Then...and now...

[JenJ]

OK, so I was heavily involved with horses as a teenager, spent all weekend and school holidays at the yard/riding school, then went up every day when I shared horses. But that was 15-20 years ago now.

I did briefly get back into riding for a couple of years, but as I only rode once a week, although it was a DIY yard I never got very involved in anything more than basic jobs.

I've now started riding again, and am spending more time at the yard, but have noticed how much things have changed in 20 years, and quite honestly I'm feeling a little lost.

Can anyone explain the changes to me, in particular the below (in no particular order, just as they fall out of my head):

1. DIY - why is seemingly everyone on DIY now? It was a rarity before.

2. Rugs - we had jute/poly/NZ and that was it. Now there are zillions? What are they all for?

3. Fly rugs/summer sheets. Ok, my friends pony had bad sweet itch so we imported a fly rug from NZ for her, but no-one else had them. Now they're everywhere. Are they needed? And why are horses covered at night with full neck summer sheets? Is it laziness to keep them clean?

4. Neck rugs - what! why?

5. Trotting on roads - we used to do loads of this to fitten them up - why is it now frowned upon? If you don't have much off road hacking, do you have to stay in walk the whole time?

6. Bits - um, perhaps I should leave this one! But wtf are in most horse mouths these days - we had plain old snaffles, pelhams and kimblewicks - a French link was a novelty! And if the majority of HHO is against Dutch Gags, why are they the most common bit that I've noticed at shows?

7. why has the price of buying a horse stayed the same/reduced (ie I would have been looking to spend about £3k on an older allrounder then, and expect to pay the same now) but livery costs have gone through the roof (tripled according to what I would have paid). What has driven this?

8. Boots. Why does everything have boots on as soon as they leave their stable nowadays? Are they really needed? Mine wore boots to go hunting, but for nothing else. As it wasn't me that hunted him, I've never even put them on before.

9. Back, teeth, saddle - when did these industries grow so much? Not sure we'd even heard of an equine dentist back then.

10. Feed - whatever happened to straights, and being in charge of how much your horse ate of everything?

Umm...I'm sure there's more but that's already a bit of a ramble...

 

[JenJ]

Half chaps - where did these spring from? And why does no-one dare ride without them now?

I used to like feeling the close contact with the horse through my lower legs.

 

[touchstone]

Ahh yes, and roughing off and bringing back into work, now it seems we all ride all year round.

The yard I trained on had only one horse rugged up, and that was a racehorse!

Horses were rarely clipped and, as I remember it, lived out much more than today.

There was only Brecknell and Turner (I think?) saddle soap and glycerine along with neatsfoot oil, not the huge range of oils, cleaners, conditioners we have today.

Feeds were straights/pony nuts, not the endless supply of mixes and cubes we have today. Our horses didn't die because they weren't fed a balancer.

Saddle fitting consisted of putting something on that looked okay, didn't drop off or obviously pinch/rub or cause sores. Teeth were never done unless causing a problem.

First aid kits were much simpler, tcp or salt water was an antiseptic wash and good old epsom salts for poultices/bran mashes. Along with scissors thermometer and a few bandages/gamgee and the essential purple spray.

In some ways things were better, and in other ways I think we have got it much easier nowadays.

It must be beneficial for horses to have teeth/backs/saddles checked regularly, and that can only be a good thing, the
problem is that there can be bad as well as good out there which can make things more complicated and problematic.

Feeds are too easy now I think, it is too easy to overfeed with all the mixes available and most people over estimate what work their horse is doing. No having to boil barley/linseed any more either!

Rugs are also loads easier, but I do think that they have become a bit of a fashion statement for some rather than being used when needed.

Livery costs I'm sure have increased because of demand, I think more people want to own horses at an earlier stage than they did years ago.

Knowledge about feet and shoeing/working without shoes has come on in leaps and bounds. Although I remember lots of ponies used to work without shoes then with no problems.

I think the fact is that the use of horses has changed from being a working animal vital for transport to a hobby or pet, and that has opened the door for manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon with the latest must have accessory and gadget.

 

[narkymare]

im a novice so cant comment too much but can only assume its progress - like with humans - 20 years ago we all had fried breakfasts, meat and 3 veg for tea for example but now we know so much more about diet etc we have changed our lifestles too - natural progression i suppose