurie.... enough said, dear family :o
 
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