Horses Vs. Life

[smokeybabes]

I was just wondering what effect horses had on your life?
Have you put something off because you have a horse and that makes it difficult or have you had to give up horses due to wanting to do something else with your life??
I'm asking because i'm having a bit of a dilema.
I've always had a horse, but now i'm starting to think about wanting to do things with my life that keeping my horse could make difficult. I've not been on a proper holiday for ages due to not being able to afford to pay someone to look after him on top of the cost of the holiday.
I've never been anywhere and starting to think it'd be good to do some traveling. Me and my OH are thinking about doing a mini tour of Europe for 4-6 weeks but i doubt i'll be able to afford to do this if i have to pay someone to look after and exercise my horse. I also think of how much money i'd be able to save if i didn't have my horse to pay for.
But the thought of selling him really upsets me!!! I've had this horse for 10yrs since i was 16 and i do get very attached!!
I just think that if i am going to sell him, i'd be better of doing it now so a) he doesn't get any older and b). it will be easier for me to save. And really if i want to travel and even possibly move abroad i can't do that whilst still owning him.
So experiences/advice please??!!

 

[Boodle]

Both my older sister's had their own horses at 18/19 and both decided they wanted to go travelling.
For my oldest sister it was ok, she'd lost interest in her boy, Sam, long before leaving home and she left him without so much as saying a goodbye. Probably one of the worst mistakes she ever made as he had to be PTS afew months after she left.
Katie, 2nd oldest sister, she left for Australia last May leaving her first pony, Shadow in our care, she is retired anyway. And putting her own TB youngster, Rocco, out on a years loan. He came back shortly before she did in May this year and she has picked up where they left off with him a year older and far mor mature.
You could consider a short loan of your horse? Afterall, if you're going soon it is the summer holidays and im sure many people would love to have a 6 week loan during these hols.

However, i can't advise you in the long run because I just couldn't part with any of mine. It's really up to you to weigh up what you want to do more.

 

[Navalgem]

There's only you can make that decision.

I've never been able to give my horses up, and since I had my baby and gone to uni I've had a horsey population explosion, probably emphasizing the fact that they are going nowhere. My horses are my life. I got married last year and luckily, my friends looked after the horses and I only had to pay full livery costs for one of them who needed lots of attention as she ws heavily in foal (2 months 2 go). It was hard but if you save up hard (or cheat as I did - 8k of debt!) you can do anything you want to if that is what you REALLY want.

That said, I know other people want to do other things with their life and I think in this case you have to weigh up the pro's and cons and make your decision. Dont just carry on thinking "I wish I had done "blah", I really regret not doing..." etc One thing you could consider (again weigh up pro's and cons) is loaning him out whilst you go off travelling. I think as long as you find someone experienced whom you can trust with 'your baby' it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[samp]

As said you could place your horse on a short term loan, send him to a college for a term? I know how you feel sometimes, horses are expensive creatures

 

[the watcher]

A pony club type loan could work very well for your proposed long trip, as long as it fits in wih PC camp dates and your horse is a suitable type. There are also plenty of students who might want a horse for the summer holidays without the long term commitment.

Horses take up as much of your life as you allow them to. I haven't had a proper holiday since 1999 and have do manage without some other of life's luxuries to pay for them but I honestly don't miss those things. I also have a couple of excellent sharers so if I really can't be there for a couple of days I know that mine will be checked and fed and exercised.

You could choose to pay more in livery and relinquish the day to day care if it is getting too much for you, or find a sharer to reduce your costs and time commitments, before considering giving up altogether.

 

[Bounty]

Horses vs Life.... I know horses win in my case.
I've not been on holiday for years, and currently my family are all on holiday without me, to which I didn't get invited as they knew I wouldn't be leaving my bunch of equines in the care of someone else!

I have a foal due early may next year, so there's not any hope of my getting away next year either, but it's a price you have to pay I think.
I do think that if you start resenting your horses because you can't get time away then you should reconsider having them, or perhaps do a short term loan for 12months or something while you get the travelling bug out of your system!

I would love to travel etc, but know that I couldn't do it at the cost of giving the horses up. In a next lifetime, eh?

