Have we gotten fussy?

[Peglo]

It’s horizontal rain here today and so I’ve just been sitting thinking about buying horses and what people look for. It’s got me thinking of my first pony and how imperfectly perfect she is but I don’t think I would ever buy a horse like her now.

TBF I got her for free as she was supposed to have navicular. She has sweet itch, had zero interest in schooling and really refused to cooperate when asked to. But she was an amazing hack who loved to get out, she’s always been so easy to keep and work with, a really kind pony and if you put a child on her she would be so careful with the rider but as soon as an adult got she was so forward, wanted to gallop everywhere but never ever bucked. I mostly rode her bareback, fell off a lot but the confidence she gave me was invaluable. I’m so thankful for her and have never regretted getting her even though 15 years of owning her she has been retired.


so it’s got me wondering if we want more from our horses than we did 15 years ago? When I think of most of the ponies I knew of growing up they seemed less perfect, more quirky or had more limitations to what I’d expect of a pony now. Does the price of keeping horses and lack of time to spend on them mean we can only keep one good horse instead of 2 that aren’t perfect?

what was everyone’s first pony/horse like? Were they difficult or have quirks? Would you buy them now?

 

[Caol Ila]

My first horse, bought when I was 13, was a 10year old Quarter horse who didn't hack out alone, had turned planting into an art, took off with me a lot, bit me once, tried to kick when saddled up, and despised dressage. Over four years, I fixed most of that stuff, but the arthritis in her hocks meant she really wasn't going to be a dressage horse, which is why I ended up selling her.

My most recent forays into horse buying have resulted in a mostly-unhandled 2-year old pregnant PRE (I was, however, unaware of the pregnancy) and a 10-year old ex-feral Highland with a fear of arenas. I don't think I've become fussier.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Mine was a totally unsuitable nutter, bought aged 2 from a horse auction and backed by 15 year old me. Looking back on her now she was probably functionally lame most of her life and went everywhere at a skitter-bounce and had awful confirmation. She was the love of my life and I'd buy her again in a heart beat ?

 

[Nudibranch]

My first pony was a 3yo half wild, jet black Welsh x who was initially a nightmare but turned into a totally bombproof, go anywhere, do anything pony. When I outgrew her I broke her to harness. You can probably tell my parents weren't horsey, because if they had known the first thing they'd never have let me near her. But she was amazing. Sadly she was pts a few years ago after Iiving her whole life with me. I think she was around 30. I had a little boy just a couple of years after and she would have been the perfect little pony for him.
Anyway after many years of TBs, WBs, even a super Cleveland Bay, I found myself with a 3yo, now 15hh Dales. She is so like my first pony in temperament and is shaping up to be a horse of a lifetime. It's like having my old girl back, but bigger!

 

[Peglo]

My first horse, bought when I was 13, was a 10year old Quarter horse who didn't hack out alone, had turned planting into an art, took off with me a lot, bit me once, tried to kick when saddled up, and despised dressage. Over four years, I fixed most of that stuff, but the arthritis in her hocks meant she really wasn't going to be a dressage horse, which is why I ended up selling her.

My most recent forays into horse buying have resulted in a mostly-unhandled 2-year old pregnant PRE (I was, however, unaware of the pregnancy) and a 10-year old ex-feral Highland with a fear of arenas. I don't think I've become fussier.

I was actually thinking of you and your recent post with foinaven a bit when I was writing this. I think you will end up with a fantastic pony in the end ?

 

[vmac66]

My first pony regularly took on the roads with me and go from 0 to gallop in seconds.
The pony I got wasn't the pony I tried at the viewing. I'd tried out a 10 year old fairly sensible pony. I got a 4 year completely green pony. She still had the glue marks ftom Beeston horse auctions on her rump. Very dodgy dealer. She was the same colour and height as the one I'd tried do she stayed.
She taught me so much over the years I had her, mainly patience and stickability.
Sold her as I outgrew her. I certainly haven't got fussier. My mare I have now is very similar to her.

