Wanting to give up - how often does it happen to you?

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WishfulThinker

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This has happened to me before, but its quite bad this time. I love my horse to bits, but I am toying with giving up riding.

I did a few years ago, adn he went on loan for a year, then came back and all wasy fine. It seems to go in 18 month cycles. Mainly when my body seems to tell me that its had enough with riding - it begins to hurt my joints and back.

I jsut feel so bad tho that I am not getting any enjoyment out of it any more. Even hacking as it involves long periods sitting. I have debated having my boy harness broken as he is a lot quieter now he is older, but I still am not 100% trusting of him.

I do have someone who would take him in a flash, but I still want to be able to go and potter with him, so I am toying with moving him to a total DIY yard - as I also want him to winter out and have a holiday.

It is weird but I prefer winter to summer as I ride less, and its all mucking out and that kinda stuff. I have never been much of a rider - even working with horses I loved looking after them and grooming etc, but not the riding.

Am I weird?
 
My mum is the same she rode for years until my brother was born (which was after me) and she lost her nerve. I got her on her pony a few years ago and she enjoyed it but she prefers to drive her pony and gets a lot more enjoyment out of it. I am only 20 so i still love riding and would prefer that to mucking out etc. If you are not 100% about trusting your horse being driven get someone professional to do it for you. If you are not enjoying it then you will feel like this. Try driving you might be surprised at how good it really is.
 
At the moment constantly, I begrudge the amount of time, money and sheer emotion that owning a horse takes. This does go when I ride but ask me away from the stables if I would like to give up and the answer would be a resounding yes. My current circumstances are such that I owe it to my current horse to keep him for as long as I am able whether I would get another one though I very much doubt.
 
If I had the cash I would love to get him properly broken. People keep telling me that he would look really smart driven (he is a shire cross and quite showy when he wants).

It's not a loss of nerve per say - I will quite happily take him round a 3ft+ course of jumps or go haring about the fields, but I cant do that all the time as its not fair on him as he isn't up to it - and I prefer that as its easier to cover up riding errors in jumping I find, my forward seat hides the fact I cant sit to the canter etc. I think that the fact folk think your daft for having a horse and not riding it also makes me feel that I will be judged as wasting him. I do know some teenagers that could ride him - and one in particular really suits him and he likes her a lot.

I am thinking I might see if I can borrow harness and get some instruction and see what I can do over winter, as he needs to do something or he gets a bit rowdy!


Jo C - He will be my last horse, I have decided that and that is why I will not sell him. He spent 3 years of his life from coming over from Ireland being passed around owners as he can be a saint, THEN he starts the funny business. Its taken me almost 4 years, 1 broken bone and lots of tears but he knows who his mum is and he protects me whatever. I could never ever get rid of him.

If I hadn't bought him I think I would prob be dead now as my other love is cars - fast ones, but having him has stopped me splashing my cash on a really good one - which I would prob have crashed and obliterated myself!
 
I am having one of those times at the moment. I have got 3 of the beggers, 2 of which are on a livery yard and one is on grass livery down the road. Unfortunatly the one on grass livery ( a section a) has had to come in due to a number of reasons. The problem I have now is that I have 3 horses 2 stables and horses that won't stay where they are put if you take one away. I spent two days last week recatching all 3. the pony is now in solitary as if I can't trust him to stay put then he is somewhere where i know he will stay and where I can recatch him. ( not a bad thing TBH as he was getting rather fat )

I am having problems with my mare (see vet) and understandably her sharer is now feeling a little wobbily about it all and told me that she is going to look for her own horse and the gelding is just starting work again after 10 weeks field rest, and finacially it is beginning to hurt. I have some other stuff going on and I think it is all getting too much...... and now it is raining!
 
You know I thought of giving up not that long ago because of soething not really anything to do with Kia more to do with how I was feeling at the time and how people had made me feel.

Everytime I saw my horse it reminded me of the nasty and untrue things that had been said and I was rather annoyed at the time and didnt want to feel like that around him.

I am now over it and we a re back to our normal selves but there are time in your life that you do give up a little bit and it take more courage to keep going than it does just to give up.

Nikki xxxx
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Yup, infact i had one of these a few days ago (and posted about it) I have one green 6yo which i dont feel im experienced enough to bring on, shes popped an unexpected foal who is feeling like a hindrence, ive got one cob who is LOU and effectivley eating my money and her baby (another unwanted) who is also an effect lawn mower.
 
I have days like this quite often tbh.

My boy is perfect, I trust him with my life, but sometimes I just wish we could do a bit more. For example there is a show this weekend and I'm doing in-hand (which is great) but he's been doing great jumping at home atm and I now wish I had gone for the SJ instead. Even though he has confidence issues when he's ridden at shows and I KNOW I wouldn't get any enjoyment out of the day.

Some days I think I want to give it all in. Some days I think I want to get another horse and do all the things I want and then keep D for pleasure. Other days I'm fine and happy with what I've got and even go to the yard on my days off to see my boy (I help out at the yard 5 days a week so the 2 I'm not there are my days off).

16 years of riding trouble/hard work ponies is beginning to take it's toll on my back as well if I'm honest. And then there is the threat of horsey OH wanting to give up too (he will kill me for posting that) which kind of makes me think I want to give up when I'm having a bad day too
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If you enjoy the ground work side and can afford to keep him, could you look at getting a sharer?

Could have someone else ride him 3 - 4 times a week so he still does things and you could enjoy the mucking out
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and grooming side of things. If you get the right person they could even compete him and you can go along get the pleasure of watching.

I rode up until I was 16 then stopped, rode 19 - 22, stopped, rode 24 - 26 and am about to start again at 28 so can definately understand where you are coming from!
 
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