How did you end up with your horse of a lifetime??

skychick

skychick

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As per title, how did you and your horse of a life time find each other, was it by accident or was it after months/years of searching??

Mine was by accident!

I rode as a child and teenager untill about 18yrs old. Then had a gap for a few years having odd lessons/rides on friends horses in between. Then when i was settled enough i decided it was time to have another horse. So i looked for a few months and tried several. Then i found paddy a 14.2 who seemed like the perfect horse for me. I just wanted to hack and have the odd lesson as i dont have time to compete. Anyway to cut a long story short, it was a disaster. He had "issues" starting the second we got him home. He didnt like where he was. So we took him to my instructors yard up the road. He settled better there but it didnt work out. So after months of battling and cheating injury god know how! i decided it would be better for him to go to a new home. So he did, and she is doing a great job with him. After he had gone i really did think twice about getting another horse. And then a girl who works at my yard offered me her horse. A 16.2 tb x WB mare. She had been out of work having babies for a couple of years due to a tendon injury, having previously evented. I was a bit reluctant as she was a lot bigger than i was used to, and i was a bit worried she would be too much for me (at that point my confidence was rock bottom). So she was brought to my yard and i was allowed to see her and ride (gently as she would have to be brought back into work) as i wanted. From the very first ride we clicked. She is quite simply the best horse in the world. She is easy to do in every way, a little bit spooky but never in a naughty way more of a seeing if her rider is awake kind of way, is a real school mistress type having been there and done that, hapily gallops across a field or just walks across it on the buckle if you want, fantastic jumper and is just the perfect horse for me.
So i am a very very lucky girl. I do think if it wasnt for my previous horse being such a nightmare then i wouldnt have found this horse. Im so glad i didnt decide to give up on horses again. I have now gone from just wanting to hack and have the odd lesson to having weekly lessons which are all with the view to go on and do local competitions and possibly even an adult riding camp next summer!!

your turns!!
 
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I advertised for a horse to loan,went to try one out,(woman came quite a way to fetch me) I didnt feel that the mare was suited to me lol Saw cobby in the field.Same owner of mare said the coloured cob in the field was unbroken and not for sale.Anyway by the end of the day,she agreed to sell him to me.Also got a section A as well. section A on loan with me). I had him proffessionally broken and will NEVER part with him.
 
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Ours turned up at our R/S as a winter working livery. We were looking for a 14.2 mother daughter share at the time and were beginning to to think we would ever find the right one. The YO said I recon this one will be for sale come spring, and she was. She is far from perfect but we love her .

My daughters cob was from looking over my shoulder whilst I was on HHO. She saw one of the adverts down the side and said that looks nice. She had just about given up onhaving a horse due to a 2 year rocky road with a quirky youngster and had resigned herself to the occasional ride on the outgrown and semi retired 14.2, but we went to view the cob as she was local and it was love at first sight. 2 years later and she has had nothing but fun - again far from perfect, but thats the way we like them
 
I went to Hereford market in 1990 and she was the biggest one I could afford!!!, she was 550 guineas, 14.2 skinny badly behaved 4 year old, looked like she had been living on top of a mountain!!!. In todays market in that state she would barely make £300 at Leominster. I had her 20 years, knew her inside out and we had brilliant times together. She was pts last December. Its her in my pic on the left.
 
After going to see 3 horses, none of which where right - a friend of my mums told us of his friend who wanted to sell her horse as she could no longer ride.

So we went to see him - he was far too big, and not at all what I had pictured myself having for a first horse (16h ex-racing TB). But I didn't want to be rude and just say no so I got on (owner was on crutches!!! so no one else got on first) he bucked his heart out and I couldn't stop laughing! We had a lovely walk, trot, canter in an open field with sheep running between his legs. Got off, my dad had already asked how much, and as he was only £500 with tack we couldn't really say no!

Even during the vetting the vet said "well for £500 what do you expect - he's healthy, your very lucky"

10 years later he is now retired, but loves being a field ornament. The worst thing about having him as a first horse was that I trust him so much and he would do anything I asked, and he was so effortless that any other horse I ride seems just wrong! :(
 
I worked with mine. He turned up at the yard and when being legged onto him I was told to be carefull as he had a bad reputation. He was even half blind in one eye after some b**tard hit him across the head with a whip.After riding him around the gallop my boss siad what do you think of him.... my reply was "I love him" strong words from someone who didn't get attatched to any horse on the yard for fear they wouldn't come home from the races. If anyone else rode him he'd bolt or nap if anyone else put a rug on him he'd fall to the floor before the rug touched his back, I could do anything with him. I ended up riding him every day for three years, he won a few times, was placed nearly every time out and ended up fracturing his cannon bone and severing a tendon. It was touch and go for a while and to cut a long story short I ended up buying him. He is fully recovered and is my best friend. I have even done some eventing and he's come home with a rossette from every show he's been to. I love that horse more than anything, he'll have a home with me untill his last day.
 
