What is the most important part of horse ownership to you?

R2R

R2R

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Having had a conversation with my liveries last night about horse care and what is important
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, we all decided that there are five things you do (mainly) when you have horses which are:

Riding
Mucking out
Turning out
Feeding/waters
Grooming.

As a yard, and over a bottle of wine, we decided that you cant do everything well. My liveries decided they would rather do everything else quickly and have longer riding and grooming than spend hours making a bed immaculate and scrubbing buckets... and no body can see the point in having a horse in a field and never coming to check on it.
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What is the most important part of horse ownership to you?
 
Agree with riding and grooming. Generally spending time with them. Mine is in the field all day and night and YO keeps an eye on her so unless I'm riding there's technically no point in going up. But I have to, cos I have to see her and groom her and just say hi.
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When I leave the yard for the night I have to shout goodnight to her in the field as I'm driving past, with the window rolled down so she can hear me of course
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I actually enjoy mucking out and cleaning out feed buckets etc when I've got the time, not so much when I'm rushing, but when I have time I take great pleasure in doing anything that benefits the horses.
 
Definately not the riding - yes, I enjoy it, but would continue to own horses if they or I could not ride. In fact, I've owned my horse for a year and for various reasons, rode him for the first time this weekend.

Out of that list above - then grooming - but above all, I enjoy spending quality time with him . Be it just lazing around in the field while they are out, hand-grazing or whatever.

My least favourite chore is mucking out - because my horse is so dirty in the stable!
 
Riding (flatwork/schooling) is the most important to me, closely followed by grooming. Those are the two things where I think you can form a bond with your horse doing them. That is very important. The rest I would spend more time on whenever I had the time.
I couldn't say that I'd actually continue to own horses if I really couldn't ride. I always thought I would, but I can't ride at the moment (lack of time and money) and I am having to turn my horse away for the winter as a result. I am not happy about having to do it, but I am willing to... more so than I thought I would be. I am absolutely addicted to dressage though and I miss being able to do it, so much. If I turn my horse away I might be able to have more regular lessons - which is another thing that has made the decision for me. So riding, particularly schooling, is a very big part of my "thing" with horses.
 
I love the bonding time when I'm grooming a horse, that's very important to me. Especially at the moment since I am getting to know my loan horse for just over a month. I knew I had a breakthrough when she started watching me walk to the tack room at the far end of the yard, and is still watching for me to come back. Knowing she likes me gives me a happier feeling than if she schooled perfectly that day. God, I'm such a silly softie!
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The bonding! Definitely! I've had my horse for 3 months now and already I've seen a change in his behaviour and I love having had an influence on how he now acts around people and when ridden! (He came from a dressage yard and was extremely stressed) and it's so good seeing him chilled, relaxed and enjoying his work again! It's not a power thing, but it makes me happy to see him enjoying himself again! (Soppy yuck!!) Also riding out after a stressful day with just your horse for company!
 
The bond you create through grooming and riding is so good. I have only had Taffy my four year old gypsy cob for four weeks and he follows me around the field (nothing to do with treats in my pocket!) Anyway he loves a cuddle and really listens to me when we are hacking out and he gets scared of something.
Im just in heaven at the mo after having two nightmare horses on trial.
 
Most definitely the bond. I have had my boy for 5 years and our relationship gets better and better. I know what he is thinking, he knows what I am thinking. He saw me through a very traumatic company merger recently. He is normally a bit of a typical cob, a bit bolshy etc, but he surpassed himself lots of kisses and cuddles, which were very unsual.

Am on full livery, so have to say its the riding next.
 
None of the above - it is competing. I find it hard to motivate myself to ride without a goal in mind, there are too many other life pressures, and for me schooling has to be a means to an end, and hacking is only done for fitness purposes, I find it tedious! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy riding for its own sake, but if I couldn't compete I'd probably just have schoolmaster lessons rather than actually go to the time, trouble and expense of owning a horse.
 
i love riding teddi, and going out hacking etc, but we loves our jumping so that uber cool to us, and makes him sparkle as he's a very quiet pony as he was mistreated!!

THen grooming, and my horse is on part livery, but im moving him to DIY soon as i miss feeding etc, and ccause of money. so its the all-round care i miss too!!
 
I'd say the riding and bonding - I'm not so keen on grooming because he isn't, it's all a bit of a ordeal, although my old boy loved it so I enjoyed it when I had him.

I couldn't get near him in the field though and Arch follows me everywhere so I love my time in the field with him, especially if he's lying down as he loves a cwtch and always chooses me over the other horses. One day when a new horse joined the herd after a week over the fence we were at the gate keeping an eye on them. The others were hooning about and Archie was stood behind me with his head on my shoulder loking at them like they were mad. Ebony my old boy would jump up the second he saw me coming - he even got up on his last morning, despite the colic so I really appreciate those moments with Arch.

Can't say I enjoy the stable chores but I tolerate them, they don't do themselves. I'm not one for a big square tidy bed though, the horses mess it up within 5 minutes anyway!
 
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