What is a 'mother/daughter share?'

[Art Nouveau]

Intrigued as I keep seeing this on adverts and I can't figure out what the underlying assumption is.

Is it that the mother just wants a quiet horse to hack on while the daughter competes?
Or that the mother is experienced while the daughter is learning?
Something else?

Would people pay extra for this type of horse? (whatever it is)

 

[skint1]

I think it just means a horse that's happy to plod or do a bit more?

 

[ihatework]

It's usually something that Mum can hack/keep fit during week and daughter can compete on weekends.

So generally something that is reasonably quiet & easy to have around, but will raise its game if needed. So all in all a nice allrounder!

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

I was thinking about this recently, I mean, I know what a mum/daughter share is as we've been doing it with our old pony for years. But why do you rarely see 'father/son' share on adverts? Or 'grandmother/grandchild'? Uncle/niece? Second cousin/brother in law's ex wife's auntie? Sorry...being very silly now.....maybe it's because a mum/daughter share is likely to be more commited.

 

[PorkChop]

It's usually something that Mum can hack/keep fit during week and daughter can compete on weekends.

So generally something that is reasonably quiet & easy to have around, but will raise its game if needed. So all in all a nice allrounder!

This

My daughters and I share three horses

 

[booandellie]

I take it to mean the horse is easy to do, well mannered and not a nutter, it is actually the sort i would go for despite not having kids!

 

[Art Nouveau]

It's usually something that Mum can hack/keep fit during week and daughter can compete on weekends.

I thought it was probably that, but then I thought if I have a daughter and can still afford a horse, I'm not going to be the one doing the hard work to keep it fit while my daughter has fun competing!

 

[skint1]

I wouldn't mind, I hate competing, but then as a rider I wouldn't really be doing the horse any great favours so I would have to get one that was quite forgiving and didn't de-tune because it was ridden by a numpty

 

[Polar Bear9]

I wouldn't say there was any exact definition, more that it's a nice all rounder which can adapt itself to different styles and experience levels

 

[cobgoblin]

I always take it to mean a well mannered large pony/ small horse that is capable of taking a small adult or a reasonably sized child...ie: not too big for one or too small for the other.

 

[OWLIE185]

The mums can continue to ride the horse once the kids have lost interest or gone off to further education.

 

[Gloi]

I've just sold a Fell pony to be just this. It's going to be the 11 year old daughter's pony but the mother likes to ride a bit so the pony is strong enough for her to hack out on while the girl is at school if she wants.

 

[asmp]

I thought it was probably that, but then I thought if I have a daughter and can still afford a horse, I'm not going to be the one doing the hard work to keep it fit while my daughter has fun competing!

This is exactly what we have! I hack out during the week and my daughter competes at the weekends. She works (she's 21) and I only work part time so it's perfect for us. The interesting thing is that the horse is a plod for me but a speed machine when my daughter gets on him. He's also used for RDA and a friend's 5 year old daughter used him for a small charity ride at the weekend.

In general I consider a mother/daughter share to be a small horse/large pony that's sane and a good all rounder.

 

[Dry Rot]

A kind family pony that can be ridden by all ages but in't going to set the world on fire.

I have one here -- and another that definitely isn't! The first is 14.1 and a bit lazy but she loves people and anyone can handle her. The second is a pocket rocket of about 13.2 and looking for that special home! Both are Highlands.

 

[Lanky Loll]

As rare as hens teeth and usually not as described... or is that just the one's we've viewed lately?
We're looking for something that my mum (late 50s) can hack on her own, do fun rides and may be some low level stuff on,which I can ride if/when mine idiot TB is broken (she has a nasty habit of self harming 2 days before pre-booked clinics or similar). It doesn't need to be a world beater, we are looking for bigger than a pony (around 16hh) which may be slightly complicating it but so many being sold as this and aren't as described when you go to see them.

 

[suffolkmare]

I was thinking about this recently, I mean, I know what a mum/daughter share is as we've been doing it with our old pony for years. But why do you rarely see 'father/son' share on adverts? Or 'grandmother/grandchild'? Uncle/niece? Second cousin/brother in law's ex wife's auntie? Sorry...being very silly now.....maybe it's because a mum/daughter share is likely to be more commited.

HAHA
Agree very sexist and un-PC (Though said horse/pony probably should be PC?!?), So H&H should alter all such ads to read adult/teen/older/taller child share.
Our 14.1 was supposed to be a mother/daughter share and sort of is, except daughter has got a bit tall for him and wishes he was bigger/faster/flashier/younger... I love him!