I found mine after months of searching :)

I had decided to give up horses after my previous lad dropped dead suddenly from a heart attack :( He was a rescue, and I loved him to bits - it had taken me months to build up his trust again, only for him to be taken from me just as I really felt I'd begun to get to know him :(

When I said I wanted to give up, Mum packed me off to a family friend for the summer. I spent an amazing few months helping him break in his youngsters, travelling to shows...and somehow I found myself beginning to want another horse of my own. He came with us on our search; we looked at twenty two all across the country - none of which had that spark I was looking for. By September, five months after Mickey died, I was ready to give up again; I didnt think I'd ever find a horse to fill the gap he had left. But then we found her - right on our doorstep, albeit at one of the dodgiest dealer's yards in the county!

She was perfect in every way, and we have so far had eleven fantastic years together. She is my soulmate; I don't know what I'd do without her :)
 
Loved reading the replies above.
Found mine in a field, advertised as a light hack/ companion. 6 yrs later and he is still going fairly strong, hunts and hacks all over the place. He will never, ever be sold. I cannot find another horse that comes close to him.
 
Bought him for my son when he came off ponies , thought it would be nice that finally we had something big enough for me to hop on now and then , now we are stuck with each other. Something would have to go very wrong in my life for me to part with him , he was first and only horse we viewed at the time.
 
Already had one giant horse shared with OH; we were moving to wilds of Scotland, horse would be kept at home so needed a companion! Decided if I was having another horse I might as well get something I could ride and (ironically as Im a nervous hacker and that would be all I could do in new place, often alone!) decided that as I had a v experienced and skilled YO/instructor, I would get an unbroken filly!

3yo Liesel the unbroken Haflinger girl duly arrived and has been my one and only from the day we met! Im still a nervous rider but far more confident on her than on my gelding: he could be naughty just because he felt like it but she is never naughty and is only spooky if she is frightened of something. I feel we have a much more direct communication than Ive ever had with a horse. She was a doddle to back, eats very little (and is still too fat) and is barefoot even in the rocky tracks up here.

Both horses will be with us until the day they die.

Thank goodness she missed elite status at inspection by 1 point, otherwise her breeders would not have agreed to sell her!
 
Saw a lovely chestnut tb at a friends of a friend, and was told he was going to be shot as was dangerous!!!

I was, and am no expert but thought I would give him a chance.

He was 15 ish and for the first couple of years I hated him, but then something clicked, and he turned out to be the best horse and friend a girl could ever have.

I lost him just before Christmas at well over 30 , and I will never forget him and all he taught me xxx
 
Mine was the first horse I looked at in the local dealer's yard. He was way over budget but worth every penny!
 
Little Squirrel said:
I worked with mine. He turned up at the yard and when being legged onto him I was told to be carefull as he had a bad reputation. He was even half blind in one eye after some b**tard hit him across the head with a whip.After riding him around the gallop my boss siad what do you think of him.... my reply was "I love him" strong words from someone who didn't get attatched to any horse on the yard for fear they wouldn't come home from the races. If anyone else rode him he'd bolt or nap if anyone else put a rug on him he'd fall to the floor before the rug touched his back, I could do anything with him. I ended up riding him every day for three years, he won a few times, was placed nearly every time out and ended up fracturing his cannon bone and severing a tendon. It was touch and go for a while and to cut a long story short I ended up buying him. He is fully recovered and is my best friend. I have even done some eventing and he's come home with a rossette from every show he's been to. I love that horse more than anything, he'll have a home with me untill his last day.
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That's such a lovely story, your are obviously destined to be partners!
 
Mine was at a riding school I'd ridden at forever. The first time I saw his chestnut curly mane I was smitten. Although I was a small age 8 at the time and he was 15 hh I kept asking if I could ride him
Which I did almost every time I rode... Spool forward 3 years and he'd been sold twice and returned (big buck) and my parents finally agreed that I could have a pony. We went to look at a connie mare that I really liked... But she failed the vet... I was dead upset so my Mum said she'd take me for an extra lesson that evening. When I got there and asked who I was riding my instructor was holding my chestnut boy said 'Well seeing he's yours you'd better ride him...' my dear dad had gone earlier that day to try and buy him for me the deal had been done and he was after years of dreaming mine. We did everything together and I was holding him when he was finally PTs some years later... No one will ever live up to him and in some ways I wouldn't want them to...
 
