How long were you riding before you bought your first horse?

debsey1

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I use to ride when I was a child in the days when you just got on a horse and never bothered with lessons. 25years later here I am with my first horse (arriving tomorrow) a heavyweight skewbald cob however, I did have a few lessons over the last few months and my, how things have changed! I loved it though, it was abit like riding a bike....you never entirely forget although I need to tidy up my technique.

What was your first horse and how long were you riding before you bought your first one?
 

StarFell

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I started riding at 7 with weekly lessons, gave up at 9-ish, started again at 14 and bought my first pony at 18 :) I still have him now nearly 5 years later - he's a 14hh fell pony and I absolutely adore him, he'll be with me for life :)

Good luck with your new horse, make sure you post lots of piccies when you get him! x
 

SplashofSoy

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Started riding as an adult, never had opportunity as a child. Rode for about 5 years with a combination of lessons but also go to go show jumping and hunt and then got 3 years ago bought my first horse, a chestnut TB gelding. He is brilliant.
 

Greenleaves

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7 years after my first riding lesson

Though had one year without horses during A-levels. Missed them too much so went back had 8 months of lessons then bought my own (A 16.1hh ISH 5yr old mare - that was three years ago).

Unfortunately for her shes stuck with a mother who grooms her within an inch of her life, baths her in cold water, and makes her work hard for her tea. Arent I an evil mummy!
 

Pipkin

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Started riding when I was 4 or 5, helped out at local riding school until I was 10, then me and my frind rode and looked after a family friends seven horses for a year and had my first horse when i was 11.....
 

Dirtymare

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I started riding when I was 9yrs old (back in the days when God was a boy!).
Rode until I left school at 16yrs. Then off and on until I was 21. Then didnt ride at all until I was 33yrs old. Got my first horse at 37yrs old.
I now couldnt imagine life without a horse.
Good luck with your new horse. Hope you have lots of fun with it.
 

kickonchaps

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My mum's a riding instructor so I was 4 months old the first time I sat on a horse :) Had horses around all the time growing up and shared 2 ponies with my sister then moved onto the rest of the family's cast-off Arabs!

I was 15 when I was allowed to buy a horse just for me to compete on, went out thinking I was a good rider having brought on a youngster and so on but OH MY GOD in retrospect I knew nothing!! Did 2 seasons of eventing with her before losing her to an injury and now have my 2nd horse, having had exactly the same thing happen again... thought I could ride having sorted out one difficult horse, and suddenly a new set of problems! I think however long you've been riding for beforehand, getting your first horse is still the biggest learning curve you'll have, but the most fun as well!!
 

Annagain

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Technically 18 years although I had one loan pony for a year and another that was on loan and then given to me for 14 years. I started riding at nine and got my loan pony when I was 12 and the second one when I outgrew the first a year later. I kept him until he died when we were both 27, then I bought my first horse.
 

Littlemissmoneypenny

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I started riding when I was about 4 as I loved ponies :D no one in my family is remotely horsey so it was a bit of a shock to them! Then after 10 years of dad can I please have a pony every day...(literally)....out of the blue on holiday he said yes :D one of the happiest days of my life....I remember finding a newsagent and asking them to order in horse deals for me :) by the time I was 14 I was too tall for a pony (at 5'10) so my the eventer I used to help out found me the bestest horse in the world.....Little Miss Money Penny (she's the bay jumping in my pics) :D sadly she got sold on when I was 18 as she needed a quieter life still think of her every day.

Thankfully still riding now at the age of 22 :)

OMG I really have rambled on and on!!
 

MissMincePie&Brandy

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My first pony was bought in 1981, when I had my arm in plaster from a fall at the riding school. My dad thought I would be safer on my own pony, so he bought me one :D

I continued lessons at home and progressed much more quickly on my own pony. I think as long as there are plenty of experienced people around you (which was my dad in my case), it doesnt matter how long you have been having lessons for.
 

np_ariel

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I started riding at age 10 (unless you count walking on a pony's back at age 4, a welsh x shetland palomino mare named Babycakes)....then I stopped lessons at age 11 and just did trail rides on my neighbours' horses.

I saved up my money at age 14 and bought my first horse. A 9 month old arabian colt. I still have him now, he is about to turn 6 in April and I will be 20 in June :)

I adore my stallion and think he was my perfect first choice as we have such a strong bond :) even his trainer notices how much he responds so much better to me

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Flir

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I was around 4 when i started having lessons. Stayd in the same riding school up until i was around 20-21 when i had a horse on part loan, then took her on full loan for around 4 years ish. Then bought my first horse last summer age 24 well pretty much 25 :( lol
 

ladyt25

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Think I started riding around the age of 5 (on the 'villagepony'!) had riding lessons I guess from about age 6 - they were aboit £2.50 and hour back then!!! That continued until I was 10 when i (and my older sister I guess) got a welsh pony on loan. My first proper 'bought' pony was when I was 12 (well my mum bought him!). Then we sort of just started 'collecting' equines! Lol
 

Batgirl

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6months or so after first getting on a horse.

