Pet or bought to do a "job"?

Wagtail said:
When I buy a horse my intention is to keep it to the end. However, that said I would not buy one that wasn't rideable in the first place. My most important consideration though is temperament. I wouldn't have a horse that was unpleasant to be around. My personal view is that a horse, like any other animal is or life. I accept that I am in the minority here. Also, things can happen that mean an owner can't fulfil those intentions. Death, illness, divorce, redundancy...
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This, I buy to ride, but once bought I am committed to the end, regardless of whether the horse remains rideable or not.
I dont have my own place so can only ever keep one horse, if it means that I can't ride for whatever reason, then so be it, the needs of my horse come before my own pleasure.. so I guess I would have to say pet.
 
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be positive said:
Is it realistic to think people should have a horse for life, keeping them until they die of old age or are beyond veterinary help?
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I think totally unrealistic , far to dear and big to keep as a pet for life.

For me they are there to do a job, they are loved & well cared for. I will try my darn hardest to keep sound and explore vet options if a problem occurs, but I would be realistic. I certainly would not keep a field ornament.
 
Goldenstar said:
To do a job but they are my very great friends too .
I do not look at them as pets.
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Same here.
He was bought to be ridden, but is a much loved member of the family, and as long as he is happy and well, he will have a home with me, even when he can no longer do his "job". I owe him that for all the good times he's given me :)
 
I've owned the BGP for years now (I think 7 or 8) she is now 22 and in retirement. (Perhaps I should say semi-retirement as I plan on having a pootle around the forest once or twice a week in the summer). She is one in a million and deserves a long and happy life. She is at a retirement yard as I am not in a position to look after her daily (final year uni student who lives 4+ hours away) and I know she is very happy she lives out 24/7 in a herd and is loving being a bog pony!

I'm hoping to get another horse this year (perhaps on full loan) I will have to see how my finances pan out. However I couldn't dream of putting the BGP down for a younger model. She has been incredibly good to me and she is so happy and I really owe her everything. The only way I could put her down for financial reasons would be if I was that poor I ended up homeless/couldn't afford the basics.. But I know then my family would step in and help me pay for her until I was on my feet again. The only way I could PTS and live with myself was if her quality of life was compromised due to ill health/old age.

That's a very long-winded way of saying she has a home for life :)

However if I did end up getting a younger one if times got tough I would consider selling/loaning if needed.
 
Daytona said:
I think totally unrealistic , far to dear and big to keep as a pet for life.

For me they are there to do a job, they are loved & well cared for. I will try my darn hardest to keep sound and explore vet options if a problem occurs, but I would be realistic. I certainly would not keep a field ornament.
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This for me. As someone who will only ever be able to afford to keep one horse and unless i win the lottery, will never have land, my horse is with me to do a job. Currently he is broken so is having the best care i can give. Although not a pet he wants for nothing, i stress over him making sure he is happy and fit but if he can no longer do the job i want i will find him a home elsewere doing a job he can do or being someones pet. As much as i would love to keep him forever i dont want to spend the next 15 years not being able to do what i want to do, not fair on me or him. He will always be well treated and i will never palm him off just to get rid of him so i can get another but i will be realistic about our partnership.
I have spent the last 5 months caring for mine and will continue for as long as i need to but im not ashamed to admit i miss riding and competing more than anything, as lovely as he is just looking after him isnt enough for me.
 
Agree with Jess, much earlier. Horse is bought to do a job (pack my a$se around) and also be a great friend. Not a pet. If my horse had become unrideable as a young horse, I would have explored options. However, now she is 20 and still very sound but at this stage, if she had to be retired I would just have to man up and deal with it because I've had her for 15 years and I owe her that.
 
Both, originally bought as a project to sell on but was never sold and is still here 7 years later! The others were all projects and were sold on, however when having 2 I was always clear that if I couldn't afford them both then the gelding was the one to stay. When it comes to my gelding retiring I will keep him for as long as I can and then PTS. However due to my health conditions he will have to either stay on part livery or go onto retirement livery as I am no longer able to carry out all the day to day care, which will obviously impact on my decision as round this area neither are cheap and I won't send him somewhere where I can't see him at least 3/4 times a week.
 