These are gorgeous stories, its funny isnt it how the horses we dont see coming seem to be the ones that we will always love the most and will compare everything too!
I pity any horse i have to look for after my mare now, nothing will compare to her!
 
blitznbobs said:
Mine was at a riding school I'd ridden at forever. The first time I saw his chestnut curly mane I was smitten. Although I was a small age 8 at the time and he was 15 hh I kept asking if I could ride him
Which I did almost every time I rode... Spool forward 3 years and he'd been sold twice and returned (big buck) and my parents finally agreed that I could have a pony. We went to look at a connie mare that I really liked... But she failed the vet... I was dead upset so my Mum said she'd take me for an extra lesson that evening. When I got there and asked who I was riding my instructor was holding my chestnut boy said 'Well seeing he's yours you'd better ride him...' my dear dad had gone earlier that day to try and buy him for me the deal had been done and he was after years of dreaming mine. We did everything together and I was holding him when he was finally PTs some years later... No one will ever live up to him and in some ways I wouldn't want them to...
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That is a beautiful story x
 
Daisydo said:
Saw a lovely chestnut tb at a friends of a friend, and was told he was going to be shot as was dangerous!!!

I was, and am no expert but thought I would give him a chance.

He was 15 ish and for the first couple of years I hated him, but then something clicked, and he turned out to be the best horse and friend a girl could ever have.

I lost him just before Christmas at well over 30 , and I will never forget him and all he taught me xxx
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Love it! a bit like my first horse, a crazy arab, took a while to understand, but once understood, the most brilliant pony.
sounds like he had a great life with you x
 
Serenity087 said:
Mine was because the horse I wanted had a cold.

I was devastated and I still wonder about that gorgeous skewbald mare, called Alice :(

But now I have Dorey, and River!

I do still wonder how Alice is though....
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That sounds so intriguing!
my mare is called Alice! what a coincidence!
 
My story is a little bittersweet. My OH was buying a tractor from a friend of mine and when we went to get it she showed me round her new yard and there was an Arab mare whom she had bought for endurance but didn't think she would be suitable, and was therefore for sale. I admired her, though with no thought of buying her, and told her about my old homebred horse who was getting very frail. Fast forwards a few days and my old much loved horse was PTS as an emergency when he went into heart failure. And the Arab mare came to live with me a few days later and has truly been the horse of a lifetime. I wouldn't have ordinarily bought another horse so fast but it all seemed to happen through some unseen hand. Strangely enough she reminds me so much of another Arab mare I bitterly regretted not buying many years before, and her name is Karma, I almost feel I got that original horse after all......
 
loaned him when he was 4/5 years old at the riding school i went to
unfortunatley had to give him up because of my dad! he went to hartpury for 4 yrs
bought 3 horses since then (7 yrs ago) none of which were realy perfect
then started going to ride him again and fell in love again
sold my tb and bought him
reunited
best decision i ever made & now hes with me untill his last day x
 
Bought 15% as a racehorse as a Wedding Present for the hubby and fell in love with the animal - spirited and moody so-and-so that he is. I was a total horse-lover anyway but having ridden from the age of 3 I got "banned" following an accitdent at 7.

Once I'd bought the race shares I said I wanted him in retirement (keeping my fingers crossed he made it that far as a chaser). Therefore, at the age of 29 I went back to a riding school and started riding again in preparation.

He is a true star and is actually fab at dressage and not just jumping and has turned into a School Master. I love riding him and always get off with a smile on my silly face.

Love him more than anything and can't bear to think of the day he won't be with me any more
 
Started riding for a local woman who had a couple of hunters. Only by chance saw her one day and was horrified when she said she had booked one in to be shot as he was lame :eek:

Offered to buy him for meat money and didn't care if he came sound or not, he could be a companion for my mare who happened to be in foal at the time.

That was back in 1995ish. He came sound within a few weeks, back into work in 6 weeks and didn't look back.

