Who still has their first horse/pony?

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jcwh

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or if you kept him until he passed?
i want to know because i'm going to have to make a big decision soon:
to sell my first or not.
and she is all i've ever dreamed about.
granted she isn't perfect but this is a hard decision and i just wanted to know, how many of you had to make it?
 
I still have mine (over a decade now) and she will be staying with me for the rest of her life. A few years ago I was moving abroad and she went out on loan as I couldn't bear to sell. A year later the loaner made me a decent offer for her and offered her a forever home but for my own sake I needed to stay in control. Now I have my pony back and she isn't ever going anywhere again (despite having an excellent loaner who did a great job and whom I really trusted).
However, just because that was right for me doesn't mean it will be right for you and your horse. Just make sure that you've considered all your options, including sharing or loaning. If you really want to keep him you will find a way and if keeping him isn't the right choice I'm sure you'll find him someone who loves him just as much as you obviously do. Good luck.
 
I dont own my first pony but still know where she is at the grand age of 26 she is still teching friends kids to ride, at 12.1 she was outgrown by the time i was 12 but not ready to retire at 18 I think that retiring then when she wasnt ready for it would have been detrimental to her future mobitity. Being a Dartmoor I have a feeling she will still be here at 30 ! She was sold to people we have know for years though, not a random stranger!
Having said that if money or space had been no issue I would have kept her and put her out on loan.
 
I still own my old pony! Ive had him for 13 years now and even though he could be proper little b****r at times I had a lot of fun on him and he taught me to ride! He has stayed with me due to my inabillity to let go of any of my animals! lol When I got my next horse I did loan him out for a while but he never seemed happy so I took him back and imo he seems happy when with me! lol

But I am lucky enough to be in the position to be able to keep him. If money is tight is there a possibility that you could share her? Therefore not having to give her up but having help with money/duties?

either way good luck in whatever decision you make!
 
Toffee is now 18. I got her when I was 13 I'm now 22 she taught me to own and ride. With me til the end. I have had several others mainly because my sister started riding her but nothing has compared yet.
 
Mister Jay is 20 now and has been retired for 2 years - he's not going anywhere. The amount of times he scared me witless by being so spooky, I'm going to make him suffer for ever by hugging him in front of his posse and generally embarrassing him!
 
Charlie was my first pony I got him when I was 8 (now 17)

Charlies was 13 when we got him and now 22 with cushings disease caused by laminitis

He sometimes gets ridden but is mostly retired
 
I don't have my first pony as he was a loan one, my first bought pony sadly died aged 19 as well (although he would have stayed otherwise). I do have my 2nd bought pony though, had him since he was 8 and he is 24 now. He would have been sold though but as he is so neurotic our conscience wouldn't let us sell him! Lol
 
Mine and my sister's first pony was Midnight my moms old lad we had him until he was 42 years old and the he passed aways in his stable on the 17th february 2005 5 days after i had to have my old girl PTS due to Cushing!!

But my sister still has her old girl dreamer 14.2hh arab x welsh and she is 38 year old and that was her first really pony!! :)
 
I still have mine! i have had him 10yrs this year and still ride and compete him! he is 19yr old now and will stay with me untill the end of his days!
 
I still have my childhood pony :)

I got her when I just turned 14 and she was 5. Fast forward 19 years and I am 33 and she turns 24 tomorrow :eek:

She will stay with me for life as its the very least I can do for her. I am hoping we have a good few more years together.

Sadiemay
 
Unfortunately my first was killed in a car accident.
Still trying to trace one of mine and - she would be 34 this year so when I see ages of 38 and above it gives me hope that she's out there somewhere.
Where are you Jubilee????
We have had my daughter's first pony now for 7 1/2 years (18) and he won't be going anywhere. He can be a grumpy git sometimes but despite the fact that some people think fjords can't do dressage he has taken her to advanced medium in dressage. Only stopped at the minute because he has a DDFT problem that was operated on last year and is recovering.
 
hey, i still have my first, a 12.2h pony, had her over 15yrs and no way i would ever part with her. she is a nightmare, always has been but love her to bits, and now she is old and has to get extra care i don't mind at all as i had so many great years enjoying her. still ride her most days, would be impossible for me to part with her. i wouldn't sell if you know she is everything you wanted, and given you so much joy, if you can i would keep her and enjoy every day you can.
 
I'm currently in a tricky position with mine. She's on loan whilst I'm at Uni and attempted to sell last year without much luck. I can't re-advertise this summer due to being abroad all summer. She would be difficult to sell as she is 15 soon and is very sharp to ride...so it pretty much looks like she's staying indefinitely. When I was attempting to sell i would only have allowed her to go to a perfect home, where someone would have as much fun as I did when I was growing up and going through PC etc....

However although I love her to bits and can't imagine parting with her, I'm not sure keeping her is feasible, especially in the near future - when I graduate, I don't know where career aspirations will take me and if I don't land a decent paid job, I'm not sure if I can afford her if my parents make me take on financial responsibility.... If worst came to worst and I had to sell, god knows how I would sell a 17-year old super-whizzy pony!

And finally, if I was able to keep her forever, I'm not sure I would be able to face seeing her decline in her later years, and having a worse quality of life...and of course eventually being put down.

If anyone can relate to this situation that'd make me feel a million times better! :D
 
I still have mine, he is now 36. I have had him for 32 years. I kept him because it never really entered my head that it was a temporary arrangement.

He did everything I wanted him to do (ok a little faster than I wanted :cool:). As the jumps got bigger I occasionally wished I was on something taller, but he had masses of talent and in fact I chickened out before he did!

