Teenagers with horses/ponies

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Cash

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..are your parents horsy? Do they help you a lot? Or, alternately, do they regard it as 'your' hobby/sport/activity and therefore entirely your responsibility? Or are they totally unhorsy..?
Would be interested to hear how much (or how little! :D ) your parents are involved in the care of your horses. I was surprised when i moved to my current yard at how many parents (mainly mums) are involved with their daughters' horses, even though most don't ride themselves.
Any experiences/opinions? :)
 
Not a teen any more but have had 5 horses on loan. Got my first when I was 10 and my last when I was 17. Parents are non horsey but mum used to do the mucking out while I rode/groomed (saved time) until I was 14 then she just dropped me off I'd do everything and get mums friend who kept her horse at the yard to give me a lift back. Once I started to drive that was it no more help/lifts. Should also point out that parents paid all costs until I got a job.
 
I'm 33 now, but as a teen I had ponies and my parents were completley un-horsey. But very supportive of my 'hobby' Mum used to drive me and pony/ies to shows in our awful green trailer and although I used to be slightly jealous of those who had parents that wanted to buy the best stuff and horse boxes and went to shows every week or every other week (my mum would only do it about once a month) I know how lucky I was to have a dad that paid for it all and a mum who gave me her time. :):)

I never forget though, I used to jump my pony at a local equestrian centre and when I got him he wouldn't jump coloured poles! Nightmare, it took me months and months of hard work to get him round a course of jumps. This particular time it was my first win in a big class of about 30! I was over the moon, my mum made me take the pony back to our yard though and put him to bed before the rest finished ( I was dreading that someone had taken the lead too, but I won), so I couldn't ride into the arena on him to collect my trophy. Always thought that was a bit mean :D But she thought it would be too late before we got home. But still I was very lucky :)
 
I am 19. My Dad bought me my horse for my 18th Birthday which i was SO happy about!! Obviously. I look after him totally myself, as in the day to day care, though my dad does pay his livery so i have help in that respect.

My mum will come and see him occasionally but doesnt really help me out too much.
 
I was always left to my own devices, i am 19 so still technicly a teenager, but i now have my own place and my mum never comes to the yard now. My mum came riding with me occsionly but i did most of it on my own. Some parents come on my yard and they just follow their girls around and get in the way lol. i am glad mine stayed at home lol
 
Not horsey in the slightest :(
I live with my dad and step mum and to be honest they really do switch off if I even mention the ponies names, you can literally watch their eyes glaze over! I tried to convince dad to take me to a very local show in August but he refuses =\ However he uses my ponies as an excuse to boast to his mates etc. if that makes sense? Like he uses them for a status symbol! My dad will refuse to pay anything towards them and he used to begrudge paying for my riding lessons years ago.
On the other hand I always thought my mum wasn't horsey but recently she'll chat with me on the phone about them although she knows very little I just appreciate the interest! I know that when she was young she had a pony to share with her sisters but none of them were interested! My Nan on the other hand (mums mum) is horsey in the sense that she brought me both my ponies and has one of her own although the knowledge isn't completely there i.e. shes cuts her pony's mane with scissors - makes me cringe when I look at said pony afterwards. However I do love my Nan to pieces after all the horsey things she's done/brought for me!
 
I am now (just) 20, but my mum is still quite involved in my horsey life.
She took me to lessons and watched, took me to the riding school every day day of the holidays so i could help out and as she had horses when she was younger, rode a bit too. She bought me my first horse when i was 15 (i still have him) and mucked out for me when i was at school and went on hacks with the other mothers as well. She funded him until i was 17. I am eternally grateful for everything she has done and cannot thank her enough. I now have bought my own horse, bought my original horse off her so she could have a holiday! And fund my own horses completely as it is now my hobby, not hers. She still helps me out with my horses, turning out occasionally on days that i am working early and helps me poo pick sometimes when she is bored. She also takes me to competitions most weekends and watches me ride when she can. My dad isnt horsey but still comes out and watches me occasionally and tries to muck out, bless him, which is lovely really.
I am really lucky and couldnt have asked more off my parents :)
 
I'm 16... my parents are slightly horsey, i.e. can muck out, used to ride a lot in the past.... don't really have anything to do with my pony but if I beg they might muck out or turn out for me the odd time... but basically not a lot :)
 
My parent's are totally unhorsey. They bought me my pony when I was 13 and my mum would always come to watch me at shows, but it was definitely my 'hobby.' Fortunately my parents built paddocks at the house so I get to keep my ponies at home, which is amazing and I'm very grateful. Now I'm at university and only have 1 pony left at home my father does feed her and is able to change rugs/put a headcollar on to lead. They support my love of horses but it's definitely not their thing at all- my mother especially is totally clueless about horses.
 
I'm not a teen anymore, but I've had umpteen ponies and horses since I was a tot. My parents are oldschool hunters, my mum used to teach and judge and has been my king pin with regards to horses since I was teeny. I've had some difficult horses and I certainly wouldn't been where I am now with coloured horse if it wasn't for mum. I can't understand how people get on without horsey parents, because I've never had to. Even when I had Oshk down at uni mummy was my first port of call when anything went wrong.
 