 

[gothdolly]

When I got married we put Domino on loan for year because we needed to fix up our house (it was a renovation project) and wanted to concentrate on our marriage. However it turned out to be a mistake - I was really depressed about not having a horse, drove my poor new husband mad and we ended up having to get me another horse on loan until Domino came back to me (I could have terminated the loan contract with a months notice but it was unfair on the teenage girl who was looking forward to a summer of shows etc on him).

My mother was kind enough to look after Domi during my pregnancy but I missed him like crazy and was grumpy and horrible to live with as I was missing my horse.

So that was a big mistake! Horses always win over Life for me!!

Cassandra

 

[Gorgeous George]

This is partly why I waited so long before buying my own horse, I just didn't want to have to face the dilemma that you are now. Thankfully I am now extremely lucky to be able to afford to keep George on a yard that offers full livery for a reasonable charge if you want to go away for a w'end or 2 weeks, OH would never have agreed to the horse if it had meant giving up holidays and I can't blame him. How I will cope next May when I have to leave George for 2 weeks is another matter -eek.

 

[WelshRareBit]

The eternal battle - horses vs life!

Unless you are very rich or lucky I dont think you can have both. You just need to decide whats more important. A season at horsey college could be the answer - you get 6 months to travel, your horse gets looks after for a minimal cost, and you wont get that Oh no what have I dont feeling once yuo get back from travelling and life settles down again!

 

[abb123]

How about finding a sharer? That way you can still get your horsey fix, have a bit more free time to do non-horsey things and save some money.

I didn't get a horse until my twenties as we couldn't afford one when I was growing up. I had to wait till I could pay for it myself and I'm really glad I did as I appreciate them a lot more. I couldn't live without mine - they are part of who I am.

 

[smokeybabes]

I'm not sure how well my horse would cope at a horsey college as i took him with me to uni and he wa a little stressy with limited turnout and the nearest college to me has even less turnout!
The thing that concerns me about a loan is if the person suddenly returns the horse. The OH and me are also thinking and talking about moving abroad (possibly to Australia) which is only a thought and something we are looking into and wouldn't be for 2-3 yrs but i wouldn't be able to afford to take him and selling him then would be harder cos he'd be older.
I did look into and put a few adverts up for a sharer a few months ago as i was really short of money and time due to uni but had no luck! Anyone who came either wasn't suitable or messed me around so i gave up!
I weigh up all the pro's like i'd be able to travel, would have more time, more money, lie ins in winter(!!) etc and think i've made a decision but then think nooooo i can't sell him!
I've not been riding him much recently due to my MSc so am just starting to ride him more and get him fit again so think i may have to see how i feel after a few weeks of riding him again. Think i may also talk to my friend to see if she'd allow me to share her horse if i did sell so i could still get a horsey fix.
I just don't want to regret having never been abroad or on a plane but i also don't want to regret selling my horse!! Though i guess he's nothing special and i guess i could get another when i'm settlled but i have brought him on from a 3yo!!!!!!
Aaarrrggghhh! I hate making decisions!

 

[Bex7]

Not an easy decision to make and as said above only you can make it.

Undoubtedly unless you are fortunate to have a lot of spare money horses vs life is definately a battle in which only one option wins.

I have waved goodbye to any life I previously had I get one holiday a year and a week at most as I do not like to leave Bert in the care of others. I never have time or money to spend with friends and I have sacrificed having children as I cannot see how the two will work together.

Wouldn't be without him though

 

[chestnut cob]

Why don't you put him on loan instead of selling? That way you can go away and have fun, then you can always have him back at a later date if you want to.

 

[at work]

You don't say how old your horse is or how long you have had him but, unless he is getting on in years, right now I'd go for the life. You can have horses again in 10 or 15 years - after you've travelled and (maybe) bought a house, had children, whatever it is you want to do.

If you put horsey first now there maybe things - like travel - you can't do in 10 years that you would have the freedom to do now. You might also find yourself facing this prospect over the house and children bit, enjoy the opportunity to travel and have fun while you can. Selling your horse and sampling a different life doesn't make you a bad person, if it is what you want to do, go for it.

