Those of you who still have their 1st horse and is now an OAP ....

[Eaglestone]

The Horse not you

What would you have done differently?

For me nothing, as I know Motor would still never have boxed, would always be silly in company, would have jogged everywhere for the 1st 6 years I had him and would take off in Canter if given an inch ..... and with me on board, would have still jumped like a stag and not sensibly

What about you?

 

[clairefeekerry1]

prob not retired her at the age i did, think if i'd kept her ticking over few more years she may not have aged so quickly. difficult tho,as always thinking what if she trips etc etc

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
The Horse not you

What would you have done differently?

For me nothing, as I know Motor would still never have boxed, would always be silly in company, would have jogged everywhere for the 1st 6 years I had him and would take off in Canter if given an inch ..... and with me on board, would have still jumped like a stag and not sensibly

What about you?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing - I like my old girl as she is, and even liked her as a youngster.
S

 

[Puppy]

I wish I'd had a foal from Star

It's a huge regret of mine.

 

[LadyRascasse]

learnt more about feet and not allow a farrier to ruin them. but other than that i love all his little quirks and big character. i wish he would have loaded so we could have affiliated but he is claustrophobic so its very unlikely that he ever will

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
prob not retired her at the age i did, think if i'd kept her ticking over few more years she may not have aged so quickly. difficult tho,as always thinking what if she trips etc etc

[/ QUOTE ]

I was asked if I would retire Motor when he did his DDFT in at 22 and I was

... but made me think for a while .... and when he went down with Cushings induced Laminitis in October 2005 I then thought that was it, but 10 months later the Vet asked me if I had been riding him again and I was triple

..... I have been soooooooooo fortunate that I have been able to continue riding into his 28th year (or it it 29th

)

 

[clairefeekerry1]

see mine had a very full ridden life, then 6 months reducing ridden time then retired at 25 ish. think they age more when retired, but used to always think i'd never forgive myself if she tripped/fell, unfortunately she was never one fo walking. just jog or canter so prob was best. she's 30 now. looks like the equiv to a 100 yr old woman now!!!!

 

[russianhorse]

A big regret of mine.....................I wish I had had an instructor to teach me to bring my then green 4 year old on properly and that we had achieved a decent standard of jumping or XC aswell :0(

I wish I had learnt more..... I still feel like a Numpty-Novice (16 years later!)!

 

[lucy1984]

I wish I had've had him vetted and not been a 'miss know it all' (would never have bought him if I had) LOL (Kenellen)

 

[Crazy Friesian]

Absolutely nothing!

It was love at first sight. I worked with him for a few years before I was offered him. There was never any doubt for either of us.

I was always told that he was too big for me, too much horse for me. (17.3 vs 5ft 2)

We have known each other 20 years now and I can count on 1 hand the amount of times we have parted company involuntarily.

I didn't have him vetted and would have looked after him even if he had become unridable the day after he came to live with me.

He is now 26yrs young, grumpy, possessive over the mare, riddled with arthritis but still gives the others a run for their money and teaches them all the "bad habits" and "things that will really wind mom up"

I wouldn't change him for the world. He is still Captain of my heart.

 

[Zebedee]

Loads !! But hindsight is a wonderful thing. For instance I wouldn't have left him rotting in a local RS for a year while I lived away. I wouldn't have jumped him as a three year old (him not me) & I would have beat seven bells out of him when he started taking the proverbial & napping badly rather than letting him get away with it & making excuses for him !!
He stayed in my ownership all his life & was much loved. However at the age of eleven (he was brought as a yearling - my Dad thought it would be cheaper than buying an older one already broken !!) with non horsey parents I made far too many bad decisions in his formative years. The flip side of that coin of course is that it taught me one heck of a lot that I would never have learnt elsewhere.
My current pensioner is my TB mare aged 25. As the poster above says my only regret is not being able to keep her going under saddle for longer. She had bad laminitis after her last foal & the farrier didn't think that trying to shoe her without first x-raying (just too expensive at the time) was a good idea. Never mind - she doesn't care!! She's quite happy being a lady of leisure !! I do miss riding her though - she was just fantastic.

 

[Flame_]

Flame's not my first pony, but I've owned her for 17 years. I wish I'd bought her at two, not twelve, and kept her from getting some terrible scars and I'd have had her at her peak(but that wouldn't have been possible as I would have only been 3 years old

)

 

[Ashleigh_]

Ohhhhhh i loved reading this!

I've only had Ronnie for 3 or 4 weeks but i would never give him up, he's staying with me until he's and old grumpy man

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
see mine had a very full ridden life, then 6 months reducing ridden time then retired at 25 ish. think they age more when retired, but used to always think i'd never forgive myself if she tripped/fell, unfortunately she was never one fo walking. just jog or canter so prob was best. she's 30 now. looks like the equiv to a 100 yr old woman now!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you did the right thing

.... and 30 is such a good age, have you got any pics of her?

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I wouldn't change much about Harley, but he was a green five year old when I bought him, and I was a nervous first time owner, so I wish I'd have the money to have lessons to bring us on together, as he certainly hasn't fulfilled his potential - but then he doesn't know that, and is a happy AND grumpy old man!

 

[Vicki05]

I wish I'd been braver when I was younger and I had the instructor that I have now when Dizzy was 5. Twenty years on, my thoroughbred girl has suffered a borken leg, a near severed foot, liver failure and (most recently) split her head open but she's been patched up and just carries on.

At 25, she's still in full work and loving it!!! Long may she carry on.