He's now 36 and I have only just stopped riding him myself as he is a bit stumbly at times and I just didn't want to push it. He still gives lessons to my 9 year old and will come out for hacks occasionally being led off one of the ponies. 4 months ago he would still pull like a train out in the fields and want to jump the hedges :)

If I could work out how to upload a pic of him I would :confused::o
 
horsemadmum1 said:
My story is a little bittersweet. My OH was buying a tractor from a friend of mine and when we went to get it she showed me round her new yard and there was an Arab mare whom she had bought for endurance but didn't think she would be suitable, and was therefore for sale. I admired her, though with no thought of buying her, and told her about my old homebred horse who was getting very frail. Fast forwards a few days and my old much loved horse was PTS as an emergency when he went into heart failure. And the Arab mare came to live with me a few days later and has truly been the horse of a lifetime. I wouldn't have ordinarily bought another horse so fast but it all seemed to happen through some unseen hand. Strangely enough she reminds me so much of another Arab mare I bitterly regretted not buying many years before, and her name is Karma, I almost feel I got that original horse after all......
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Its funny isnt it how life works out. my first horse was an arab, an awesome breed and an awesome tale
 
galacasinoking said:
loaned him when he was 4/5 years old at the riding school i went to
unfortunatley had to give him up because of my dad! he went to hartpury for 4 yrs
bought 3 horses since then (7 yrs ago) none of which were realy perfect
then started going to ride him again and fell in love again
sold my tb and bought him
reunited
best decision i ever made & now hes with me untill his last day x
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God, 3 horses later and that amount of time, you would never believe that you could end up with him. really pleased you have! a horse of a lifetime is something that is worth its weight in gold
 
Pampered Ponies said:
Bought 15% as a racehorse as a Wedding Present for the hubby and fell in love with the animal - spirited and moody so-and-so that he is. I was a total horse-lover anyway but having ridden from the age of 3 I got "banned" following an accitdent at 7.

Once I'd bought the race shares I said I wanted him in retirement (keeping my fingers crossed he made it that far as a chaser). Therefore, at the age of 29 I went back to a riding school and started riding again in preparation.

He is a true star and is actually fab at dressage and not just jumping and has turned into a School Master. I love riding him and always get off with a smile on my silly face.

Love him more than anything and can't bear to think of the day he won't be with me any more
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blimey! what a story! the best thing in the world is that smile when a lesson or ride goes well! i had the same this morning amazing jumping lesson and smile still on my face!
 
OFG said:
Started riding for a local woman who had a couple of hunters. Only by chance saw her one day and was horrified when she said she had booked one in to be shot as he was lame :eek:

Offered to buy him for meat money and didn't care if he came sound or not, he could be a companion for my mare who happened to be in foal at the time.

That was back in 1995ish. He came sound within a few weeks, back into work in 6 weeks and didn't look back.

He's now 36 and I have only just stopped riding him myself as he is a bit stumbly at times and I just didn't want to push it. He still gives lessons to my 9 year old and will come out for hacks occasionally being led off one of the ponies. 4 months ago he would still pull like a train out in the fields and want to jump the hedges :)

If I could work out how to upload a pic of him I would :confused::o
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he sounds amazing! i swear they get a new lease of life as they get older!!
 
I really do believe that Genie was 'meant to be'.

I was selling my polo mare as I could no longer afford to play polo, and started browsing on Horsemart. Saw a 14.2hh welsh cob advertised and thought 'that looks decent, too small though, but no harm in enquiring'. Before I knew it I'd arranged a viewing, tried her and fallen in love. Agreed the price and arranged a vetting. I had gone with the thoughts that she was too small, but there had to be a first horse I viewed and she ticked the other boxes, I never expected to love her as much as I did.

The day before Genie's vetting my polo mare was killed in a trailer accident. I had no idea whether to go ahead with the vetting, but had a call from my instructor that night who firstly asked me if Mazzie had been insured, when I said yes she told me not to worry about that, and then asked me what I was going to do about 'the other one'. I said I didn't know and she said 'you were going to have the vetting anyway, go ahead and if it passes bring it straight home'.

Long story short, I went ahead, Genie passed, and my cousin picked her up in her lorry that night.

I had hell bonding with Genie (I remember being in the stable in tears simply because she wouldn't pick a foot up!) but I persevered as it wasn't her fault and she is most definately my horse of a lifetime. Almost losing her very recently has brought this home to me more than ever. We've gone from jumping less than 1ft to jumping 3'3", from struggling to do a decent walk/trot test to competing on RC teams, and she's gone from 14.2hh to 15hh.

Wouldn't be without my Genie.
 
mine was by chance gone to yard to see a horse daughter had been asked to ride/compete and in this dark dingy stable at the back was baby weaving for england eyes glazed . I saw her and thought my god you poor love - wowed at how beautiful she was and there was something that said "im a good horse really" I bought the "bitch" the unrideable one and well the rest is history - my inspiration my rock my friend - she gives and trys so hard to please - and yep I have ridden her galloped jumped but most of all I adore her - my horse of my life my little mate always there with her big big dark pools of her eyes who as seen me through some bad bad times - ok now she is very much a field ordanment now given her eyes but am i bothered not at all as she owes me nothing lol - can you ask for more ?:) xx
 
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