Ok ,how many of us actually keep our horses for life

I'm a 'till death (or serious bankruptcy) do us part' kind of a girl. H has been a major part of my life for 19 years. He owes me nothing and I owe him everything. He's still fit and active at 22yo and although we're not competing at the level that we were, we still have a ball.

H has the memory of an elephant. He still remembers my friend who used to own him years ago.

I did sell one horse that I didn't get on with. He was a rebound horse that I bought after my mare died and we'd have just ended up hating each other if we'd have persevered. Like a marriage, if you're stuck in the wrong one it's no fun for either party. I did my damnedest to find him a good home. But my aim when looking for horses is always to find a horse that will be with me for the long term.
 
My 2 have a home for life. I was bought my first pony for my 4th birthday and I still have her 20 years on. I know everyone says it about their own but she truely is the most angelic pony I have ever come across. I don't remember life before her and I will decide when her time is up. She has been semi-retired for a long time now, just giving a couple of children the odd ride but she damaged her check ligament in the autumn so she is now retired, bless her.
My horse also has a home for life, I have had him for 9 years now and he would be difficult to find a home for. He's a bit grumpy, a bit cold backed, extremely demanding and throws a hissy fit in his stable if he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it
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naughty boy! If he isn't given regular relatively hard work and enough food isn't shovelled into him he goes downhill quite quickly, so it really wouldn't surprise me if he fell into the wrong hands if I tried to sell him on now at 15.
They are both on livery and currently I do not have the time to have another and to be honest my livery bills would be sky high as he is on full. But this year the idea is to find someone to ride him who also might contribute towards his keep so that I can buy myself another.
 
I think it does come down to cost unfortunately. I'm currently in the middle of a 'custody battle' with a horse I wanted to provide a home for life for but, at the time I loaned him I couldn't afford to keep him.

Now I can afford to keep more than one it is possible for me to offer and be sure I can keep them for life but people paying livery can't collect horses in the same way someone with their own land or grazing by the acre rather than the horse can.

A sad truth I fear.
 
The ones I have now I will have for life. However I am lucky and have my own land. In the past I have had to sell ponies, and did everything I could to make sure they had good, loving homes.
We still have my daughters 13hh pony now cos she is very difficult to handle and not an easy ride, and in fact was destined to be sold for slaughter as a youngster
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. MY ex husband is always going on about me selling her. He was at my house last night when the news item was on showing the ILPH footage etc. I said to him, now do you see why I haven't sold her? For once in his life he didn't have a sarky response and agreed that I was right!!
 
I don't think many people do end up keeping their horses for life, especially if the horse is young when they say it because things DO change! I used to think I would never be able to sell a horse! However, have sold a few now (maybe about 10). 2 of my old ponies (original ones!) who are 17 and 20 will stay with me forever. They both have had laminitis and still suffer the odd problem (ie. sensitive feet sometimes / prone to absesses etc.) so as a result I will keep them for the rest of their days. I feel I owe it to them! I hate to think of selling my other 2, however I am aware that I cannot keep them all forever because I love competing so cant just make do with lots of retired horses draining my money! I love mine to pieces and as I say, right now I dont plan to sell them. BUT one is a 6yo and the other coming 9yo. The 9yo is wonderful, everything I want in a horse. BUT he is getting older so usually I would consider selling as 10/11yo at the latest because he can then go on to a quieter home (I feel I owe him, because he's been so amazing until now, to have a nice life and not to be pushed too much).

I am very picky about where I sell to, although there are times when after a year or 2 Ive regretted it. However, I have kept in touch with ALL my sold horses & ponies (3 of them I still see out competing sometimes) even if they've been sold on! I cannot lose contact as I have to know where they are and how they're doing.
 
QR- Sorry it's a long one!
I knew when I got back into riding after a break that when I did buy my own horse he would be with me for life- I knew I would'nt have the strength to part with one once I had one, regardless of how suitable it turned out to be.

As a result I spent the better part of a year viewing and trying out different horses before I found Min. I nearly went for a couple of horses I'd seen but something held me back- but with Minstral, something clicked as soon as I walked into his stable and I just knew he was different- he was far more advanced than I was really looking for, (too good for me really), but he had loads of character, looks and temperament to die for. I don't really trust anyone else to look after him either as he will never mean as much to them as he does to me.

I promised his previous owners that he would have a fantastic home for life with me. It was a difficult sale for them and they had already turned down two other buyers before I saw him and I was thoroughly vetted before a sale was agreed. I owe it to them and to Minstral to stick to that promise.

i think alot of his manners, trust and temperament come from having had consistency in his life and people who genuinely loved and cared for him as a family member. He's way too trusting to be moved from home to home with the risk of being ill-treated. (That's not to say he can't be a wee ****!)