A friend I was going on holiday with (who had been riding for years) wanted to go to a trekking centre (booked in advanced) and she wanted company, I said if she taught me I would go. Another friend of mine taught me on her ex-police horse, I went on holiday, started having lessons, fell in love with the idea.

Bought Teddy (Twyford Echo) 14"3 Welsh Sec D. Ex-Riding School, adorable, BOMBproof (a motorbike wheelied past us when I went to try him and they let me out on a mini hack, he didn't bat an eyelid). Outgrew him ability wis in abotu a year.

Now, 6 years on, I have 17"3 ISH loaner from a really good friend, he is an ex-eventer and is fantastic.
 

HashRouge

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I was 6 when I had my first riding lesson. At 10 I had a friend's pony on loan and then at 11 my parents bought me my own. I still have her now, and I'll be 21 in a month or so.
 

rhino

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Started riding at 16 and had own horse less than 2 years later, though he was a present from my dad after I lost my mum to cancer. Think he hoped it would help me :) He was so right, 12 years down the line and the ginger beastie means everything to me!
 

Maddie2412

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rode for 9 years but shared 1 or 2 ponies with the riding school... finally my parents realised i wasnt going going to give up!!
 

TelH

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I started riding aged 3 but I was 24 before I got my first horse, by that time I had worked with horses for a number of years and done stage 3. My first horse was 15.2hh (on her tiptoes :eek: ) a bay mare, 3/4 TB ex county level small show hunter. I had her for the rest of her life until she was pts a couple of weeks before her 24th birthday :( I now have 8 ponies between 8-14.1hh :D
 

alcraw

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2 years (just about)

1st ever riding lesson aged 28, 18 months of 30min weekly lessons, then I started hacking out a local horse, loaned said horse, and bought her in October!

I'm (obviously) still learning, but riding-wise she can teach me a lot. Care wise, I started off knowing very little, but I have support and have picked up so much... next week we're doing our first lesson together, which means my first go at travelling (she's an old pro!). My biggest worry is getting her travel boots on the right way up!!!
 

HairyCobs

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3 years on and off riding exp - 10yrs handling experience work related. Had no intention of buying but for a quid I didn't have the heart to say no and see little one turned away to a lonely field.
Best pound I ever invested
 

nosenseofdirection

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Started riding at 11, rode till 16, had bad injury and wasn't allowed to ride for 2 years, went to uni and didn't ride again till OH talked me into it age 33! 4th lesson back, broke arm so another 6 months off...then about 6 months back into it, fell pregnant= about 9 months off, then managed about four years of riding lessons before buying first horse last summer aged 39.
 

Enfys

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I presume, going by photographs, that the ponies were actually in place before I could ride with any degree of competence, and certainly before I personally was in a position to buy my own.:)

I think I was probably about 15/16 when I actually used my own money to buy a horse. I don't know that I could actually say how many I have bought in the 30 odd years since then.
 

blood_magik

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I started lessons at 9 and had several loaners from 11-13. dad bought me my first horse (16.2 12uo tb x wb) because my yard sold my loaner as I was the only one riding him and he wasn't 'earning his keep'. I had him until I was 18 and he unfortunately had to be pts before I moved to uni. had a four year break between echo and jerry with a few lessons at various yards. bought jerry (19yo kwpn) for £1 from my dad last summer :D
 

monikirk

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Oooo I started riding when a hack cost 15 shillings! Then helped at yards in return for rides. Travelled around with husband in raf and brought up two boys all whilst working. At last the boys left home and I got my horse - 40 YEARS later!
 

Moggy in Manolos

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I started riding age 9 and we bought our own when I was 10, that was almost 20years ago and yes things were different even then, Rugs were a rare sight, shoes were not that common and most horses I knew lived out 24/7 including mine. As with a lot of things, I think you learn the most whilst 'on the job'.
Congratulations on your new horsey, sounds lovely, photos would be great :D
 

RDO

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Started riding at about 5 in a riding school, mostly weekly lessons. Gave up at 14 when I realised my parents were never going to buy me a horse and was getting bored to death of the lessons! Always intended to just wait until I could afford to keep a horse.

Went back to the riding school when I was bored of life at 20 and discovered the standard of teaching had vastly improved. Which was good because I was rubbish when I started again, took a year of lessons to get back to where I was when I gave up!

Got bored of the lessons again at 23 and decided to look for a loan horse, really wasn't an easy task here in Belfast, the pickings were very slim, but managed to find a lovely 16hh palomino draft x.

Now as I turn 25 my first real pony of my own is coming over from Scotland on Thursday! He is a sweet little 12.3 exmoor, cant wait!
 
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