Found someone riding my horse on facebook! So angry!!!

My opinion and i stick to it. Horses are not a play thing for your summer holiday. I do understand the frustration at someone riding the horse without permission, but if i had a horse on the other side of the world i would be happy to have someone ride it to keep it ticking over and keep it fit, and if they were a decent rider to keep its education on track.
 
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Horses don't care if they are ridden or not. All they care for is food, water, shelter and turnout. A horse really wouldn't have been over the moon to be ridden, a horse couldn't care less if it's worked or not so the fact op only rides in the summer doesn't really affect the horses life from the horses perspective.
 
But it will when she starts riding, sore muscles and legs etc. If its not kept fit for riding then im sure that the time spent there would be wasted on getting the horse used to riding again? Sorry if i have sounded rude and judgemental, but wouldn't it be better for it to be ridden, if even once or twice a week by a reputable rider?
 
Patterdale said:
Poor sod.

He's probably pleased to be getting out a bit.
I'm sorry it's upset you but it upsets ME to hear of horses kept on standby in stables until their owners turn up. Sorry.

Why can't you get him to Hong Kong?
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Get real! Horses in Hong Kong don't even get a pick of grass in hand! They walk 10 yards from an indoor stable to a lunge pen and back again - there are yards that exist on the flat rooves of prestige buildings, with man-made 'grass' for show, space is at such a premium. And besides, importing horses from the African continent is prohibited in most cases, and at best subject to layers and layers of complexities. Even if the OP could get the horse in to HK, if she ever had to leave, she could struggle to get it out again.

Would it upset you less Patterdale, if the horse were left out in the blazing sun, with nothing to eat but dust, too exhausted to crave any exercise, and subject to god knows what monstrosities in its previous life?

And to the person who questioned the OP's husband going to sort things out face to face, in my experience that is the only way of getting through.
 
equi said:
But it will when she starts riding, sore muscles and legs etc. If its not kept fit for riding then im sure that the time spent there would be wasted on getting the horse used to riding again? Sorry if i have sounded rude and judgemental, but wouldn't it be better for it to be ridden, if even once or twice a week by a reputable rider?
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For lots of people who own horses riding is incidental. We have absolutely no reason to believe the OP hammers the horse around for three months. She might be (and probably is) happy to spend a lot of her three months with the horse bringing him back into work. Who are we to say another person is 'wasting' time. I could say you are wasting time caring for minis that'll never be ridden, if I was presumptuous enough to make judgements about what other people should find worthwhile.
 
You don't know how much work she does with the horse. It's lunged and walked in hand, it's hardly as though the horse is just stood in a stables equine frankly I think you are being silly for the sake of having a pop.

Horses are ridden sporadically due to weather and work commitments in this country along with others. I'm lucky if my lad gets out once a fortnight at the moment. Does he care? Nope. Is he suffering? Not in the slightest!
 
Sadly some people only read what they want to or only pick certain things out of a thread to comment on :( The horse is being well looked after and IS getting out, how many times does the OP have to stress this??? It's the fact that it is being ridden without her permission that is the issue. Jeez...
 
undergroundoli said:
For lots of people who own horses riding is incidental. We have absolutely no reason to believe the OP hammers the horse around for three months. She might be (and probably is) happy to spend a lot of her three months with the horse bringing him back into work. Who are we to say another person is 'wasting' time. I could say you are wasting time caring for minis that'll never be ridden, if I was presumptuous enough to make judgements about what other people should find worthwhile.
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Fair enough, but its not the same cause minis CANT be ridden, her horse can.
 
Hedgewitch13 said:
Sadly some people only read what they want to or only pick certain things out of a thread to comment on :( The horse is being well looked after and IS getting out, how many times does the OP have to stress this??? It's the fact that it is being ridden without her permission that is the issue. Jeez...
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Yes and we all agree that is unacceptable, but its probably happening more than that one incident..
 
My point wasn't about horses being ridden or not, my point was about people telling other people what a 'waste' is.

I don't think any of us have the right to tell the OP she is wasting her time bringing her horse into work rather than having it kept ticking over.

Just like I don't think any of us have the right to tell you that having minis is a waste of time and money because they can't be ridden (and I am not a mini person).
 
OP, don't worry about the negative comments. They are borne of genuine concern for the horse from the posters' perspectives. The comments are all very well-intentioned, I'm sure, just not very well-informed.

Equi..that's hilarious...I think you should write to the editor of H&H to warn all those professional showing people and hunting people, that when they bring their horses back in to work after their summer/winter off they will have sore muscles and legs and that they will be wasting their time bringing the horses back in to work for a few months and then turning them away again! They'll be sure to heed that from someone who has miniatures. Sorry, I don't intend to be mean, but really....
 
