experience?

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rainer

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How much experience/training/knowledge did u have before u took the plunge and bought your own horse/pony
Just curious :D x
I cant actually ride myself (mainly due to weight/confidence issues but have read endless books,been a stable hand for 8 months and had other bits and pieces of experience at riding schools,a working horse centre and sharing a couple of ponies :)
 
I had been in riding schools from 3-13yrs, was responsible for weekend riding schoom and welfare of 6 ponies age 13-14, 15-17 I had shares of horses and ponies, at 17 alongside sixthform I worked every spare hour as head groom and travelling groom for a showing yard and stayed there until my second year of uni. At uni I studied equine and human sports science whilst loaning ponies. After uni I loaned a pony, ended up as an equine veterinary nirse, then finally at 25 I bought Indie. Despite my wealth of knowledge actual ownership still comes as a shock!
 
I had ponies of my own as a teenager, went to pony club, worked at a RS and have BHS stage 2 and PTT but I have to admit it was still a slight shock to the system when I had a horse on full loan after uni. Somehow being on my own as the new girl at a DIY livery yard where I knew no one with a horse belonging to a really good friend of mine that god forbid I did anything to hard felt like a whole lot of responsibility!

Slightly off topic but being on my own really hit home when the horse got kicked in the field and had to be whisked off to horse-pital for an x-ray. Thankfully I'd had her 6 months or so by that point and had made lots of friends who were amazing and stayed with me until I could arrange transport to get her there. But we could only get her on a trailor as the lorry ramp was too steep for her injured leg (later found out to be fractured) so I got a lift from some random guy I had never met before who literally dropped us off at the horse-pital and left, then they whisked the horse off for an x ray and I was left in the empty waiting room all by myself thinking oh gosh, I've killed my friend's horse! Thankfully she made a full recovery (after 2 weeks cross tied then 5 months box rest) but no amount of experience can prepare you for situations like that!
 
No where near enough experience here! I thought I knew enough to get by. I can ride well but had never owned before. Luckily I found a great livery yard with help on hand and have had a crash course since my mare arrived! Haha!
 
I was 10. Had been riding since I was 5/6, not at a rs, friends pony at a big diy yard to start. Rode & looked after ponies of other peoples & generally lived at the yard, learning everything I could & no doubt annoying the hell out of everyone asking endless questions. Parents weren't horsey, but I was very used to the responsibility of caring for animals, & for various reasons wasn't a typical 10yr old, I was quite adult in some ways. I knew enough for everyday care, but was on same yard with experienced manager, & other experienced, supportive liveries so there was always back up on hand if I ever needed it, which of course I did. Daughter has always had ponies, doesn't know any different, & tbh I find it hard to clearly remember life without them.
 
Aged 18 months into basket saddle on evil Shetland that was companion to other horses we had. Two yrs old on a saddle pad, still on evil Shettie, being yelled at by groom to "sit up, missy". On various ponies handed down from much older sister, til 10 when I bought a retired polo pony with my Post Office savings. Still learning,after nearly six decades of horse ownership.
 
I had lessons from a very early age and always did the stable mgmt courses in the summer. Then I worked voluntarily on weekends on an event yard with a riding school and borrowed their ponies to compete on. My parents had and still have no clue about horses so I was lucky at the age of 11 to loan a pony on the owners yard and I learned more there. Then aged 14 after another loan I had my own. Kept him on a field with a friend of the same age and we just got on with it. I dare say much of what I learned was through pony mags after I left the event yard and we made a lot of stuff up as we went along, but I had the experience of a lifetime with that pony (who's still around 19yrs on so must have done something right!). He's the best thing that ever happened to me!
 
I learnt so much working as a stable hand looking after 16h horses but nothing prepares u for owning your own 12.2h pony lol u never stop learning from them :)
 
Started learning to ride at 7, started to share a couple of days a week at 13, moved from pony to owners horse at about 16 and still share her now at 23, alongside regularly riding owners other horse. I can ride well - walk, trot, canter, gallop, hack, jump, work in outline, have shown multiple times, now having dressage lessons etc. and have been doing stable jobs since I started to share. I think full ownership is always going to be a shock!!
K x
 
I think I learned as I went along. I can't remember not having ponies, not a horsey family, we made mistakes but never killed anything and had people around to point us in the right direction.

So, to answer the question, I had NONE at all.
 
Riding for 29 yrs before bought own. Born into a horsey family so always around them (grandparents had farm with horses so lots of time spent there riding bareback with headcollars most the time whatever I could catch!) had regular lessons from v young, 3 yrs approx, aged 11 got a full loan Arab x welsh mountain pony which used to tank off with me on a regular basis! A year on we had developed a bond and understanding and I had gained fantastic experience and confidence from her and a love of Chestnut Arab mares! Few years on had an ex flat racer on loan known for bucking and a dislike of jumping, again fantastic learning curve for me! In my 20s I had a couple of pure bred Arabs on share, v forward going just as I like, reschooled one to jump again as had been previously ruined. Other Arab I rode bitless which again great experience. And inbetween I was hacking out in Ashdown forest at a trekking centre so I got to ride a variety inc cobs which again taught me a lot. Id defo recommend hacking out coinciding with lessons in an arena! It's only now at aged 31 that Ive bought my own horse (a foal)! Again I'm learning so much as even though I'm confident in the saddle, I'm rusty on the ground but I'm reading all I can and having instruction soon and it's going well, I hope I get the chance to do it again! I would have had my own much sooner if funds and time would have allowed. As long as you have the time, money and support and a good instructor and a good matched horse I'd say go for it!
 
It's a matter of where are you keeping the horse? For you first owned horse I would suggest a yard where the staff are experienced so should you have any issues then you have advise and help on hand.

I had horses with my auntie from 8-10 years old then had shares from 13-16 when mum bought me my first horse who I had on DIY did everything myself and if I had issues there was help on my yard where the stable manager was brilliant there was nothing she didn't know and I learnt from both good and bad things that happened, vet vists, asking my farrier questions the. I went and worked on a riding school. So when I bought my difficult green mare when I was 22 I was ready for the challenge.

If you feel ready and have help on hand if you need it, can afford it and have enough love and time to give the why not? Not everyone knows everything with out learning from experience
 
rainer said:
How much experience/training/knowledge did u have before u took the plunge and bought your own horse/pony
Just curious :D x
I cant actually ride myself (mainly due to weight/confidence issues but have read endless books,been a stable hand for 8 months and had other bits and pieces of experience at riding schools,a working horse centre and sharing a couple of ponies :)
Click to expand...

I was very lucky and had a mum and family who had always had horses. As a child I learnt to ride by hanging onto the saddle with my brother behind what ever horse she was hacking or schooling!!

As a slightly bigger child was given the option of getting on a pony or staying in the stable and waiting for her to come back and by 8 was competing and had 2 ponies of my own!!

Never thought my self lucky but realise how lucky I was to just be handed ponies and then horses.

I now have two of my own and there is no way I could afford a children's pony as well (not that I have children)....
 
rainer said:
How much experience/training/knowledge did u have before u took the plunge and bought your own horse/pony
Just curious :D x
I cant actually ride myself (mainly due to weight/confidence issues but have read endless books,been a stable hand for 8 months and had other bits and pieces of experience at riding schools,a working horse centre and sharing a couple of ponies :)
Click to expand...

i started riding when i was 15 yrs old , worked at loads of places, riding schools, equine collage arab stud farm.. i got my own when i was 28-29 yrs old... i also did my horse ownership courses.. all 4 .. look into it its very helpfull...:)
 
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