I actually think in taking a horse from wobbly youngster right through their training, you make yourself as a rider. You learn never to take short cuts (I had to go back and unpick all my errors). I see plenty of everyday riders jacking in horses because they want to move to something better when they haven't got anywhere near the end of their horse's ability and if they stretched themselves they would be a better rider at the end of the day.

Anyway you can always get another :cool: or 4 in my case :eek:
 
I've only had mine for 6 years although did have him on loan for a year before that aswell. He would never go anywhere someone asked me the other day if I would put him out on loan, as I also have a 4 year old. But I couldn't even bare to think about him going anywhere else.
 
I still have my first horse. I got her when I was 15 and had her years now. She is 29 and is still galloping up for her dinner!! We very nearly had to have her put down this time last year due to her arthritis and being chaced by the other horses, but luckliy with a change of yard and adjusting her danilon she pulled through and it loads better.
 
We still have both of ours having had one 20years (she is mid 30's) & one 19 years (late 20's) they are definately here to stay. We made the decision to keep them because they both gave us so much & we owed it to them.

They had their quirks & their problems including COPD, Sweetitch, Wind & rain scald (30 + year old was bald when we got her!) plus generally being little S**ts most of the time, but we know how to handle them & they are happy you always worry where a not so straight pony would end up.
But we were in the very lucky position to be able to do that if we were paying livery no chance we could of done.
 
Still have my first pony he's 19 this year and I've had him nearly 15 years he will stay with me for the rest of his life, I could'nt part with him.
 
misterjay said:
Mister Jay is 20 now and has been retired for 2 years - he's not going anywhere. The amount of times he scared me witless by being so spooky, I'm going to make him suffer for ever by hugging him in front of his posse and generally embarrassing him!
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That's lovely and made me smile.

I got my first 'pony' when i was 30 and she was 20, was ridden for 8 years and retired for 3 staying with me for 10 years in total, was pts at the grand old age of 30 in my arms.

My current (2nd horse) mare is rising 8 (had for 3 years) and i hope to keep her until she is pts in my arms at a grand old age too.
 
this is all so beautiful.
i'm asking because i'm faced with the decision:
Uni or Pony.
if i give up uni it means i do it with Open U, online university.
i have 1 year to decide, and most will say sell her, best for horse and rider etc.
but this is why i cant:

a few days ago, she got loose. when i say loose i mean the police were looking for her and i was worried sick.
after four hours she was found - IN MY BACK GARDEN! and she HAS NEVER BEEN BROUGHT THERE! she doesn't/shouldn't know the way. but she found me.
now i call her "le cheval plus stupide du monde" affectionately. but this, was it coincidence or did she really find me?

before me, she had been out in pastures for 5 years at her breeders. she had not been too handled, was headshy and didn't pick up feet. wouldn't trot inhand and was a pain to do the vetting. now she does all these things and even a few tricks (clicker training :P )
she's so attached to me, sometimes when we're at shows, and i need the toilet, when i ask someone to hold her, she gets upset when i disappear (like trying to run away from whoever's holding her) and when she sees me, she calms down.

if i am her pillar, how can i just sell her? it breaks my heart, but i also don't want to give up my education. what would you do? i've taught her now to stand nicely with others, so she doesn't do that much anymore. but she's really "MY" horse if you get what i mean.
i've considered loaning, but loaning for 4 years, she'll be a different horse. and the years i'll be gone is when she's 8 - 12, HER PRIME! I can't just leave her in the field like if she was 27 years old!

oh tell me what to do xxx :'(
 
Hum, I see your dilemma but would seriously consider loaning her to someone you have 'vetted' she might have matured a bit when you get her back, but she will still in be the same horse. If you sell her you will most definately end up regretting it.

I still have my first horse, brought with a bit of money from my Grandpa and my life savings. I took myself to see her every day and paid every penny of field rent, shoes, feed, vets etc my self. I brought her unbroken from a sale and broke her myself. My mum never took me to see her or paid a penny towards her keep. Got her when I was 15 and she was 2.

Last thursday she gave me best gift ever, a little bay filly foal. Both are going nowhere and have homes for life :D

I went to uni at 23, it was very hard and as well as uni I worked 3 jobs which added up to practically full time work, but did it so I could keep my horses. However I chose a uni I could drive to daily from my rented home at the time, rather than live in halls which did help.

Good luck with whatever you decide, it is a horribly hard decision for you to make :)
 
I got Obi when he was 4 and I was 14.

It was our 20th anniversary in Feb.

I'd rather sell my body.

When I was 18 I got pregnant unexpectantly. I couldn't afford to keep him with the baby, so I put him on loan to the riding school I'd been working at. It wasn't the best, but it was the only option I had other than selling him.

I got him back after 5 years, when I was putting myself through uni and working extra and could afford him.

We've been back together for 10 years now and I am so grateful every day that I didn't have to lose him. He is none the worse for those years on loan.

I now have a good job and nearly every penny goes towards him!
 
I have "only" one horse (well 14.2hh pony!), owned him since he was 4 (he is now 17) and will keep him forever :-D
I eventually managed to save enough money for transport to bring him over from France where I'm from in May last year (I have been in the UK for 4 and a half years).
I've always only hacked with him :-)
 
Still got my first pony - had him 18 years! He is 33 this year and still in work, he is helping teach a new little girl the ropes this year and going out to little competitions! He looks an absolute picture (he was such a horrid little monster when I attempted to retire him at the age of 25 that I bought him back into work!).

He is very much the type of pony that when enough is enough he will let me know!
 
I still have mine, I got her when we were both 15 and we will be 25 this year. I did think of selling her at one point but Dad wouldnt let me! haha She's more of member of the family than a pet, she'll be with us for life as will her 4yr old son. She owes me nothing, She's taught me all I know and won so many comps for me
 
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