How long did you wait before buying your first horse/pony?

Was lucky enough to ride everything from racehorses in Italy to polo ponies in Malaysia and pure bred arabs in Bahrain (the plus side of an overseas family). Finally got my own aged 17 as a bribe from my parents to stay in the UK and do my 'A' levels. It worked and my lovely grey 14.2 boy was everything I had dreamed of. He lived to be 32 and I still miss him today.
 
I was 16 when I got my first pony.

Ever since I can remember I have been horse mad. I had weekly riding lessons from about the age of about 9. My parents could not afford to buy me a pony, so I saved every single penny I could in my 'pony fund' 😂

When I left school at 16 and started work, I managed to save even more money, and my pony owning dream finally came true!
 
Maybe one day it will happen, still fairly new to horses and really just happy to carry on for as long as possible with my part loan buddy, I adore him and he's absolutely perfect for me :)
 
HaplessHorse said:
I had weekly riding school lessons from the age of 5, and did own-a-pony weeks every year. When I was about 9 my dad had a beer before lunch and, while we were watching the jumping at a local agri show, he said “we should get you a horse soon… No, not yet, in a couple of years”. My mother desperately tried to convince him that he was joking, and he was having absolutely none of her waving a get-out-of-jail free card! Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

My parents had both owned horses before, as well.

A couple of years passed, and the search began when I was 13, and I finally got Dipstick and Saus at 15! Unfortunately, Dipstick was far too much pony for me, we tried to persevere, but it ended in a horrible accident, and it turned out that he had underlying lymphoma, he was PTS.

Just under a year after that, when I was just about to give up on looking, I got to meet Erin! She’s just the right mix of horse and hair for me, I’ve only had her 6 months but it feels like it’s been years (in a good way). We’ve had ups and downs, but we’re doing really well. It sounds very silly, but shortly after I badgered my parents into letting me get a horse at 9, I had a fantastic dream where I remember seeing a black, hairy cob mare stood in my field, looking off into the distance, and I knew that horse was mine, and now she is! It stuck with me all these years, and when I finally had her at home, it just felt right. She and Saus are now happily settled, and I have now had horses for 2 and 1/2 years.

Very convoluted, but we got there in the end!
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ERIN AND SAUS ARE SO CUTE!! ♥️
 
I rode as a child, my dad was the horsey parent so me and my sister had ponies when funds allowed.
Had a break from 15 - 26 when I bought my own pony.
 
I helped at a local trekking centre (I’m unsure how long. Possibly a year?) but the women running it decided to return to Germany. Her pony had navicular so she didn’t think it was fair to transport her all the way so she offered her to me for free.
I was 13 and after a few years of being ridden she was retired, her lameness went away and I had her for 19 years.
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A few years before I lost her. She was just the best pony ❤️
 
HaplessHorse said:
I had weekly riding school lessons from the age of 5, and did own-a-pony weeks every year. When I was about 9 my dad had a beer before lunch and, while we were watching the jumping at a local agri show, he said “we should get you a horse soon… No, not yet, in a couple of years”. My mother desperately tried to convince him that he was joking, and he was having absolutely none of her waving a get-out-of-jail free card! Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

My parents had both owned horses before, as well.

A couple of years passed, and the search began when I was 13, and I finally got Dipstick and Saus at 15! Unfortunately, Dipstick was far too much pony for me, we tried to persevere, but it ended in a horrible accident, and it turned out that he had underlying lymphoma, he was PTS.

Just under a year after that, when I was just about to give up on looking, I got to meet Erin! She’s just the right mix of horse and hair for me, I’ve only had her 6 months but it feels like it’s been years (in a good way). We’ve had ups and downs, but we’re doing really well. It sounds very silly, but shortly after I badgered my parents into letting me get a horse at 9, I had a fantastic dream where I remember seeing a black, hairy cob mare stood in my field, looking off into the distance, and I knew that horse was mine, and now she is! It stuck with me all these years, and when I finally had her at home, it just felt right. She and Saus are now happily settled, and I have now had horses for 2 and 1/2 years.

