Is my horse wasted? Full time job, no arena - Advice please

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*RedRaider*

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Hello H&H community!

I would love your advice please about having a young(ish) horse happy hacker and a full time job.

I have a 9yo Welsh D - lovely boy, 90% of the time he's a big Labrador and only really interested in his next meal and does love to explore.

However, I don't have transport or an arena so we just hack and that's it. Our hacking is quite nice but mainly quiet lanes with some canter/gallop places.

I work full time and weird hours (ecologist). So I only really manage to get him out 3/4 days per week in the summer and 1 day in the winter.

Honestly, is this enough for him?

He's a great all rounder, don't get me wrong he's no eventer, but he would make a fab RC horse/hunter/ teenagers horse as loves to jump.

I'm wondering if he's completely wasted with me and if I'd better off with an older pony looking for a more chilled life rather than a young Welsh cob who's good at lots of things.

Every time he's naughty or silly (mainly just being a typical Welsh pony nothing that bad) I ALWAYS assume he must be bored or need more work.

Would really appreciate your opinions!

I'm in the South West, Somerset.

Anyone agreeing he's wasted, with an older pony who'd like to swap, let me know 😅
 
Horses rarely, if ever, truly get bored. If they are fed more than the work they are doing requires they may well get silly but the cure for that is less food.
All horses want is adequate food and water with a companion and space to interact with that companion. If he has those and you enjoy riding your horse he really isn't wasted.
 
*RedRaider* said:
Hello H&H community!

I would love your advice please about having a young(ish) horse happy hacker and a full time job.

I have a 9yo Welsh D - lovely boy, 90% of the time he's a big Labrador and only really interested in his next meal and does love to explore.

However, I don't have transport or an arena so we just hack and that's it. Our hacking is quite nice but mainly quiet lanes with some canter/gallop places.

I work full time and weird hours (ecologist). So I only really manage to get him out 3/4 days per week in the summer and 1 day in the winter.

Honestly, is this enough for him?

He's a great all rounder, don't get me wrong he's no eventer, but he would make a fab RC horse/hunter/ teenagers horse as loves to jump.

I'm wondering if he's completely wasted with me and if I'd better off with an older pony looking for a more chilled life rather than a young Welsh cob who's good at lots of things.

Every time he's naughty or silly (mainly just being a typical Welsh pony nothing that bad) I ALWAYS assume he must be bored or need more work.

Would really appreciate your opinions!

I'm in the South West, Somerset.

Anyone agreeing he's wasted, with an older pony who'd like to swap, let me know 😅
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I think as long as he has his three Fs (friends, forage freedom) and is in good health, he's probably living his best horse life as far as he is concerned!

Do you enjoy the time you are able to spend with him? If you're happy and he's happy I see no problem with whether or not he's doing more.

Perhaps if you felt he needed more work, or want the reward of seeing him out and about a bit more, perhaps a sharer?
 
Well, I think your horse and you sound like you are living a great life that is absolutely not wasted.

It's sometimes hard to see what value a truly happy hacking horse and rider really if you don't compete (either at all or seriously) like some of peers - but let me tell you, it is absolutely priceless.

Keep on keeping on happily together for years to come ❤
 
Before the advent of indoor schools and people expecting to have arenas most horses were either turned away for the winter or out hunting and then turned away around April at the end of the hunt season. A few months at grass and then plenty hacking to start getting fit again. Just because you’re not riding doesn’t mean a horse is wasted.
 
Thank you all so much for your replies!! This has made me feel so much better, I really appreciate it!
He's living his best life and actually giving him some time off over winter is something I might start actually planning so I stop feeling guilty for it.
At the moment, it's not very enjoyable but that's just winter... Come spring and some sunny days I love hacking.
 
gallopingby said:
Before the advent of indoor schools and people expecting to have arenas most horses were either turned away for the winter or out hunting and then turned away around April at the end of the hunt season. A few months at grass and then plenty hacking to start getting fit again. Just because you’re not riding doesn’t mean a horse is wasted.
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So true!
 