Job.

That's not to say she isn't loved like part of the family, she is. I don't see her as a pet though. It may sound heartless but we've only ever been in a position to keep 1. If for some reason they can no longer do that job, be it either through ability or permanent ill health, then they have to go. That is of course after discussion with the daughter (rider). She's always had the choice to keep & not compete but although it has always broke her heart to see them go, it's the competing that makes her love of horses. If we had our own place they would all probably stay with us forever but sadly we don't so have to be realistic x
 
My first one was definitely bought to do a job as a hack to enjoy. I bred from her and the filly was intended to take over from mum at retirement. This never happened as filly had to be retired at about the age of seven due to health issues so had both as field ornaments and pets. Bought my cob again to get back into riding but have completely lost interest but I will not sell him. He is happy and I love just having them to look after as pets. I also have three minis that were bought as pets although I am considering schooling one of them for driving. So the simple answer is yes they are all pets.
 
He was brought to do a job, i love him to pieces but if after the rehab from his current injury means he cant perform said job he will be moved on (sadly) but if he performs the job he was brought to do then he will have earnt his retirement.... He was brought to keep not sell on but he will only be kept if he can furfill what he was brought to do! He is my big fluffy teddy bear but i didnt buy him to look pretty in a field!!
 
Mine's a bit complicated!

Overall I have the mindset that they have a job. It is to do eventing, which is why I've sold two horses previously as they weren't up to the job and it was unfair on both me and them to ask any more of them. Both have two lovely homes.

My current mare was bred to sell, we sold her mum and put her up for sale as a yearling. Had interest but then took her down again as our hearts weren't in it. Showed her as a two year old, put her up for sale again. Same thing happened, we got cold feet. Broke her, planned to bring her on and sell her as a 5 year old just before I went to uni. The time came and mum couldn't even face putting her out on loan, so she stayed on the yard and got people to ride her. Ruby's ideally too small for me at 14.2 but she carries me fine, and the plan is now to event her next year! So in a way she does have the intended job to do, which is for my mum to faff about on the ground and watch her at events, and for me to ride and event her.

However I think she's so far wormed into our hearts and lives (I don't know if it's because she's homebred and produced, not sure!) that if she were to be a field ornament, that's what she will be. She's so far given us 5 years of tears, sweat but so, so much joy that she's earnt it.

But horses bought in for a specific job and fail to do so - then they have been sold on and probably will in the future should we ever get another horse.
 
Daytona said:
I think totally unrealistic , far to dear and big to keep as a pet for life.

For me they are there to do a job, they are loved & well cared for. I will try my darn hardest to keep sound and explore vet options if a problem occurs, but I would be realistic. I certainly would not keep a field ornament.
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Couldn't agree more with this. My youngsters have always been bred with the idea of selling when ready and when these go, that will be it, no more expensive pets!
 
Bought to do a job... although when my mare is due to retire hopefully a long time due to her only being 7, ill keep her as a pet. i believe by this time she will have earned her keep and she wont owe me anything! Shes taught me so much already in the 4 years ive had her. She deserves to have a home for life where shes happy.
 
Some of mine were bought to ride but I didn't consider it a job. :confused: I can't get my head round why it is different or the general care/attitude is different. I must be odd! lol

Now I bought my wheelbarrows to do a job and I will discard or replace them when they can no longer perform that job!

ps. I am not saying keep all horses for life but the same worries apply when passing any horse on imho.
 
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What an excellent post... I have to go with bought to do a "job" doesnt mean i dont class him as my pet. And although we never got round to doing the job he was originally intended for he has become a huge part of my life teaching me so much and he`s my friend and will see out his days with me but he is not the sort of horse that will winter out in retirement and i will certainly do my utmost to keep him as happy and healthy as possible and take each day as it comes when he is no longer in work. I certainly wouldnt keep a younger horse as a pet if it could not do the job as like people say they are far to costly to keep as a pet for the next 20 years! I hope this doesnt sound heartless but i just couldnt afford to do it.
 
