Have any of you ever approached a stranger..

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Cash

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...introduced yourself, and asked to ride/groom/pat etc their horses? Maybe when you were a kid?
Someone's recent thread in here about a young girl and her mum pestering her to ride got me thinking. Obviously it's totally different in that situation as those people are being b!oody annoying and rude :rolleyes: and completely taking the p, putting OP in a very difficult position.
But have any of you (and I'm guessing all of the people that have were horseless at the time?) asked someone with horses anything like this?
Just made me think of last year, about April, when I approached a lady who kept horses in our village. I actually had a TB on loan at that point, having sold my horse earlier that year. The loan horse was on full livery at a posh yard about 20 miles away, so I couldn't see him much during the week, unless I could persuade my parents to take me. Although I was really enjoying doing lots of jumping and dressage, lessons, competitions etc with my loan horse, I always felt under a bit of pressure, especially as he wasn't mine and I was totally amateur compared to most of the other riders at the yard, it wasn't always totally relaxing. I really really wanted to do some riding where I could go hacking, unwind, and go really really fast sometimes without being on an XC course :D (loan horse was v difficult to hack, especially alone).
So I was out running in my village, went past this field with 2 horses in it who I'd always looked at when passing, since I was about 7, and thought how gorgeous they looked- when I was about 12 they were exactly the type I wanted. I occasionally patted them if they came to the gate, but obviously never climbed in or anything as I knew that was wrong. ;)
Anyway there was a car by the gate and a woman grooming them. She looked friendly, so I said hi, and told her I'd always admired the horses, and that I was a keen rider. We got chatting, I told her about my loan horse and what I did with him (but not that I was looking for a horse to ride or anything!) and within a few mins she asked me if I'd ride her Welsh D mare(other one was retired) as she needed her exercised as she (lady not mare! :p ) had recently had surgery, with some complications, and also a full time job. She told me a bit more about the horse (totally safe and bombproof in traffic, but quite hard to stop on grass as she loved to go!) and I said truthfully that I'd ridden a lot of different horses, and felt I had pretty good stickability, but that I certainly wasn't the next Mary King by any means :p and that I'd just love to have a horse to hack. She said that sound good. :D
Rode the horse the next day, the owner watched me ride down the rode, and then waved me off on a hack on my own (which I see now was a bit stupid, going out alone on a horse I didn't know, but in my defence I had my BP on, phone with me knew the countryside v v well, and stuck to quiet lanes and stuff until I got to know the horse) and I had a blast! Came back two hours later, a bit embarassed as horse was dripping with sweat and I'd been quite a while, but the owner was absolutely thrilled that A) I'd enjoyed myself enough to stay out that long and B) The mare had enjoyed herself!!
I took the tack home that nght, and the owner told me to help myself to the horse and ride whenever. I had some amazing hacks round the countryside, and the owner was really pleased when I took her over the old XC jumps on the grange as the mare loved to jump but owner did not!! :cool:
I rode her quite a lot until the end of last year, when she died suddenly in the field at the age of 15. :( She is sorely missed.
I am so glad I had the nerve to ask though- the owner is now a good friend, I have consequently hacked out her new horse several times, and a couple of others she's had in, and met up for hacks with her on MY new horse (who is now at livery close by). She also put me in touch with some useful contacts when I was looking for my new horse, and then when I finally got the new horse and I had forgotten to buy any hay :eek: :o she lent me a couple of bales! :D
Sorry it's got so long and rambly, and it's a bit pointless!! Just interested to know if anyone else has had a similarly lucky experience??
 
LOL, that's my thread you're talking about ;)

I don't have a problem with her approaching me to pet the horses, and in the first instance I said yes (now regretting it!) as I remember being a horseless youngster and I'd have jumped at the chance of just being around horses. And tbh, if she actually could ride, I'd have welcomed her help, so I don't have a problem with people approaching me, as long as they respect (and heed!) my answer.

Actually, I appreciated her asking - I have found kids in my field stroking the horses, and it scares the life out of me to think what could happen. My lot are an amiable bunch but it doesn't take much to spook a herd!

Never had anything as lucky as you when I was growing up though. There was an old pony in one of our neighbouring fields, and the owner let me go and groom him and make a fuss of him whenever I wanted to, but he was too old to ride, unfortunately.
 
I ride my dads friends girlfriends pony who is mad but lovely but they're too big for her but didn't want her to giro waste or be sold as she's a lovely mare!
but recently my mum had been enquiring about grazing for a friend to the local farmer and his girlfriend offered for me to ride her lovely Connie, the horses are kept in a field about a 5 min walk away! but then we called her to tell her that one of the other horses in the field was lame jis incase she didn't know and she ignored our call, we called her for about a week and she finally answered and said that I couldn't ride her horse because her insurance dosent cover it (we had already told her I am insured to ride other peoples horses!!) so we told her about her lame horse and didn't want to seem rude by reminding her about my insurance incase it was an excuse and for some unknown reason just didn't want me riding her horse. I'm only 14, and she knew this. it did upset me, and it made my mum quite angry as she was the on who offered, but it doesn't matter as long as I'm still riding the lovely pony I ride :)
 
Jenna500 said:
LOL, that's my thread you're talking about ;)

I don't have a problem with her approaching me to pet the horses, and in the first instance I said yes (now regretting it!) as I remember being a horseless youngster and I'd have jumped at the chance of just being around horses. And tbh, if she actually could ride, I'd have welcomed her help, so I don't have a problem with people approaching me, as long as they respect (and heed!) my answer.