LinzyD said:
OP, don't worry about the negative comments. They are borne of genuine concern for the horse from the posters' perspectives. The comments are all very well-intentioned, I'm sure, just not very well-informed.

Equi..that's hilarious...I think you should write to the editor of H&H to warn all those professional showing people and hunting people, that when they bring their horses back in to work after their summer/winter off they will have sore muscles and legs and that they will be wasting their time bringing the horses back in to work for a few months and then turning them away again! They'll be sure to heed that from someone who has miniatures. Sorry, I don't intend to be mean, but really....
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Well frankly hunting is not my thing either. And i don't know why the fact i have two mini horses has anything to do with it because ive only had them for 6 months and had ridden horses for over 15 years? lol
 
Some of these replies are ridiculous..

The horse gets fed, watered, exercised and turn out.. Oh how cruel the owner is..

The point about being ridden is moot if people bother to read the horse is lunged.. Is that not being exercised and kept fit or am I going mad??!! The only difference is there's no one on the horses back..

I'd be livid if someone was riding my horse without permission end of!
 
equi said:
Well frankly hunting is not my thing either.
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Evidently!!!

No, quite true, it was wrong of me to bring the minis in to it, but do try to embrace the fact that the horse is well exercised and that periods of not being ridden are quite normal for all sorts of horses, and that having the pleasure of riding for a few months is no more a 'waste' than for those of us who have the pleasure of showing or hunting for a matter of months each year.

Truce.
 
I'd be really annoyed if someone rode my horse without asking me, full stop, whatever country it was in.

I find it ridiculous that people assume a horse is not happy if it isn't being ridden. The point about people owning miniatures and pet horses is perfectly valid. I am sure many people have competition type horses or otherwise who are more sane and manageable when regularly ridden, doesn't mean it applies to every horse, and its because it is part of their routine which often involves stabling and feed differences, fitness etc. My horse has just had 5 or 6 months off over winter, she's just the same. Whilst I think she does like to see somewhere outside of her field occasionally, she would be fine without doing so.

I hope you are able to sort it out anyway :-)
 
Horse care in Morocco is not going to be the same as Western methods. I'd say if you have had your horse at the yard a while and when you or friends visit him, he's in good condition and happy, you need to keep in the good books of this yard and approach the situation with caution. Otherwise you may be hunting around for another yard and won't know if it is ok until he's been there a while... risky of course. People saying move him to HK have clearly no experience of the horse scene there! I wonder if there's anywhere else it would be feasible to move him to though? I'm sure you've looked into it though... v difficult to find anywhere with turnout in most of Europe, never mind Africa. Good luck.
 
Truce.

And apologies to op if i have been rude, i don't mean to be. i hope you get an apology from the offenders!
 
equi said:
But it will when she starts riding, sore muscles and legs etc. If its not kept fit for riding then im sure that the time spent there would be wasted on getting the horse used to riding again? Sorry if i have sounded rude and judgemental, but wouldn't it be better for it to be ridden, if even once or twice a week by a reputable rider?
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Hmmm I guess that make me a bad owner because the polo ponies have 6 months off over the winter!

Bottom line is someone is riding OP's horse without her permission, and that's just not acceptable IMO.
 
Not surprised you are fuming OP I would be.

However in your circumstances you are in a difficult situation and I would be wary of jumping out of the frying pan and into tbe fire if you are otherwise happy with the care your horse gets.

The only way to be sure that a livery yard (anywhere in the world) is caring for your horse properly is to check, regularly, and unannounced. I understand that your circumstances preclude this so you need to arrange for someone who you do trust to check your horse. Offering a share to a suitable person might be an economic way to do this, working livery at a holidays on horseback type place might be worth considering, or just finding someone to pop in regularly and check all is well and chat to the staff.

It might be worth talking to any organisations for British ex-pats in Morocco to see if there are horsey folk who would help. It might also be worth contacting the sporting bodies in Morocco to enable you to contact pros and aspiring competitors who might have a suitable yard or be willing to check on your horse for payment.
 
equi said:
..Why bother having a horse that is so far away? The poor thing was probably ecstatic to get out and about.
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equi said:
My opinion and i stick to it. Horses are not a play thing for your summer holiday. I do understand the frustration at someone riding the horse without permission, but if i had a horse on the other side of the world i would be happy to have someone ride it to keep it ticking over and keep it fit, and if they were a decent rider to keep its education on track.
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equi said:
But it will when she starts riding, sore muscles and legs etc. If its not kept fit for riding then im sure that the time spent there would be wasted on getting the horse used to riding again? Sorry if i have sounded rude and judgemental, but wouldn't it be better for it to be ridden, if even once or twice a week by a reputable rider?
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equi said:
Fair enough, but its not the same cause minis CANT be ridden, her horse can.
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I'm actually very shocked at this. Having read this thread is it evident that the OP does what she can, when she can. Just because you're lucky enough to have your horses close enough by to see them regularly is one thing, but don't judge others who don't have a choice. I'm sure if the OP wanted her horse in Hong Kong she would do, but she's probably thought thru the care side of things and decided her horse is better off in morocco where he's turned out, stabled and lunged - so hardly unfit getting 'sore muscles and legs etc'. I've already said my two penneth worth which you've read, but I stand by my judgement of, I very rarely get to see my horse, and when I do, it's mostly a summer thing. Please feel free to group me with the OP in your debate as my horse ISNT ridden, or worked in any way as she's not predictable enough, nor do I want anyone on her without my being there.

