license to own a horse?????

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lilym

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just reading the preview column for next week's H&H and this is going to be a topic they are going to cover. a little while back i have to say i was against the idea as i did and tbh still do believe who ever enforces it would use it as a money spinner, but i have to say i am coming around to the belief it maybe a very good idea indeed. for instance i know some people who are proper dole scroungers who go to the new forest sales every year, buy several foals, fail to provide proper basic care and year after year these poor foals end up with colic and pnuemonia, and are got rid of..... these people are idiots, they are the same idiots who beat their pony into a lorry at a show... definatley shouldn't be allowed the privaledge of owning a horse, then there are the numpties i used to share a yard with who failed to have a worming programme, had no counts done turned a new horse that had warts and ringworm in with mine and then failed to get a farrier to thier loan pony and couldn't be arsed to change a foot poultice for 3 days......then the final straw for my change of mind was when i was explaining to a customer a worming programme for her horses and a numptie butted right in and said that if the lady feeds garlic she doesn't have to worm????!!! and all us merchants are a rip off???? i told her that until she holds my qualification she could keep her advice to herself!! (and the lady i was serving thought it was hilarious, bought her wormers and a worm count kit and was pleased with what she called proffesional unbiased advice!
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if it was up to me you wouldn't have to be the best rider or be able to jump huge fences, but you would have to demonstrate common sense, and be able to do basic first aid, i suppose a little like a bhs stage 1?? what do you guys think??
 
I don't think you should have to hold a qualification, a lot of people would struggle to find the time to fit that in and it would scare people away from the horse world who would be very welcome to join it, I think!

I do understand what you are saying but where do we stop regulating people and infringing on their rights? Perhaps the government should put more money into animal protection so if we report a case we actually believe it will be followed up and then push for prosecutions.

Innocent until proven guilty, remember. I don't think I would pass a first aid test with flying colours having not owned a horse for nearly a year (amazing how quickly you forget) but I have good common sense, lots of books, I had emergency supplies in the tack room and I knew where to ask for help if I needed it. I don't need a qualification.
 
woman down lane has had pon 10+years,scared of it to ride so "lunges" it every couple days.it wears headcoller only 4 this while it runs ruond in circles and she looks at her watch.it goes round with its nose in air pointing out of circle and the most upside down shape you ever see.she got all the books and knows it all.it has turned into the wierdest shape u ever see.but wait.......gets new pon,quite nice,now this go same way.i cannot bear to look so have to go other way.
 
In theory I agree and think you should need a licence for any animal.
In practice, I dont think it would work.
It would be impossable to ensure every horse owner had a licence, and what would we do with horses of owners who dont have one and refuse to get one?
 
true.also up the lane the other way is man with 4yo who is ridden in gag,tight flash and tight martingale.if one trys to say any thing then one is a busybody.all you can do really is try and set a good example.how i do despare of these people .
 
I think maybe there could be a middle way perhaps - for instance an owner-to-be could prove that they have some experience around horses, or has someone who can help them when needed.

I agree that a qualification would scare some people away from horse ownership.
 
I agree that you should have to have a licence - but I think it would be unpoliceable (sp). What would happen is all the law abiding people like us would go along and sort out our licences and all the people you describe who either don't care or are too stupid would just not do it - so all that would happen is that we would end up paying more!
 
some people need scaring.oh yes,woman at friends yard had pon with laminitas,bought feed designed for laminetics and thought the more she fed it ,the less likly the pon was to suffer from said condition!! !
 
Great idea have an annual license which we would all moan about and then have a qualification to ensure we were proficient to look after that animal....excellent idea it's aliving creature and anything that can be done to ensure their welfare is thumbs up for me.

Shrek 3 out soon so they'll be a stack of donkey's that'll need rehoming when is this going to stop - when you start pinching the pocket before you can buy!!! It'll not readicate cruelty but at least would go some way to ensure the numbers dimish.
 
