Feeling grateful for what I've got, not just want want want

DressageCob

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I also was a pony mad little girl. I helped at my local yard in exchange for free lessons, and did so through university until I was 21 and got my own horse.

In my case there was good luck to balance out the bad. In my last year of university I was given a polo pony who was retiring from the team. I was going to have her as a riding pony, just to have fun with. I started riding her and reschooling her before ownership transferred to me. Unfortunately she had to be put down just before I was going to take her home, due to the idiocy of someone who I hope knows the pain they caused.

I was so upset and was on holiday at the time. I'd just had surgery on my shoulder as well, so was unable to ride. During the period before my holiday she remained at a yard being looked after until ownership transferred and I could take her home. It wasn't to be. I found out what had happened and returned to the pool in tears. My dad asked me whether one could buy a horse for £1,000. I said yes. He said he'd buy me a horse then :D

Of course, I then couldn't find one for that price and ended up shifting the budget up a few times, but ended up with a lovely little horse. He hadn't done much; he was a rescue and had then done some driving. I have done loads of work with him over the past 5.5 years and he now does elementary dressage and has qualified for some national champs. He also did the masters series dressage champs at Hickstead last year. He's my horse of a lifetime and I will always be grateful for having him. I've also paid my dad back now :D

My horse is on full livery at a riding school. We have loads of 12 year old pony-mad girls helping out. They still exist :) Because I remember being one of those girls, I do try to encourage them. A couple have hacked my horse over to a local competition venue to compete, and he's been in other hacks and farm rides with others. It makes me proud, firstly that I can do for these girls what I wished for when I was their age, but also that my formerly bonkers pony has come on so much that you can trust him to look after them :)
 

DressageCob

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I should add- I'm also grateful that despite years and years of begging and cries of "you don't love me enough" my parents didn't buy me a pony when I was younger. My life would have been very different if I had a pony to distract me. I would have spent all my time with my pony and not studying for my exams. If I hadn't done well in those exams I wouldn't have such a good job now, so that I can afford the livery for my perfect horse. I'm also not sure that 12 year old me could have coped with the responsibility (not least because the non-horsey parents wouldn't have been able to help!)

I think they wanted to get me a pony. They couldn't afford it when I was younger. I'm so thankful they could when I was 21 though!
 

applecart14

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Anyone else managed to fulfil their childhood pony dreams and often forget it? I hope I'm not the only one prone to bouts of being spoilt and ungrateful!!!

Sorry this isn't meant to be an indulgent reply so forgive me if it sounds like it is but the only dream I've managed to fulfill is managing to keep a horse into old age, my lovely, lovely lad Bailey (me and him below - one of my fav photos as its such an innocent photo of him!)
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I lost four horses in sucession, in under 7 years, one after the other, after the other through no fault of my own, heart attack whilst turned out in the field, broken leg whilst turned out in the field, horrific accident, wobblers syndrome. So when I bought Bailey in 2004 I was slightly neurotic.

Roll on eleven years and he is still with me at the grand old age of 18 and still going strong, recoving from injury at the moment but hopefully back to normal before long.

Losing my precious horses was a incredibly traumatic time for me and filled me with frustration and despair in equal quantities.

I used to really get annoyed with people who wouldn’t look after their horses properly, or who treated the with little respect or consideration. Often they ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to ride and yet whilst pining the loss of my horse would never think to offer me a ride on theirs. Most of the time I wouldn't have wanted to ride as that wasn't what i missed the most, it was the relationship between me and my horse I missed - seeing the face over the door, the whinny when they trotted up to you in the field.

I loved each horse with all my might and ended up sinking deeper and deeper into depression.. Each one was fit and looked well at the time of their death, with gleaming coats and were kept immaculately with the best care and food and it was incredibly hard to move on, especially after the third and fourth time. I am so grateful that God gave me a break with Bailey, and hasn’t taken him off me. I hope I have a good few years left with him, but if I don’t I feel immensely grateful for the lovely times I have shared with him and take every minute I have with him as if it’s the last.

