Retired horses & getting another/riding others?

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chaps89

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I've had my horse 9 years and had plenty of ups and downs with him over that time! I retired him last October due to ongoing arthritis in his fore feet and the start of a possible neurological problem.
Since mid-March I've been able to ride a friends new forest that is being broken in near me & it's going really well. The sort of downside is I have now realised just how much I miss riding!
I adore my lad and nothing will ever replace him, but I am feeling guilty as I am looking for a horse to share during the week (new forest should be going home soon which is too far for me to go regularly although I'm hoping to continue to have lessons with the chap who's got him currently) and my plan is to save this year and buy another one next year.
But I've browsed the ads to see what's out there & for how much (although I'm very aware the market can & most probably will change alot between now & next year) but nothing is really catching my eye, I have no real idea of what I'd even want or where to start with another horse, sad as it sounds, my horse is very much part of the family and by getting another & even riding others I feel like I am replacing him.
I still have him on grass DIY livery so go and see him daily, do my jobs and give him a groom & a cuddle & I'm looking at doing some horse agilitiy/clicker training-esque type things in hand just to give him something to do, so he's far from neglected.

Anyone else been through this? Any tips? If you've got a second horse, how has your first/'original' horse reacted to a new one turning up & taking part of your attention (suspect mine might be jealous!) Has your new horse been similar to or opposite to what you already had/how did you go about looking?
Also, because I still have my horse, it means I can't verify the cost of contributing towards a second one & working 2 jobs means I can only do 2 mornings a week (luckily I work flexi time so this works well for me), am I likely to find some-one who wants a sharer in these circumstances? (Have replied to an ad on horse mart today and got my fingers crossed for a positive response) (Circumstances should change by the end of the year hence maybe new horse next year or I'd happily continue sharing if I'd found a good set up that worked for me & the owner)
Sorry, slightly rambley post, just hoping some-one out there may have words of wisdom, lol.
 
I think we attach too many human emotions to this subject. I have an older horse who is semi retired. We no longer do competitions but he is still ridden and is happy.

I got a mare a few years ago to replace Kia as my main riding horse and he was fine about it, his routine didn't change, he was neglected, he got the same as he always did it was just I had two to do.

Don't get wrapped up in the emotional stuff, as long as he has hay feed water and turnout I don't think he will care ;)
 
When we got my first pony, we promised the owners she had a home for life with us (and she did :)). When I grew out of her, I got ponio 2. I could still ride Misty at this point, but retired her a few months after due to a bout of lami (she came out of retirement at 32 to do light hacking/tanking off with me, but by that point, she was back to being my only pony).

Can't say she was too bothered, she still got loads of attention. All she did was sulk for a couple of days when the new one arrived, she'd stand up by the gate in the field looking rather disgruntled. After about 2 days, she'd give up and go back to normal.

You could still take your boy to do some inhand classes at shows, give him a break in the daily routine.

After I started my PhD and was being paid, I was thinking about buying a new horse where I am now, but I couldn't- Misty was my no 1 and had my parents phoned me up so say something was wrong, I would have pretty much dumped the new horse and driven the 200 miles home straight away! Thankfully, I was home when she died. I've just decided to buy after a year of loaning, and he's being vetted this week. I suppose I was the opposite to you- I would've felt guilty towards my new horse because it would never have been my no 1 whilst I still had Misty!
 
I have recently got a second horse as my old boy is semi retired to hacking a few times a week. Was half looking for another to compete when got offered a lovely ex racer mare on loan from the trc. In the beginning I felt really guilty about splitting my time between 2 and worried about my old boy feeling neglected.
This has got better with time and I now realise he is quite happy with our hacks a few times a week and lots of playtime in the field. I make sure that when mare has day off I spend time with older boy grooming him etc.
As long as they well loved and fed they don't seem to mind how many times they are ridden or who gets ridden more :)
 
Glad you clarified Black Beastie ;)
He is definitley more than happy being stood in the field eating (although definitley bored, his body might be failing him bless him but he's as bright & full of beans as ever at the moment, hence going to start some in-hand games) it's definitley just me being far too sentimental!!!

hnmisty - yes, there is the other side of the coin to that, not sure how I feel about developing an emotional attachment to another horse, but to have a successful partnership I think you do need to have to have a bond there. I am sure both can be done. It's weird, I'm always very pragmatic & down to earth when it comes to riding horses for other people but when it comes to mine I'm a neurotic so & so! I'm sure there's supposed to be a balance in between the 2. Fingers crossed for your vetting!

mudmonkey- that's re-assuring, sounds like it has worked out so it is possible.
 
I'm going through this now , my 24 year old is in light work and have just bought a foal as soon as it was born I knew it was for me luckily my friend bred him !
The new boy will be coming to me in September and I do feel a bit of guilt but I know my old boy won't give 2 hoots as long as he is fed and turned out first !!

No horse will ever replace my boy I've had him 16 years and he has been my only horse but I want to get back to competing and can't do that with him but he will be happy hacking and taking my kids for pony walks , he deserves a good retirement he worked very hard for me for years .

Don't feel guilty there horses they don't care as long as they are still looked after !
 
I got a second horse 4 years ago as my other horse was 21 and I felt he needed a quieter life. He's now 25, still hacked out and looks good despite cushings and some arthritis in his hocks. I looked around for someone to ride with me and it's worked really well. Old horse still enjoys his work and it helps to keep him mobile. There's never been a problem between the 2 horses, they share a field and are the best of friends. I honestly don't think horses are bothered by jealousy! The only downside is the cost and time required to keep a semi-retired horse properly looked after, with his prascend for the cushings etc he's a lot more expensive to keep than my second horse and even a fully retired horse needs proper care.
 
My two get the same amount of attention on the ground, grooming etc. The new one is ridden more and for longer. I don't think the original one minds this at all, although they both do plenty of neighing while they are apart. The new one is the dominant one and I make sure that if I go and see them in the field she doesn't get all my attention. I'm trying to find a sharer so we can do some schooling/playing in the field/games together as I think they will both enjoy that.
 
Thanks for the positive replies :)

Mine is the dominant horse (ALWAYS boss whatever herd he's in) and extraordinarily protective of me around other horses which is my main concern, but hopefully time would help with this if a new horse did arrive on the scene.
He's just as expensive to keep now as he was when he was in work, only difference in keep costs are that I took him off the cartrophen and had the remedial shoes taken off (neither were making any difference anyway tho), definitley not looking forwards to how the costs will double if another arrives, the things we do for our horses!
 
I have the opposite... Sorry!!!!

I have two, neither is retired but my first horse gets annoyed at me when I take my other out first.
To avoid faced being pulled, temper tantrums and biting (none of which I tolerate in any horse) I have to walk up to my first horse and say hi, give him a scratch and then go and get the other one.

It's a routine that works well, and most of the time I don't want to pick fights with my first horse as he is normally well behaved. If paying attention to him first keeps the bad behaviour away, than I am happy to continue doing it. Of course when it's not practical or possible to stick to the routine, I pull him up on any bad behaviour, it is just nice not to be butting heads with him all the time.... He has his quirks, but I wouldn't change him and I guarantee he will be like that when he does get retired too, goodness knows what I will do then!!
 
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