Absolutely agree! BHS 1 or BHS Horse Owners Certificates should be good for a start (but then the BHS would need to update their manuals!). As to a comment on lack of time or money. If someone has no time to read up on horse care than how would they find time needed to care for an animal? Money is another issue - I think ideally these licences should be for free (or inexpensive) but not too easy to obtain
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woman down lane has had pon 10+years,scared of it to ride so "lunges" it every couple days.it wears headcoller only 4 this while it runs ruond in circles and she looks at her watch.it goes round with its nose in air pointing out of circle and the most upside down shape you ever see.she got all the books and knows it all.it has turned into the wierdest shape u ever see.but wait.......gets new pon,quite nice,now this go same way.i cannot bear to look so have to go other way.

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I am not trying to be rude here or anything but is that because you would do it differently or would have the confidence to ride it?
If the ponies aren't in any danger and are well fed etc, what's the problem? There are no rules to say a horse HAS to be ridden. many many people keep horses as pets, or just to 'play' with. IMO as long as that person has a good solid basis of horse care knowledge (ie knows how to feed, groom, and care for a horse) then they can do what they like so long as it's healthy and happy. Too many horses are abandoned and abused, and too many in rescue centres, if this woman has the basic knowledge tocare for them and can offer them happy homes for life then surely thats better than passing them off because of her own confidence issues?


I certainly wouldnt pass an exam (I don't think). But that doesnt mean to say i can't care for a horse. The kid's pony is well cared for, I know the main basics, and if I'm in any doubt I ask someone who knows.
The danger comes from those too proud to ask, or the know-it-alls. I could easily be a know it all, but I don't know everything, and there fore wouldnt class myself as experienced. Until you've cared for a number of horses over a number of years, faced many many problems and dealt with them then you cannot say you're experienced. I was once told I was more than capable of doing BHS exams, but I wouldnt attempt it!

I think people should be offered the chance to do a course in horse care, perhaps a day course. But much like the passports, not everyone will do it. It's a nice idea in theory but not in practice as too many people will see themselves to be 'above' such things, or feel they might fail and therefore not be able to own a horse.

eta: a day course with an incentive to take it, ie money off feed, horsey goods, etc etc. Now that I would swot up for lol.
 
have ridden it long ago.what annoys me is not so much the fact that woman does it all wrong but that she has never moved on or tried to better herself or learn.pon bored braindead,and other one going same way.this woman would not do a course in care because she knows all about lame horses because hers is always lame and she tends it (even though she prob caused it in 1st place.hard ground)good excuse not to ride it. munchousen syndrome???? you kno i cant spell by now.
 
I do not think horses are bored braindead by not being ridden.

Maybe her horse is lame for some other reason (I wish there was a bit of hard ground near me - we are wading knee deep in mud!) and she is genuinely caring for it, and following advice from a vet.

You seem to be basing your opinion on having seen her lunge her horse a few times - please correct me if I am wrong though.
 
This would be just another excuse to make money out of the honest and easy-target horse owners. Who would be going to apply the horse licencing test to the traveller community for example? But people like us on normal livery yards or at home would be easy to jump on.
I think this would be completely impractical, but if they did bring it in it would also end up as unfair as the passport regs.
 
braindead lunging braindead.every day circles 10+years.hard ground in summer.vet?what vet.vet nev been.wrinkly leg bandages,wrong size rug done up wrong.have to go by most days.used to be her friend and tried to be tactful but could stand it no more.this person will just not listen to any body because she thinks she knows it all.few times?hundreds
 
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have ridden it long ago.what annoys me is not so much the fact that woman does it all wrong but that she has never moved on or tried to better herself or learn.pon bored braindead,and other one going same way.this woman would not do a course in care because she knows all about lame horses because hers is always lame and she tends it (even though she prob caused it in 1st place.hard ground)good excuse not to ride it. munchousen syndrome???? you kno i cant spell by now.

