Teenagers and horses

ColandMe said:
I think the point was, certainly in my experience when selling, some teens wanted a big, flashy horse regardless of it being the right horse for them and whether or not they'd be able to ride/handle the horse.
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yeah i know people who seem to think a bigger horse will make them look better but cant handle them. Including a nervous young teenager previously at our yard who bought a big racehorse straight off the track :confused: .

however though i had this problem selling my 12.2 as he was a quick forward going pony who wasn't a novice ride off the lead rein therefore stated no novice riders but still had tiny/slim little 6 year olds who had 'had a few lessons' therefore apparently not making them a novice. Resulting in no strength or experience to hold my pony make cause he was pritty chunky type :)
 
i am 17. i went from a 12.3hh welsh x arab to my 17.2hh ISH in one massive leap :) this was 3 years ago but while i have ridden my 17.2hh gelding i have been riding other peoples ponies ranging from 11.3hh- 16.3hh but i have never liked any of them more then taz he is a pony in a horses body his only problem being hes a one rider type of horse and he really does get wound up by people who ride too hot :/ i have found that while advertising taz up for share i had this 13 yr old say 'i have been riding for 2 years and i would class myself as an intermediate rider' i dont feel this is long enough and defiantly not for a 17.2hh NOT NOVICE RIDE but obviously she was an intermediate rider ;) but i understand what you are saying too many people buy difficult horses to prove they can ride :o
 
i'm a teen, but do admit other teens seem cocky! (sometimes, not all of them!)

going to college this September and was told whilst chatting with the equine course leader (or similar position) afterwards that i was one of the only ones who didn't lie about my riding experience and others had told them how brilliant they were at riding when in actual fact they couldn't ride one side of a three legged donkey... :D

infact i rode a 15.2 ish cob whilst there! it was a gorgeous maxi cob, a bit strong but i totally loved him. give me a cobby over a thoroughbred anyday...i'll never understand why some teens turn their nose up at cobs/natives, they're the best! and normally they do over horse themselves with horses with a bit of blood in them and get scared or hurt. It's their own fault really.
 
i am am a teenager, and where i keep my horse, nearly every other tenager has managed to over-horse themselves by having 16-17 hand horses who have very hot tempremats, but they treat them like ponies and they have all become very naughty and because they are inexperianced, the horses are allowed to get away with anything and become un-managable and incredibly naughty,
but they laugh at my highland pony because hes a cob?
:eek:
 
I'm just out of my teens (boo hoo!) and at 14 i had a 16.1hh tbx...... why i do not know, i was completely over horsed so i gave it up for 6 years until now.

I actually only wanted to start some riding lessons again as I had no hobbies, but ended up scouring the 'to loan' pages and came across an old school friend who had her 16.2 sports horse up for loan, i considered him as i knew where he was coming from and thought i'd get all the support from her etc, but then thought sod it, he's too big and too much hassle, i only wanted a happy hacker/ploddy thing.

anyway, when i went to the yard to look at stabling for ^^ this horse, i got talking to the yard owners daughter and she had a 16hh hanoverian x cobby for loan, and i fell in love with him! so i've got him atm, and even now i wish he was smaller! everyone is always telling me 'how big he is' (and also how beautiful) cos he makes himself appear about 18hh the way he carries himself! :)
 
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Oops just read my reply I sound like a right cow :o It is sort of justified though as said person who wont ride with out instructor or mum told me my pony will never be able to compete properly as he is just a pony and he's not built for jumping. Hmm who has been out competing at least once a month nearer every week now and getting placed most times out and who has been no where with an excuse as to why they cant compete at all venues??
Having said that when I was in year 10 and 11 I worked with shire horses and used to ride them all the time but they were all very well behaved.
 
I'm 5ft4 and was very scrawny as a teen so was always put on ponies! When I got to about 14 when I helped at the riding school I'd get asked to ride ponies that had been naughty on lessons :D

As a result now, I feel weird riding anything bigger than 15hh (and struggle getting on without a mounting block ;)) a friend came to watch a lesson I had a while ago and walked past the school I was riding in because I was on a 13.2 and didn't look big on it so she thought I was a child!
 
When I was 16 I had a 17hh 3/4bred.. No problems. Once over 15hh the size wasn't an issue it was the horses temperment, and as an experienced rider would have been surprised at not ebing able to manage an average horse.
 
Im a teen, have got a 16.2 5year old WB X TB and i admitt he is VERY hard work but i have always wanted to have a young horse from the time i was like7 and have spent all my life with horses, from schooling little 11h ponies to working and jumping my cousins European showjumpers so not that im lacking experiance but i cant stand those people who will buy a quality horse thinking they know it all then completly wreck the horse because they really know feck all!
 