 

[FfionWinnie]

Padding for adverts when there's nothing else to say.

 

[Orangehorse]

Mother exercises the hunter during the week and teenage/university/working daughter has the fun of hunting it at the weekend.

I don't regard it as "padding." There are lots of horses that are well mannered, good hacks, but move up a couple of gears when presented with jumps and galloping and maybe Mother feels that she is happy to have nice ride, but doesn't want to go galloping round the countryside jumping large fences.

 

[Barnacle]

It's interesting that everyone has interpreted this as being something in an ad for a horse... I've actually come across it more from the other side - as in a mother and daughter share is something a mother and daughter look for together - a horse to share that suits them both (not to buy).

For instance I had a mother and daughter inquire about sharing an Exmoor pony between them. The daughter I think was just learning and needed a nice and manageable pony that she could maybe take further in future while the mother, who was fairly experienced, was after something she could hack out on and was pretty forward and fun but not insane.

So I think it can mean many things and really you have to ask for specifics!

As for why it's mother-daughter. Well, just count the mothers and daughters who ride and compare to the fathers and sons! Girls ride more than boys and though at the top levels of competition men start to catch up on women for numbers, enough girls begin riding early on that those that stick with it are still at least as many as the boys that stick with it! Riding tends to be thought of as "girly" by a big subsection of British society. I think it's a bit different elsewhere - e.g. where there's a cowboy tradition or more classical dressage. Here I think maybe hunting fixes that a little bit but the overall perception is definitely that it's girly!

 

[Celtic Fringe]

We currently have a mother/son share - I think this is more unusual! The horse is owned by a friend but my son has been riding him for the past 7 or 8 years (son is now 21) and has taken him to BE Intermediate level. I've retired my old Welsh D recently so have been sharing horse - having some lessons and gentle hacks. Hopefully we will also do some TREC. This horse is an absolute superstar - a real gent who can really up his game if asked but will plod about with nervous mother if asked.

 

[ponymum]

I share a horse with my daughter who is at uni. He is a 16.1 TBxWB and definitely not a plod! I school and compete at low level dressage and have just ventured into small hunter trials and about to do my first ODE. My daughter competes him at a higher level SJ and HTs. He knows who is riding and is quiet for me but really ups his game and gets very lively when my daughter is on him (but she does have an electric bum!). So I would say that if a horse is a true mother/daughter share then he is just like our boy, happy to adjust to the level of rider on him and can turn his hoof to different disciplines

 

[Tobiano]

Mother / daughter share: Mother buys horse, pays for its keep, drives the horsebox. Daughter rides it

 

[Celtic Fringe]

Mother / daughter share: Mother buys horse, pays for its keep, drives the horsebox. Daughter rides it

Hee hee. On the whole this also applies to mother/son share!

 

[debsflo]

This is exactly what we have! I hack out during the week and my daughter competes at the weekends. She works (she's 21) and I only work part time so it's perfect for us. The interesting thing is that the horse is a plod for me but a speed machine when my daughter gets on him. He's also used for RDA and a friend's 5 year old daughter used him for a small charity ride at the weekend.

In general I consider a mother/daughter share to be a small horse/large pony that's sane and a good all rounder.

Exactly what my daughter and I are looking for for me to hack and do dressage with as she's at uni but can jump and have fun with when she comes home. Think a nice allrounder is rare to find.

 

[sasquatch]

My horse is a mother/daughter share in that I am the one who has the horse, has to keep him fit, muck out, do all the hard work and pay for him whilst mum gets to potter around on him and do what she thinks is fun! (regardless of my wishes - there was a time she took him out for a gallop across open fields and I was jumping the next day and told her not to do anything to fizz him up!)

I take mother/daughter share to mean a small horse/large pony that is sympathetic to a less experienced rider, but still capable to be ridden by someone more experienced and is pretty straight forward - no different to an allrounder/RC horse apart from in size really.

Technically, B is not really a mother/daughter share, he is more like a vodka/coke share, or at least you feel like he is by the time you're done with him!

 

[TGM]

So I would say that if a horse is a true mother/daughter share then he is just like our boy, happy to adjust to the level of rider on him and can turn his hoof to different disciplines

This would be my understanding too. My daughter's horse is going to become a mother/daughter share as she is off to uni in September. He will hack quietly round the lanes with me and look after me out hunting, but will go up a gear when daughter goes eventing.

To prove we are not sexist, we also have a daughter/father share - hunts with my husband in the winter, and then events and does tetrathlon with daughter during the summer!