People who moan about their horses should really listen to my story as they don't know how lucky they are.
 
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Merrymoles

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30 years ago I worked at a riding school with two friends, one of whom ran it. We are still friends and occasionally they box over to ride out with me and my horse. The friend who ran the RS often says "who'd have thought that we'd be able to do this all those years ago" and it always makes me smile, remembering how, although we had horses to ride, they weren't "ours", and owning a horse was a pipe dream. Because two of us are self-employed and the other is retired, we usually meet up midweek and that is another thing that none of us would have dreamed would be possible.

Yes, I'd still love a trailer and more time and I dearly wanted my horse at home when we moved house but we didn't get enough land so that has not worked out - but I am very, very thankful for what I have!
 

misskk88

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I too feel very grateful for what I have.

Even though I threw tantrums as a kid about why we couldn't have a pony in the back garden, I knew deep down my parents offered me every opportunity they could afford to ride, loan and have lessons. For that I am eternally grateful, as my childhood was shaped by my love of horses and the time I spent at the yard, alongside the love and support my parents spilled into me.

As an adult, whilst I would absolutely love to buy my old horse back as I have regretted selling him ever since, I realise how lucky I am to even have had the opportunity to own him (plus he is still happy now with a new owner), to have another horse currently, and to also share a fabulous school master. To have my own house and fields would be wonderful, but it isn't what I need. I have a great OH, my own first home, a good job, some lovely friends, lovely horses, and two healthy parents who still question my sanity for wanting to own my own horses!

ETA- Applecart, what a lovely post. And the photo of your boy Bailey made my heart skip. He is quite the look a like for my old horse!
 
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applecart14

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ETA- Applecart, what a lovely post. And the photo of your boy Bailey made my heart skip. He is quite the look a like for my old horse!

thank you Misskk88, he is a lovely lad, Has a huge personality, cheeky, affectionate, lovable, clever, willing, and above all happy. Loves his jumping, every photo has his ears forwards - and he absolutely loves his fun rides, he thinks those are the best thing since sliced bread! And don't get me on food - he loves his apples, mints, liquorice and carotts which he has in abundance. He is very spoilt :)

I too have had loads of support from my parents over the years, both in time, jobs, wood shavings! and money. Also in emotional support for the ups as well as the downs. They've been great as has my OH of 15 years.
 
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Mrs C

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I feel massively blessed. I dont have loads of money or a big house etc but I have my gorgeous horse who I can ride when I like (rode once a month as a child as its all my family could afford) plus my health, family and friends. What more do I need :)
 
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ElleSkywalker

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12 year old me was told she could have a pony if she bought it, paid for its upkeep and took herself to visit it with no help from parents. 2.5 years later 15 year old me have a quite enough cash to buy said pony, who ironically 2.5 years old!

Now that pony is 22 and her daughter 4 and I still have both having stuck to my side of the bargin of paying for/visiting the pony myself and am still grateful that my ill informed mother had no idea how daft it was to let a 15 year old pony mad girl buy an unbacked 2 year old :biggrin3:

12 year old me never doubted she'd get that pony as it was all my own doing and am a stubborn little thing :biggrin3:
 

Beausmate

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Once upon a time, I had a Sindy horse (bay, one of several actually) and a Sindy Range Rover (red) and a Sindy trailer (blue, Rice style).....

Roll on 20+ years and as if by magic, they had all become real. :D Although I'm now on my second Rice Beaufort (also blue) and a green Jeep has replaced the RR, but the horse is the same and has been joined by a couple of others.

I guess if you believe in something enough....
 

fallenangel123

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This thread has really made me smile. It has been a totally awful year so far and i feel like staying in bed a lot of days, but don't. I am thinking back to 12 year old me with a yard of Breyer ponies that i turned out before school, (square of green carpet)and brought in when i got home. Who lived for the weekends and helping at the riding school and any tiny bit of horse contact i could get.

I wish i could take her by the hand and show her what we have achieved.

