How do you know you are ready?

[LauraAlex]

Hi, I am completely new to this and never post in sites but I really need some advice. No body I know is interested in horses so I thought here would be a good place to start!

I used to ride when I was younger when my step mum had horses and only now I have started to get back into riding. I really want to own my own horse eventually but how do you know when you are ready? I don't know where to begin. How much did you know about horses before you owned one? How long had you been round horses? How skilled were you at riding. I'm quite a shy and nervous person and worry that people will think I shouldn't own a horse and that I don't know what I'm doing . Also I am a full time teacher so is it selfish to own a horse? I really don't know where to begin which obviously means I am not ready yet, but how do you know when you are?

Look forward to your responses!

 

[Mike007]

First , lots of teachers own horses quite sucessfuly so I dont think its selfish . (dont mark my spelling teach!).How about joining the British Horse Society ,BHS for short. Start by training for and doing your stage one exam . It will give you a sound start. Then work your way up. You will need to find a good livery yard . One that will take care of you and the horse you eventualy buy. No good going to a yard that doesnt care and just wants the money. Somewhere out there is the right horse desperately searching for you. They find us we dont find them .

 

[SallyBatty]

I would suggest you do what I did. When I was a kid I had riding lessons (never owned my own pony) and then I had a long break. Really wanted to get back into riding when I was 41 so I started having fortnightly lessons again. After about 4 years I started sharing horses 3 days a week that were kept on DIY yards which was a great way of getting in to having to muck out, groom and feed and learn general care but without full responsibility. After 5 years of sharing I eventually bought my own horse who I have now had for 9 years.

I still only regard myself as a competent novice: have lessons on my own horse in order to improve her way of going, go hacking both on my own or in company, do prelim dressage and can jump a course of fences up to 2'9". And I still ask advice from people I trust when I'm not sure about something.

You obviously don't have to take as long as I did before you get your own, but sharing is a great way to decide if you have the time and experience to have your own. It will also help with working out how much it really costs at the start of owning your own horse and all the ongoing costs that need to be considered. Buying my own horse was the best thing ever (after my family) but its certainly not a cheap hobby so prepare to be poor.

 

[maccachic]

UK is a lot different to NZ in that you seem to wait for ages before you get your own horse. If you have good experienced people around you (or find a good yard, grazing with people who will help) there is no reason why you can't buy a horse - do loads of research, ask loads of questions, don't blindly follow peoples advice regardless of how experienced they are (or how loudly they profess stuff). Use common sense.

If teachers over there are like teachers here you prob have loads more time than those who also have full time jobs - there is plenty of time in the day and you don't need to ride everyday Plus a job helps pay for horses. Just do it life is short.

 

[LauraAlex]

Thanks for your advice guys! I think I need to do a little more research and as you say get my hands dirty. I was thinking of doing a bit if voluntary first where I'm having my lessons.
What's the stage one exam?

How did you find sharing SallyBatty? I presume you all had similar ways of working with your horses. It's definitely something I will consider!

I don't know whether I'm just over cautious I wouldn't want to buy a horse if I couldn't look after it properly because of inexperience. I don't need to rush I can have a look around different yards and get a feel for different places. As for the job, it's only my second year teaching and I have had no life until now! There's so much work outside work hours! Maybe I should look into NZ! We have a half term coming up and mine will be spent report writing! I think I'm just slower than others! Hah I bet you have gorgeous trail rides over there!

Thanks again for all your comments!

 

[vmac66]

I had horses years ago and have ridden on and off for the last thirty years. I returned to riding havibg lessons when my youngest son went out uni last Sept. After about 3 months and getting my confidence back I decided one hour a week wasn't enough so found a horse share, this lasted for three weeks before I decided to bite the bullet and buy my own horse. I bought a 14.2 cob type I had ridden at the riding school. That was three months ago, it has been a steep learning curve and I am still not overly confident riding him but we are getting there. I have a brilliant yard owner who is also qualified to teach but doesn't interfere unless I ask. You will know when you are ready, in hindsight maybe I rushed into it but I love him to bits and wouldn't change things for the world.

 

[Barnacle]

Definitely get some hands-on experience and don't limit it to structured things like the BHS courses (the Stage 1 exam mentioned is one of the BHS exams - it's the first step to gaining many of their higher qualifications) and pony days. Those serve their purpose but to know what you'll be getting into, you should try to spend time with privately-owned horses in a non-school setting as they are a different kind of animal. I would highly recommend a horse share where you can spend time treating a horse as if it were your own. You'll get a much clearer idea of what's involved in owning a horse as well as whether your riding/handling is at a point where you'd be ok dealing with your own. I know both sides of the sharing equation and you'd be doing someone a good turn as well. I definitely wouldn't worry about being a teacher - you guys actually have it good with your generous holidays! As long as you can afford for the horse to be cared for in your absence as appropriate and can find somewhere where it can be turned out with other horses as much as possible, I don't think you working full time should be an obstacle.

