How long would you say the average horse is owned for?

Trot_on said:
Not long enough, in my opinion. I find it so odd that we class them as pets, but so many people don't treat them as such. One of my biggest bugbears is people selling 'their best friend'... you wouldn't sell your best friend, so please just be honest in your adverts!

Anyway, mine are here for life:

Horse 1 (retired due to arthritis): he's 19 now and I've had him since he was 2.5 years old
Horse 2 (still busy doing whatever he is enjoying): he's 20 and I've had him since he was 9

Neither of them are 'ideal' for me - I'm 5'9 and neither are above 15 hands, but we make it work because they feel safe and secure and I absolutely bloody adore them (ridden or otherwise)
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But people do move on their pets, it's just more frowned upon. You only have to look at any free ad website to see dozens of dogs, cats and sundry exotics looking for new homes. And these are the medium to decent owners. The others dump them on the side of the road.

I did sell my "best friend" (not that I would ever write that in an advert). In my case, it was down to a promise I made to my parents before he was my best friend and when growing up and going to uni seemed like a long way away. I would also hypothetically have sold on if I couldn't afford the horse's care for any reason, it would be beyond silly to starve and for horse to starve because I didn't want to "sell my best friend".

I intend to keep all my current ones for life but life can throw curve balls. I've seen several people have to separate from horses they love even if they didn't want to (in one case horse was sold while owner was in a coma and not expected to wake up - she did wake up but will never be able to care for a horse again).
 
Mine are with me until the end of days. That hasn't been for very long in some cases, as I tend to be the person they come to for a soft landing and to know some comfort and love before heading on to the forever summer meadows. Recent addition could be and exception though, as I've just caught him leaning over the 1.2m deer net fencing around the bee paddock, to get at the much nicer looking grass in there. He's stretched it and now it sags... I'm hoping OH won't notice for a bit so I can botch it up!
 
I had my old horse for 11 years; I didn't sell him, he had an injury.
My current ridden horse has been with me for 8 years now. He will never be sold.
I have two youngsters in the field. They've been with me for 18 months now, and they've just turned 2. I bought one as a companion for the other with an idea that I would break in and sell eventually but now she's here I'm not sure I will be able to do that 😂 it's such a big responsibility finding them the right home and trying to avoid them being passed around and ending up in the wrong hands.
 
When I was younger I used to really enjoy bringing on young horses. I often bought them at either 3 or 4, started them, competed them to a good level, then generally got a bit bored. So they were usually sold at around 7 or 8 years old. always to very carefully considered homes. I followed lots through their careers.
Then I bought a sharp but incredibily genuine 4 year old connemara who was just so much fun and I could never bring myself to part with him. I've had him 17 years now. About 5 years ago i bought another Connie XTb to bring on but can't part with him either!! I think age has changed my attitude.
 
Horse 1 - bought as a yearling, owned 10 years and was pts due to laminitis
Horse 2 - bought as a “rebound” after losing horse one. She was 2, sold her after 2 years as I just wasn’t in the right head space.
Horse 3 - bought as an 8 year old, owned him 4 years this year. He’s with me for life.
Horse 4 - bought last year as yearling, she’s with me for life.
 
My horse is on his 4th owner and 7th home that I know of (was previously loaned out). I've had him 7 years and he will go nowhere as long as I can manage it.

Most people I have met are of the 'buy for life' mentality, but about 10% buy and sell regularly. Generally at the lower end, take the dealer's word for things and sell on when it doesn't work out. I feel hugely sorry for those horses.

eta: after a bit more thought and a little less sanctimoniousness, I also get that life doesn't always work out the way you want and some of those hard sales are genuinely hard. And then there are the producers, who are interested in starting and developing horses- someone somewhere put a lot of hours into my horse. And the people who loan out their horses - I wouldn't have my horse if he hadn't had an incredibly generous owner who gave him to me, so actually I've benefited from horses not staying with one person forever.
 
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I do not like selling them, I do sell 3/4 yr olds, but I have bought two back towards the end of their life. I kept my daughters horses until they were PTS. Looking at passports of older ones I have bought in, they are in a home 2/3 years. Horses for most people need to do a job, their upkeep is a big part of someone 's income and time, and probably the biggest turnover is when a child rider becomes a teenager and then stops riding or their owners have children.
 
I've had mine 15 years now..

I wouldn't sell my current horse at all for any amount - MrMM would peobably happily sell him for 50p somedays 🤣 - but that's not to say I'd never sell a future horse. Who knows?
 
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I’m another who keeps them to the end of their life, bar one exception.