 

[spacefaer]

My first pony was a 12.2hhh Welsh Mountain pony - grey as you might imagine! He was 5 - same age as me -and I did everything with him. He used to run off with me on a regular basis whenever his feet hit grass, but he was bombproof on the roads. I used to hack him to the farrier two villages away.
He was ace at gymkhana games but pretty limited over a fence.
He was also a little devil to catch.
He went to the RDA after me and apparently won the Pony of the Year award several times when he was in his 20s.
We've got one now that we can't catch and I still have the occasional braking issue so not sure much has changed - although I do prefer a better jumper and my days of vaulting on for gymkhana games are well behind me ??

 

[The Irish Draft 2022]

My first horse hated competitions was very lazy and would buck if you made her go. She is very safe horse my brother learnt how to ride on her. I still have her she is only 12 years old and I will never sell her. I think people want fancy horse nowadays .

 

[Flame_]

It’s horizontal rain here today and so I’ve just been sitting thinking about buying horses and what people look for. It’s got me thinking of my first pony and how imperfectly perfect she is but I don’t think I would ever buy a horse like her now.

TBF I got her for free as she was supposed to have navicular. She has sweet itch, had zero interest in schooling and really refused to cooperate when asked to. But she was an amazing hack who loved to get out, she’s always been so easy to keep and work with, a really kind pony and if you put a child on her she would be so careful with the rider but as soon as an adult got she was so forward, wanted to gallop everywhere but never ever bucked. I mostly rode her bareback, fell off a lot but the confidence she gave me was invaluable. I’m so thankful for her and have never regretted getting her even though 15 years of owning her she has been retired.


so it’s got me wondering if we want more from our horses than we did 15 years ago? When I think of most of the ponies I knew of growing up they seemed less perfect, more quirky or had more limitations to what I’d expect of a pony now. Does the price of keeping horses and lack of time to spend on them mean we can only keep one good horse instead of 2 that aren’t perfect?

what was everyone’s first pony/horse like? Were they difficult or have quirks? Would you buy them now?

I don't really count my first pony. I was a townie rider from a non-horsey family and still thought like a riding school kid when I had him - that it was all about riding. I had him just over a year, got bored and fancied riding a different one so I just sold him

I bought Flame, who taught me about attachment, respect, resilience and how some horses just belong on a pedestal even if on paper they aren't anything special.

Current horse, over 20 years and a few horses later, is the only one to match up to her, but in a slightly different way. I'd love one with her energy again one day and I always have an eye out for something with a similar profile, she was rare and super uphill.

 

[twiggy2]

My first horse, I was 15, when we went to look at a selection he wasn't part of it but I saw him and fell in love, he kicked my dad at the viewing and was a sat on twice 3 Yr old, I only got to keep him a year and we went everywhere together, I too would have him back in a heart beat.
My last one was an unbacked 2 Yr old that I felt sorry for, I was there when she was born, I was offered her for free as a yearling and said no as she wouldn't stay in a field, she was sold off the place and I bought her a Yr later, she was amazing and probably still is, I had her for 6 yrs and she would go anywhere.
I would love another 2 or 3 Yr old to back but I won't pay the current prices and need the ok from the land owner here.

 

[fankino04]

My first pony wasn't really mine, my parents always said I couldn't have a pony as they couldn't afford one, always telling me "it's not the buying, it's the keeping!" So I was the kid at the riding school all day everyday that I wasn't at school and sometimes getting a free ride in return for hours and hours of grooming, mucking out, leading ponies etc. A friend from there fixed me up with the ride on their neighbours outgrown Welsh section B, he was 12 and since the owner outgrew him he had gone through several new jockeys who mostly ended up on the floor with him. He never put a foot wrong with me, we did lots of local shows and xc etc, he was a fab working hunter and had been to ponies UK with his owner. It was a great arrangement as he lived at his owners home so they didn't want any financial contribution, until that was they got another horse and didn't have space for him. My parents knew how much I loved him by then so agreed to take him on full loan and find the money. I outgrew him a year later but they couldn't argue about the cost of keeping one anymore so I got a 15.2hh ex racer of my own who everyone said would kill me she was so dangerous. It took a good 12 months of working with her but she became my horse of a lifetime, can't believe it's been 16 years since she was PTS when she broke her leg in the field ?