 

[LauraAlex]

Vmac66 that sounds like something I would do! I don't know if I would last very long sharing but I think I need to give it a go!

Barnacle I agree that I need to have experience in a setting where I would own the horse rather than a school and will definitely look into sharing - even though I'm not great at this! It would be fantastic in the longer holidays but through term time I'm just worried I won't have the time. Sharing will definitely allow me to see whether I can balance work and family time and a horse!

 

[Joanne_Stockport]

I bought my horse relatively quickly after starting to ride. I started to ride at 44 years old and a year later I purchased my 6 years old gelding. It was not planned as ideally I would have wait 2 years before looking for my first horse, however when I saw him for sale I could not resist !

During my first year of riding I was having one hour private lessons a week on different horses. Also going on hacks , riding holidays and having two shares during that time. Owning a horse is completely different then just riding riding school horses ! My horse is very green, it took a lot of hard work and dedication (I'm riding 3-4 times a week). He was (still but can manage now) napping, it took 1 year to get to the point where I can hack and being able to go where I want to and start training to do pleasure rides. My first pleasure ride was a couple of weeks ago and even though he did nap a couple of times, we managed to complete the ride in time.
Schooling is still a challenge (evasion techniques and stubborn) he is very green. However it is improving all the time (with a weekly private lesson with him). Should be back jumping in a couple of months.

I would suggest that you take stable management courses and definitely try to find a share first to see how much time having a horse would take. Once you know what you are letting yourself into, you can buy a horse and start with having him/her on full livery (you need a very good livery yard that you can trust). Always keep money for lessons as you will need them for a long time !

 

[milliepops]

sharing is a good middle ground to start with, I think.
I got my first pony aged 10 with non-horsey parents and a disinterested farmer who rented a field to me I was lucky that my pony was as tough as old boots and I learnt a lot very quickly with the pony club

My mum is a teacher and if she was looking to get a horse, I'd advise her to put it on part or full livery. There are definitely days when she wouldn't have time to get to the yard once, let alone at both ends of the day. If you can afford that, and are prepared to keep learning as you go along, I think you'll be fine if you find the right horse.

 

[supsup]

I bought my first own horse at 30, after spending my youth and 20s (with interruptions) riding other people's horses (lessons, riding holidays, sharing...). So I felt quite competent about anything to do with hands-on horse care (handling on the ground, riding, tacking up etc.).
But I found there were a few gaps in my horsey education, mostly because I'd never had to think about these things. (Also considering my horse is on DIY grass livery.):
Feed - I'd never had to make a decision about what and how much to feed, where to source hay, how to manage grazing. Since our yard is DIY all the way (no YM), I had to pick that up quickly, and the other liveries gave me some good tips, especially on things like where to buy hay etc.
Choosing professionals - which vet to go with, who does the horse's teeth, which farrier? Again, word of mouth from people around me was most helpful there.
Horse health care - vaccination and worming schedules
Tack - my horse came without tack. Find a saddler/fitter, what saddle?
General herd and grazing management - how to build an electric fence, how to introduce a new horse to the herd, when to rest/move/strip graze etc. I guess for a stabled horse the equivalent would have been choices on bedding and mucking/turnout routines.
Insurance - do I want/need vets insurance? Where to get liability insurance?

A lot of these decisions will be taken out of your hands if you share a horse or keep it in full/part livery. Still, even if the livery yard has their own list of professionals on call and has schedules for feeding and basic health care (worming etc.), IMO it is still up to the owner to be educated about those topics to make decisions in their horse's best interest. So I'd read up on them. Personally, I think a lot of the BHS stages/exams are out of date or apply to too narrow a section of the horse industry (namely competition horses kept in stables) and are of limited use for someone who doesn't keep their horse in typical BHS approved livery yard. You might learn how to plait and present a horse for a show, but not how to set up your electric fence!
The other big topic is IMO finances. Be realistic about the cost of keeping a horse. I wouldn't want to talk anybody out of it, but if you look at some of the threads on here about horse keeping costs, you'll find that the expected basic costs (livery, feed, farrier, vets) are often only a fraction of what horse ownership really costs. It is surprising how much added cost comes from horse-related activities (lessons, entry fees, diesel money) and things like insurance. The old "time is money" statement also very much applies. If you work full time and have other commitments (e.g. children, family), you may have to opt for more expensive livery arrangements vs. a DIY setup.

