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

I'm on a really big yard and we have all types of owner! Horses are around for a long long time and people and their lives change. There's at least 2 people on my yard who don't have time or don't want to own horses anymore (they did at some point) BUT the horse isn't really sellable (old/health probs), so they can muddle on providing it's basic needs or PTS a happy horse which they don't want to do either so they muddle on with a moody face and minimal yard time spent. However the horses are well cared for and as long as they keep that up it's not really anyone else's business.
 
FrankieCob said:
I think I'd probably fall into that category if I was on a yard. I had an horrific accident and fractured my spine, made a miraculous recovery, got another horse and then hurt my back again :( I dont ride him because I cant due to pain and fatness due to meds, pain and lack of exercise. Looking after him, even though he lives out cripples me, so if I can get my OH to poo pick etc I do. I love my horse, I love seeing him, but quite often when I go up I do my jobs and leave because physically I cant take much more. I keep him because I AM going to recover from this, again! And some days the thought of going for a hack and cantering along in the sunshine is all that gets me out of bed and into work! I do try and make it so that one day a week I can go up and brush him off and fuss over him a lot, but generally I just cant. I know he has all his needs met and really couldnt care less if I brush him or walk him out etc so I know hes ok, but its not nice for me as I'm so frustrated and angry about it. No doubt my face is like a smacked arse the whole time I'm there, apart from a few mins of nose kissing before I leave!
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Lovely positive post in the face of adversity :) I wish you a speedy recovery.
 
Frankiecob - I don't think the OP is talking about you. More the people who like the idea of having a horse but don't want to make the time/pay for someone to do the drudgy bits (that often they had paid no regard to when deciding to get horse) or for some reason have a horse out of habit & don't want to admit that their life makes it difficult now & expect everyoine else to pick up the pieces because they can't/won't find the time/pay for someone.
I have known people who have been struggling & worked throught it/ made appropriate arrangements etc & (most) people understand that. I have also known people who have not come up for weeks at a time in winter even though they had no life issues, lived a 5 min walk away & worked part time just because they didn't like getting cold/wet/muddy & they knew mugsy here who went up twice a day would put hay in the field, check the water & let them know if the horse had dropped dead. As they were in the same field as mine I didn't have the option of not "helping out".
 
I've been on livery yards and had my own livery yard, like a previous poster said, I'd stick pins in my eyes before I did either again.

Providing a horse is not suffering, and I mean suffering, rather than not being fluffed every 5 minutes, and someone's way of doing things is not affecting me or my horse in any way, then I mind my own business.
If other people not doing things the way you do winds you up, it's maybe time to get out yourself. Because sure as eggs is eggs, your going to come across it all the time, one way or another.
Frankly it's no ones business unless its a welfare issue.

Also, and this comment won't go down well I'm guessing. Most horses would prefer a little LESS attention than they get.
All the fiffing and faffing, when they'd really rather be out in the field with their mates getting plastered in mud. They really do prefer the company of their own kind to that of a human.
I also often wonder why some people don't get out of horses and have a dog instead, but for different reasons than those stated. A dog would actually enjoy all the attention.
 
Thank fook we have our own place....

I couldn't bear it if I was going to a yard and people were talking about me 'looking grim' or commenting 'she's not riding again, why does she bother...?'....

Why other people have to comment on what other's do really is beyond me. Reason why we moved. If the horse is OK and the rider blasts in and out because of whatever reason, whose right is it to pass judgment?

It's all well and good saying 'those who horses are suffering' blah blah blah, but where do you draw the line? At what point is it OK to discuss the habit's of others?

UNLESS the animal is suffering, get on and enjoy your own horses, and leave people in peace to enjoy theirs, NO MATTER what form it takes....if they wanna grumble, let them! Some people like to grumble, if it's not hurting you, does it really matter?

Now, I'm about to go down to my horses today and I'll poo-pick, feed, check water and do the hay.

That's it.

I'm afraid I've no time to ride, got lots of work to do regarding the job that pays for the horses....and that's the way the cookie crumbles! Will happen on more than one occasion this winter...but I doubt I'll go to hell for it....
 
I don't think being bothered, is about fluffing and kissing noses. It's not the amount of time spent, its about being dependable. Your horse knowing that you will always come and meet its needs.
Doesn't matter whether its 20 minutes or 4 hours, its about ensuring the horse isn't left in a dirty stable without water and forage. Its about dealing with health issues or, even better, preventing them.

The amount of time spent at the yard means nothing. Surely a quick trip to turnout at a regular time is better than rolling up at midday, ignoring the horse and using the tackroom as a social club ?