 

[GreyDot]

My first horse (never had a pony) was a 15.2 ex racing broodmare with a box foot and a turn of speed that at the age of 9 I thought was absolutely fab, but turned my mum's hair prematurely grey Unfortunately, she ended up with navicular and was PTS, but I loved our disorganised chaos. My second was owned by a farmer's son who was more interested in dating than horses, so his dad sold him to a dealer who ran a local riding school where I used to hang out with my friends. I clearly remember sitting in the cafe area, reading pony mags and the dealer walked in the door, with this horse on the end of a leadrope and I was immediately smitten. I managed to talk my parents round and we bought him for a ridiculously low price. On my very first hack, I realised the only way I could stop him was to aim for trees and hope for the best. Kept ticking away with him and amazingly got him to Elementary dressage and then with the dressage bug well and truly in me, we sold him and I got a newly back 3 year old from a dressage training yard who only had him for sale at a bargain price because they thought he would be too small for their needs. The beautiful boy then went through a growth spurt and ended up 17.2hh!!!! Had him till he was 26.
After that, I started behaving sensibly

 

[ponynutz]

Nah, I think it's just a rite of passage to own a cow of a pony once in your lifetime and younger adults/kids are more able to deal with that (and when I say deal with that I mean hit the floor and bounce)!

 

[tallyho!]

Oh yes I definitely think so! Hang on let me just pop on my rose-tints...

I didn't even know how old my first pony was. I didn't even have a saddle! It lived in an orchard and didn't eat anything else. I only rode in the summer and we went for MILES (at least it was in my head - I recently visited my old stomping ground and whilst it definitely was from before lunch to before tea - it was only about 5 miles as we went back n forth from one house to the next ) the other thing was we just left them untied everywhere we went mostly. There were three of us that went round regularly and they were so good in my memory. They were not shod and I do remember going to the blacksmith almost weekly (it may not have been but it felt like we were there A LOT! It later turned into a pub and we had to stop going as there were too many cars and the cut-through had been developed into bungalows). They must've been sound though as we didn't like to dawdle.

This was the 80's though.

I'm not all that fussy now to be fair, however, I do think knowledge brings anxiety as we grow older with horses. There's so much new "stuff" going on... I never worried about anything back then. Now I worry about nutrition, saddles, bridles, rugs, feet, grass, no grass, hay, no hay, lumps bumps and everything in between. The age of information brings so much to me that think I look for issues! I google symptoms and end up down endless rabbit holes.

I don't think I'm fussy - I think I am suffering from some sort of information overload.

 

[BBP]

My first pony was advertised as an 8yo, vet said closer to mid-20’s. Broken knees, failed flexion so spectacularly she went up and over before the knee even got to 90 degrees. Blind in one eye after a kick to the head. Bucked all the riding school kids off. Went to auction and only meat man bid so my parents couldn’t stand my tears and took her on for meat money. Worst purchase decision ever on paper. Best pony ever in reality. Learned so much about caring for one rather than ragging it around having fun.

Second horse (on loan) was an old Arab, nuts, went everywhere in a power walk or sideways canter, aversion to coloured poles. Loved the bones of him.

Then BBP. Bought an unbacked beautiful 3yo. Ended up with a lunatic with panic attacks and a death wish.

Then 3 weeks ago, a yearling Connemara who so far barring mysteriously being the wrong side of a 1.2m fence, hasn’t put a foot wrong

So I don’t think I’m fussy other than I have to just have that feeling. I do agree that I’m so much more clued up though, so much more aware of if my horse isn’t happy. So I’m not fussy about them being perfect, but I am fussy about them being perfectly happy.

 

[windand rain]

To be honest I have never had a bad pony bar 1 all have been at least civilised and the ones I first owned were saints and put up with my dreadful care with aplomb. The bad one was an adult choice for my granddaughter as a lead rein bought him for her 2nd birthday at 4 weeks old and he has been a dangerous git since she is 18 now. My first horse was a newly backed irish TB who was amazing and taught me so much unfortunately he jumped out of his field and was killed on the road. A month after Lorna Clark had try to buy him for eventing. When she offered me good money which I turned down she aid "you shouldn't let sentiment get in the way of horse sales as they can be killed and you have lost everything" how prophetic was that

 

[Peglo]

Oh yes I definitely think so! Hang on let me just pop on my rose-tints...