Unhorsey parents, got my first on loan at 12. Was very lucky as I grew up in a time when child labour was encouraged and learnt everything I knew by working for rides at the local riding school! One of the older girls who worked there kept her horse at the DIY yard I had the pony at (she organised the loan) and helped me out a lot. Parents obviously paid until I was old enough to get a paid part time job to help with the costs. They helped with towing to shows etc which I am forever grateful for as they didn't especially want to!

Bought my first at 14. Mum always enjoyed being around them and got more involved, even had a few lessons! When I moved abroad years later, she missed it so much she went for weekly lessons and even part loaned a horse off a friend! She's currently looking for one of her own just to potter about the countryside on.

My Dad, on the other hand, has no interest and no idea. When I had a bay ISH mare and a chestnut WB gelding with a blaze and two white socks, I detoured to their house on a hack with the mare as I needed the loo. Handed my reluctant father the reins and he said to me, "which one's this then?" I asked could he really not tell the difference, to which he replied, "no, they're both brown..."
 
My gran is horsey, used to be in the horse rangers etc but gave up when she got married. Mum is sort of horsey she used to ride but had an accident when she was about 12 and only got in the saddle a few times after that. I got my pony when I was 11 (i'm now 16) and the deal was that mum paid the bills and I do the rest and that's the way it's always been and I don't think I would like it any other way as I'm fussy with how he is kept :p She does help out if i'm ill or have something that I can't get out of (family get together's with dads side - my parents are divorced). Mum does fill the odd haynet or make the odd feed if time is limited of she wants to get home but that is her limit :P
 
I had my mare in my late teenage years. Parents not horsey at all and bit nervous of them, but sorted out with the finance side of things and taxi service during winter :) They'd also go down and do her if I was ever really ill or anything too - bless them, they'd muck her out and feed/water her but would ask for a fellow livery to turn her out/bring her in. They'd move her in and out of her stable fine...but the long walk to her field was a bit too much lol!

Bless them :) They were fab.
 
I'm 16. My parents are totally un-horsey! However my dad drives me to the stables every week for lessons, will hold horse if I need him too and is resident photographer/videographer!

My Mum squeaked when I tried to get her to give my old share pony a treat, as pony's lips went all *woo* !
 
Im not a teenager anymore :-( but had an arab from the age of 12 onwards. He was kept at home, parents both used to be horsey but now nervous of them and mum had a bad accident when a horse she was riding when in her 20's had a heart attack and died going down a steep hill.
Neither had anything to do with my pony (except paying for shoes, i worked for the rest).....he was a bit of a handfull so i dont blame them!

Now im 24. Have a horse in livery and mum comes to the yard most days. She loves it and sometimes holds him, will lead him, mucks out whilst i am riding if i am pushed for time, grooms him etc etc. Sometimes she pops up there just to say hello to him! if i need an evening off etc she is happy to go up and check his water, groom him in the field and pick his feet out etc. Im really proud of her, considering how nervous she used to be.

I was glad to be left to do everything to my pony as a kid, but now i have to admit i really appreciate her help. Shes a star.
 
i'm 16 and in the prosess of buying a horse atm. my mum and step-dad who are totally unhorsey. my step-mum had horses when she was younger but i wouldn't class her as "horsey". My dad is a working progress with horses, i'm slowly teaching him about the beasties! my step-mum is so supportive and has ferried me around all over the country looking for horses and my dad asks "is it a 3 clunk?" (reffering as to whether it has 3 legs and a wooden one). Being a motor bike racer himself he's a competitive person and is supportive in my competition aspects :) I've had 3 loan horses before and i've always made my poor dad do all the dirty jobs like cleaning the horse's bum and scrubbing stable stains (he's such a saint!). But the horse i'm in the process of buying is already a member of the family, so i should have converted my parents to be horsey soon enough! :D
 
My mum is amazing I would be lost without her!! Bless her she is very unhorsey & although she doesnt understand my passion for horses she helps me out so much I really feel like I dont deserve it! Over the last few years she has altered her life so I can have a horse, from learning to tow a trailer & then buying one so I could go to shows, spending her money on them when I didnt have a job & now making sure my boys are ok when Im at uni!

She does love my horses & loves to make a fuss of them (who doesnt!!) & she knows if she doesnt want to help all she has to do is say.
Even my Dad (who is more unhorsey than my mum!) has built me show jumps & comes up to do maintanence round the field (& again he cant resist to make a fuss of them!!)