The mere thought of him ending up somewhere like Amersham, is totally unbearable. I couldn't live with myself if I was to discover a horse I'd sold had ended up somewhere like that and the only way to ensure that is by never letting him go to anyone else.

Having said that- if I could not provide for his basic needs, I would do my utmost to find him (with discussion with his previous owner) the best new home possible, but perish the thought.

I know everyone is different and has different requirements from their horse and decisions are affected by faciliteis to keep a horse so I fully understand why people sell their horses on, but for me personally, my horse, as an individual, is more important than what I want to do with him.
 
Pickle definetly has a home for life with us, as whetever happened with us if the worst happened our YO would buy him as he is so useful on working livery. All the horses at my yard are home for life horses.
 
mine will always have a home for life just lost my first horse after 16 years she hadnt been ridden for about 10 of those as fractured her leg was given the choice of having her put to sleep then but kept her
have sasha left now starting to have her problems but she will always have a home with me
also my daughters shetland been told even when she grows out of him and needs a new pony not allowed to sell him my parents want him
 
my first horse was sold on after i had him 11 months, he was too much for me at the time and i didn't have the knowledge or experience to deal with him. after him i got my mare, i've had her 11 yrs in Feb, she has been out on loan for the last year. she was semi-retired 5 yrs ago due to many joint probs but after a few years 'being a horse' she didn't look any worse (and is on no meds) so i decided to see if i could find someone to loan her, didn't think i would as she is quite quirky to ride and has all her probs but she is a real sweetie.. first people to see her wanted her and they are fab.. lady who loans her is due a baby in May and when she rang me to let me know she was worried i would want her back, she was v happy to be able to keep her.! i was very lucky and think she will be with her for a long time..!! (mare is now 18/19yrs old)
i've had Andy 5 1/2 yrs (was 5yrs old when bought), he is the most amazing horse and has taught me so much as we have both progressed over the years.. he truely is a one in a million horse and i am so lucky to have him, he will be with me for life no questions.. he has got me through some tough times and owes me nothing.!!
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Lady is from a rescue sanctury and had a horrible life, before I took her on and I intend to keep her until the end of her days (she's 17 & I've had her for 10 years).
Fudge, I brought with the intention of him being another horse for life (he's only 10), I might loan him out if he really isn't able to do what I want for some reason but would only loan him locally to an approved home with a contract and visit regularly
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I take responsibility for all of my animals welfare very seriously and wouldn't take an animal on if I didn't have the intention to keep it forever and didn't believe I would be capable of providing for it's needs for the rest of it's life.
I know that I'm in the minority and can see plently of perfectly good reasons people would want to sell their horses.
As a teenager I was forced into selling two ponies I had a 1/3 share in by the other person but they are the only animals I've ever sold or rehomed.
 
I do. The horse I had as a foal is retired with a friend locally. I have also loaned one out to good friends, the rest are still with me.
 
I am lucky enough to keep my horses at home

15hh mare, had for 18 years pts last year

11hh LR pony, had on loan returned when we moved away

11.1 LR sold on to another PC home (he was only 7)

12.2 went on to a series of loan homes then home to retire, he is nearing his time and I will replace him with a redwings pony (have already been homechecked)

12.2 PTS 3 years ago, twisted gut

13.2 sold on, still in touch and see her at PC

14.2 will have a home with us for life, hopefully will have a foal

14.2, son of original 15hh, I need to sell him as he is not what I hoped, want him to go on loan with view to buy, with a buy back option

16.1 bought 18 months ago but haven't 'clicked' so he is for sale

15.3 only had 4 months but is much valued.
 
Gee, and here I thought everyone at H and H were sharks. This is the most pleasant thread I have been on since I found this site.
Each one of you has really thought about the decisions you've made and that makes you all very special.
If I didn't think I'd get killed by H and H would invite you all to our rescue forum, but then you'd really know what a grouchy old lady is!
And for those of you who say you are just old and rambling, well heck so am I!
At 58 I am finally getting my very first English horse. After a desert of a life for the past six years my boy will be coming to me in the next month or so and I am so excited. He is half Friesian and half TB, just 6, and I would love him to be my last horse. Since I am an experienced dressage rider/coach I hope he will become a very nice dressage horse, but you know what? If he doesn't, he and I will be happy hackers for the rest of my life, as if I have anything to say about it, he will outlive me!
He will have to live in livery and I hate that thought after all the years of seeing mine right outside my window, but I fell in love and had to come here in my old age and am glad I did.
There are some really nice horse people in England and I feel I have met some of the best of them on this thread.
There is HOPE as long as people like you are around to care.
 