We had a teen helping out at our yard for a while, fell totally in love with Vardi and used to take much time telling me

" I would love to ride him, he needs someone with lots of confidence on top, I can ride him if you want me to" "oh and if you ever want to sell him I want first refusal as I think he and I would be perfect together" and the all time classic of "Its such a shame if I owned him I could really make sure he reaches his full potential"

Cue the day she was at the yard when Vardi decided to take me at wharp speed 7 times round the school before I could pull him up....her face was a picture
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We decided to sell 2 weeks later and as requested Jan gave her first refusal (he did do it with a smirk but never mind) imagine our surprise when she said that "she was looking into buying a 2 year old warmblood stallion to bring on herself as she felt she needed more challenge than Vardi could give her"
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Oh how we laughed

And the age of this paragon of horsemanship....14
 
One said:
I'm 19, and I know when I was 15/16 I would not have been able to handle a 16.2 ridden and on the ground.
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Is that so much to do with age or size and experience - i get the impression you've worked with horses most of your life, so I'm guessing you're quite small?

I rode a 16.2 TB from the age of 14, hunting and competing. She was a lot easier than the 12.2 Welsh x I also rode at the same age. I was 5'10" and weighed 8.5 stone.
 
I don't think it rings true for all teenagers although there is one on our yard who is recently new to our yard and new to owning a horse.
She is 13 barely 5 ft is a waife (i mean so thin even skinny jeans are baggy - no jelousy here honest lol). My understanding is that she has ridden for a year or so, never loaned/shared a horse or had any classes on looking after a horse and went straight in the deep end and bought a 15.3hh underweight TB.
She asked me which was my horse and I pointed out my 3yr old welsh c (currently 12.3hh) and 3 yr old 15hh Arab, her response "how tall is he?", "well mine is 15.3hh"......AND???
over the past few weeks she has become more scared of her horse as it walks all over her and we are all having to bring her in from the field for her as she is uncontrolable when handled by this girl. My arab is better behaved then her TB.
It's a shame really as she would have been better off with something no bigger than 14.3hh for now and a safe manageable pony that could have taught her alot, instead of now being gradually scared to death by her horse.

I blame that parents in this instance as they have no clue about horses and instead of speaking to someone who does and finding out what would be better suited to their daughter they have gone and bought "bigger is better" horse that their daughter insisted that she has :(
 
a few years ago i help a friend find the next one for her daughter (was on a 13hh)...............we had people saying get a 16.2 etc etc, what i made them do was actually try a wide range of horses, always kept to the back ground (mostly went to stop teenager getting on the nutters!) after trying for about 3 months with quite a lot of tears and sulks (god knows why anyone would think that would work with me) we ended up with a 15.2, which works for her. i was gobsmaked last year when she thanked me for finding him amd she is having fun which is the important thing
 
TBH I don't think this is a teenage thing - I think its more a 'some people are just idiots'! I've known several instances of people massively overhorsing themselves because they wanted a 'proper' horse, none of whom were teenagers! :rolleyes:

p.s. Gemfox123, your arab is gorgeous! (love his head markings)
 
Definately not a teenager thing.
There are a lot of very overhorsed people out there of all ages and a lot of horses that are only used as lawnmowers because of this.

Also I don't think that time riding is any indicator of experience.
Some people would never learn anything however long they rode because they know it all already. Some people build up a lot of experience in a short time. When I was riding at a school in a short space of time I had ridden naughty ponies, a 5 year old 17hh stallion and racehorses a couple of days away from their trainers. There were and still are lessons to learn from all of them.

As for me, at 37 years old I am happy with the 14.2 cob I borrow. It would be nice to be able to do a little competition every now and then as the mood takes me but I don't think the little cob would be happy about that so it will have to wait.

Craig
 
Im 16 and i have a 15hh lipizaner and 15.1hh irish cob and im perfectly happy :) They both jump well and do what i ask and are there too have fun on :)

I do ride for a few other people and at the moment i am riding a 17hh TB who is green and there's defiently a lot of baby legs too contend which underneath you!
 
haha this reminds me so much of ayounger girl than me we used to go to school with. I was 15ish and had started riding my mums 16.1 IDxTB, after outgrowing my pony and exercising someones 14.2 for a few years. She was about 13 and had to give back her loan pony, so her parents went out and bought a 16.2 TBx it was a disater waiting to happen!! He is now ridden in a dutch gag (3rd ring) a martingale and needs it. Now she is 18 and actualy looks ok but the hrose still takes the p*ss and as the girl pretty much started riding 2 years before she got it so self taught, everytime i see her at a show i cringe!
Although i am 21 and when i was a teen was riding my horse in a pelham (double reins) and martingale for my safety really (jumping/hacking). But i basically got him too fit and he turned into a tank who if not ridden everyday was a nightmare!! Now im riding a ex racer who is in a lozenge snaffle and a breastplate with martingale so some could say im still over horsed, but once he stops trying to throw his head in my face when having a wobbly the martingale will come off...need breastplate as he has high withers!
 