1 - bought as a just turned 6 year old, PTS aged 28. He had a few years out on loan in his late teens.
2 - bought aged 7 and PTS aged 19.
3 - 22 year old pony who I’ve known since he was 3 and owned since he was 13.
4 - 15 year old pony who I bought aged 12 to keep no 3 company when 1 and 2 had gone.

The only one I’ve sold was a 2012 foal who stopped growing at 15.2 and was far too small for me. He needed to go off and do a job, and I sold as a 3yo in 2015.

I think I’m grateful I’m tall and have been since I was little, I had my first horse when I was 12 and he was 16.3! If I’d gone through the pony stage I’d probably have collected the outgrown ones as I went along.
 
Loaned a couple, 17hh2 wb was for life, but 2 weeks after moving yards to put everyone together, my TB was on a different yard originally) he broke his shoulder in a field accident and despite the RVC’s best efforts, was pts.

The boy in my avatar, heart horse, bought at 5, more likely 4, straight off the boat from Ireland. Had him pts when he was 19 due to chronic arthritis/locking stifle.
 
Pony - owned 2.5yrs - sold as nearly outgrown height wise and wanted something to do a bit more jumping with. Was sold to a family but lost touch quite quickly, am sad I never knew what happened to him afterwards (I was 14 when he was sold)

Horse 1 - owned 5.5yrs - my heart horse. died from a traumatic injury out eventing (or possible heart attack causing the fall, no PM ever done). Had intended to keep her to the end

Horse 2 - owned 5yrs - sold to a lovely lady to do dressage/hacking, who still had him the last I heard. Bought as a youngster but never really took much to jumping. It broke my heart to sell him but it was the right thing, we didn’t enjoy the same things and was increasingly frustrating for both of us

Horse 3 - owned 4yrs and counting - he will be with me to the end. He’s my 2nd heart horse and owes me absolutely nothing. Im hoping we have a few more happy years competing together yet, but my dream is to give him the retirement I never got to give horse 1.

If I’d had unlimited money and my own land, I would probably have kept horse 2 to just pootle around on/take to the odd dressage or fun ride. He was the most lovely person, but I wasn’t ready to give up the eventing dream for him. Although I would give up the eventing dream for my current horse, so maybe that says something…
 
Mine are with me until the end, have never sold. So two died at 24, next at 32, current lot of reprobates are 26 22 15

Most people don't keep their horses as long as the animals deserve

I do so want enough land and money of my own to provide a soft landing for some of the broken old ones you see being sold on:/
 
First pony 8yrs originally bought by my sister was loaned out in between as I’m 15yrs younger. When I went to uni we found a home for him at 22yrs. This wouldn’t be something I’d do knowing better these days but we lucked out with a caring home for life.

First adult horse 2.5yrs and pts at 8yrs due to wobblers.
Second horse a mistake as turned out way too much horse and only a couple of months. Swapped at a different dealers than I bought him from for my - Third horse my heart ❤️ horse.
I had for him for 17yrs but he sadly fractured a pastern in the field at 27yrs and pts.
My fourth horse I bought as a successor to my heart horse. I’ve had him 7yrs now and he’s a keeper although he’s had some soundness issues over the last couple of years. He won’t ever be sold. He’s 15 this year.
5th horse I’ve had just under 2yrs I bought at 5yrs old I would have probably sold him as he’s been very challenging and in the midst of these struggles the yard I was on gave notice of closure and I decided to send him for training with a view to sell but then he colicked and had to have surgery so I’ve still got him. Rehab and two yard moves later and we’re progressing I do like him but I’m not 100% sure he’s going to be a long term prospect for me he may do better and also be happier with a younger bolder rider. My goal is to either make him right for me or ensure he’ll get a home right for him. He’s costing me an arm and a leg due to his needs which adds to my stress.

Just to add that if no one ever sold a horse how would ever be able to buy one? I don’t mean selling a very elderly or unsound horse but just generally if you find that the combination just doesn’t work then why keep when both of you may find a better situation? Or selling a mature horse that can’t do the job you need it to anymore to someone that will love and appreciate what that horse gives them.
 
I'm a funny one as have ridden all my life, worked in riding schools/trekking centres as a child/teen, went to Agri uni and rode there and then rather fortuously have had horsey friends that have thrust their horses on me to ride most of my adult life (prob cause I'm small and have been fairly gung ho!) so have only actually shared/owned the past 5 years and have an awful track record. I'm starting to think owning isn't for me!

Share 1 - 2.5 yrs and was PTS at 20 after colic badly
Share 2 - only 6 months as was also PTS after field injury
Coblet - owned 2.5 yrs but been lame for 1 of those, with me to the end however long that is?

