If you don't own a horse

Sanversera

Sanversera

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Or have a share do you ride at a riding school? Did you give up horses and if so what attracts you to this forum if you are non riding or owning. What made you give up and did you take up different hobbies? Would you like to get back into horse ownership. Personally I gave up competing and schooling for others but continue to own my own but only hack these days.
 
Hi @Sanversera having had horses for many years, I don't own a horse now or ride at all, having lost my last horse just before Lockdown. I still really enjoy following the Forum, and generally keeping up with the equestrian community and friends that still own horses and ride. I mainly follow eventing - it used to be more the dressage side of things but after the CDJ stuff, I've lost interest in going to the annual BD Dressage Convention and other BD events.

So we're now into travelling in our motorhome, which we love. We're currently on a five week trip around Spain, exploring mainly off the beaten track areas (although we're in Seville at the moment whilst Storm Claudia passes), and we may head west into Portugal before heading back to Northern Spain for the ferry home at the start of December. Hopefully we're going to have a longish Scandinavian trip next Spring. I love including trips to equestrian venues like at Jerez, Cordoba, Saumur etc. I also use the motorhome for when I volunteer at some UK equestrian venues, Hickstead, Windsor and Excel in London etc.

I can't see me getting back into riding or horse ownership, mainly because of us being away a fair deal. I really loved having my own horse, but from reading on here, I see that even in the past few years, things have really changed wrt the costs of horse ownership, availability of yards, off-road hacking and competition venues.
 
I used to ride at a school quite a bit when starting out last year, was really lucky that a local family agreed to let me ride their horse a few days an week and can hack out and do some fun schooling.
I don’t have any ambitions for anything other than what I’m doing now.
Family, finances and work commitments mean I probably won’t ever likely own, so I’m making the most of my lovely share horse.
 
I've never owned my own or even had a share, but I do ride at a good trekking centre every Saturday (pretty much). I don't have the time or money to own, so this suits me fine for my life right now. I also actually like the fact that I get to ride a wide variety of horses over the year (I've ridden 18 different ones so far this year); I'm small enough to ride everything from the 13.2hh ponies to 16.3hh horses (there are a few that I find too big for me, though).
 
I owned and competed up until I was pregnant. Always meant to get another one but got my horsey fix having weekly private lessons then volunteering twice a week with the RDA. Plus I broke my ankle hiking a couple of years ago and it was so debilitating that it put me off riding, don't want to risk breaking anything again.

I used to love schooling, hacking and general horse care and still enjoy reading about it in the forum.
 
I sold my mare last year and - despite missing the routine and daily horsey fix - I’m so glad I did it. Prices of everything shooting up, there always being some compromise on a livery yard, other horsey people being mentalists, never quite knowing whether you can trust your professionals… the constant stress of it. I wouldn’t share, people have their own (hair raising) ways of doing things or can’t spot lameness in their own horse and don’t like it when you tell them. I occasionally ride a mate’s horse or go for a hack with a riding centre in the forest scratch the horsey itch, and I hang around here because I like to stay up to date with commentary on equestrian issues.

I might consider owning again if I’m lucky enough to be able to afford a house with land and associated maintenance etc. but still there’d be a lot of the other issues to contend with (safe hacking, which is all I’m really interested in, for example) so… probably not!

EDIT: I sold my mare, not my mate 😂
 
I grew up with horses but lost interest in my teens. Start riding again this year (I’m 35 now) I was having weekly lessons and I went on a Fell pony hack the other week.

I am going to see a horse tomorrow that I will hopefully be part loaning 🤞

I love the idea of having my own but I don’t want to jump the gun, I’ll be happy to have a nice part loan for a few years.
 
I don't own any horses now and no longer rider either. I rode as a child and my first pony was a Christmas present, I went on to show jump at a decent level and also gained teaching qualifications. My parents bought some land and we built up a riding school and livery yard there. Once my son started competing I did less myself, focussing on supporting him and kept his eventers fit while he was a uni as well as running the yard. A few years ago due my health issues among other factors we decided to close the riding school and then we lost our last retired competition horse so I was without any of our own horses. However, there are still 20 livery horses here and I still do some teaching so I still get plenty of horsey interaction without the ownership woes!
 
I no longer own a horse or ride. Totally out of my control as it has been forced on me by ill health. I sold my current riding horse back to his previous owner as we had agreed when I purchased a couple of years back. I had my old retired mare PTS last September.