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I am assuming that it isnt lunged all day long? In which case, it's living out in the field and doing what horses do. I would rather see something being lunged occasionally and living a quiet life than being trashed round sj'd daily or schooled to death.
Kids pony isnt ridden alot, and when he is it's just basic hacking. Other than that the only 'work' he does is go for walks in-hand. He goes out in the field, but has had enough after 1/2 an hour and wants to come in again. He loves his stable and will quite happily stand in all day. People could argue that compared to his stable mates he has a rubbish boring life, but to him it's all one big party! Those who don't know him or his quirks could quite easily accuse me of being cruel, but I do whatever makes him happiest.
As long as this pony is fed, watered and kept safe and well (and loved) who cares if all it ever does is get lunged?? The lady has obviously accepted it's her problem not the horses, and the fact she's kept it and at leat tries to do something with it speaks volumes. So many people would give up and sell the animal on not caring what happened to it.
 
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braindead lunging braindead.every day circles 10+years.hard ground in summer.vet?what vet.vet nev been.wrinkly leg bandages,wrong size rug done up wrong.have to go by most days.used to be her friend and tried to be tactful but could stand it no more.this person will just not listen to any body because she thinks she knows it all.few times?hundreds

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and in all these 10 years is the horse in actual physical pain or distess? is it emaciated (sp?), or dead?

Horses are tougher than we think, we do wrap them in cotton wool, mainly because of the hard work we put into getting them 'right' and how much they cost.

That's the point i'm trying to make. There are thousands of inexperinced horse owners about, and nothing will stop people going to a sales and buying a little pony because it will look nice on their large back lawn. This lady obviously loves these ponies and does her best, you have tried to help, but she doesnt want to know.
What I'm trying to say is look out of the box, a horse isnt neglected just because it has the wrong sized rug or it's bandages are wrinkled. Lungeing on hard ground, whilst bad, isnt a cause for the RSPCA to visit, and trust me, I've seen worse. Not everyone has the same views about horse ownership and care. That's what makes forums like this fab, as you get to see different views and it teaches you that your ideas might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Whilst this lady certainly isnt doing things by the bHS standard, if they stopped people who didnt do it by the standard from owning horses there would be very few horse owners left.
 
yes we need happy mediums.but surley by our presence on this site we are here to talk and learn about our lovely horses,hoping to learn new things for thier benefit and share ideas?onwards and upwards?woman is closed book wiv fingers in ears and eyes shut.anyway,some test would be good.animal owning is a privipalidge that should be earned.
 
I don't agree with a license. I think many people do things many different ways, would there be a license fo NH and traditional? For SJers and Eventers? For proffessional and amateurs?
I disagree with a lot of what the PC manual and BHS say, should I then not be allowed to own 5 (perfectly healthy) horses?
 
I would not pay for a licence as for me personally it would be yet another financial burden to pay- assuming of course there is a cost attached to this which I would guess there would be- it costs me enough as it is to keep horses.
Someone posted on here that people should have a licence for every animal they own. Well with me owning 38 of them plus the two horses, along with feed, vet care, and insurance I would probably end up either bankrupt or else the RSPCA or some other animal welfare organisation would have a large collection to make.
In theory yes licences may work if it promotes animal welfare. But there are too many flaws. The running costs of policing such a move would probably outweigh the finances raised which it would be hoped would provide assistance to the welfare of the said animal. There would need to be offices ( either bought or leased), admin costs such as paper, envelopes, office equipment, including computers and not forgetting staff. Staff would be needed to oversee the relevant paperwork in an office. Would there be inspectors of these licences that would travel the length and breadth of the UK to ensure that the licences were indeed issued correctly and that their introduction was working. The revenue raised from the licence costs would pay the wages for these people along with the running costs of vehicles or mileage allowance should they use their own vehicles.
I don't know maybe I'm reading too much into this issue or I am getting it all wrong as I have not read any articles on the subject yet.
If anyone wishes to correct me please do in case I am getting it all very wrong.
Caroline
 
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