Maybe I am a sap but I see a horse as i would a dog, and wouldn't take it on unless I kenw i could keep it til the end of its days. Luckily we do have our own land and, at one time we for some reason had 8 horses! I think one we had on loan and then we had 2 retired animal (one from the Blue Cross) and a donkey. The 2 retired ones and the donkey all died/were PTS within about 2 weeks of each other, think they decided enough was enough. The horse was 36, pony must ahve been around 40 and the donkey? Well who knows how old he was!
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My horse I have had for 13 years (since he was 4), my pony 14 years - we attempted to sell him once but i felt too guilty and knew he'd end up at another sales due to his inconsitent temperament (he looked the part, has a fantastic jump but wouldn't always wish to participate!!) so we still have him now.

My sister's horse may be the only one we'd consider ever selling and that'd only be if we thought he would go further than either of our nerves would take us (he has decided he loves eventing!). Mind you, saying that we'd probably just end up loaning him to a bolder person instead!
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I think in some ways though it's easier to sell a briliant pony than something with problems cos you know the brilliant one would end up landing on their feet owner wise. We sold my sister's 13.2 yars ago and he's been through most of the pony club members now I think although at 26 he's probably knocking on bit now.

If i had pots of money and acres of land I'd end up taking anything and everything on, i'm terrible!
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My horse went on livery for 3 weeks whilst I was in South Africa. When I went to pick her up we walked out to the field and she didn't even look at me. She ran up to the lady who had been looking after and feeding her. That's how much horses care about us - they care more about food.

That is why I don't feel guilty about selling horses.

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I don't think that's true for all of them.
My horse mopes, goes off his food and gets ill every time I go away for more than a couple of days. He definately has a home for life as I could never part with him.

As I have to keep him at livery it has prevented me from getting a young horse to compete on but TBH he owes me nothing so that's just the way it is.

My shettie on the other hand loves everyone and really wouldn't mind who was looking after him, he belongs to horseworld anyway so will always go back to them if I can't look after him any longer.
 
When I left my mare in the field at her new home she stood at the fence weaving. For about a month I visited every week and left in tears because she would come cantering up to me and present bits of her body for intensive scratches (something she loves), then weave at the fence as I drove off. I brought her at 5 months old from her breeder, backed her myself and then had to retire her young due to kissing spine and other problems. But I could never part with her, when she came to me I considered we were together for life. I know it's soft, but they are all special to me so I couldn't ever sell them, if I have to part I carefully loan because then I retain control over their future.
 
One of the main reasons I would never sell Chex is that I couldn't guarantee where he'd end up. Its not a case of him no longer being useful to me, he's just a pet (albeit an expensive one
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). I get panicky if I see someone else go up to him in the field - there's no way I could ever deal with someone else looking after him! Especially with older horses, I think we have a duty to make sure they are well cared for until they die - if we don't, then noone will.
 
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but people paying livery can't collect horses in the same way someone with their own land or grazing by the acre rather than the horse can.



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lol, don't tell my OH that, i pay livery and ive 5 right now (2 duffers, 1 baby, and 2 in between
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and ive just seen a TB yearling i like in the ads
 
My first owned horse (rather than the 2 ponies/1 horse that I loaned) we kept for 7 years even though she was only rideable for the first year of that (she then became a very expensive pet - TB with remedial farriery and joint problems!). I went from age 16 to 22 with no horse to ride as we couldn't afford two horses and there was no way on god's green earth that I would be parted with her. I'd rather have chewed my leg off than got rid of her. In the end she had to be PTS.

I now have a 4yo that I've owned for 9.5 months and I seriously hope that he's a "horse for life". He's not got the same loving character as my old mare, with whom I had a very strong bond - even after each term at uni she'd still come bounding over to me rather than my mum who'd looked after her for the last 3 months! (mum did get quite upset!)

I do love Ronnie and he's so daft, and I hope I'll have him to the end of his days. However, if he doesn't turn out to be the horse I want him to be, I may sell him. It depends on money as ideally I'd like to have him AND another
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(once he gets to say 10/12 I'd like to get another youngster).

I cried about selling my car, so can't imagine how I'd actually be about selling a horse!! I don't think I'd ever manage it
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now my old duffer is nearly 21, i needed a new young horse i could bring on and keep long term too, so hopefully the 2 year old will turn out ok.
i really like the little anglo arab mare i just broke in (only 15.1) and id like to keep her if i had the chance. my OH has suggested breeding from her so i can keep her longer, but i want her to go to a lovely teenager who will make her happy
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