 

[smokeybabes]

[ QUOTE ]
You don't say how old your horse is or how long you have had him but, unless he is getting on in years, right now I'd go for the life. You can have horses again in 10 or 15 years - after you've travelled and (maybe) bought a house, had children, whatever it is you want to do.

If you put horsey first now there maybe things - like travel - you can't do in 10 years that you would have the freedom to do now. You might also find yourself facing this prospect over the house and children bit, enjoy the opportunity to travel and have fun while you can. Selling your horse and sampling a different life doesn't make you a bad person, if it is what you want to do, go for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

He's 13 and i've had him 10yrs, he was my 16th birthday present.
His age is why i'm thinking things through now as i think i'd rather find him a nice home now where he can be used still and still have fun rather than wait a few years and struggle to find him a home as he's too old or worry whats going to happen to him.

 

[Capriole]

just want to say about checking loaners out, at a local yard a girl had a pony which she didnt look after particularly well and then sold when her family were moving house.
turned out it wasnt hers as she'd claimed, but was on loan, as we found out when the desperate owner turned up trying to trace her - she'd moved yards several times

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
Horses Vs. Life

[/ QUOTE ]

Life - every single time.

Life is something you have one of - you NEVER ever get the chance to replay it - please don't waste it.

Horses? Well there's a time and a place; there's also some fantastic homes out there who will give your horse the love and care he deserves.

I had the same decision as you to make at 18. I loaned my horse out for the first year I was overseas, then I sold him to a lovely home. Never regretted it as the life and freedom I found was far more than I ever could have hoped for had I been straddled with a horse. A few years down the line, I got another horse and have been collecting them ever since, LOL!!

 

[Donkeymad]

Horses Vs Life?

Horses are life

Sorry Tia!

 

[grandmaweloveyou]

i never owned my own horse and always shared and loaned and said that when i bought my own i wouldnt run my life around it. WRONG. everything has changed. if my friends dont fancy a walk, pub ride, cycle etc, then i feel sorry for them cos i am crashing and burning my social life. i am normally the life and soul of the party, we have a company party this week, all paid for etc, i organised it but am thinking of not going so i can ride instead! the good thing is my liver is in a much better state than it used to be!!!

 

[brighteyes]

No competition. Horses.

I don't want to go travelling and leave mine behind, thank-you! I'll do that when I can no longer ride, and if I die before that, well, I won't care anyway!!!!

It is, however, each to his own........

 

[Parkranger]

I struggle with this quite often. OH has finally got it though and said the other day that he knows how miserable I'd be without him (horse, not OH!)

OK, so I might not be able to have two holidays a year but I can survive quite comfortably and have a horse so I guess I'm lucky.......

However, that said, I wouldn't have a horse if it was stopping me doing things like, getting a house etc. At the moment it's not so no problems but I don't believe in putting your life on hold for horses.....

 

[Onyxia]

Only you can make the choice hun.
I loved owning my own horse, but wouldnt want one now........well, I DO but wouldnt be able to balance the time and money my family needs with what the horse needs.
It's an easy choice for me, ATM I want family life more then I want a horse to call my own but it took a long time to work that out.

Maybe if you have had your boy a long time and dont want to sell you could put him on loan for a year or two? then you could travel and enjoy yourself without worring about paying for his care.

 

[__Annie__]

My horse is as deeply ingrained (sp) in me as the dirt in my calloused hands LOL . She's not my entire life but she is a huge and permanent part of it and that's the way I like it

As Tia said you only get one life, fill it with what makes you happy!

 

[SpruceRI]

I guess you're just finishing a uni course so aren't flush? You've worked hard and want to see a bit of the world before you settle down and get ingrained in a new job. Seems perfectly natural to me.

If you were a friend of mine I would suggest you put the horse out on loan now on a year's contract. The loaner has the rest of the summer to enjoy, winter fun and then another summer. This will give you a chance to save some money, and go travelling. After your travelling you then have several months to decide - do you miss your horse and riding so much that it makes you want to cry? Or now that you haven't seen the ned for 3 months, would selling him be so much easier and a bit of a relief?

If you're not sure either way, extend the loan.