Its probably just me.....

[WoopsiiD]

but has anyone else seen an increase in 'numpty novice' horse/pony owners??
By numpty novice I mean people who have had two lessons at a riding school and decided that they are now capable of horse ownership??
In the last few months we have had 4 of them on our yard. Two had their horses for christmas!! The other two came to the yard after a lesson and bought a horse a couple of days later!

 

[blossom01]

everybody has to start somewhere. at least at a yard there is always somebody else around to ask advice.

at what point is somebody "good enough" to buy a horse/pony?

 

[Tia]

Yes I have a number of these, as you call them "numpty novice", people who board their horses at my yard. Lovely people, always ready to ask for advice and to listen and work hard to achieve their goals. Mine are all doing fantastically well and I'm actually incredibly pleased with all of their progress.

 

[WoopsiiD]

Ah you dont have the same ones as us....
We have the ones who really have no clue and who bought the horses on a whim. I dont think that having two lessons at a riding school is enough. The ones we have dont ask for help and parade all there friends up to the yard so as they can gad about attempt to gallop across the fields and then wonder why they are lying on the ground with the saddle around the horses belly.
Not all people are 'lovely always willing to ask and listen and work hard'. Unfortunatley they always seem to end up at our yard.
I am fully aware that there are nice ones out there but my post is about the idiots that think they can ride just because funds permit them to buy a horse. I'd love to live in your world Tia really I would.

 

[WoopsiiD]

at what point?
certainly not after 2 lessons.

 

[Tia]

Yes I know what you are saying. Thankfully all of my first time owners are all mature people (around 40 years old) so they are pretty sensible and they actually WANT to do what is best for their horses and listen to advice to avoid accidents. There are no children boarding at my yard, so this probably helps.

I've met the type you are talking about too though.

 

[magicchett]

Its nice to see willing people I suppose, after all, you never stop learning, and it is impossible to know everything with horses..

..unless they become 5min throw away ponies *shakes fist..*..o im sure they have their reasons...

(Im obviously in a split personality mood..)

 

[Archie07]

Slightly different but we have a man at our yard who has two stunning horses which belonged to his wife who died 2 years ago, he is not horsey at all. Since then they have been completely wasted, one is skinny and the other is fat and permenantly lame. He has a spoilt brat of a grand daughter who only comes up in school holidays and still rides the lame one, he won't get the vet out to it. I'm all for novice horse owners who are willing to learn and care for their horses as everyone has to start somewhere, but this man takes absolutely no advice from anyone nor do his horses get any attention other than a feed everyday and the occassional ride. It is very sad as they are both stunning mares who with a little bit of tlc would be lovely, he just doesn't have a clue how to care for them and won't even listen to our advice.

 

[YorksG]

I don't mind them being'wasted', if their basic needs are met and they are not made unsaleable by misshandling and poor riding. The ones that bother me most are those not kept on yards by people who have no knowledge, but who don't know that they don't know, as they will not ask

 

[allijudd]

we encourage new owners at our yard as long as they try not to interfere in other peoples lives and horses..it does cuase conflict and clashes but we try to bear with it...my probelms with liveries are well documeneted on here but we still try.

New owners need to go somewhere and sometimes it is cheaper to own a horse rather than having riding school lssons especially when you are having 2/3 a week.

We like new owners and like to nurture them on...because we love horses then everyone should love them too!!!

 

[Archie07]

That is exactly the man at my yard you are describing.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

yes we do all have to start somewhere, but i know the type you are getting at, the types that have bought for all the wrong reasons, now that does annoy me

 

[WoopsiiD]

yes pussy inboots those are the type that we have now!! Its clear that the horses are just the in thing at the moment. They have no clue as to what they are doing and have no desire to learn. Its horrible watching them! They dont 'need' or 'want' advice and everytime you do say something to them you get a gobfull back.

 

[HazzixSparky]

I don't actually own my pony (so i suppose he's not mine) i have a 3 day share on him. It suits my family's non-horsey lifestyle. Recently we have been discussing buying a suitable horse and taking it to a DIY livery yard but as appealing as that sounds i've turned down the offer because i don't think we'd have enough of a clue as to what we were doing!
I know the type you're on about though and they do annoy me. My friend had one girl come to one of her yards SJ competitions and she made my friends mum hold her horse because she was scared of it! Then she rode it appalingly and fell off made a huge deal about it and shouted at the horse (whose fault it was not.) The horse bless him was an old schoolmaster and the family just did not have a clue. They somehow managed to load him onto their trailer completely the wrong way. It was shocking! They wouldn't listen to the advice though.