Field Ornaments what do you think :)

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tessybear

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Im not talking about retired/companion or horses that cannot be ridden due to medical reasons. But people who buy a horse end up falling out with it or realise they cannot ride it and instead of selling it on to someone more capable keep it as a field ornament. Personally this rubs me up the wrong way especially if it is a horse that wants to be worked and they are denying it this. Surely it is better to sell it on to someone who can ride it and get something more suitable than keeping a very expensive ornament.


Anhyow what are your views on this ?
 
amymay said:
Each to their own. Provided the horse is well looked after, who cares? I certainly don't.
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Yes that is true, but giving up riding completely because you cannot trust their horse seems nuts to me :) Like you said if they are cared for its not a huge issue.
 
blucanoo1990 said:
I agree in a way.

But its their money to spend.
Plus horses are happy not being worked.
They would probably rather mooch around in a field being a horse!
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Uhuh' very true ! just wanted different opinions on it :) Have a friend who ahs just done this to a very nice dressage prospect becuase he dumped her out on a hack :P She isnt in the best financial situation but insists on keeping him all to their own :)
 
tessybear said:
Yes that is true, but giving up riding completely because you cannot trust their horse seems nuts to me :) Like you said if they are cared for its not a huge issue.
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But riding is not the bee all and end all for some people. And if they really love the animal why should they sell it just because they don't want to ride it?

You say it's not a huge issue, I say it's not an issue full stop.

tessybear said:
Have a friend who ahs just done this to a very nice dressage prospect becuase he dumped her out on a hack :P She isnt in the best financial situation but insists on keeping him all to their own :)
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And she'd be in the same financial situation if she rode him......
 
Do horses want to be worked? I am not sure they do!

I have no problem with it unless it is some sort of mental sports horse who has become so conditioned to working routine it will run around and kill itself, but I think a lot of those will settle down anyway when they are used to it.

It annoys me when people speculate about other people's horses not fulfilling their 'potential'...
 
Agreed, horses just do things for us for an easy life, as long as they've got company and room to roam I personally don't see an issue. I wouldn't choose it myself however as I love rising too much to give up.
 
amymay said:
But riding is not the bee all and end all for some people. And if they really love the animal why should they sell it just because they don't want to ride it?

You say it's not a huge issue, I say it's not an issue full stop.

Yes, yes i know i wanted opinions on it maybe its just me :P just a shame as he is such a prospect for dressage :)



And she'd be in the same financial situation if she rode him......
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She openly said she misses riding, if she sold him and got something more suitable they could "pay their way" as it was :)
 
Just realised may sound like i am having a dig at people who do this, dont mean to start an argument just generally interest in what your guys opinions are a lovely man across the road from her said "stick a bullet through its eyes" :/

Had some great opinions so far starting to sway me if im being honest (apart from the riding bi im to obsessed to give that up ;) )
 
I think its ok, but I also think we all have a responsibility to keep horses as valuable as possible to protect them in the future.

Like people who never bother backing horses then run out of money and are left trying to sell an unbacked fourteen year old. That horse isn't as likely to find a suitable home as a fourteen year old with lots of life experience that knows a job.

Likewise a problematic five or six year old that is too much for its rider. If they sell it on then, it has every chance of being a viable project to someone, at twelve after having been left in the field for a few years, not so much.

If they are going to keep the horse forever then it doesn't matter if the horse loses all value, but circumstances change and I think its in a horse's best interests for it to have a trade, IYSWIM.
 
Yes sometimes she is frightended to take his rug off because he is to much to handle and has dragged her about the yard :rolleyes:

She is tiny thought and stick thin so he takes advantage i think
 
My boss owns a 10 yr old ex broodmare and its foal (now 4 year old) - both field ornaments as she says she doesnt have time to break niether of them.Both of them are overweight and handling them is a problem as they are pratically wild as left to their own devices every day until we turn them in/out. catching them is a joke. My boss also owns another 2 which she has out on loan to family who have broken them in themselves. She wont sell them as they are attractive welsh d's as she said they are her 'babies' but if they are her 'babies' why are they so wild?

