WHY do people have horses if they find them such a chore ?

Shysmum

Shysmum

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Following on from my other posts, hubs and I were talking about this today. You can tell these people a mile off - they try to get someone else to do it for them (AHEM :mad:), or they come to the yard sucking eggs with a face like thunder - minimal time and they're off...

They never ride, do only the minimum necessary, and tbh the horses are field ornaments. Perhaps it wasn't always like this ? perhaps it's current circumstances ? but on the four yards I've been on, i've seen it all too often. What on earth is THE POINT ?

hmmm :confused:
 
I think you must attract these types of people. I have had horses for the best part of 40 years (on livery) and have never had half the problems you have.
 
You seem to be getting increasing annoyed around this situation, rather than walking away. Move on.

I don't know anyone personally who thinks their horse is a chore, they all love them to bits and spend very spare moment looking after them.
 
I would say let them get on with it. If the welfare of the horse isn't compromise then it doesn't matter what they do with it.

My horse quite often doesn't get as much time from me as I would like due to work/family commitments, doesn't mean I shouldn't have her.
 
Noticing that some people don't spend time with or enjoy their horses can hardly be considered attracting a problem!!

OP- I too wonder about these people. I get very annoyed with those whose horses suffer because they are lazy/ lost interest.

I feel guilty if I have a particularly busy week and don't get to spend as much time at the yard as I'd like.
 
This makes me feel guilty as today I chucked the pony out, did chores, whizzed off to work, whizzed back to bring pony in and rushed off to work again! Having said that I plan to spend some quality time with him this weekend. Some days I'm busy at work that I can't spend a couple of hours with him, (especially as he's not backed yet so can't even ride). However coming up twice a day to see him doesn't feel like a chore, and neither does mucking out, sorting out his hay, etc.

However I have met people that you speak of who do see their horses as chore, who come up as late as possible to do their horse as they can't be bothered. It's a really shame as it should be enjoyable having horses, but with winter drawing in, I think some people are just struggling with the dark nights and horrible weather.
 
kirstie said:
Noticing that some people don't spend time with or enjoy their horses can hardly be considered attracting a problem!!

OP- I too wonder about these people. I get very annoyed with those whose horses suffer because they are lazy/ lost interest.

I feel guilty if I have a particularly busy week and don't get to spend as much time at the yard as I'd like.
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The horses may not be 'suffering' - they may be absolutely fine, despite owner's minimal time with them. If horses' welfare is compromised like I say, then yes it's an issue, but otherwise it's nobody's business what someone does with their horse time wise each day.

Maybe these people have other serious problems going on in life they are having to deal with, which is why they aren't looking happy?
 
it's just a general thought we were chatting about tbh - why put yourself through something you don't enjoy, just to own a horse ? No ill intention meant. Just musing.

Please understand I mean no offence in this post - just it's a hell of a lot of time and money "just to own a field ornament". Of course life gets in the way - but i see my horse (and most other HHO's do) and faces light up and whilst at the yard, fun is had..it's a relief to be there.
 
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we have one on the yard, but tbf she has had him since he was 2/3 and he is now 20 odd with various health conditions so he wouldn't/couldn't be passed on. I can understand after that sort of length of time you might want to fit in doing some other stuff with life too.
 
You seem very judgemental.

I don't much enjoy horsey "chores" - mucking out, poo picking, waters etc. particularly in winter.

My horse himself isn't a chore, I love seeing him and spending time with him and he definitely isn't a field ornament - he gets worked at least five days a week. But sometimes when it is dark, wet and cold, I don't much feel like spending all night at the yard. On those days I might just go give him a pat and a quick brush and that's it.

As long as the horse doesn't suffer, why should anyone else judge what someone does with them?
 
Shysmum said:
it's just a general thought we were chatting about tbh - why put yourself through something you don't enjoy, just to own a horse ? No ill intention meant. Just musing.
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Maybe they do enjoy it normally, but have other stuff currently going on?

I cannot say that I categorically 'enjoy' every single day I go to the yard - sometimes I have something on my mind which means I want to get away as soon as I can to sort other issues out for instance. I probably don't look all smiley and happy at the yard on those occasions either.
 
Moomin1 said:
The horses may not be 'suffering' - they may be absolutely fine, despite owner's minimal time with them. If horses' welfare is compromised like I say, then yes it's an issue, but otherwise it's nobody's business what someone does with their horse time wise each day.

Maybe these people have other serious problems going on in life they are having to deal with, which is why they aren't looking happy?
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Sorry, I wasn't being clear. I'm talking about horses welfare being compromised that annoys me. There are a couple of people at my yard who do not adequately care for their horses due to laziness and lack of interest. It drives me mental. I have told the YO, though I wish I could do more.

If the horse is looked after it doesn't bother me, though I may notice it.

I definitely have days that I get done what I need to and shoot off!
 
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xspiralx - so this post was most definitely NOT ABOUT YOU THEN !!!!!