In the end, I don't think anybody every feels quite ready. I didn't really, but muddled through the first few months just fine, picking things up as I went. (Horse stayed at the same yard after I bought him.)
If you can find a share, that would be a great starting point. But also just talking to other horse owners that you come across, and ask them about how they make decisions on some of the above points.

 

[SallyBatty]

How did you find sharing SallyBatty? I presume you all had similar ways of working with your horses. It's definitely something I will consider!

I found sharing a great transition between riding school horses and owning my own horse. Although in most cases you can treat the horse as your own on your days, you do have to bear in mind that you aren't the actual owner and that someone else makes all the decisions and that certain rules have to be followed even if you don''t totally agree with them. You need to be honest about your riding ability and about what you want to be able to do with the horse before you go and try any out. And I think it helps if you get along with the owner to a certain extent so you can feel free to discuss with them any issues or problems that you may be having with the horse.

As far as having a similar way of working a horse, I think that would depend more on the type of horse you end up sharing, what sort of level you have got to, what sort of level the owner works it at and whether they are looking for someone to continue schooling and improving the horse or whether they have an older allrounder who is more forgiving with different riding styles that a more novice person can ride and enjoy which is the sort that I went for.

 

[sianmturner]

Hi,
I found your message really interesting; mostly because I am in exactly the same position. I too am a full time teacher, just getting back into riding and wondering if I can manage the commitment of even sharing a horse.

I started riding when I was 4 and by the time I was 15, I was jumping a bit and quite confident. That all changed when I fell off, knocked myself out and made the mistake of not getting back on soon enough after. It was almost 10 years later when I started again; just having a few lessons. I was put in a beginners class again and told that I could stay there as long as I wanted though I would be pushed slightly harder than the others. When I bought a house, I stopped again for financial reasons this time, but I hadn't built up enough confidence so was reluctant to go back. Instead, being the animal lover that I am, I put my time into rescuing dogs and then began agility with my youngest dog - who is just coming up 18 months.

Someone I know was having lessons and recently, I just keep getting the riding bug. So eventually I made a call and got back in the saddle. I'm only a few lessons in and loving it. I'm going twice weekly so I don't have long enough between lessons to start panicking. I sort of though the twice weekly lessons will be a test of my financial commitment (I more-or-less solely support my family of 2 + 3(dogs)). Also, it will test my commitment to going up to the farm 2 days a week - which is what I think I could manage. And, eventually I'm hoping to add on helping out at the stables to that.

I know I'm no where near ready yet, though that doesn't stop me from looking and dreaming. I think perhaps, when the right horse comes, I will just know. But, it's also not a crime to ask your instructor. I'm hoping mine will be able to guide me in later finding 'the one'. x

 

[LauraAlex]

I don't think I'll be ready after a year Joanne! However I am only having half hour private lessons once a week. It's amazing how quick it comes back to you! It's not enough for me now I want to increase it! I think I would look at getting a schoolmaster perhaps. An older horse that knows the ropes.

Milliepops I am definitely a hands on practical learner and would enjoy learning on the go. I just really wish I knew someone experienced it would be such a help! I suppose I'll make horsey friends on the way!

Supsup I have thought about all of those things but just haven't got the answers yet. Like you say until I own my own horse I won't have any idea of what all of that entails. I've looked at costs and things roughly but knowing where to go for those different things (feed, bedding e.t.c) I wouldn't know where to begin yet.

Sally Batty that is the type of horse and owner I would need. I've had a little look around ads in my area but there isn't anything out there yet! I'm sure there will be when the time comes!

Sianmturner I know exactly what you mean! I look all the time and think about picking up the phone to go and view the horse but I know I'm nowhere near ready! I know we have great holidays and having a horse would be amazing during that time but it's so full on during term time I just think I couldn't cope! I need to share first to see how well I can cope. I too have a little girl who I want to spend time with obviously plus two dogs to look after!

We all need to win the lottery so we can spend all our work time at the stables !

 

[sianmturner]

Sounds like we're very much in the same boat. We had Ofsted last year and it was just 100mph for over a year waiting for the call. It was one of the most stressful times of my life. However, I don't know about you, but sometimes I need something to put that all back into perspective - and have time to ourselves!! (Which, I believe, even us teachers do deserve ;-) ). Keep in touch. It would be lovely to see how you're doing with this. xxxx