Good stories about your horses please

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Tayto

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Hello!

I am a first time horse owner. I have had my mare (8 yr old, clydesdale x cob) for 4 months now. I recently found out was only backed 2 years ago - not what I was told when i bought her but never mind! So I was wondering today - how many people think they have the perfect horse (well, as close to perfect as poss)?

I feel like my mare is too good to be true..... She is so chilled out and takes everything in her stride. She has already given me confidence to try things I would have never even dreamt of doing before. She is very green with schooling but that's ok cos we are having lessons and we will learn together. She will hack past things that other, more experienced horses will freak out at.

However, I worry every day that this is just her settling in period and she is going to turn into a total horror......

Kind of a pointless post really, but just wanted to hear some positive stories about your horses.....
 
Seems not... just tales of woe and misery! :p

Well, I was told about a young arab gelding that was looking for a new home by the man who came to shoot out rabbits. After much encouragement from the people on here, I went to view him and it really was inevitable that he would end up coming home with me (I really tried to resist, honest). So I now have a lovely arab gelding who I think the world of and I wasn't even looking for a horse. Luck, fate, whatever, I'm glad it all worked out. :)

Then someone else on here recognised him and sent me foal photos of him. :D

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This was him 5 mins after arriving...

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With my greatly missed old TB.

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I got back into riding two years ago (20 *ahem* years break) and after what seemed like a bad choice, to a sad loss to a really bad choice to what seemed like a perfect match which wasnt I was all but for giving up when I got a message on FB about some horses and ponies in need of sale due to the owner having a life changing accident! So I spotted in amogst the pictures a rather large but scraggly looking dark bay TB and enquired about him ..... It turned out he was moved to a yard down the road from his current location to a lady who was thinking of having him herself .. this lady I had actually cyber met on here so that was a really funny coincidence :D so I arranged to go see him that evening.

I turned up to see a dirty, dusty and rather unkept bay TB who was rather large at about 17hh, he was 7 yrs old and had a few lumps and bumps but otherwise seemed rather chilled and nice for a TB ... :confused:

Anyway cut a long story short I brought said horse for a few pennies and I've owned him two months now. He is the kindest, most geniune horse I have EVER met. We get on famously on the ground and ridden, I can literally ride him out on the buckle on our own or in company. He struggles to school and has the attention span of a nat which is just like myself! :rolleyes: but I adore him beyond what I ever thought possible to feel for a horse. He is my boy, my bit of sunshine and I cannot imagine living without him and he scrubbed up very nicely :D
 
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When I was 14 after a run of horrible horses (one was pts as was dangerous) I was incredibly lucky to get a little pony called Westie from someone in my PC. He was AMAZING! At 14hh we jumped single fences of 1.40with no reins or saddle, I'd quite often go for a gallop in a field with just a headcollar on. We competed BS and people hated us because he was so well behaved yet still was mega quick against the clock. I could put a complete begginer on him and he would be a saint then I could get on him and jump a course of 1.05m. I used to ride him backwards on the bridle path so I could talk to my friend easier. We sold him 4 years ago to a nervous boy and he has just been sold again in the same pony club to another girl who wants to get her confidence.

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Jumping 1.40m
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They do exist, just give your mare every chance :)
 
I've got my perfect horse! First and only one I viewed and I'm a first time owner, I've had her 5 years and can't fault her. We're mainly hackers, we go out alone most of the time, but in the last couple of years we've done the beach, cross country schooling, lots of flatwork and lessons, and this week we went jumping. We brought home our first rosette for clear round and I'm chuffed to bits. Not only did we get a rosette, but she was the most chilled horse at the venue wandering around with me and standing calmly while all around were running about like headless chickens!
 
Oh so many good stories, where to start?! Blondie, the ex-stud stallion, ex-BSJA, pony who arrived snorting and blowing and tried to jump out of the stable the first day I got him home, but went on to prove himself sane and safe and stupidly good fun and rebuilt my confidence from scratch. Sixteen years later, I'm about to lose him, but wouldn't still be riding if it wasn't for his 'look, I swear I won't dump you, but let's go 'cause that looks like FUN!' attitude. LP, the most level-headed youngster I've ever started, who was scared of nothing except aluminum cans and worked with me all the way up from green as grass to doing elementary affiliated dressage. Orange, who after losing her nerve, flew around a xc course with me this week. Or Bug, the idiot baby, who'd been frightened out of her wits in a sand school, and this week went out in the trailer to do an agility day at a stranger's yard, in a strange school, and did it all with pricked ears and enthusiasm instead of hysterical, explosive, drama. Trust your new horse, OP. Sounds lovely and well done for prompting us all to remember how awesome our horses are!
 