Judgemental maybe - curious more so. Oh well.

i guess I am talking about the peeps who day in, day out, seem to not enjoy what they are doing (hence it being a chore) or being around horses. We all have bad days. And I'm not talking about my current yard.

Oh dear, should not have started this thread. *sigh*.
 
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kirstie said:
Sorry, I wasn't being clear. I'm talking about horses welfare being compromised that annoys me. There are a couple of people at my yard who do not adequately care for their horses due to laziness and lack of interest. It drives me mental. I have told the YO, though I wish I could do more.

If the horse is looked after it doesn't bother me, though I may notice it.

I definitely have days that I get done what I need to and shoot off!
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Well yes, that is extremely annoying :-(
 
Get one of those walkman things, and pop a Learn To Speak (interesting new language of choice) on whilst at yard. Useful new skill, annoying types drowned out, sorted! :)
 
Due to commitments with my daughter some days mine dont get a smiley face either lol. My daughter has been very seriously ill in hospital all week (home now thank God) but I have done the bare minimum at the field. So I would say that at times like this I possibly feel like they are a chore?? For the other 90% of the time I enjoy every minute though :)
 
Last winter when I was pregnant the most I did was wonder into the boys field and give them a scratch for weeks at a time - OH put hay out, they had fieldshelter and good grass, they didn't seem in the least bit bothered. Harrowed poo in spring.

I enjoy riding so saw no point dragging them in to groom only to get muddy again 5 mins later - each to their own.
 
Perhaps i should get myself on a psychology course ? Would love to do that ! :D

Tbh, I think that anyone reading this forum is probably excluded from "finding their horse a chore" and so this question isn't for us - just a musing between hubs and i about liveries on the four yards we have been on over the years. Who seem to loathe every minute of being on the yard, day in, day out.

It was about "turning up at all" tbh.
 
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I like most of the horsey chores, I actually find them quite therapeutic. Mucking out and poo picking - no problems.

There are limits though.
Willy washing and electric fence moving time get me whinging big time!

As for people who compromise their horse's care because they can't be @rsed to do properly, well they should get out of horses altogether.
 
Oh god I feel like a terrible owner now as I've struggled to get down the yard much since the clocks changed as this is our busy time of the year at work so I often don't leave the office until after 8 :(

Fortunately he's on part livery so his care isn't at all compromised and between myself and a few fellow time poor liveries we make sure all the horses are checked on each night, but I dread to think what others might think of me. Despite this I absolutely adore my boy but acknowledge that without my job I'd have no hope of affording a horse so kinda just take the rough with the smooth.

From next week onwards my workload will get easier in the run up to Christmas and summer tends to be super quiet so it's not all bad :)
 
It's reading posts like this that reminds me again why I am not on a livery yard and would poke my own eyes with pins before I went back to such a place! There are days when I have had a tough day at work (I work full time in a demanding job) when filling bags with haylage, in the rain, does not see me at my happy smiley best. To think that some twonk would then deem that I should not have a horse, because I am not a little ray of sunshine, would absolutely put the tin lid on the day for me. I really do think that if more people at livery yards spent more time thinking about their own motivations, rather than those of others, livery yards might be better places.
 
YorksG said:
It's reading posts like this that reminds me again why I am not on a livery yard and would poke my own eyes with pins before I went back to such a place! There are days when I have had a tough day at work (I work full time in a demanding job) when filling bags with haylage, in the rain, does not see me at my happy smiley best. To think that some twonk would then deem that I should not have a horse, because I am not a little ray of sunshine, would absolutely put the tin lid on the day for me. I really do think that if more people at livery yards spent more time thinking about their own motivations, rather than those of others, livery yards might be better places.
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You have a point , but have a drink it's Friday night.
If all the energy used by people on livery yards thinking about other people could be harnessed we could stop building all those wind farms .
And it's completely renewable never stops and peaks during bad weather it's would be perfect.
 
Goldenstar said:
You have a point , but have a drink it's Friday night.
If all the energy used by people on livery yards thinking about other people could be harnessed we could stop building all those wind farms .
And it's completely renewable never stops and peaks during bad weather it's would be perfect.
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I'm just about to treat myself to hot chocolate with marshmallows :) I am feeling a bit grumpy, having a three year old in for a week with a in infection in her foot, following on from her cutting it on someones discarded drinks can has taken its toll :p
I do like the idea of harnessing all that enery :)
 
I do think a lot of you have completely missed the OP's point.

I run a livery yard and sometimes struggle to accept how some people seem to begrudge their time doing their horses, not just somedays, but everyday. None of us are cheerful everyday and there wil, always be days where we are grumpy, introverted etc but generally at some stage we show pleasure and enjoyment that we are around our horses.

It is also not the amount of time, we are many of us on a tight schedule, it's the effort we make while we are there. If people rush in, don't speak to their horse, hassle it to come in, move over, pick up feet etc etc I would think it starts to feel a bit unloved. We all rush in sometimes and hassle but not every day of the week.

Time spent with you horse is not measured in quantity but quality. If you are grumpy and cross everyday, no quality.
 
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