Experienced vs novice horse owner

[bz88]

Hi how would you describe experienced owner vs novice owner? I’m not talking about ability to ride just ownership, knowledge and care. I’ve stumbled across post on Facebook advertising space at livery yard, part and full livery but for horses with experienced owners only. I own my horse for three years, rode and loaned/shared before, he’s on diy, I do everything for him and I have general knowledge regarding health, signs of illness and nutrition. I clip him myself and I even wash his winky. Would you describe me as a novice? In no means I’m blowing my own trumpet, I’m just curious
Thanks

 

[paddi22]

There are some lucky people who have the joy of being on full livery, with very straightforward horses who are rarely sick and have no issues. They often seem to be novicey owners, mainly because experience generally come through things going horribly wrong or else having to slog none stop in lots of different scenarios. Also some people seem to buy horses before the even know the very basics, and because of that end up needing a lot of hand holding on yards.

 

[Fieldlife]

Hi how would you describe experienced owner vs novice owner? I’m not talking about ability to ride just ownership, knowledge and care. I’ve stumbled across post on Facebook advertising space at livery yard, part and full livery but for horses with experienced owners only. I own my horse for three years, rode and loaned/shared before, he’s on diy, I do everything for him and I have general knowledge regarding health, signs of illness and nutrition. I clip him myself and I even wash his winky. Would you describe me as a novice? In no means I’m blowing my own trumpet, I’m just curious
Thanks

Horses are funny though, I’ve owned horses for nearly 25 years. Mostly DIY. Still learning, and have deep knowledge in some areas, shallow in others eg good doers / laminitis.

In sense of advert if you’ve been DIY 3 years & clip yourself I’d say you fall into the experienced bracket.

 

[ponynutz]

I'd say you'd be fine unless it's a competition yard? Then they might be expecting a different set of skills to qualify as experienced.

 

[Vodkagirly]

I would say that's experienced. I've met people who have bought a horse after a few weeks of lessons, back when they were cheap.
One was OK, she didnt know much but put horse on fuĺl livery and paid for lots of lessons. She would ask people to check her tacking up etc at first but it was all sensible stuff.
The others were a nightmare, no idea how to look after horse, no budget and abandoned the horse after a couple of weeks.

 

[PurpleSpots]

Sometimes people actually mean 'with common sense' rather than 'experienced', because even people who've owned horses for years can still have no idea what their horse actually needs in life, and so are 'novices' in that respect!

Sometimes people mean people who are 'self-sufficient' in looking after their horses, in that they don't want someone who is going to ask for lots of advice from other owners on the yard regularly so the other liveries can get on with their own horses and just share ideas more evenly when needed.

Sometimes people mean 'competition riders' because they are snobby and look down on those who don't compete and don't want to be around them.

It can vary alot.

For me, 'novice owner' means someone who is fairly new to owning/looking after a horse and is going to need alot of support and assistance initially, but as it's a steep learning curve the need for support tails off fairly quickly usually. But they still need guidance on how to interpret when the horse has an issue and how to sort it out, even when the daily tasks become secure.

For me, an 'experienced' owner is one who is secure in their daily and yearly management of their horse/horses who are as a result settled, healthy and content, who knows when to call in specialists (saddle fitter, vet, farrier, trimmer, etc) and which one to call when the horse shows they have an issue. But we're all always still learning, so there are always going to be things over which they feel uncertain from time to time.

I would probably add descriptors like 'fairly' and 'very' to novice and experienced for a better scale, and might alter 'novice' to 'novicey' if it was a person who had had a horse for a while but still felt out of their depth and wasn't yet confident in their care and management of the horse.

 

[4Hoofed]

We have all ends of the spectrum at ours! For me someone experienced is someone who won’t be needing daily advice or help when they attend. When it’s their days won’t been to be taught how to muck out, what their horse needs to eat etc, and how to tack up/bandage/what rug. But I’d be hesitant to go to a yard with that stipulation… I can understand why that may be in the YOs head.. but I think you sort of assess wether someone is a good fit for your yard during the total contact, and viewing. But that’s me personally.

 

[Abacus]

I agree that it probably just means they want people who are capable and safe, especially if they have to deal with others' horses (getting in from the field if in a herd, etc). I wouldn't blame a YO for stipulating this, as the wrong person might be unsafe, and the yard may not have the setup or desire to teach someone the basics. I would say you'd be fine if this is what they mean.

 

[little_critter]

I would imagine they are trying to avoid taking on people who ask very basic questions every 5 minutes, or who do silly things through ignorance (or don’t do basic things they should do)
If you’ve been on diy for 3 years and not seriously maimed your horse and annoyed your fellow liveries then I think you’d pass the test.

 

[emilylou]

An experienced owner is jaded, limping slightly and looks wind battered, a novice owner smiles when they see you and talks incessantly about their horse.

 

[Sealine]

I'm on a DIY livery yard with 35 horses. In my experience novice owners are high maintenance in that they either asks lots of questions (not a bad thing) or they don't ask questions and do stupid and dangerous things and you need to keep an eye on them for the health and safety of them, their horse and everyone other person/horse on the yard. They also have expectations that don't match the reality of horse ownership. They complain in the winter when it's muddy around the gateway and when there is little grass. They put messages on the group chat asking for someone to do their horse for them or we message them when their horse is still in at 10am and they say they 'forgot'. How do you forget you've got a horse!

In your case OP I'd say you aren't a novice but, if I was interested in moving to the yard I'd ask the owner for more info on their definition of experienced.

 

[SEL]

From my perspective it was hard work being on a yard with novice owners. They would turn up "whenever" at weekends, horses either had too little or too much hay, they didn't realise they needed to organise farrier etc and actually BE THERE!