It is my goal to get them riding or atleast driving one day, I know they secretly want to! :D
 
when i was 15 - my very unhorsey parents bought me a horse. then my mu bought me another at 17 (after selling the first) - however at 17 i paid everything for mine.

my mum is actually very knowledgeable and she shocks me with the stuff she comes out with lol! i will start to explain something and "yeah i know because...." :o its great really.


im now 21 and buying another horse in 2 years - i will be 100% responsible for it again but i know this time my parents both will be involved in respect of watching me ride (thats about it) but moral support means more to me than physically helping me out :)
 
Not particularly horsey.
My mum used to ride, doesn't any more. she drives me back & forth to the yard, and does most of the yard jobs I admit. This however, as much as she argues, is because she hates me being at the yard all day (I honestly have no issue with doing all the jobs, even mucking out the field and often do them at weekends etc) and wouldn't be content to just sit around doing nothing. Can't please her though - she complains if she helps, complains if she doesn't, so just let her get on with whatever now. Means that I can usually ride while she mucks out one, then I'll untack and t/o then finish off 1 bed & feeds etc and we can go. (I've only got horse & pony)
Doesn't really understand much on the schooling side, often likes to give 'advice' that leads to me yelling across field 'shut the f*** up' whilst heading towards XC jump. Believe me, it's quite helpful! :D
Dad pays the bills, and that's as involved as he likes to get. However, he is slightly more use at comps as he doesn't wind me up like my mum does - not knowing ANYTHING he usually stays quiet :) He can hold horses, take tack off me, fetch stuff, and knows some really basic basics, never really rode though. He used to be a bit scared of horses even, but is fine with most now so long as they're not too lively. He built stables for me though! :P He's not interested in horses at all though.
 
I'm very lucky in that my mum is very horsey. She has years of knowledge and it's great to recieve training on tap whenever something goes wrong, which happens lots with a youngster! My mum is the one who got me into riding, she took me to riding school at a young age, where I only stayed a few months before I was bought my own pony whom my mum then taught me on.

My dad is fairly un-horsey however he has been taught well, he poo picks, mucks out, levels arena, is a general handy man etc but also thinks he is the next Yogi B!

I am very lucky that my mum is horsey, I don't think I wouldn't have been able to cope with her as none of my ponies/horses have been perffect schoolmasters which is good as she has taught me how to ride effectively and not just sit and look pretty.

ETA: gosh I sound like a spoilt brat, yes my mum and dad help me out a lot but I do make sacrafices for this. I work hard at school, I help out around the house etc, I'm not a wreckless teen, I don't go out everynight getting stoned etc! And most importantly. if mum wants to ride then she will, I always encourage her to ride Lace instead of me etc, it's just polite!
 
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I'm 19 so just about a teenager still :) My family have always sailed but paid for me to have weekly riding lessons when I was younger. When I went to Uni last year my BF and I bought a horse. We pay for everything for her and do everything. However she's kept at my house so my parents help out a bit with feeding, ect.
 
Im sixteen, and neither of my parents were, are and probably never will be, horsey :P
Dad went through a stage of wanting to ride, and bought a shire X, but then his bad knees stopped him, so he's mine now to try and show/sell ;)
Dad may help by mucking out during day in winter, but other than that, none :)
x
 
When I was younger I had ponies on loan and I did all of the myself, my mum would drop me off and pick me up. My mum wasn't horsie but sinse I got into them she is and she now rides.
She bought me my first horse when I was 13 and I have had my own sinse then.

She has always helped out when she can although when I was younger and had loan ponies she worked a lot so has always helped financially but nt always had a lot of time.

Even now that I'm 18 she helps out whenever, enjoys coming up and seeing them and looks after them when I'm away :)
 
My parents are not horsey at all. Mum will sit and watch a lesson, and that's about it! I've taught Dad basics - how to lead, rug up, tie up, fill a haynet. I got my first horse age 11, and did everything myself. Actually, looking back I can't believe I did! My first horse was a just turned 4yo as well. Dad is pretty useful at repairing and mending things so he's happy on a yard as long as there's a dog to play with or something to fix
 
I'm 19 and ever since I was really young, I remember my Mum always wanting to own her own pony.

Since we took on the ponies (as they were given to us) five years ago, Mum has become more and more horsey-er. Now we share the responsibilites and always help each other out.
 
When i had my first horse my mum and dad weren't horsey at all. But my mum helped me so much and was very willing to learn. After getting my 2nd boy my mum started riding my 1st boy and really enjoyed it. My mum is now really horsey and my dad isn't horsey but does help out every now and then.
 
I'm 17, my mum is horsey but my dad really isn't, he just pays for it all =P I'm very lucky in the my mum loves fussing about making sure my bed is nice and I have nice things, she's a bit of a snob really! =P I'm on part livery but when I was on diy me and mum shared duties, but she won't ride my boy as she says he's too big! I really couldn't be without my mum, she's a complete rock.
 
I'm 17 and have fab parents. My mum is kinda horsey and whilst I was at school would muck out my horse for me in the mornings. Now I'm at college she checks on him each morning if i've got to go in early, otherwise its my job.
She used to ride my old horse occasionally (was a bit nervy) but will not ride my new pony as he's a bit of a nutjob. If I go to uni she has promised that she WILL have lessons and learn to deal with him! :D

My dad is unhorsey (unless you count his dreams of being a cowboy!) but he often likes to lead pony to the school and back if he comes to watch me ride. He's also a fab groom at shows :D
 
Not a teenager any more, but had my own horse since I was 14. Dad used to ride but didn't do any helping at all, mum's not horsey at all, but she can now muck out a stable to my exacting standards :p

I've done pretty much everything myself, if I've needed help it's usually come from someone on the yard.
 
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