Personally I believe mother and daughter each need a job to do seperately and have developed behavioural issues as they are left to their own devices daily. Not groomed unless staff do it in our own unpaid time which i have done in the past.
 
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Is she scared to try and sell him because of what selling would involve (even simply taking his rug off!)? Not many people would be keen to buy a horse that even the owner won't handle.

And height and weight should have no bearing on ability to control a horse - even a shetland is physically stronger than most people! It's about training and mutual respect.

I would say if the horse was happy and well looked after then I don't see a problem with it being a field ornament but in this case if the owner is too scared to undertake even basic care then I would worry.
 
Horses have absolutely no ambition for themselves, they have no desire to do anything but eat and mooch about a field :) I think as long as they are healthy and happy then it's up to the owner what they do with their horses, within reason of course!
 
I second amymay. Very few people realise the full potential of their horse anyway. I competed my 14.2 as an adult, she didn't do badly, but her true calling is ja/pc schoolmistress. I very much doubt she cares though. And in 18mnths daughters pony will be nothing but a pet at 7yrs old. At 11.1, fine, & definitely a second pony, whilst she might sell or full loan, we want to keep her. Another jockey from ours will be hard to find, so unless we do she'll be driven, played with, taken out ride & lead, but no useful job. Imo she'd make a cracking games pony in a few years with the right jockey. But unless someone does that from here, then that potential will be wasted. Because we want her, & I rather think she's happy here.
 
That is a good point Flame, it doesn't do a horse any favours to have it out of work if you do plan to sell it on in future. I would probably sell a horse that was causing me to not want to ride it personally, if someone else could do better and give it a good home. I guess it would be a shame if your friend stopped riding if she wants to keep at it but its just the horse is not right. Sometimes people are sentimental, what can you do!
 
Hmmm if the handler is 'nervous' of said horse that's a whole different story, the horse will end up pushing people about and that won't end happily for anyone. I'd definitely say sell or get professional help would be in the best interest of the horse.
 
I agree with those saying that the horse doesn't care that it's 'wasted'. On the contrary, it probably has a much better life than it would as a serious dressage prospect.
 
Flame_ said:
If they are going to keep the horse forever then it doesn't matter if the horse loses all value, but circumstances change and I think its in a horse's best interests for it to have a trade, IYSWIM.
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That - you never know what may happen and a horse left in the field for years won't be an attractive prospect for anyone whereas one that has a recent problem will be more likely to be taken on as a project.

Depending on the type of horse it is, it may not be attractive to take on as a companion to other people especially if it has also developed issues on the ground.

Horses can be perfectly happy living in a field but I think you have to consider the long term view and what would happen if you couldn't take care of them.
 
This is a grey area for me!!!

I do get annoyed when its a case of a horse standing in a field doing nothing due to owner losing interest, or not able to handle the horse. As horse owners we have a duty of care, if you are no longer interested, or feel it is too much then it is only fair to move that horse on to a home where it has a quality of life and some sort of mental stimulation.

However As long as its needs are fully met and the horse is happy I don't give a fig if it is ridden or not.
 
I've got 2 1/2 field ornaments. But only one of them is relevant to the discussion here.

No 1 is a 31 year old retired broodmare. No 2 is my currently barren broodmare who I hope to breed just the one foal from (for myself - not to sell) in the future when the time is right.

The horse relevant to this discussion though is Warrior. He is supposed to be my partner's horse, but with OH's seriously bad back problems, he has pretty much had to give up riding. I've taken over the ride with Warrior, but tbh, with 2 advanced endurance horses to keep fit as well, I barely have the time to keep Warrior in work too.

But you know what? He's a happy, healthy horse, in a stable herd - and certainly shows no signs of missing "work". There are no plans to sell him on.

Okay, so I'm fortunate in that as we privately rent an acreage of land, rather than paying livery bills, I can afford to keep him - I realise full well that not everyone is in that situation. But I can state with 100% certainty that Warrior is not being denied anything. (But maybe, just maybe I will find some time next year to bring him back into work again - we'll see).
 