I didn't even know how old my first pony was. I didn't even have a saddle! It lived in an orchard and didn't eat anything else. I only rode in the summer and we went for MILES (at least it was in my head - I recently visited my old stomping ground and whilst it definitely was from before lunch to before tea - it was only about 5 miles as we went back n forth from one house to the next ) the other thing was we just left them untied everywhere we went mostly. There were three of us that went round regularly and they were so good in my memory. They were not shod and I do remember going to the blacksmith almost weekly (it may not have been but it felt like we were there A LOT! It later turned into a pub and we had to stop going as there were too many cars and the cut-through had been developed into bungalows). They must've been sound though as we didn't like to dawdle.

This was the 80's though.

I'm not all that fussy now to be fair, however, I do think knowledge brings anxiety as we grow older with horses. There's so much new "stuff" going on... I never worried about anything back then. Now I worry about nutrition, saddles, bridles, rugs, feet, grass, no grass, hay, no hay, lumps bumps and everything in between. The age of information brings so much to me that think I look for issues! I google symptoms and end up down endless rabbit holes.

I don't think I'm fussy - I think I am suffering from some sort of information overload.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head for me too ? beautifully put. I think your pony probably had the best time living in an orchard and getting to live his/her best life with you.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

I haven't got fussier. All I ever wanted as a kid, and all I would like to find now, is a kind pony, preferably pretty, fizzy/joggy is fine but nothing explosive. Bonus if it will potter happily round a school, but not essential. No fancy paces needed, no show-quality confirmation, and I won't jump higher on a horse than I could with my own two feet.

It does seem as though magically all horses and ponies these days are a specific (currently trendy ?) breed. When I bought my first horse 25 years ago she was described as "Irish- possibly ID and/or Connie x?" ?

 

[Ratface]

I got to ride the ponies who had boarding-school riders! I was a day girl, so had quite a choice. My favourites were a kind New Forest mare called Oakie, and a fiendish Exmoor gelding called Puck. Oakie was a pleasant, rather slow biddable ride. Puck was naughty Exmoor chancer and enormous fun. Brilliant jumping pony, very few brakes, not a lot of steering and up for anything that required speed and handbrake turns!
He taught me so much about how to ride with balance, good hands and correct posture. He never put us or anyone else (human or animal) in danger. He was a trusted confidante when my father was killed (WW2) and kept me sane when my family fell apart around me.
He was 32 when he died. I've had a number of horses and ponies since, but he was, and remains the most important one.

 

[Ruftysdad]

My first pony was a Heinz 57 ex rag and bone pony.She never walked and always jogged. She was a devil to catch. However she was a brilliant gymkhana pony and won at every show I took her to. She was sold as an 8 year old but I think she was in her late teens. PTS due to be navicular the

 

[meleeka]

My first pony was 3 year old, just backed 12.2hh Arab x Welsh x TB and as wizzy as you’d expect. The trouble was I was fairly novice! After being dumped I was too scared to ride her so spent 6 months leading her round the roads. When I did get back on it was with a headcollar and lead rein and no hat, on one of our walks, such was the trust we’d built between us. She taught me how to stay on, but was never nasty (she was a dope on a rope for a total novice and only when she thought you were capable did she love to have fun) She was bred to show and would have excelled if she didn’t spend most of her time with her legs in the air ?. As it was we did well at local level as funds didn’t allow any further. She was my pony of a lifetime. I had the privilege of owning her for 27 years.

Would I buy her again? Probably not, she was too green, too fast and too small, but she did have the prettiest head so I might have still been tempted.

 

[rowan666]

I think people have gotten lazier with today's throw away culture. When i was kid most of us seemed to get totally "unsuitable" ponies but we put the work in and made them perfect because we had what we had and we had to work with it or do without. Now too many people expect quick results and/or don't have time to put years of work into something that turned out more challenging than initially thought so just pass the problem on to someone else and get another with less quirks because its so much easier with the interenet now to buy/sell (admittedly guilty of this myself, much to the disaproval of my very old school horsey mother!)

 

[fankino04]

I think when I was a kid there was bragging rights in having the nautiest pony and getting it to behave (eventually!) Whereas now with social media everything has to be perfect all the time.