The yard was rough around the edges so attracted a lot of newbies but when I moved it was so, so much easier to be with people who knew the job. One of my final straw moments was being on the yard middle of the day when a vet turned up to inject hocks of another livery horse. I'd wondered why it was in - plastered in mud and without an owner in sight.

And we won't discuss the one whose horse was in a cast on prolonged box rest who thought it would be a good idea to get the dentist out. Again no owner but a horrified dentist who flatly refused to go anywhere near a horse just back from hospital.

I have no doubt the YO who advertised like that has just as many stories!!! I mean you still get experienced people who act like muppets but generally they know yard etiquette

 

[Tarragon]

When I got my first pony as an adult, I was an experienced rider but definitely a novice owner. I chose a yard where I admired the person running it and knew that I would get support - basically it was DIY and I did all the work but I was told what to do! It worked well for the first year or two, but then I started forming my own opinions (difference between having a hairy native pony and competition horses and hunters) and we amicably parted company and I have been my own boss since then, initially DIY livery and having to fit in with rules, then sole livery on farm where I make all the decisions.
You don't sound like a novice to me

 

[Tarragon]

One I thing I will add is that I am a novice owner when it comes to first aid and injuries, as I haven't really been faced with it. In these circumstances I will always ask for professional help.

 

[Wizpop]

I think many of us could describe ourselves as novices compared to some others. It’s a bit of a subjective thing, so depends on what YOs expectations are. But good guidelines in answers above.
Could you phone YO and find out what she expects then you’ll know?

 

[Cloball]

From my perspective it was hard work being on a yard with novice owners. They would turn up "whenever" at weekends, horses either had too little or too much hay, they didn't realise they needed to organise farrier etc and actually BE THERE!

The yard was rough around the edges so attracted a lot of newbies but when I moved it was so, so much easier to be with people who knew the job. One of my final straw moments was being on the yard middle of the day when a vet turned up to inject hocks of another livery horse. I'd wondered why it was in - plastered in mud and without an owner in sight.

And we won't discuss the one whose horse was in a cast on prolonged box rest who thought it would be a good idea to get the dentist out. Again no owner but a horrified dentist who flatly refused to go anywhere near a horse just back from hospital.

I have no doubt the YO who advertised like that has just as many stories!!! I mean you still get experienced people who act like muppets but generally they know yard etiquette

Gosh I thought I was bad! Despite working on yards for years as a young person getting my own as an adult was a shock! I felt guilty for the first year I was on livery due to being high needs I had all sorts of actual and potential medical issues in a short space of time. I feel a lot more confident now although given my own medical background I tend to over medicalise and catastrophise. Some things more experienced horse owners do make me wince though.

 

[SEL]

One I thing I will add is that I am a novice owner when it comes to first aid and injuries, as I haven't really been faced with it. In these circumstances I will always ask for professional help.

That's a good thing!!

Having bellowed Just Get The Vet a number of times on the yard I described above

 

[SEL]

Gosh I thought I was bad! Despite working on yards for years as a young person getting my own as an adult was a shock! I felt guilty for the first year I was on livery due to being high needs I had all sorts of actual and potential medical issues in a short space of time. I feel a lot more confident now although given my own medical background I tend to over medicalise and catastrophise. Some things more experienced horse owners do make me wince though.

I learnt an awful lot about people on that yard!!

If it's any consolation my friend is a vet and gets more panicky over her own horses because her knowledge means she knows worst case scenario.

 

[Gloi]

If you've been looking after your horse successfully for three years I think you'll be okay. They are probably looking to weed out people who have just bought their first horse (unseen from Ireland) and don't know one end from the other.

 

[Cloball]

I learnt an awful lot about people on that yard!!

If it's any consolation my friend is a vet and gets more panicky over her own horses because her knowledge means she knows worst case scenario.

When half her face swelled up after an insect bite I had visions of her airway being obstructed and it all going horribly, she just looked funny until the antihistamines kicked in
We had mites and a colic and some challenging behaviour in the first year YO agreed it was 'interesting'.

 

[Spirit7]

I would describe experienced as someone who has had to act in their own decisions on the spot regarding handling etc and someone who can recognise most basic issues, lameness, colic, any change in the horses mood or way of going. Someone who is confident in their actions around horses.

 

[Kirstineridesagain]

An experienced owner is jaded, limping slightly and looks wind battered, a novice owner smiles when they see you and talks incessantly about their horse.

That’s me - the novice! Probably very annoying to be around right now!

 

[Dave's Mam]

When I got my first pony as an adult, I was an experienced rider but definitely a novice owner. I chose a yard where I admired the person running it and knew that I would get support - basically it was DIY and I did all the work but I was told what to do! It worked well for the first year or two, but then I started forming my own opinions (difference between having a hairy native pony and competition horses and hunters) and we amicably parted company and I have been my own boss since then, initially DIY livery and having to fit in with rules, then sole livery on farm where I make all the decisions.
You don't sound like a novice to me

Very similar to me, except my teaching person was an Exmoor person too, so I learnt a lot about little brown ponies & we're still friends & she'd be one of the first people I would turn to for advice, but I've been on my own feet on a big yard now for nearly 7 years & think I was taught well.

 

[littleshetland]

An experienced owner is jaded, limping slightly and looks wind battered, a novice owner smiles when they see you and talks incessantly about their horse.

Experienced riders and owners have possibly stared death in the face a few times as well...

 

[4Hoofed]

Experienced riders and owners have possibly stared death in the face a few times as well..

They have that 100 mile stare... you can just tell they've seen some stuff..