Very convoluted, but we got there in the end!
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Click to expand...
I had a bit of a smile at that. It sounds very similar to how we got a pair of kittens. Dad didn't really like cats, a feeling inherited from his mother who hated cats for some unknown reason. So Dad always said no cats. When I was about 10 we went to eat at some friend's place and they'd jut had a litter of kittens. Dad got a bit tipsy and said to us "Hey, kids, do you want a kitten?" The answer was a resounding yes. Dad then looked at us and said "Well there's two of you, so we'd better have two kittens". He regretted it the next day, but a promise is a promise, so a few weeks latter Pickle and Purdy came home.
 
16 from a very non horsey family!! Helped at riding school etc then had a couple of share/loan ponies for 2-3 years before we saved enough for my first horse x
 
I was 17 - pony mad child but from a non-horsey family so spent my childhood and teen years begging and working for rides, then left school after my exams, got a full-time job instead of going to college/uni (much to the dismay of my parents) and rented a field off the local farmer for £10 a week and got my first horse 😍

He was given to me on loan and was so nappy he basically only went backwards, I used to have to lead him in-hand for 4 miles down the road so I could get on and ride home as he only went forwards in the direction of home :oops: and he bucked me off every time I rode him in the field... but I adored him 😅

I still have him, he was gifted to me many years ago - now 30 years old, retired, fat and still just as naughty as ever!
 
Non horsey family unless you count a great great uncle who was killed by the Sioux in the 'wild west'...

Had riding lessons once a week at a normal riding school from the age of 7. Schools in those times typically run by ex-military officers (1960). Lessons cost 7/6d then (37.5p). My parents made sacrifices to afford that and I helped out on saturdays to afford a monthly 2hour hack (mainly tack cleaning, Duraglit nickel stirrups/bits, etc.)

Carried on to a 2nd riding school from age 11 to 18 and progressed up to being good enough to ride on the 'staff lessons' in the school hols so got taught by a good FBHS of the time.

Went to uni and rode weekly at Leyland Court near Bristol, paid for by a part time job as my 'grant' then was a huge £50 per year. I think LC is still going today - that was the early to mid 70s. Got offered a ride on a livery who hunted but had to turn it down as I was studying for finals by then.

Got a job after uni and started paying for my own lessons and saving up. Luckily got sent to work in the Netherlands for 6 months and took the decision to save my 'expenses' instead of travelling around europe. Hence when I came back to the UK I managed to buy my own horse, aged 23. That was 1980 and full livery, including exercise, grooming and tack cleaning was £38 per week

Ironically I went out looking for a typical bay mare around 15.2 and came back with a palomino gelding! Slight difference there! Carried on owning horses (up to 8 at one point when I was breeding sports ponies) from then until today.

Had to stop riding for health reasons in 2009 but after losing my last 2 horses in 2019 at age 26 and 27 (kept on livery) I still potter around with my gorgeous WHW charity pony for lots of grooming, cuddles, tea drinking and conversation at the small yard I'm liveried on.
 
First rode age 5, then took a break while I did all my uni / career start then restarted lessons, part loaned for 2 years bought first 1st age 28 when I inherited some money, I now have 2. (non horsey family).

On our yard those that part/full loan for atleast 1 year transition better to ownership than those that jump in sooner.
 
I bought my first horse when I could afford one which was when I was 21. My family were very suburban so I had the odd riding lesson then went as a working pupil at 16 lasted 2 years as a slave, left and got an office job which enabled me to buy my own.
 
I was born into a horsey family, so was riding (well sitting on board) before I could walk. I had my first pony, that I called my own at 5, he was a wonderful welsh section A. I was expected to help look after him, although I probably took ages and drove my parents insane. I have never had a break from owning, so have owned my own horse/s continuously for 53 years - scary!!!
 
My parents weren’t at all horsey but somehow they managed to birth horse lovers. I’m 14/15yrs younger than my sisters and was at 10yrs given my sisters wholly unsuitable 14.2hh she’d bought whilst doing her BHSAI training. I had him until I was 18yrs.

I didn’t buy my own as an adult until I was 31yrs and after uni and establishing a career. I’m glad I waited as they can take a massive toll on your time, money and emotions. Horse owning is not for the faint hearted.
 
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