How many of you.......

[scotsmare]

....have horses but don't ride them?

Just curious!! I'm not talking about horses who are broken / retired - just the ones that you could ride.

Also, if you have them and you don't ride - what are your reasons for not riding?

Not a witch hunt honestly (more just to make myself feel better

)

 

[LauraBR]

I'm not really riding my horse atm... due to new baby/lack of opportunity more than anything.

My horse is v happy holidaying in his field with his friends

 

[ihatework]

I have one that I'm not really riding (well I am for the next month or so just to get him fit enough to get him someone else to ride).

I would love to ride this horse more than anything but he has soundness issues and I would push him harder than his legs can cope with, plus I am no happy hacker so I have chosen not to ride him anymore

 

[KimYoung]

I mostly ride my sisters horse (fit in a couple of others over the summer too) as 2 months after she bought the mare my sister found out she had cancer.

12 months, extensive surgery and treatment later my sister has been fit to ride for the last 6 months.

After 6 months my sister is only just confident enough to walk round, as long as no one else is using the school and if the mare even puts a toe out of line (and she is a very docile mare) my sister is straight off.

This is mostly becuase my sister got an unsuitable teenager to help ride despite my view that it was an accident waiting to happen. The girl was eventually badly thrown off once and mare can now get nervy if you dont have your legs on.

The mare has had a number of very novice riders on and the worse thing she has done is spook and trot off. If the rider then "holds on" or throws themself forwards (as is generally the case with very novice riders) she will canter to the other end of the school and then stop.

I wont be able to help as much this year so am getting worried to be honest, we have had "the talk" about selling the mare and starting again. I have also suggested lessons at her old riding school with her old instructor and favourite horse. I even bought her a voucher, that has never been used.

On the up side she loves the mare to bits on the ground, has started showing her in hand and I get to ride and compete whenever I want.

 

[CracklinRosie]

It's peeing down!!!! Nowhere to ride inside and the paddock is water logged!!!

plus girl I normally ride with has just had a baby, so finding babysitters for the same time is tricky!!!

 

[jesterfaerie]

I am not riding my TB much at the moment as I only have field to ride in which is very wet and not safe to ride in (he is unshod so cannot use studs). And because he is unshod (to try improve his cr@p feet) I cannot hack him out that much either. So unless I can find someoone to take him on until I go back to uni then he will have a nice holiday.

 

[Geraldine]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not really riding my horse atm... due to new baby/lack of opportunity more than anything.

My horse is v happy holidaying in his field with his friends

[/ QUOTE ]

Same here!! Sharer is trying to ride but the weather is against her at the mo. I do get the odd potter in the exercise field - twice in 2 weeks now. Haven't hacked out for about 6 weeks though. OH is Self-Employed and has been working most Saturdays to get work finished before they start a big re-roofing job next Tues.

We do still have lots of equine loves and cuddles as I can do that with the children.

And Bob has finally realised that the pram is not a scary monster who wants to eat him!

 

[Jellymoon]

I have two horses that I'm not riding at the moment! I'm about to have a baby, so I stopped riding them a couple of weeks ago as it was all getting a bit uncomfortable for me.

So, they're enjoying a holiday now, but hopefully I'll be back on them again not too long after the birth.

 

[Dressagebabe]

I bought a horse 9 months ago for quite a bit of money but he has had serious anxiety problems, I sat on him a handful of times at first but decided to take him right back to basics with handling and allowing him to settle without the added stress of being forced to work or hack around unknown territory, he had come on fantastically lately so I am going to start lungeing him next week then sit on him the week after if all goes well! However, if he struggles mentally with the hassle of dressage training I would seriously consider just keeping him as a rather expensive field ornament as he is the most 'human' horse I have ever come across and gives me great pleasure just 'doing' him!

I don't think anyone should beat themselves up about horses not in work - they don't care so why should we!

 

[niagaraduval]

My horse is having a bit of a break atm. He lives in a big grassy field with his girlfriend (it's HIS mare) they are inseparable! I'm waiting for his feet to grow a big longer so they can be trimmed properly. He can't be ridden hard either (walk, small bit of trot), he's recovering from his bout of emphysema unfortunately, i still enjoy looking after him, and making look all pretty though.