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I have a very fancy young dressage horse, he’s rising 6 now but will have spent roughly 6 months just chilling with his buddies in the field as I’m pregnant and precious about who rides him due to his age and size. Prior to that he’d do a light mix of schooling and hacking, but very much has to fit around work and family commitments so is relatively low mileage for his age and calibre. I’m sure someone more motivated would have had him out doing young horse classes already, but he’s living his best life with us and more than happy as long as there’s food and he gets the odd cuddle.
 
Honestly OP - I'm with everyone else who' has replied. It sounds as if your boy has a lovely life. You ride about as often as we do and we have horses that were bred to be sports horses. They don't care that they could do a different job and absolutely love pootling about hacking. Until this year, we've turned them away for a couple of months over winter as none of us enjoy riding in miserable weather. They always come back into work happily.
 
I do get why you feel guilty. I bought a super young horse, who is ace, and then I had some horrible life experiences that meant I simply didn't want to ride. Getting up in the morning and breathing in and out were the extent of my abilities for a while. BH had months where he mostly just had someone I paid to come and ride him. Other then that, I turned him in and out and did his bed etc.

He's one of those horses who can have weeks off and then just saddle up and go hacking, and that is what I did.

I now have an 8 year old ace horse (same horse), who is very behind in education and experience. But, he is still ace and I am grateful for how easy he is. Yes, with a different owner, he would be out competing every weekend. I personally think he would be horrified to actually work for a living 🤣

Had he been a different character, I'd have sold him. However, there is a reason good horses don't often end up on the market. He's easy to keep and nice to ride when I do ride.

I mean, if you really want to swap your lovely horse for an old crock, I have another, 20 year old with medical history? Only kidding, Rigs is here for as long as he would like, but be careful who you suggest swapping to!!!
 
*RedRaider* said:
Every time he's naughty or silly (mainly just being a typical Welsh pony nothing that bad) I ALWAYS assume he must be bored or need more work.

Would really appreciate your opinions!

I'm in the South West, Somerset.

Anyone agreeing he's wasted, with an older pony who'd like to swap, let me know 😅
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It depends what you mean by wasted. I have two ponies. One can be left in a field for 3 months. Bring him in, scrape the mud off, put him in the carriage and away we go. The other pony is different. After a week off, she needs lunged before I can think of putting harness on. She would probably be more settled in a home which gave her regular work.

By the way, the pick-up-put-down pony is a Welsh Section A, so please don't tar all Welshes with the idea they are difficult!
 
I have felt similar guilt as I have struggled for motivation with my 4yo since beginning of Dec and have ridden probably only once or twice a week ocassionally. Like everyone else, I have to reality check myself and just think that as long as he's got turnout, friends and food, he couldn't really care less what he is or isn't doing - and then hope that as our hacking ground gets better in the spring I'll remember why I do it all! He does get bored if he does nothing, but even a 20 min ground work session in the school once a week keeps his brain mostly occupied. The less wear and tear on legs and joints the better for longevity generally, in any age horse, so I'd never worry about low mileage.

The only time it would matter is if you have bought a horse to sell on and make money from, so if you've not done that then do whatever you feel like and try not to feel bad!
 
This winter has been truly awful with more ice than snow where I live and I've seriously contemplated selling my horse. I'm boarding her at a place with just a tiny small outside arena and very good (summertime that is) hacking trails which is actually why I decided to board her there since we're just happy hackers really. She's basically have been doing nothing accept being a pasture pet with maybe the odd little hack here and there since oct-nov something because it has been dark, cold and icy, and I work full time.

Now, my situation is a bit different than OP's since my horse is an ex harness racer and ex brood mare and is turning 15 this year and I bought her as a project in a rather neglected state from her previous home and I wasn't even sure it would be possible to have her as a riding horse, so I don't really feel that I'm wasting any of her potential, but I still have been thinking alot about why do I even keep a horse when she's basically been a giant, very expensive hamster these last months 😅

It really helps reading the replies on this thread, THANK you, you guys made me realise that there's no shame or prestige in not riding all year round.
 
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