mine is a pet, however my last horse much as I loved him could not have been a pet he was big strong and as his arthritis progressed unpredictable. I found myself in a very difficult position where by I could not afford to keep him on full livery but could not DIY - full time job with v long hours and 3 children under 3 ( not by choice - twins second time round ! ) he would not have coped with grass livery but he was quirky and stubborn with an explosive streak on the ground and ridden he also had known arthritis . I tried to share but not surprisingly no one was interested. I would not sell him as I knew he could easily have a very dodgy future and also could hurt someone if he fell into the wrong hands. I was very lucky in that a perfect experienced loan home appeared sadly his behaviour deteriorated and his arthritis got worse despite bute and steroid injections. I had always said that the day he was genuinely dangerous rather than quirky would be the day he was PTS. I was lucky in that I had a loaner 100x more experienced than me to help me make the call. however after him i totally lost interest in riding and horses until a little pony I knew needed a home, by this time circumstances had changed I had land and more time so I took him on. he is too small for me to ride and we dont have the facilites for someone else to ride him from where we are but he is really happy and I love pottering round with him so yes he is a pet but he also has a job in renewing my interest and love of horses.
 
Personally I will buy a horse for a 'job' it may not be the job I intend or the job they start out doing but there will be some sort of purpose but I think that is because of my personality, I like to be getting out and doing things, trying new things and working towards something even if it's not me riding I enjoy the nerdy aspects of training, competing or just exploring the countryside and getting the maps out.

Plus I don't enjoy being around overly 'pet' like animals be it dogs/cats/horses I don't need constant cuddles or adoration and overly clingy/ affectionate animals kinda annoy me I prefer slightly aloof workaholics (ok not cats then lol) so I can just get on with things.
 
Surely pets also need training or handling in sensible ways so as not to produce a monster?

ps. If you want a pet for cuddles only with no thought or effort buy a stuffed one!
 
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Mine were bought to work, I can't see them as pets, but as, some one else said, more like colleagues.

However, mine have employment rights. Health insurance (from me) and a retirement package which begins the moment they arrive.

The day I see them purely as a working machine, is the day I give up and buy a motorbike instead.
 
My horses have been purchased with a specific job in mind: being my pets. We never owned land until we moved to the UK almost 20 years ago. I rode weekly at a riding school in New York as a child. University, marriage, child, semi-urban home, and then a move to Hawaii for almost 20 years, where I was very involved in the dog fancy as a breeder/exhibitor/columnist, precluded any hope of owning a horse (or donkey).

I had hoped to get back into riding with the purchase of my first horse, a pure Shire. She was sold to me as a novice ride, which turned out to be a blatant lie on the part of the seller. No matter, I learned so much from her on the ground, that I purchased a pure Clyde as a companion for her. He was, indeed, a novice ride, but by that time, I had lost my nerve (not helped by a seriously bad back) and have not been on a horse since 1996. In the intervening years, I acquired one aged, rescue Shire mare and four rescue donkeys, all now gone, due to age/infirmity. My husband purchased an in foal pure Shire mare for my 60th birthday. I, then, purchased my horse of a lifetime Shire mare, also in foal, a year later. When my first mare died, at 24, dear friends gave me another pure Shire retired brood mare on permanent loan, so that my Clyde could have his very own friend. When he died, his special friend became part of my small herd of retired broods. When she died of colic, age 19, it left me with my two retired brood mares. I have kept their last foals: two rising 5 year old pure Shire geldings. I also have 2 pure Baudet du Poitou donkey jennies. And, the gist of all this: all of the the horses were purchased as pets. I did have a few foals, but, if the girls had never conceived, it wouldn't have made a difference to their position here with us. They are a massive amount of work, but the pleasure we receive from them is incalculable.

Amandap makes a very salient point when she says that 'pets also need training or handling in sensible ways so as not to produce a monster.'
 
Family. I do like to keep them (and me) fit and do 'stuff', but I look at it as a partnership. I'm quite happy to adjust the level or type of 'stuff' to suit their abilities.