Im not a teenager, im 21, but i started riding at 3. Had a break 14-19. I had ponies as a kid but mum and the livery service did all the work for me. I bought lexi when i was 19 and previous to that id been sharing a horse from a 13 year old girl. This girl had more knowledge and balls than me. Was quite a bit shorter, around 5ft6, but could handle the 16hh cob i was sharing soooo much better than me.

Lexi, the mare i bought, is 16.1hh. iI bought a horse of her size to be kind to her back, i hate seeing big people on small horses (strong horses very different).

If i was to sell one of mine now, i dont think id be put off by a teenager who had a knowledgeable parent, however a teenager just by themselves obviously looking for a big flashy horse would drive me nuts. In fact id love to see them ride my boy. I dont think theyd last 5 mins....

The point im trying to make is dont tarnish all teenagers with the same brush. As this girl i shared from is a fantastic owner/rider. She has a 15.3hh rescue tbxcleveland bay that shes taught to jump and nursed back from the brink having had him since he was a yearling!!
 
I agree its not all teens, sorry if I've offended :D

I've forgotten who's said it but yes, I've been around horses for a long time (working at riding stables etc) but I got my first horse at 16. And yup, I'm a midget :D nah, I'm fair small about 5ft 3 :)

I definatly don't tarnish them all with the same brush though it might have come across like that, :o but there are a few who discard smaller ponies/horses as they're not big enough, or flashy enough,
Ah well, tis there loss, we get to keep the cobs for ourselves :D
 
im 18, i have 2 horses which i pay fully pay for. so thats everything, livery, shoes, dentist, new saddles, insurance. everything. we have a third horse who is retiered who doesnt cost alot of money to keep.

i dont think teenagers are that bad at all. most are fab, caring riders. all my friends or the people i know i would trust with my horses.
 
I love seeing everyone's different views on this, im twenteen ;) and i know plenty of girls who have said 'why did you buy a 13.2' or my horse in 16.2 and im your height' which i reply yes but i can go out hacking all day on my own down busy roads with no gadgets and still have fun/be safe..

My mare has just had an unexpected foal and if she grows big enough i will be loaning out my 13.2 5yro..she is perfect for me but i wouldnt want a child/teen to loan her as id be worried they would give up../spoil her/ let her get away with murder

On the other hand i have a 'friend' who is around 40 thinks she knows it all is petrified to get on mine but has a 16.2 **with gadgets** :rolleyes:

Swings and roundabouts
 
I went from a 15.3 connie to a 16.1 WB as I wanted something with more go to event. Have to admit I overhorsed myself at first but got some nice results and work from her, I personally don't think we matched as horse and rider and had quite a few setbacks so after two years we parted on nice terms, jumping clear and winning dressage but I'd lost some nerve on her and felt I couldn't fully trust her. Not nastily, but because I threw myself in the deep end and expected same results as previous (pro) owner. She's gone to a lovely 16 y.o and is loving life and eventing!

Now I have a TB on loan and he's lovely, have to admit very lazy though :P
 
One said:
I agree its not all teens, sorry if I've offended :D

I've forgotten who's said it but yes, I've been around horses for a long time (working at riding stables etc) but I got my first horse at 16. And yup, I'm a midget :D nah, I'm fair small about 5ft 3 :)

I definatly don't tarnish them all with the same brush though it might have come across like that, :o but there are a few who discard smaller ponies/horses as they're not big enough, or flashy enough,
Ah well, tis there loss, we get to keep the cobs for ourselves :D
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I think the thing is, OP, that there are people from all ages that want flashy without a level of knowledge and experience to give both them and the horse a decent life together. But I can understand why teenagers stand out, their attitude can be a little more obvious than an adult's ;)

jessikaGinger said:
I love seeing everyone's different views on this, im twenteen ;) and i know plenty of girls who have said 'why did you buy a 13.2' or my horse in 16.2 and im your height' which i reply yes but i can go out hacking all day on my own down busy roads with no gadgets and still have fun/be safe..
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On the other hand i have a 'friend' who is around 40 thinks she knows it all is petrified to get on mine but has a 16.2 **with gadgets** :rolleyes:

Swings and roundabouts
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That's great, however please don't dismiss horses bigger than you're comfortable with riding, as only being safe with gadgets. As I'm sure you must be aware, many ponies can be far more fiesty than many horses and much harder to handle. Infact sometimes, the only danger in riding a horse rather than a pony is there's further to fall.
 
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