Not all of us are as LUCKY as you. Go cherish that. Give your horses a great big hug for the fact you CAN see them daily. I know whenever I get a few minutes with my mare, I most certainly do give her a big hug. Riding isn't the be all and end all. You don't have to ride to be a horse owner.
 
OP - I agree, unacceptable for someone to ride your horse without your permission.

Horses have been rescued from all kinds of dire situations to be facilitated and lead perfect normal happy lives - a horse's past is in the past, and going forwards it is best not to use it as an excuse for management anomalies.

The key component in making a rescue horse happy is that it trusts those around it. You clearly do not trust anyone in this country to look after what appears to be a very precious and long standing member of your family, for months at a time without you being there.

In your situation I would find a way to either move the horse, or yourself, so that you are closer together and you can see he is getting exactly what he needs without relying on people who have quite blatantly abused your trust and gone against your wishes. Short of doing that I can't see how you will solve the problem of other people doing as they wish with your horse for months on end - I hope you find a solution that works for you all, I would turn purple if people were riding my horses without permission.
 
Stroppy Mare said:
I'm actually very shocked at this. Having read this thread is it evident that the OP does what she can, when she can. Just because you're lucky enough to have your horses close enough by to see them regularly is one thing, but don't judge others who don't have a choice. I'm sure if the OP wanted her horse in Hong Kong she would do, but she's probably thought thru the care side of things and decided her horse is better off in morocco where he's turned out, stabled and lunged - so hardly unfit getting 'sore muscles and legs etc'. I've already said my two penneth worth which you've read, but I stand by my judgement of, I very rarely get to see my horse, and when I do, it's mostly a summer thing. Please feel free to group me with the OP in your debate as my horse ISNT ridden, or worked in any way as she's not predictable enough, nor do I want anyone on her without my being there.

Not all of us are as LUCKY as you. Go cherish that. Give your horses a great big hug for the fact you CAN see them daily. I know whenever I get a few minutes with my mare, I most certainly do give her a big hug. Riding isn't the be all and end all. You don't have to ride to be a horse owner.
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I have ridden my horse 3 times in the last year (due to pain issues allbeit), so i am most definitely NOT a "if its not ridden it is useless" person. My point was that if they only see it a short time of the year, would it not be better to have someone ride every now and then so it would be ready to ride when she gets there? Also note that i apologised for how it came out, i didn't articulate myself very well.
 
Kat said:
Not surprised you are fuming OP I would be.

However in your circumstances you are in a difficult situation and I would be wary of jumping out of the frying pan and into tbe fire if you are otherwise happy with the care your horse gets.

The only way to be sure that a livery yard (anywhere in the world) is caring for your horse properly is to check, regularly, and unannounced. I understand that your circumstances preclude this so you need to arrange for someone who you do trust to check your horse. Offering a share to a suitable person might be an economic way to do this, working livery at a holidays on horseback type place might be worth considering, or just finding someone to pop in regularly and check all is well and chat to the staff.

It might be worth talking to any organisations for British ex-pats in Morocco to see if there are horsey folk who would help. It might also be worth contacting the sporting bodies in Morocco to enable you to contact pros and aspiring competitors who might have a suitable yard or be willing to check on your horse for payment.
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In total agreement.
 
As a bit of an aside....

We once had a horse come to us from Hong Kong and it had no idea that grass was safe to walk on and could actually be eaten! Sad really, but the horse was so institutionalised that he was much happier inside and eating packaged forage. We'd probably all like to give our horses more turnout time - especially at the moment - but the truth is that for lots of horses, both leisure and working animals, turnout is not the norm.

In an ideal world we'd like to think of all horses having time out in green pastures every day, but that's no more a reality in North Africa or Hong Kong, or many other places in the world than it is here in the UK at the moment where for many of us it's a choice between stable or mud-bath.

And each of us can only do the best within our power to do right by the horses that come in to our lives, by whatever means, and that is exactly what the OP is trying to do.
Going to get my muddy monsters in now and remind them how lucky they are.
 
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