Hello from Worcestershire

[Darbs]

As a new forum member, I thought I would say hello.

I am not actually the horse person, I am purely the official communications and financial representative for my horse obsessed 6 year old daughter!

She has been riding since turning 5 at a local riding school and has had 2 lessons a week since then, she is almost 7 now so there are over 150 lessons under her belt. Whilst we do not come from a horse background (apart from an ex-girlfriends Arab over 20 years ago that I used to turn out, feed, muck out etc. and loved every minute) I can see that this is something that she loves and I would be happy to see her involved with long term.

For well over a year she has spent every Saturday, all day at the riding school stables, caring for the horses, helping out and generally learning the full picture of horse ownership. She absolutely loves being outside in all weathers, mixing with lots of other people, seeing how other people ride and taking in all the little tricks and tips that make horse riding and care interesting. She has ridden a number of different ponies this year, some of which are a bit of a handful, and she loves every minute. She's very confident on the ponies, rides well and has been thrown over the top, but got up and jumped back on. She has been bitten and trodden on but see's it all as part of the deal. (She knows I have been a racing cyclist for over 25 years so understands that with some activities injuries and hospital are what may come with the game just as it is with motorsports, rugby etc. Its about managing the risk, she never rides without body protector or hat, and understands the rules to stay as safe as possible around horses)

She is currently poo-picking in the lounge using conkers as pretend poo and using a poo picker made out of an old dustpan. The poo (conkers) has come from her rocking horse that I put wheels on for her and she pulls around the house on a lead rein.

I can see us falling into the equine cash pit of doom, but I would prefer spending £10,000 a year on her horse obsession than £500 on computer games. (Don't think from that comment that we have loads of excess cash washing around, its about what I would prefer to see her doing and being involved with). We are actually trying to balance it so that she retains her interest in swimming and cycling as well, I don't want her to burn out and loose interest in horses through over exposure to the horse world!

My aim of being on the forum is to hoover up as much information as I can so that in 4/5 years time if she is still as obsessed with it as she is now we can start to explore our own pony. We live in a small village surrounded by paddocks, as well as a couple of local livery yards so there are plenty of options for the future. In the shorter term I can see then benefit of giving her as much exposure as possible to different ponies so that she learns to ride with the different characters and responses that they bring.

Thanks to everyone who posts on the forum and shares their extensive knowledge, it makes the potentially daunting thought of horse ownership a little easier, as nobody ever see's a problem for the first time!

 

[Darbs]

I should add that while I am trying to hoover up as much horse related information as I can, I will do my best to contribute to the forum as well.

Whilst I am definitely no horse expert, I may be able to help out with health & safety related issues (my full time job) and cycling related discussion (I am chairman of one of the Midlands largest cycle racing clubs)

 

[oldie48]

Hi, lovely to read about your daughter, my younger daughter was exactly the same as yours and it led to us initially loaning a super first pony then buying our own. I got rather fed up with walking beside her as she hacked down the lanes and although I'd not really ridden as a child except for a few lessons and the odd trek, I bought myself a little horse to accompany her. We eventually sold up and bought the house we have now with our own stables and paddocks, so it really did end up being an expensive business although i regret not one penny, we had a wonderful time together enjoying horses, competing etc etc. I was a complete novice when we started but I was fortunate to have experienced people around me and when we started keeping horses at home I had someone I trusted to turn to for help and now with nearly 20 years of experience under my belt I still ask for advice as there is just so much to know. You just never stop learning. Although I'm now heading towards 70, I still ride 6 times a week, still compete and still make a complete idiot of myself. It is the most all consuming activity I have ever done and I am so lucky and privileged to have spent some time in the company of horses! I wish your daughter well and do post so pics up for us to view. Do let us know if you decide to trade your cycle in for a horse! By the way I am just across the river from you.

 

[Django Pony]

Welcome! I'm in Worcestershire too
Which riding school does your daughter attend?

 

[AdorableAlice]

Welcome neighbour.

I love the poo picking in the lounge ! this hobby, lets make that habit, is going to leave you skint in more ways than one, but will be worth it.

When she is ready to up grade on schools let me know, I regulate them and can point you in the right direction.

Please tell your bike riders that the next time they come up the inside of my newly broken 4 year old I will let him kick them into touch. Some of the road racers need serious education, we may have a spokesperson now !

 

[Darbs]

Hi, lovely to read about your daughter, my younger daughter was exactly the same as yours and it led to us initially loaning a super first pony then buying our own. I got rather fed up with walking beside her as she hacked down the lanes and although I'd not really ridden as a child except for a few lessons and the odd trek, I bought myself a little horse to accompany her. We eventually sold up and bought the house we have now with our own stables and paddocks, so it really did end up being an expensive business although i regret not one penny, we had a wonderful time together enjoying horses, competing etc etc.

Thanks for that great response, I can see our future years following a similar pattern, my wife has mentioned starting riding lessons, so I can see exactly where this is heading!

 

[Darbs]

Welcome neighbour.

I love the poo picking in the lounge ! this hobby, lets make that habit, is going to leave you skint in more ways than one, but will be worth it.

When she is ready to up grade on schools let me know, I regulate them and can point you in the right direction.