Actually, I appreciated her asking - I have found kids in my field stroking the horses, and it scares the life out of me to think what could happen. My lot are an amiable bunch but it doesn't take much to spook a herd!

Never had anything as lucky as you when I was growing up though. There was an old pony in one of our neighbouring fields, and the owner let me go and groom him and make a fuss of him whenever I wanted to, but he was too old to ride, unfortunately.
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Ah, sorry, I am bad at names! ;)

No no wasn't at all trying to get at you, think you've done exactly the right thing so far. I guess you're right in that at least she asked, even if she is now like an annoying dog with a bone! ;)
 
Awwwww bless! Well she did offer, and she obviously thought you were the right person to ride her horses. You wern't pestering her like Jennas pesterers! I have never asked but I have been asked by others if they could ride/pet/give carrot. I dont mind the petting and the carrots, I used to actually stop outside this house on my way out on a hack so that a little girl and her dad could come out to give the horse a stroke and a nibble of a carrot. I wouldnt want any old stranger to ride the horse though, he is definitly NOT for a beginner. I did used to get this girl who used to rudely ask to ride my horse and the other liveries ALL the time, even when you bluntly said NO! Until the YO told her to get lost before he chased her on his horse with his whip...then she never asked again.
 
I guess in a way when I was a bit younger I did, she was wasn't a total stranger as I'd spoken to her on dog walks etc. I didn't out right ask but I suppose I may have lightly hinted that I'd like something to ride that wasn't from a riding school, as she keeps her horses in the village. One day I was sat at home after school and I heard a knock on my door, went to answer and there was a huge big horse at my front door. Turns out she must have been passing on a hack and decided to ask me if I'd like to ride her cob for her. Of course I said yes, so I pulled the poor old thing out of retirement (he was probably around 17 maybe). Anyway I had him on loan for two summers (not through the winter as all I did was hack in the evenings and due to dark nights and weather etc it wasn't worth paying for shoes for him). He taught me so so much though, I did my first proper gallop on him, my first hunting, my first show, my first riding club, my first dressage etc etc. He was a naughty little monster at times who knew every trick in the book, but for that I'm grateful as I now too know every trick in the book ;) He unfortunately had to be retired again due to arthritis, stiffness and the like. However I loved him and still say hello to him every time I walk past his field, although he won't talk to me any more as I deserted him. The little monkey even bit me one time I went to see him, just to show his distaste!

At the time however I was much to shy to have asked myself so I'm very lucky that she asked me, and I can honestly say she's one of the nicest person I know.
 
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MOLLYA said:
Ah, sorry, I am bad at names! ;)

No no wasn't at all trying to get at you, think you've done exactly the right thing so far. I guess you're right in that at least she asked, even if she is now like an annoying dog with a bone! ;)
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Nope, didn't think you were :D (Don't you just hate the written word at times??)

That is the annoying thing though - I thought I did right by letting her in as she DID ask, but now I wish I hadn't!
 
this is making me very embarrassed at what I did once, I was lucky enough to have a pony but my friend didn't have one, there was a farm next to the yard where I kept my pony that had a couple of ponies in the field, so one day me and my friend in our riding clothes with our hats went to the farm, knocked on the door and asked if we could ride them! Actually I'm sure I was on my pony and we asked if we could borrow one there and then to go out for a ride!
The woman was very nice when she said no, but I'm horrified now at the cheek of us!
 
Lol, yes... A friend and I started as part-time grooms to a local showjumper because I'd seen her stables and just went up and asked if she needed help one day :). Learnt so much. Some good, some not so good, but such is life. On the whole it was great :). We were allowed to ride the horses, but not jump them. Loved it.

Got to the stage where my parents would ask people and look for ads in the papers lol. I rode polo ponies thanks to Mum, and race horses thanks to Dad.

The lady in your tale sounds lovely :). Lovely memories :)
 
Its how I started.

There was an old lady down the road who had two horses. We got chatting one day and she started me off on the basics. When she became too infirm to look after them she gave them both to me. When she died she left me her trailer and her daughters asked me to dispose of all the tack etc (so I kept it all and oiled it up etc! I have loads of old traditional stuff that you just can't get hold of these days that works really well!). I was only 7 and riding a 15.1 anglo arab and a 15.2 TB! Seems crazy.

Mum and Dad then let me start having riding lessons because this craze clearly wasn't going away.

I have tried to do the same and pass the favour on but I ended up paying out a small fortune on replacing broken tack and clearing up. Something I always did myself when I had the opportunity. Sad because I would love to help someone else get into it.
 
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