Proper Novices-Owning Horses? Thoughts.

I am a novice myself after recently buying my own horse in May. I have had a few lessons at a local riding school over the years (very sparse due to being at uni) but most of my knowledge and experience was gained through actually having an interest in the sport and horses. I read SO many books - because I enjoyed it and picked up the relevent knowledge. As well as telling my local riding school that I wanted my own cos I want that bond and friendship with a horse whilst learning. They offered to teach me how to tack up and showed me all the basics and I went and helped out whilst having a lesson I would tack up, ride, un tack, muck out, rug up and feed - all included in the lesson price and with someone knowledgable supervising so I picked it up relatively easily and learnt the knowledge about feeding through books, this forum!!, and suppliers. I would hope if they were feeding the horse they would at least consult with a vet or feed specialist or even a supplier about the best advice... As with my riding.. yes its shocking and jumping scares me but I bought my horse with the present owner having the knowledge that I was a novice and could see the horse as many times as I want to see how the horse reacted to me. She is very much a novice horse that can do well with an experienced rider (so my experienced and very talented friend has shown me!)

She never puts a foot wrong, looks after me, fit as a fiddle, and is my best friend. I have LOVED having my own horse whilst being a novice as we have taught each other so much and theres nothing more rewarding than having your best friend help you along the way.

I would say though that I am a luckier novice than those you have described and it is important to own your own horse, what with all the costs and downsides, that you are passionate about them - enough to look up everything and do your research... if i see people down the yard struggling I will happily go and help them because we were all there once and I dont believe in judging and saying well they can't look after it properly! Because they probably can and will... its just a learning process.

If you have supporting people around you, common sense, a love for your horse, and ability/desire to do your research, I see nothing wrong with it and it can be very rewarding!
 
It's one thing if they know they need support and move to a yard that is able to provide this, as in the YO is on hand to provide support and guidance and is aware of the need for it. It's another to expect other liveries to pick up the slack. I go to the yard to enjoy my horse, not to supervise other people. I don't mind offering advise when asked but it gets wearing if it's more than that which is needed. It's also upsetting seeing horses that would be perfectly fine in the right hands being branded as badly behaved, constantly shouted at or left to get seriously thin (have seen this, owner was adamant it was ill and had the vet out endlessly, who could find nothing wrong other than it was a stressy TB not being fed enough and not rugged up well enough in winter. YO was completely ignored and branded as interfering).
 
I know a lovely experienced person who is trying very hard to convince a complete and utter nervous novice NOT to buy a yearling. The seller of said yearling is meanwhile assuring the novice that the yearling is perfect for them, and will be ready to break next year...:(
 
Arizahn said:
I know a lovely experienced person who is trying very hard to convince a complete and utter nervous novice NOT to buy a yearling. The seller of said yearling is meanwhile assuring the novice that the yearling is perfect for them, and will be ready to break next year...:(
Click to expand...

Eek! That's also happened to an ex friend of mine!
She got lucky with the last one (though she did end up in hospital a few times at the beginning!) but she's now bought a 14 month old. She has no idea :(
With the last one she threw a saddle on it and hoped for the best. Thank goodness he behaved under saddle and turned out to be a nice little pony, but I don't think this new one will.
 
Luckyolme - but will someone intervene, have there not been threads on here where people have said they have not said anything when a horse was being thrashed, or a child was being an ijit, or a horses welfare was at stake. I hope someone does help them out cos everyone deserves a chance for some fun and happiness owing a horse.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
We certainly do all have to start somewhere - and that somewhere should be at a good RS, unless you have family members with enough suitable experience, to by-pass that stage.
Click to expand...

I do worry that this attitude is (unwittingly) elitist. We don't all have horsey family members. When I asked my dad (a miner) for a pony, I was told not to be so stupid. "People like us" (his exact words) don't have horses.

There are idiots who know heaps about horses, and have lived with them all their lives. There are also intelligent novices who will learn all they can from books and people once they have their horse. It's almost impossible to learn much before you have one of your own. RS tacks up and wheels out a staid, bored saint for yet another go around the block or school. If there's a problem, they bring another one. The rider doesn't even see where it's kept half the time.