Looking for another to buy/loan and have been offered one who I'm still considering but I'm so cautious its unbelievable :(
 
I find the buying and selling of little kids ponies very sad. I know many pony club veterans have many loving homes and bring a lot of joy to a lot of kids but it is still a hard life in a way, being moved on every 2 years until they're too old and have to hope they made enough of an impact along the way that someone will give them a retirement.

I'm still on pony #1. Will be with me 4 years in October and won't be going anywhere except back to the sanctuary if I die before she does. She's only 10 (ish) and has had 3, possibly 4 homes in her life already which seems like so many.
 
Pony 1 - my first pony, had him for 10 years after loaning him for a few before (he was gifted to me) - lost him in 2017 at 25 years old due to recurring laminitis from EMS
Pony 2 - had him for 8 years and still going! I am his second home and he won't be going anywhere, he's with me for life.

All my pets stay with me for life as I don't think I could bear to part with them! If I did want another horse now mine is getting older I would consider having a share or loan but he would not be sold and would be with me until the end.
 
I've only owned two horses. I bought both from their breeders. My first horse (the dun in my avatar) was with me until she was PTS. The second is still with me, he's 24 and pretty much retired but he will stay with me until the end.

I don't have an issue with anyone selling a horse that isn't suitable for them as long as it's healthy and not elderly. I've see people struggling with the wrong horse for years and you can see that both the owner and horse would be much happier with a better match.
 
Our two cobs are 26 and 16. We've had them both since they were 4 and they'll stay with us until the end.

My heart horse was a beautiful Connie, bought him when he was 8 and he stayed with us until he was 21 and we lost him to his first every attack of lami. Lost him 6 years ago and still think about him every single day.

I did buy another pony once, from someone I thought was a friend, but I just couldn't 'click' with him. I don't know what it was and I was desperate for it to work out as he was a lovely looking and talented pony but it's as if something was missing (compared to my other horse). Perhaps it was partly that the previous owner was always looking over my shoulder, I don't know.
But in the end he went back to her...sometimes things just don't turn out as you want them to.
Perhaps 'horses you just couldn't bond with no matter how much you tried' is worthy of another thread!
 
I've had three until death, the longest 9 years. The ones I've sold I had for between 10 months & 3 1/2 years. They've been sold or rehomed for various reasons, the most common that they weren't right for me, a couple have been outgrown (including recently 'cause I'm getting heavier with age! I used to be able to ride ponies but I can't really anymore), a couple I bought with the intention of selling on and some were on loan and went back to their owners. A couple went to very good friends (one gifted, the other sold) so I know what they're up to.

If no one sold their horses no one would be able to buy one, have the holier than thou ever thought of that? There's so many reasons to move a horse on and I predict, with the cost of living and the cost of keeping a horse on the rise and livery yards closing and being sold for building, it's going to be happening more.

Would I sell a horse if it were worth £8 million? Hell yeah! That's life changing money! Would I sell a horse worth £8k if I didn't ride it, also hell yeah, if I didn't want to ride, I'd take that money and have an oldie or a little Welshie as a pet instead. Might sound harsh but some of us have responsibilities that trump being sentimental over a horse.
 
Trot_on said:
Not long enough, in my opinion. I find it so odd that we class them as pets, but so many people don't treat them as such. One of my biggest bugbears is people selling 'their best friend'... you wouldn't sell your best friend, so please just be honest in your adverts!

Anyway, mine are here for life:

Horse 1 (retired due to arthritis): he's 19 now and I've had him since he was 2.5 years old
Horse 2 (still busy doing whatever he is enjoying): he's 20 and I've had him since he was 9

Neither of them are 'ideal' for me - I'm 5'9 and neither are above 15 hands, but we make it work because they feel safe and secure and I absolutely bloody adore them (ridden or otherwise)
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You wouldn't sell your best friend but you might be in a good financial position. Put yourself in other people's position - what if you lost your job, couldn't pay your bills, couldn't pay your mortgage, couldn't afford to feed yourself let alone a horse?
 
marmalade76 said:
If no one sold their horses no one would be able to buy one, have the holier than thou ever thought of that? There's so many reasons to move a horse on and I predict, with the cost of living and the cost of keeping a horse on the rise and livery yards closing and being sold for building, it's going to be happening more.
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I don't really think it's people here that are chopping and changing and moving horses around to the extent it makes you start to feel bad for the horses. There are people who have a horse for a job and move it on as soon as it can't do the job, be that through injury, undiagnosed lameness, behaviour problems, age etc and they end up on a very sad merry go round. I don't think many of those people are here though, as evidenced from the posts.