Its easy to say that its no one's business, but its hard to see a horse distressed or depressed because no one cares.
 
Its ok saying its no ones business if the horses are not suffering, but when you are barraged daily by whinging whining individuals who seem to think other liveries should pick up their slack, it gets tiresome.

I personally don't give a stuff what people do with their horses as long as they don't make their issues mine, ie child care, having to walk more than ten steps to their turnout field and moaning about it in every conversation, assuming other liveries will bring their horse in because they never make proper arrangements and don't want it left out. All of which I have come across in the past.

I'm not unfeeling and am often one of the first people to offer help if someone is struggling, but I get very irritated by the people who refuse to sort things out long term and just expect or use emotional blackmail to get others to pick up their slack.

Horses are a lifestyle choice, not a necessity.
 
I am guilty of wasting my horses. I have two at home, I am not riding at the moment, too cold and wet and can't be bothered. I do them twice a day and twice a week they come in for the day and have a brush over, but I don't spend hours with them. I'm sure they are coping with being wasted by me, they don't mind.
 
I think that unless you have unfortunate enough to meet the type of horse owners the OP is referring to its probably hard to understand hence the point of her post being a bit missed.

I agree entirely with all who say they don't want to be judged on how they look after their horse, if they are grumpy for a week or whatever, and absolutely others should in these case mind their own business. It matters not a jot to me if horses are ridden everyday or at all, but I have no time for those that leave a horse for weeks in the field, arrive one day, tack up and work them for 1 1/2 hours in the school, have them dripping with sweat, wash them in cold water, put their turnout rug straight on and turn them out in mid winter. Am I interfering or am I concerned for the horses welfare?

However, I have come across the type of livery the OP refers to and they are heartbreaking. They put upon others constantly for turning out, bringing in, feeding etc, they haven't thought about how they will look after a horse with their other commitments so their horse falls bottom of the heap and is often only seen once a day, the list goes on. I have had 2 recently and their horses are uncared for and feel it, they are always either waiting for their owner to come or bei g done in a rush by others who have been asked last minute to help and they are not happy horses.
 
Having gone back and read most of this I kind of see what OP meant.

YO near here moans all winter from first rain in September until April about changing rugs, picking out feet and mucking out. Drives me nuts!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I can assure you that she has no time for fools or those who don't mind their own business and leave others to get on with theirs.:smile3:
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I am exactly the same, I do not suffer fools gladly nor do I wish to stand by and watch a horses welfare compromised. Does that make me interfering? Probably but I refuse to see a horse uncared for.

I know what YorksG meant, and as I pointed out in y post, I generally agree entirely with her, I just felt that the point of the OP's post had been missed and I don't consider interfering when a horse is not being cared for properly is wrong.
 
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.

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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i have 50 that are basicly field ornaments, nothing ridden apart from daughters leading rein pony, and a few that are shown in hand
 
I know a guy who insists on buying ridiculously big horses, but then spends all his time over-feeding them and complaining about how much food they eat. Erm heres a thought, buy something smaller and feed less. Or people who whinge about the horse pooing in the stable too much, i'm thinking, just give the poor horse more turnout and you will have a cleaner stable and a happier horse.

When it comes to riding, as long as the horse is happy and healthy it doesn't matter how little an owner rides it as long as they don't expect to go hunting etc

I have field ornaments. Whats the alternative? Get them PTS? No thank you, not until its needed.
 
I havent read all of this post, but sometimes its hard to know what is going on in peoples lives. For the last 5 years of my life work has taken it over, the last 12 months have been intolerable. Its my business, but I have taken the decision to stand back and take some indefinite leave due to stress and an impossible work life balance. My horse has been a field ornament and I will admit I have felt it a massive chore to check on and see to him. I used to love the yard, but the pressure on my time has made it just one more thing I have had to do. My view is that horses are there to be enjoyed, I wasnt enjoying them, plus I wasnt enjoying my life in general!
My daughter (Mini TX) events, and even driving her to events and spending a lovely day in the countryside with like minded people seemed a chore. My decision was hard and I still feel upset over it - I suspect I will sell up in time, but I cannot live life like that any more, I think I would have become ill. However, it now means I can spend lots of time with my horses and enjoy them again. I have even been caught smiling!
Please dont be judgemental to those of you who have been, you sometimes cannot understand other people's life choices.
 
Some yards do seem to attract those type of owners OP. Since the livery that I've helped out so much had a go at me for not mucking out the spare stable by 3pm the day I went hunting, I've been observing more what the people do at my yard. This includes not bothering to turn their horses out until 11/12 am at the weekend, even though they've run out of hay and water, not getting their teeth done, leaving them with shoes hanging off, not bothering to teach them manners, etc..