Personally I'm a 'till death do us part' kind of a girl. I've only ever sold one of my own. I've no problem with people selling/rehoming horses as long as they do right by them. 'Pet' homes for broken-down ponies are very few and far between.
 
amandap said:
Some of mine were bought to ride but I didn't consider it a job. :confused: I can't get my head round why it is different or the general care/attitude is different. I must be odd! lol

Now I bought my wheelbarrows to do a job and I will discard or replace them when they can no longer perform that job!

ps. I am not saying keep all horses for life but the same worries apply when passing any horse on imho.
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You are NOT odd at all!
 
One was taken as companion, one taken as show and one taken for riding but has ended up a big lawnmower. They are pets to me, they give me nothing but entertainment and company and if they were unable to do the josb they are here for (which is nothing really...lol) they will still be here and get looked after as they would a working horse.
 
My old lady was bought to do a job - eventing. Ended up as a dressage horse :lol:
That aside she is my 'heart horse' she is 25yo now, able to do light hacking which we do once or twice a week. Expensive field/stable ornament the rest of the time. She owes me nothing, I owe her a lot - had a fantastic journey training and competing her to top level and then produced three beautiful foals for me. She will be with me until her health makes the goodbye decision necessary.
The other older one is my eldest's horse but I compete her (and pay for her), she has melanoma and I suspect it will be biting us in the butt in the next couple of years. We have already made the decision not to put her through any treatment as she has it in three sites that we know of and one of those is remote from the other two. At the moment fit and well so will treasure the time we have left.
The other three are homebreds and two are in the 'pet' category as not yet backed. They do have a job pencilled in, but for now the 2yo is field ornament and the rising 4yo is being fittened ready for backing in the spring - he is entire so lives in at night all year round anyway.
 
Without a doubt, mine is a pet. Yes I ride, and yes I have some expectations of where I want to be with her, but ultimately riding is a serious hobby and she will always be a pet with an easy life, not a high end competition horse :) I couldn't be happier with her either :D
 
amandap said:
Surely pets also need training or handling in sensible ways so as not to produce a monster?

ps. If you want a pet for cuddles only with no thought or effort buy a stuffed one!
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just because an animal is kept as a pet doesn't mean it is not handled sensibly and appropriately or given suitable training. pets are not just for cuddling. I have a 250 kg fully tusked boar as a pet ( don't ask !) he loves a good scratch but he is well disciplined and cuddles are out ! equally my 13.2 non ridden pony is expected to have as good manners and is handled no differently to my old 16.3 ridden horse.
 
I have never had to face this question and I can't be alone in not knowing how I will feel when I do. I have always sold, or put down for health reasons, long before old age. I have just decided to sell my eleven year old this autumn, because he is not my horse of a lifetime, but if I keep him any longer (he's been with me five years) I will start to feel an obligation to give him a home for life. For me, they have a job to do, and whether I owe them a retirement when they can't do the job I'd like them to do will depend on how long they have been with me, and whether I can be 100% sure of giving them a good future with someone else.

So they aren't pets, because I think I owe my pets a home for life as long as their health allows and they are happy.

Plus I don't let them sleep on my bed or poop in the utility room :D
 
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My mare was bred to do a job (racing), now that she longer races she is doing another job as a rider. Once her riding days are over I'll be keeping her as a pet.

My gelding was bought to do a job (racing). He will be sold on once I've finished racing him, either to continue racing or more likely for riding.

OH has a broodmare that he's finished breeding from, only 13 but never to be sold for sentimental reasons. I can't stand the idea of her doing nothing in the field so she's going to be backed and she can 'earn her keep' so to speak. After that her and two other mares are staying as 'pets' in as much as they won't be serving a purpose.

The remainder are to be sold at some point.
 
JLD said:
just because an animal is kept as a pet doesn't mean it is not handled sensibly and appropriately or given suitable training. pets are not just for cuddling. I have a 250 kg fully tusked boar as a pet ( don't ask !) he loves a good scratch but he is well disciplined and cuddles are out ! equally my 13.2 non ridden pony is expected to have as good manners and is handled no differently to my old 16.3 ridden horse.
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Exactly the point I was making!

Pet seems to have two meanings depending on your POV 1) useless, mollycoddled live toy, or 2) animal kept for recreation and pleasure...

If horses are a business they aren't a pet even if they are also "useless"!
 
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