 

[Winters100]

My first pony was the naughtiest little shetland that you could find. I fell off on a regular basis and absolutely adored him. I then had a nice 12.2, but later a 13.2 who was very good at ejecting me when he decided he was bored. Took me 2 years to learn to ride him and he taught me more than any other pony I had. I think that the difference is that today we are much more safety conscious, not just with horses but in all areas of life. For example I remember that the dog from the neighboring farm used to run out and chase me, nipping at my ankles as I went by. My Father's response was simply 'well run faster then'. I can imagine now that there would be calls to put an animal down for chasing small children, but at that time we just had to manage things.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

First pony used to roll, bite, buck and find the low hanging branch at the end of the field to effectively scrape me off her back.

Second pony had no mane due to sweet itch. Bucked me off daily. Had to be lunged for 20 min before anyone got onto it.

Third pony had to be cross tied to tack up but then went like a dream. Had an enormous buck on him but that was part of the fun.

Then I had the one that was so hot it was borderline psychotic, and was only ridden in a gag. But I rode it bareback frequently, and took it swimming.

At the same time we also had one that would not pass a vetting and was mechanically lame but jumped.

I still counted myself lucky to have the horse I had, and did the best I could to ride it.

We also had ponies that shared saddles, I only had one dressage saddle for every pony that came along. And nothing had ulcers or EMS or anything like that so it was just “naughty”. So I think our understanding of behavior and causes has changed.

 

[tallyho!]

Thanks Peglo. When I do think back it did seem a world away now I think of it... at the time though I have to say there were those yards doing modern things that we were all intrigued about - those posh yards near us (you know what I mean). They had big shiney posh horses and we only had the moors ponies. I remember feeling very upset not being picked to ride at a new owners gymkhana at the time. I didn't know the breed of my pony. That was my first taste of rejection in the horsey/pony industry. I cried a lot.

 

[Lurfy]

My first pony was a black shettie called Princess, which is a funny name for such a devil. I was 4 and my older sisters and I shared her. We had to bribe her with food to get on, but we had some really good times with her. I think I owe my velcro bum to her creative ways to dislodge us. In between trying to ditch us we had some really fun rides in our local area. We kept her at home and rode every day until we outgrew her.

 

[SO1]

I think people are more cautious because they don't know if a behavioral issue is going to turn out to be an medical issue.

The first thing on that people seem to say on here if someone has a behavioural issue with the horse now is get it checked by a vet. Nobody wants to end up with a great big vet bill.

I think people are more sentimental and therefore looking at the longer term and not thinking they will sell if it doesn't work out or don't want to pass on to a dodgy dealer to sell a tricky horse.

There is a lot more traffic and life is more busy safety and manners are important especially if you think you might need assistance or a sharer at some point.

Also competition has become more open to everyone and more popular. People want to be able to go out and enjoy themselves and if you are busy with work or family maybe people have less time for schooling or resolving an issue. I think people are working longer hours and community more and our free time is limited and precious and after a long stressful day at work maybe you just want to have a relaxing easy ride. Well that is what I want anyway. I just have not got the time and mental energy to do a lot of training or have lessons.

 

[teddypops]

I was 6 and my sister was 8 when we got ours. A 6yo just backed Welsh sec C mare who was supposed to be fully broken in but definitely wasn’t. She came from an auction and cost 100 Guineas. She bucked us off regularly and used to Chuck my sister off and return home at speed. Ended up being an amazing pony who we had until she was 33. My mum had grown up in a large town and wanted to marry a farmer and get a pony, so she did but pony was so wild it terrified her and she wouldn’t go anywhere near!

 

[ycbm]

I'm not all that fussy now to be fair, however, I do think knowledge brings anxiety as we grow older with horses. There's so much new "stuff" going on... I never worried about anything back then. Now I worry about nutrition, saddles, bridles, rugs, feet, grass, no grass, hay, no hay, lumps bumps and everything in between. The age of information brings so much to me that think I look for issues! I google symptoms and end up down endless rabbit holes.

I don't think I'm fussy - I think I am suffering from some sort of information overload.

This in spades. I see it everywhere, in myself and in everyone else.
.