Who still has their first horse/pony?

jcwh said:
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:

oh tell me what to do xxx :'(
Click to expand...

We are going through this at the moment with my daughters horse, so i do know how you are feeling, my daughter is going to Uni in Sept and living in halls, she wants the full Uni experience and does not know where she will be in 3 years time. She has had her horse 3 years and they have a fab relationship, he really is a star and a 'horse of a lifetime' type, i am horsey and have my own mare and although i could 'manage' two horses is that really good enough or indeed fair on either horse.

I know selling him to someone who can continue the work my daughter has put into him (jumping BSJA, one day events, hunting, showing etc) is the best solution because with me he will ridden the same as i ride mine (hacking) and i am worried he will go to waste.

But like you the thought of actually selling him is dreadful and i am hoping that a miracle happens and we win the lottery - lol.

Good luck in what you decide xx
 
I have mine! And he will be with me for life (he can't be sold due to various issues) so if I can no longer afford him I'm afraid he will have to be pts... Very expensive lawn mower that he is... Love him to bits though :)
 
I did until I had him PTS in Jan :( retired him when I got my youngster 4 years ago and kept him for the rest of his life, he was disgustingly healthy for his age up until 2 weeks before he died. Had him 7 years.
 
i still have my first horse, i have had her 20 years this july, she was 14 months old when i got her.
i would't swap her for the world. she is my world, and always will be.
she will stay with me till the end of her days, and i have so many wonderful memories that will stay with me forever
 
i kept my guy who i got when i was 7, he finally passed away when i was 31!
i couldn't have sold him as i was too attached and felt like he deserved a good retirement with the herd he had always known.

I have my new guy now and he has a home for life too im sure, i can't imagine selling him.

however if i had a daughter who rode, i would try and sell on her ponies every couple of years while they are still young and can get good homes. when my lad got too old/small to ride, i missed out on YEARS of regular riding and ended up paying for livery and school horse lessons on top.

however if its a horse of a lifetime scenario, id imagine she wil regret selling.
 
I do :)
In fact, she's the only horse I've ever owned! My parents bought her for me when I was 11. The fact that she was a hand or so taller than we'd originally wanted turned out to be a good thing because it means that not only am I still riding her ten years later but also that my mum is learning to ride on her.
 
oh and guys i also forgot to mention that my parents (especially the dad who eats horses) think she's a waste of money. nobody in my EXTENDED family likes horses.
in fact they want me to compete her so her value increases (and i like competing) but only to sell her for a higher price so we don't "lose" as much (i bought her for a small fortune so..)

is there anyone living in france here who would considering taking my darling? not even on loan i mean, for free, just until i'm back? :( hardest decisions...
 
Im off to uni soon too, im going to sell my boy, he is 11 now and I will be away for 5 years so I cant just leave him in a field going to waste when I know many other pony club kids could have fun with him.
However he isnt my first pony, I have sold others before, we all have moments when we think, 'oh i wish i hadnt' but all mine have been sure to go to lovley people, My last is now doing what he loves as a hunter, one previous does RDA and first is still being ridden by little children.

I would put Morgy on loan but im not going to be around to sort stuff out if they change their mind or want to give him back.
Keeping a horse until the end represents a big time financial and time commitment, ie when they get old and arthritic will you have the time and attention needed, not to mention money for vet bills and stabling?

At the end of the day I have seperated my feelings from what is best for the horse.
(doesnt mean I havnt sat around crying for ages over all of them but im satisfied they all went to good homes)

If money is no issue then by all means find her a good loan home with some lovley kids who can appreciate her and pet and love her while you are away if you chose uni, dont let her live it out in the field. With a loan she would always be there when you get back or if she really gets on with them and it works for you she could be sold to them.
charl xx
 
Yes and no. My first pony was on loan so i dont have him but my first horse that was my own I still have. He has been a field ornament for a long time now.:)

Had him 33 years!;)
 
I still have mine.
Well we bought 3 in the winter of 1991, then we purchased my horse of a lifetime July 1992, still have her, adore her and will always have her until the end...
 
I've still got mine, he is staying with me forever.

You can always train your old pony to drive, I didn't as my pony hates the idea, but a friend did and she had a great time, as did her old pony.

I take my oldie out on walks with my dog, we have great fun together, though we do get odd looks and the occasional "that's a funny looking dog" comment!
 
I kept my boy Charlie, He was a 14.3 cob so I kept riding him when he turned 17 I bought a ssh youngster but I felt he had been with me since he was 4 I wanted to repay him with having a great retirement etc. I lost him last year at 22 to arthritis and cancer. I am so pleased that I did it because we had an amazing relationship and he was always there for me.
At times I did think of getting a larger horse like all my friends but they all ended up selling the horses etc.
If you can afford to keep them and are happy to take it slower/keep a smaller horse then I would always sat keep them but it is not always an option.
G x
 
A friend was a very similar dilemma many years ago, her parents told her she was cruel for wanting to keep her old pony (stupid I know). She eventually loaned him, hardest decision she ever made, she found a place that looked ideal, immaculate, flash facilities, they had all the talk... it didn't turn out well :( She ended up wishing she had just kept him in the field like she wanted to and not listened to her family.
 
I still have mine. :) Although he is 15 hands and I got him when I was 14 so I will never outgrow him. I am now 20 and still have him. I love him more than anything and wouldn't swap him for the world! :)
 
I still have mine :)

He's 17 - he has been with me for about 15 years. He has been a nightmare and an angel at various stages and I don't think I'll ever love anything as much as I do him.
Last year I had to make a tough decision - keep him, and realise that I would really, really struggle to ever afford/have time for a horse that would actually do what I wanted (compete - he's a great jumper but is so scared of competitions it's not fair to take him), or sell him on. I tried loaning him but within a month he was a walking skeleton and I took him back. After that I decided I couldn't possibly loan him out again and selling him was out of the question - he's too quirky and too important to me. I would never forgive myself if he was sold to someone like that loaner (who I vetted, with YO references and everything!). If my dreams go on hold, fine - he has a forever home with me. I owe him so much and I need to know that he is happy and safe :)
 
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