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
Absolutely nothing!

It was love at first sight. I worked with him for a few years before I was offered him. There was never any doubt for either of us.

I was always told that he was too big for me, too much horse for me. (17.3 vs 5ft 2)

We have known each other 20 years now and I can count on 1 hand the amount of times we have parted company involuntarily.

I didn't have him vetted and would have looked after him even if he had become unridable the day after he came to live with me.

He is now 26yrs young, grumpy, possessive over the mare, riddled with arthritis but still gives the others a run for their money and teaches them all the "bad habits" and "things that will really wind mom up"

I wouldn't change him for the world. He is still Captain of my heart.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh my god, I have now got tears in my eyes .... Touch wood, I have only parted company with Motor on 2 occasions, and that was in the first year, one my fault the other he slipped

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
I wish I'd been braver when I was younger and I had the instructor that I have now when Dizzy was 5. Twenty years on, my thoroughbred girl has suffered a borken leg, a near severed foot, liver failure and (most recently) split her head open but she's been patched up and just carries on.

At 25, she's still in full work and loving it!!! Long may she carry on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gosh, both of you have been through it haven't you

.... I hope you have many years left together

 

[NikkiF]

To be honest I'd probably never have bought her!! I'd been riding for a whole 8 months and she was a very green 5 yr old

How lucky was I, such an honest mare, couldn't have asked for better for a first horse. She's 26 now and quite arthritic, very single minded in life now.....food, food and more food, bless her

 

[Racing_Gal]

Ive had Tazz for forever, shes now semi retired (she is 24 an has COPD) I sometimes think I should of had a foal out of her but other times I'm glad I didnt as she would of been out of work and we'd have missed out on allot. Other than that I wouldnt change a thing

That horse is my best friend!

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
To be honest I'd probably never have bought her!! I'd been riding for a whole 8 months and she was a very green 5 yr old

How lucky was I, such an honest mare, couldn't have asked for better for a first horse. She's 26 now and quite arthritic, very single minded in life now.....food, food and more food, bless her

[/ QUOTE ]

You have still had her longer than I have had Motor .... I now wish I have met Mots as a 5 year old

 

[brighteyes]

You are 14 years too late with this one for me!

I've been put off greys/cob types for life by him though

 

[sea_view]

Nothing at all - Ali and I have been together 18 years this May when he'll be 26yrs and we have gone through so so so much together, ups adn downs, fights and tantrums, laughter and tears, nearly lost him twice and he is the love of my life, would not change him or the 18years we had together for anything

 

[miss_bird]

I would of moved yards earlier so that she did not have to go through the ordeal of being badly stabbed.
Apart from that nothing i love every part of her and the fab foal she had.
She is now happily retired and is out in the field keeping my stallion company and putting him in his place

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

just keep them working! or ticking over! feet, teeth worming paramount! good feed ad lib hay/haylage etc and as much turnout as possible! when they get older stabling becomes a negative as long as they are well rugged and fed, and can roll and get up! field shelter or natural shelter is vital! just snuggle and indulge in the latter years as a horse not a human!

 

[Lolo]

My horse is 26 and I've owned him for just over 4 years so I've had him since he was well into veteraness when I met him. I wouldn't change a thing- he is worth his weight in gold, and doesn't owe us a penny. He's taken me from nervous wreck to cocky so-and-so, and I absolutely adore him. He's a pain, he's too strong, he's too confident that he's always right and he's taught me so much. I would change nothing- we've learnt from it all and its made me so much stronger and has also taught me about the heartbreak of lameness and an indefinite timeline. He'll outlive us all probably though!

 

[JJtheJetPlane]

I brought my first horse 16 yrs ago and she has been with me through college, uni work and various relationships and break ups. I had a foal from her 5 yrs ago and she is now happily retred. She has aged a lot in the last 2 yrs, an x racer now 21. She has the most beautiful nature and she is my soul mate. She is always happy to see me and never takes me for granted like my youngster does. She tought me how to ride properly and i tought her how to enjoy life and be a horse. The only thing i may have changed is to take things more seriously and try to realise some of her potential. But having said that i may not be where i am with her now if i had off. But i have enjoyed every minute of her even the naughty bits!

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
You are 14 years too late with this one for me!

I've been put off greys/cob types for life by him though

[/ QUOTE ]

Really

.... tell us more then please!?

 

[Eaglestone]

Thank you all for contributing towards this post, it has been a lovely insight into some of your worlds

What I love the most is the fact that so many of you are still caring for our much loved oldies, which in my opinion are the best, however I a biased

 

[Crazy Friesian]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Absolutely nothing!

It was love at first sight. I worked with him for a few years before I was offered him. There was never any doubt for either of us.

I was always told that he was too big for me, too much horse for me. (17.3 vs 5ft 2)

We have known each other 20 years now and I can count on 1 hand the amount of times we have parted company involuntarily.

I didn't have him vetted and would have looked after him even if he had become unridable the day after he came to live with me.

He is now 26yrs young, grumpy, possessive over the mare, riddled with arthritis but still gives the others a run for their money and teaches them all the "bad habits" and "things that will really wind mom up"

I wouldn't change him for the world. He is still Captain of my heart.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh my god, I have now got tears in my eyes .... Touch wood, I have only parted company with Motor on 2 occasions, and that was in the first year, one my fault the other he slipped

[/ QUOTE ]

If I thought about all the things we have been through over the years I think I would cry, laugh, cringe, giggle... thats what its all about right?

(but thats a whole new thread!

)