People will always have a reason for selling a horse, and just because the reason is a good one doesn't mean you can't feel bad for the horses who end up in 10 different places without understanding anything that's happening to them.
 
Well it’s probably a good thing horses get sold else where would we all get one from????

Me, I seem to have multiple personas when it comes to horses.

The saleswoman. I’ve had a few I’ve bought intentionally to sell on. So they were always going to be temporary. I take a bit of pride in trying to evaluate them accurately and place them in the right homes. There have been a couple that I found really hard to sell emotionally as they had worked their way into a part of me!

The sap. I also have had a small handful that for various reasons weren’t doing the job I needed or wanted at the time but I ‘owed’ them and it wouldn’t have been right to sell. Those ones have been loaned and I’ve been ready to step back in whenever the horse needed. Indeed one I had for final couple of years retirement and another I took back this autumn and suspect she will see out her days with me.

The realist. I am currently in a situation I never wanted to be in with a valuable homebred who will be sold soon for personal reasons. He is the one most established, most sellable and who should theoretically find a good home. Doesn’t make me feel any less sick about it though.
 
I've sold a few and kept a few until death. The ones I sold were generally youngsters that I backed and decided I didn't get on with them for one reason or another. I've also had a few that I bought over the years with the intention of them only ever being short-term companions and then moved on. I have always sold privately and tried to find them the best possible homes but the reality is that horses live for a long time and we can't all afford to collect them and keep them for 20+ years.

At the same time I think once you buy a horse they are your responsibility. I have one that has been retired in a field for 17 years now, he was retired through injury and my options were keep him or PTS as I wouldn't pass on a broken horse. He could have gone to a light hacking home but I wouldn't have trusted he wouldn't be passed around and I think it is my responsibility to secure his future. I also kept one for 15 years until I lost him tragically who was totally unsuitable for what I wanted him for, but he was very sweet and I just couldn't bear the thought he would ever be treated with anything other than the kindness he deserved.

Should have sold one of mine a couple of years ago when she arrived as she was a complete lunatic, has taken me 2 years longer than I'd hoped to turn her into a somewhat 'normal' riding horse, but she'd had a rough life before coming to me and I didn't feel I could throw her back out there to whatever the future could hold for her. That was very much a heart over head decision.
 
Poor H when I got him had been in 4 homes at least, before me, and he was only 8. Friend had bought him as a 2yo and tried to loan him out twice, but they returned him. I had him until he was pts aged 27. My second Exmoor I still have. Bought her aged 8, too and she'd been in 3 homes, one of those being not very nice travellers. She's 24, now - still quite anxious, but manageable. I bought my boy as rising 5 in 2019, so he's just turned 11. Shortest ownership was my Shetland, but he was mid 30s when I took him on in 2002. He died 2009.

I think they see me coming! 😆
 
While it's sad that there are some that get moved around a lot and work their way down to the bin-end dealers, I don't think a horse being sold is necessarily a bad thing.
If no-one sold, how would people buy horses? If we only bought from breeders, as people do with dogs (excluding ones from rescues), then we'd have a great many over-horsed novices causing more welfare issues than horses moving homes ever could. There would undoubtedly be an uptick in people paying someone more competent to bring on their horse, but it wouldn't be sufficient to make life safe or comfortable for the horses and humans involved.
If you buy a horse with a specific job in mind and discover he dislikes the job, but is otherwise sound and (largely) sane, then IMO it's better for everyone if you sell him into a home that wants him for a job he actually enjoys. Otherwise, you either have a horse forced into a job he dislikes, a resentful owner, a penny pinching owner trying to run more horses they can really afford, or a bored and/or fat horse. There are people out there who will change their own aims to suit the tastes of the horse, but it isn't always possible (i.e. a horse that enjoys going out in company but is a nervous wreck on his own could make a good hunter or happy hacker on a busy yard, but is no good for someone who can only hack at unsociable times/lives in an area with few other riders. A horse who enjoys schooling but doesn't like to hack is no good for someone without access to a menage).
The same goes for personality clashes- you won't get on with every horse, just as you don't get on with every human. It's kinder by far to find the horse someone he likes (and vice-versa) than keep him long-term in an atmosphere of discontent.
 
I currently have 3 horses.

Horse 1 : Rescued as a 4 yr old and now 20yrs old.
Horse 2 : I bred her and shes 15yrs old.
Horse 3 : Bought as 3yr old and now 7yr but unfortunately will be looking for a home.
 
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