When i go to the yard tonight i will look at it with her eyes and smile!
 

applecart14

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. Who lived for the weekends and helping at the riding school and any tiny bit of horse contact i could get.

QUOTE]

Yes the 10 hours I worked on a Saturday and the ten hours I worked on a Sunday were rewarded with a 30 minute hack everyonce in a blue moon but I didn't care. Mum used to do me a flask of chicken soup and German salami sandwiches and I used to eat them on my lunch break with my friend. I cringe now thinking about it but at the time we used to feel full of self importance tacking up for the other kids who had come for lessons, strutting our stuff around like we owned the place, and looking down on those kids who didn't know one end of a horse from the other. :)

Grooming used to take an hour per horse, we used to spend a fortune on lotions and potions and the riding school generally used to take advantage of us as it all riding schools did in those day for kids all up and down the country - labelled happily as 'weekend helpers'.

The horse that used to rear was my particular favourite horse to ride, I was up for a challenge in those days and felt even more self important and inflated as I was watched in awe by the other 'weekend helpers' as I clung to the neck of the chestnut Charlie, not worrying about broken bones or slipped discs. - that worries would come many years later! :D
 
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Suechoccy

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This thread is lovely and is making me smile.

From early childhood I dreamed of living in the countryside with a horse and a dog. It happened when I was 32 with the extra bonus of also marrying my wonderful husband that year too. We are very lucky and never take it for granted.
 

NooNoo59

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Oh I am terrible, why can I only afford one, why don't I have a horsebox etc etc, but I have a shogun, use of a trailer, beautiful pony, nice job, good family I do have to stop myself sometimes and remind myself that I am lucky and need to shut up and get on with it instead of moaning about what I don't have enjoy what I do have!
 

Hippona

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I was the pony mad girl, working for rides and wishing for a pony every Christmas ( what do you mean, it can't live in the garden?)

I was dissuaded from working with horses by my parents, who wisely told me if only be able to afford a horse if I got a good job, cos only rich people could have horses.

So I did. I'm not rich, but I have everything my 10 year old self dreamed of, including the paddock down the road from my house where my herd of 3 lives...one of which is my dream Arab :)
 

Crugeran Celt

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I grew up in very unhorsey family, the youngest of 6 children a horse was definitely out of the question but at the age of 6 having nagged from the moment I could talk to be allowed to ride my parents gave in and I had a riding lesson every fortnight. They couldn't afford more than that. I promised myself that as soon as I was earning my own money I would have a horse. I didn't go to university because I wanted that horse so badly I didn't want to wait another three years to start earning. Then at the age of 18 with a fulltime job I was given a 14hh pony by my bf's mother as his sister had outgrown her but they couldn't face selling her. I couldn't believe my luck and loved that pony so much. Thirty years on and that bf now my husband we have a 10 acre small holding, a 22 year old mare that we bred from that first pony, a welsh sect d that I always dreampt of owning and for some reason, can't think of a logical one, three miniatures. I look out of my kitchen window every morning and see my little herd and can't believe it's mine. My husband laughs because he catches me just looking at them all with a silly grin on my face. Never thought I would have a place of my own hut always knew I would have a horse.
 

Michen

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Some days I look at my high maintenance, opinionated, broken ex racer with arthiritus, kissing spines, ulcers, navicular, skin problems, attitude problems and I wonder what I did in a past life to deserve the stress and trauma he has caused me. Then I remember that at 10 years old I would have done anything to have a horse despite all of the above. Still love him :)
 

NinjaPony

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Lovely thread. I was desperate for my own pony, so to still have my very first pony with me is wonderful. Even though he has caused me much stress and frustration over the years, I still look at him and remember how excited I was when I found out he was mine. He's my dream pony made real- despite the bad behaviour and arthritis! I really am so lucky to have him, and my wonderful connemara, l have exceeded my childhood dream by not only have one pony, but two! Who would have thought it. I try to remember that when a dressage test doesn't go well, or I have a frustrating time- I am privileged to have them in my life.
 
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