I've finally managed to "negotiate" a different field for my two, away from the haylage that I actually think is silage and was causing them problems, to another field. Unfortunatley it is populated by two bargey Highlands and another horse, whose owner bizarrely doesn't want to feed hay in winter, despite it being in medium/hard work. So apparently I have to go along with that, despite me paying 3 times as much as she does for one grass livery. If anyone else can see any logic in that, please tell me, but unfortuantley its unsustainable in the long term.
 
ribbons said:
Frankly it's no ones business unless its a welfare issue. Also, and this comment won't go down well I'm guessing. Most horses would prefer a little LESS attention than they get.
All the fiffing and faffing, when they'd really rather be out in the field with their mates getting plastered in mud. They really do prefer the company of their own kind to that of a human.
I also often wonder why some people don't get out of horses and have a dog instead, but for different reasons than those stated. A dog would actually enjoy all the attention.
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I don't really agree. If you are on a DIY livery yard and find yourself putting out other people's horses, or trying to run the gauntlet of a bargey horse trying to get your own out of the field, you really find out what lack of proper handling and instilling of manners does to a horse.

Particularly I can't understand why people have youngsters with no plan to handle or train them regularly. Get a schoolmaster instead?

When I say "handling" I don't mean fifing and faffing, but grooming, teaching to tie up, tacking up, riding including schooling, rugging and de-rugging, washing, brushing tails, picking out feet, trimming, clipping, general de-sensitising, leading politely, loading, etc.. I've noticed my horses jump a lot better since I started doing everything myself and handling them more.

I think full livery exisits for people who don't want to come up every day. Unfortuanetly there are a lot of people who can't really afford horses and end up on DIY yards for the wrong reasons.
 
I have five horses, three are miniatures, I haven't ridden properly for months but do love having them and enjoy the day to day caring for them. Not sure if I will ever ride again to be honest but won't be parting with my two bigger horses, one I bred and she is now 20 years old and the other a Welsh Cob I bought nearly six years ago who I haven't really connected with but he has some quirks that I am prepared to put up with but would worry about him if he kept getting sold on because of his odd nature. I know loads of people who own horses but never ride it doesn't make them bad owners. I am sure my horses are more than happy being field ornaments.
 
I have 4 horses to look after and a four year old son... My husband said I should have a quad instead as his is ridden every day and doesn't need mucking out! He is sooo right when it is wet and cold and my back is playing up, but when I hear them whinnying at me and get a cuddle it almost makes it all worthwhile. Winter is hard, I'm old and knackered and do like to moan.... but not have my furry babies, never!
 
I find other people's horses a chore.
Unfortunately I get paid to do them every day of the year, I hate bloody horses sometimes.

I have no idea why I have my own at all because I rarely have the time/energy/inclination to ride them :(
 
Haven't read all the replies only as far as page 1 but...

Horses don't care if they do not get ridden every day, before I had children I was down the yard faffing every day for hours at a time. Rode every day, competed locally most weekends. Beds immaculate, horse immaculate.

However now I have a family, going into winter also, cob gets pottered out lightly on two or three a week if lucky, he doesn't seem to mind! I don't brush him within an inch of his life every night. Some days it can be a bit of a rush getting the horse done but it certainly doesn't mean that I don't love my horse or 'can't be bothered' with him. On busy days as long as his basic needs are met ie clean bed, access to water and forage then I'm happy and so is he
 
I really think people must be reading a different OP to the one I read... I don't understand all the defensive posts justifying not riding. That isn't what the OP was talking about is it?

I thought she was making a general observation about the whinging whining, everything and everybody is wrong brigade who think the rest of the yard should run around them and others pick up their slack. The ones that seem to get no pleasure in their animals, so it was a 'why bother' kind of observation.

I have one retired who I love having just because, yet I don't feel the need to be defensive. Quite the opposite, completely agree with OP.
 
Doublethyme said:
I really think people must be reading a different OP to the one I read... I don't understand all the defensive posts justifying not riding. That isn't what the OP was talking about is it?
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I think there were some replies saying why bother having a horse if you cant be bothered riding it. Which I would imagine is why some people are defending their field ornaments. I too agree with the OP. I know someone that just shouts at their horse constantly for no reason. Shouts at it riding it and handling it even though the horse is doing absolutely nothing wrong. I dont get why someone would want to spend time with an animal that they clearly get no joy from, and the horse gets no joy from the owner either.
 
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