I know a few people that do this – lost confidence but love them that much they keep them and wont sell on …. Not really got an opinion either way as long as they’ve not been neglected, nobody else’s business? x
 
tessybear said:
Personally this rubs me up the wrong way especially if it is a horse that wants to be worked and they are denying it this. Surely it is better to sell it on to someone who can ride it and get something more suitable than keeping a very expensive ornament.

Anhyow what are your views on this ?
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To quote you, it "rubs me the wrong way" when people make this assumption about horses!

Horses want companionship, grazing, a tranquil environment, freedom from thirst, hunger, fear, pain, and stress. No matter how much you may think a horse wants to "work," the aforementioned are its basic needs. If a horse wants to run, he can do just that in his field. If a horse is loved, well cared for, respected, he is never wasted. As Wagtail posted, a field ornament with all of the above will have a better life than any competition horse (and that's not to say competition horses have it bad, just different with other issues and stresses).

I have 4 Shires. They are not performance horses. They are very large field ornaments with enormous appetites, and even larger capacities for dung. I have no intention of having them pull drays, plough the fields, or have them broken to ride. And guess what? They don't have those desires either. They are content because they want for nothing, as well as owing me nothing. Their existence gives me the greatest of pleasures, no matter the amount of work involved in their care. I would venture to say this is true of all horses. This notion that a horse wants or has to be ridden is absurd and should be discarded to the scrapheap of ludicrous ideas!
 
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tessybear said:
Im not talking about retired/companion or horses that cannot be ridden due to medical reasons. But people who buy a horse end up falling out with it or realise they cannot ride it and instead of selling it on to someone more capable keep it as a field ornament. Personally this rubs me up the wrong way especially if it is a horse that wants to be worked and they are denying it this. Surely it is better to sell it on to someone who can ride it and get something more suitable than keeping a very expensive ornament.


Anhyow what are your views on this ?
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I am afraid I fall into this category, I bought my cob to ride as my homebred mare that has had numerous health problems and was unrideable, was on her own having lost an elderly horse. I knew within a very short time that he wasn't for me but even though I had bought him from his breeder he had already been on about 6 different yards and was only 5 years old and he was a nervous wreck so just didn't want to put him through another sale and another new home. I do ride him occasionaly and he is a very happy boy but I do wish I enjoyed riding him more. I am sure he is happier staying with me where he is now relaxed and settled than if I had sold him into a possible unsettled future as he is not the easiest horse in the world.
 
amymay said:
Each to their own. Provided the horse is well looked after, who cares? I certainly don't.
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^ This.

You don't have to ride to exercise body and mind either. My youngsters all play, with each other and me, don't think they'd be desperately upset that they aren't backed yet.
Oldies are quite happy being horses. And I'm quite happy just enjoying them.

The ridden ones haven't been in a while and behaviour is the same, still content in their herd without a human sat on them :) Still come to call and don't object whether ridden or just left to it.

Long as you feed/care to the work load why should it matter?
 
Ummm...
I personally think it depends on the horse! Some horses love to be ridden and others couldnt care less!
If it was a talented horse i would see it as a waste.
 
criso said:
That - you never know what may happen and a horse left in the field for years won't be an attractive prospect for anyone whereas one that has a recent problem will be more likely to be taken on as a project.

Depending on the type of horse it is, it may not be attractive to take on as a companion to other people especially if it has also developed issues on the ground.

Horses can be perfectly happy living in a field but I think you have to consider the long term view and what would happen if you couldn't take care of them.
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I have several homes lined up if any of mine ever need. This is for useful and useless ones.

One of mine I can safely say would not be sellable now even if I paid someone to have her. She's getting better but long term I know that the homes I've found would home for life, sell if appropriate (youngsters/projects) or pts. I know none would be sent to an appalling home outright and that's the most I can ask/guarantee.

I couldn't imagine not having a few choices available if anything should happen to me.
 
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