I was lucky enough to buy a hardy native. I had the support and encouragement of my yard owner and pony's previous owner. Without that I probably wouldn't have dared take him on. After all, "people like me" can't have horses.
 
A relative recently got a pony for her child- child has had lessons and been pony mad all her life, relative has the means so got a pony on loan. This relative has never had any interest in horses (unlike me, who grew up with my head in pony books), never had any experience at all (literally) in handling horses, has managed to kill or let die endless pets including chickens and cats through sheer lack of knowledge of basic animal care yet has taken on a pony for a pre-teen child. They are already having behaviour problems and planning on sending it back and getting a different one, wonder what will happen to the next one? Relative has never asked me any advice, I would say I'm a novice myself but not on that level, I could at least have given them some direction.

I have to say, I've met people who were 'born in the saddle' who were useless with horses, thick as a plank and always getting injured and making horses nervous and seemed unable and unwilling to learn anything new, honestly the bolls that came out of their mouths sometimes!

I wouldn't hesitate to get a horse (or pony, at my age and physical ability a driving pony would be a better option than a riding horse) if I could afford it. I know I am sensible with animals, understand behaviour, husbandry, tailored nutrition, preventative healthcare and first aid etc. from helping out at a riding stable for over two years and studying animal husbandry to degree level and also from keeping various other species for most of my life. I never stop learning from books and the internet even though it is a very small vain hope that I might be able to afford a horse before I'm too decrepit!
 
Personally I dont see why it should be up to fellow liveries to spend time helping these people out. IMO people should make sure they have decent basic knowledge of how to keep a horse BEFORE they go and buy one. Some riding schools offer "own a pony" days where you basically look after a pony for the day, stuff like that are things novices should seek before buying one... They'll probably feed it unsoaked sugar beet or something so its ultimately the horse who will suffer.
 
There is nothing elitist about the belief that the horse has a right to be owned by someone who knows enough not to kill it! At a local yard there was a family of novice owners, the lovely well mannered standard bred mare put up with all sorts of neglect/unintentional abuse in a forgiving manner, usually rescued by other liveries. The day I met them out on a hack with an elastoplast on the mares nose (just above the nose band) was the day I knew the poor animal was on a real hiding to nothing. The mare had developed a rubbed nose because the headcollar didn't fit, owner initially did nothing, until a fellow livery spotted the flies clustered on the sore. The owner tried to bandage the injury, causing swelling to the jaw, this only stopped when yet again a fellow livery intervened. If this family had acknowleged their inability to care for the horse and had some lessons in horse care they would have saved this lovely mare from pain and harm.
 
I really can't think of any excuses for not having a decent level of at least theoretical knowledge before buying a horse. I know theory gets a bit of a bashing every now and again (usually in the old equine colleges debates) but it's surely preferable to no knowledge at all and very useful when it comes to things like feeding. There are literally hundreds of books available covering every aspect of horse management that cater to all levels of comprehension except perhaps the terminally idiotic. Not to mention the web, albeit more discrimination is required on the part of the reader. And there are, as already pointed out, RSs, own a pony days, horse ownership courses and certificates (quite apart from the BHS stages, which I believe might be open to everyone - I've got some, and I've never owned a horse in my life). People can learn a lot sharing, with the right horse and owner. There are riding holidays of every description. I'm not especially naturally gifted in any sense or blessed with a horsey background but I managed to get to a point where I'm deemed capable of being in sole charge of a yard and can ride to a reasonable level, so it must be possible. The poster who mentioned a lack of real dedication has it right, I think (sorry, can't remember your name!). If you want to spent thirty years in horses without owning, while also learning, you'll spend a lot of time being told what to do by others (some of whom, once you've learnt enough, might know less than you do) and I suspect that some novice purchasers might be motivated by a desire to avoid being ordered around by brusque horsey types!
 
JFTD said:
I don't have a problem with novices. I have a problem with idiots.
Click to expand...

This. A girl at our yard has just sold her daughter's pony to complete novices. They have their own land and stables but both the pony and the father's new horse will be kept at livery for at least a year where they will have the support of the YO who is also an instructor and the father is doing BHS stage 1 too. They know their limitations and are eager to learn. Because of this, she was happy to sell him to them. Everybody has to start somewhere.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top