Please tell your bike riders that the next time they come up the inside of my newly broken 4 year old I will let him kick them into touch. Some of the road racers need serious education, we may have a spokesperson now !

I agree that this is going to soak up all of my cash that I may have been stupid enough to think I could spend enjoying myself! Thanks for your offer about schooling advice, I will definitely take you up on that in the future, I intend to explore every offer of assistance I get.

I completely agree with you about the way some cyclists approach horses, it is completely unacceptable. I (and my regular training group) always slow down, shout a long way back so that the horse and rider know we are there, then we pass slowly and as wide as safely possible, ideally against the opposite verge. The cycling club that I am Chairman of (Wyre Forest Cycle Racing Club) are probably one of the few to have a documented risk assessment and procedure for passing horses while we are on social or training rides, that is available to all of our members. I would hope that helps show how much I recognise this issue.

As with most walks of life, it is the minority that spoil it for the majority, but that is not an excuse. We must all keep the pressure on cyclists to make sure they recognise that fast, close, silent overtakes can cause a big problem for horse riders. Maybe if a couple of cyclists got a kick from a young horse it would highlight the issue, they certainly wouldn't get any sympathy from me.

 

[Darbs]

Welcome! I'm in Worcestershire too
Which riding school does your daughter attend?

She's at Tewkesbury Riding School, Twyning. It is great, she loves it. Jo and Sarah have a great set up, everyone is really friendly and my daughter gets to ride different ponies with different traits and characters, so she is learning quickly. She spends every Saturday there, helping out, feeding, grooming, etc. In fact our biggest problem is getting her home at the end of Saturday afternoons, she's only really satisfied if she is the last one out to shut the gate!

 

[oldie48]

It' the big cycle events that I struggle with. I live on, what would be a quiet barely double track lane which is popular with a number of cycle clubs for their events. They don't always put signs out and one Sunday morning I met three groups of approx 50 cyclists in each group riding quite fast. My horse, who is pretty rock solid in the heaviest of traffic just about coped with the first group but when I saw another group coming my only option was to cross in front of them to get into a driveway. It was pretty hairy. I did speak to someone at the club (Severn) and they suggested I keep an eye on their website but of course they are not the only club to use this route. I understand that it's impossible for a group like that to stop suddenly but I do wonder how safe that is??? If I hack out on a Sunday I now box to a different route. Cyclists and riders need to work together as we are both vulnerable on the roads. I actually find motor cyclists more considerate than many of the cyclists I meet. I hope you don't regret mentioning your cycling!!!

 

[Darbs]

Cyclists and riders need to work together as we are both vulnerable on the roads. I actually find motor cyclists more considerate than many of the cyclists I meet. I hope you don't regret mentioning your cycling!!!

I completely agree with everything you said, and I fully support the fact that there needs to be closer cooperation and communication between both groups.

Whilst I don't pretend to be able to solve all of the issues between the two groups, I assure you that I will definitely not permanently side with the cyclists. I think we are often our own worst enemies in many situations, not just with horses. Having said that all cyclists also get lumped together, so every pillock riding a bike gets called a cyclist! I recall a newspaper article a few years ago where an armed robber got away on a bike, and was called 'a cyclist', but when an armed robber runs away he is not called 'a runner'!

I will do my best to promote an improved approach, certainly within the Midlands cycling clubs.

And, no, I won't regret mentioning cycling. I am extremely thick skinned!

 

[Darbs]

This is the animal that rules our world, the other one is Carys the pony from the riding school.

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(This was also a bit of a test to see if I could insert photos into my posts successfully!)

 

[oldie48]

Take loads of photos, it's lovely to look back when they are older to see their journey. This is the first hunter trial my daughter did aged 6 at Stockland Lovell she said it was the most exciting thing she'd ever done and it was just the start!

 

[Feathered]

Hello from a fellow Worcester resident.

I have hired out the arena at tewkesbury a few times and have thought their ponies looked to be the best cared for ones in most of the riding schools I've been to, I think because they keep it small and manageable.

Your daughter sounds just like I was at that ages and 30 yrs later I'm still the same...

 

[Darbs]

We looked at a few schools, at a couple the lesson timings didn't work for us, but whilst I don't pretend to be an expert on horses, I can tell when a place is an absolute tip, and it amazed me how some places that are meant to cater for children looked like something out of a Mad Max movie!

Tewkesbury Riding School is great, its tidy and organised, not a swamp as some places I have been. Jo who runs it is great, as is Sarah the main instructor. All of the ponies seem healthy and happy, and actually seem to have some character about them as well, which has bought my daughter on massively as she has to think about riding them. This must be quite a difficult balance to strike for a riding school, as they clearly need to be easy to handle but not 'too cheeky' as my 6 year old likes to say!

We are just off there again now, we spend that much time there I am sure it would be easier if my daughter moved in full time!

 

[rachk89]

Boo! A cyclist!

Only kidding. My parents would probably tell you to lead her away from the horses now as my obsession started at 4 and I now have a horse that will be going out competing regularly if he can manage to get over his obsession with mares. The obsession has so far lasted 20+ years and thet have helped fund me for most of tyat the lovely people. They do love my horse though and wouldn't tell me to get rid of him they know I would disown them haha. My mum actually loves him enough to buy him apples from m&s but my dad gets cheaper ones from tesco or aldi.