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About fifteen years ago I rescued a mare from a field, she had been starved, two weeks later I had two horses. I found the mare a home and kept Ffin who is a total star!

About five weeks ago I tripped leading him in to the box, I went down with such a thump i could not move. He stayed still until I could roll out of his way and then carefully stepped over me. He then let me crawl from under him and waited until I could hobble around and sort him out. He is that sort of horse. He is a super horse and would not swap him for another horse in the world.
 
YAY! thank you everyone for sharing nice stories. I am guilty of reading horror posts about people buying horses that turn out to be unsuitable etc and I keep thinking - surely my first horse cant be this good?!

Here is a wee piccy of us doing an in hand class at our yard a few weeks ago. We are off to our first "proper" show away from home this weekend and I am so nervous!

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and one of us riding with no saddle or bridle - not something I EVER thought I would do!

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So lovely to hear that your mare seems to be turning out to be everything you hoped for op:)
I'm not really sure why I went to see my lad, but I bought him primarily because he made me laugh - I thought that even if I get him home and he breaks himself within a week he will make a lovely pet. That 3yo has now turned into the most fabulous 4yo, who I absolutely adore and who still makes makes me laugh. Me and him now go hacking out across the common land - up and down hills, dodging gorse bushes, cantering along grassy tracks, splashing through streams... as long as there's an adventure to be had he's up for it. And then there's the schooling...well he is just the most fabulous ride. As a riding horse he suits me down to the ground, and while that is partly because I did him myself, it's also down to his fantastic personality. Long may it continue :)
 
I bought the mare that I learned to ride on :) she is a lovely 14.2 hand native. When I got her she was all thin, with a bad coat and all depressed. She is the most pampered princess ever and all through my early to mid teens she was an absolute brat and everyone used to say how awful she was. Nearly ten years later she is a lovely sweet pretty little pony. When she went to a show where she came from her old owner thought we had bought a new horse. She's a member of our family and everyone mentions how lucky we are to have each other ;)
 
I have three horses, all of whom I think are perfect in their own ways. But realistically I should - if I didn't, why would I want to work my butt off to keep them!
 
OP your horse is gorgeous. Good luck at the upcoming show.

I have a perfect horse. It's strange as he's not most peoples idea of fun, but he's up for anything and always tries his best. He has quite a cheeky character and will run rings round you if you let him, getting upto all sorts of trouble. But I'm not in the best of health and he's an angel with me, always looking out for me and he'd never hurt me. We've had so much fun together over the years. He's my life really.
 
It's amazing to think back sometimes....

I bought my mare from a dealer as a 'perfect' first horse. Unbeknown to me shed been traded in due to lameness problems and was supposed to be sold as a brood mare...and I didn't get her vetted-if I knew then what I know now I probably wouldn't have touched her. So I brought home a very nappy, sometimes lame horse with crap feet. Seven years later after loads of blood, sweat, tears, physio and farrier visits she's semi retired but during that time she came sound most of the time! We did everything from XC, dressage, showing, side saddle and now she's hacks out alone perfectly. Now she's gently hacked a couple of times a week, loving life and I can honestly say she taught me so much, especially perseverance which I needed with my youngster!!

So on to him, bought at 3, unknown to me barely handled and having been used as a stallion he wasn't what I went to buy but there was something I loved about him. I backed him myself and yes there are some things I'd do differently. He's tried my patience, he's needed time to learn that the world isn't out to get him but now he's 6 he's turned out to be a lovely willing little man who tries his heart out, will jump anything and loves hacking out alone. I never thought I'd see the day as he was so spooky and used to bolt! Yes he still needs work but I'm at a stage where I know what works with him, and if he does have silly moments they're for a reason - not just because he can't be bothered.

I honestly thank god every day for my 2 amazing horses, they make my life!
 
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