After over 7 decades of owning and riding horses I now only have my two pet donkeys. Much as I love them I still feel utterly lost without horses in my life and miss riding every single day. I try to remind myself how very lucky I have been over the years and to have made it to over 70 still riding, but I would have preferred making it to over 80 to be honest. ;)
 
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Ive been a member of the forum from when I had a horse. Ive become a member of Mumsnet in recent years and am also a member of a football forum for my team

Tbh I mainly stick around here for any controversial threads and secret santa. Love secret santa and have received some wonderful presents over the years I have taken part in it. I have no interest in threads about horse transport etc.

I gave up horses over 3 years ago, because I couldn't afford it anymore, and had also lost any interest in riding and the care.

I thought once i gave up id do the odd horses related experience e.g. school master lessons/nice trek etc

Have sat on a horse once since! A sunset ride in Cyprus when we were away, at a centre recommended on this forum.

Ive just got absolutely zero interest in it anymore. Ive also now had a baby, so a touch more of the "what ifs" which id already developed over jumping when i had a horse (although there was always a question mark over whether hed jump or be a tit!)

The only thing that used to give me joy in the last few years of ownership was going for a blast over the fields.

I wouldn't want to ride at a riding school unless it was a high quality one. I wouldn't get anything out of going round and round a school on a ploddy cob. I did a beach ride when I still had a horse, at a trekking centre and rode a little cracker, nice and responsive but not wild!

Trekking id be worried about getting a group where someone only wants to walk. Id want a fun fast paced ride. I was used to hacking alone when I had mine, and doing the pace I wanted, when I wanted (if safe!)

I wouldn't want the commitment of a share. Nor would I want to be bound by someone else's management routine, e.g. when I had my own I liked the routine of having him in at night all year round, especially tucking him up on a rainy evening with his hay and comfy bed. A view I know a lot of people frown on.

Basically, im no longer that horse mad little girl i once was, not everyone stays in love with them, and priorities change.

I much prefer watching f1 and my football team on the tv at weekends, and some of the racing.

My mental health improved once I gave up horses, because I wasn't constantly struggling for money.

Horses aren't the be all and end all. Im not sure id want my own again even if I won the euro millions
 
I lost my horse of a lifetime over 20 years ago.

I threw myself into university, work, and then my children. I have ridden a few times at our local riding school, but I have no desire to own another.

However, I am still very much interested in anything to do with horses, and as my DH is a saddle maker, I still get my horsey fix on a daily basis. 😁
 
I have owned horses for the last 50 years -I come from a horsey background. Always used to have at least 2 or 3 at a time. Usually a couple of youngsters to bring on. This year I sold my younger horse and now only have my 21 year old. Whether I will have another after him is undecided, I lke to imagine that I will but with the way the horse world is changing, who knows.
I have only really been on the forum since I retired, didn't have time before!
 
Sanversera said:
but only hack these days
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I think "only" hacking might belittle us hackers. Not that I have ridden since last March. I got frightened of mounting and have been investigating higher mounting blocks. Then got worried about falling off them.
I have shared and hacked solo for about 16 years.
 
Never had my own, even when in the industry. Post industry I was riding at one of the better UK centres, but not been on a horse since July 2022. Combination of factors for why, which includes extremely limited weekend availability, had a girth half break on me in a lesson (both coach and I knew full well its quality wouldn’t have passed an inspection…), cost and would lose an entire morning/afternoon for one lesson because of distance. Loved the place but always had an underlying feeling that the RS was an annoyance to their wider aims/existence.

Maybe I’ll get back on one day, and have taken up golf in the meantime, which is eye opening about grounds maintenance!
 
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I rehomed my horse earlier this year and had plans to start looking within a few months. There was very little for sale that I was interested in and DD got a part loan so that took the pressure off. I still ride twice a week at the stables where we used to keep our horse and help out there for the day a couple of times of month so I am spending plenty of time with horses, but I am less sure about buying another. DD's part loan recently came to the end as the pony has a long term injury so she is keen we get another. I do miss the spontaneity of being able ride when I want to but I am not missing the associated stresses of horse ownership. I am genuinely undecided and will review again next year. I sill love riding and spending time with horses. I have been invited to join a friend and some of her friends on a riding holiday next year which will be a new experience.
 
I never had my own horse - much as I tried to manifest one appearing on the lawn each Christmas, it never seemed to happen. I rode at a couple of riding schools but otherwise rode other people’s - and my aunt’s ( I had twin aunts who were more equine than human, so they were a major influence).

But then I got to 30ish (I’m 50 now) and suddenly realised I found riding really quite boring - which was a shock. I figured that there was no point doing something I found a bit dull that was also life threatening 😅. And since then, when other people have asked if I want to ride again, I’ve tried to explain I have no desire to ride a RS horse that has no desire to have me on its back.

But of course I still love horses and miss their company.
 
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