Why have you got two horses?

[Bens_Mum]

I have a TB recently off the track who i'm reschooling. Everything with him is a challenge and not all that relaxing. Hes going to make a lovely dressage horse and probably working hunter too but hes very big and quite sharp. Lovely temperament and hes going well but I don't really enjoy hacking him out and hes not going to hunt in a manner that I am going to feel happy with.

I don't want to sell him really and have been looking at other horses on Facebook groups and been wondering whether to get another?

I can totally afford it and have the time. My daughter is going to be in ponies next year so I have to consider that I could end up with three at some point.

I love the paces and enjoy schooling my horse but i'm hankering after jumping, hunting and some more relaxing hacking and hes miles off this. I don't expect miracles from him he has lots of issues to work through and its not going to be quick.

Am I mad?

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have had 2 for years now and both are very different one is not so easy to hack is difficult to get out alone but school's lovely, the one I have had for 10 years hacks anywhere on his own and schools pretty well too so I have the best of both worlds really, I keep them at home so having 1 horse is not really an option for me I wouldn't just keep 1 on his own, the mucking out and doing all the work only takes me about an hour to do the whole lot so I have plenty of time to ride, I do have 2 people that ride once a week with me so they get out on a hack together nd I work from home so can fit everything in when I like really so it works for me.

I think if you can afford it and have the time why not go for it

 

[ElectricChampagne]

I bought a second with the intention to sell the gelding. He was very fizzy, I'd had some tough falls off him (no injuries thankfully) coupled with what made it worse is some very nasty people went about saying to anyone that would listen that I wasn't able for him, which I think is why I ended up losing my confidence more than anything else. He is super talented and tries his heart out despite all that.
I decided I wanted something I could learn from.

So popped him up for sale and stuck him out on grass and accidentally found my dream horse, stunning looking, fantastic record, sensible and oodles of ability.

Tried her and fell in love, so bought her and she has brought me on in leaps and bounds. The gelding fell in love with her too. Had a few people out trying him and I realised I just couldn't part with him, and decided if he is to be a field ornament, he will be my field ornament.

roll on 3 years and he's a different horse, calm, happy and loves his work and he's grown up into a very sweet horse, tries his heart out for me.

I still have both with no intention to sell either, they are best friends and inseparable and both have taught me so much.

I'm glad I stuck by him cos he has made me a better rider too!

 

[Antw23uk]

One horse is a lovely hobby, two horses are a job. ....... Thats what I must keep telling myself right now after I heard it from someone with two, lol!

 

[Goldenstar]

I have had a least two for me for thirty years ( we have two for my OH as well ) .
I like having more than one I don't have enough to amuse me with just one I also get too intense about that one when you have five you just have to get on with stuff
It's good ride a another when your working on a project .
However the downside is that it is double the work it's harder ( in my case impossible )to get a horsey off day .
When stuff in the rest of your life goes wrong it's double trouble sorting out the horse side when there no time because of things you can't control .

 

[case895]

One retired and one in work. The younger one couldn't couple on his own.

 

[zaminda]

I have multiples and don't see the problem. If you can afford it in time and money it's not a problem. I currently have four although one has been bought with the intention of selling. I am also looking at another long term resident as my current lot are getting older.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

Ha this thread couldn't have appeared at a more fitting time. Never intended to have 2 horses as I work long hours and am on full livery as it is.

Spent almost all my savings on my dream horse as an early 30th birthday present after years of owning standard RC types. The dream was to focus on my dressage and just see how far we could go. Unfortunately she broke a month into owning her and after spending the summer on box rest we've now made the decision to turn her away for a year and then reevaluate the situation.

So in the meantime I'm looking for something to distract myself with. I'm currently looking at full loans but if the right one came up we'd find the funds to buy.

 

[chahala]

I have two. One is 16 has iffy hocks is lazy and can be quirky in the school ( Spanish ). Number 2 is 5 and a pretty blank canvas at mo chilled but forward thinking and loves to jump ( Connie )- I would like him to be anyone's ride. He is going to be my old lady horse. I find working with the two works for all concerned I expect No 1 to be more forward going and no.2 to be more educated and sometimes they surprise me.

 

[conniegirl]

I'm looking at getting a second, but probably not for a year or so.

My reasoning is that my current lad is perfect, he is lovely, calm, well schooled, perfect to hack out, beautiful to look at, easy to deal with and generaly an absolute pleasure to have around, can ride him every day or once in 6 months and he is exactly the same, I left his for 3 weeks then took him out to the beach with friends and he was his usual angelic self, really my dream horse EXCEPT that 18 months ago he went seriously lame behind, diagnosed with an Injury to his SI joint. we came so close to have him PTS as at its worst he struggled to stand and could not pick up either hind leg without severe pain and falling over. I've got him through that and he is now sound in a straight line under saddle but is never going to be sound enough for competition.
I'm looking at getting myself a young competition horse to go out and do dressage and showing, it wont need to hack, or necessarily be the most pleasant to ride/deal with as I have lenny for that.

 

[ycbm]

I've got two in work for exactly the same reason that you are thinking of getting another. One's a bit of a plonker, the other does everything with a smile on his face. I've had one for fun and one to bring on for years now and I love the contrast.

 

[Bens_Mum]

Thanks all this is just it I like what I have and in time he will be great but right now I also want something to enjoy and not have to constantly be monitoring. Some jumping and hacking on the buckle end and maybe a bit of a days hunting or fun ride would be nice. I know that I would get bored with something ploddy but just riding crazy pants isn't very relaxing or good for the nerves!

I might have a nosy what is about but i'm guessing that its not going to be cheap! Mine will be worth good money next year as a dressage horse so worst case scenario I could sell him but I really don't want too right now.

 

[AandK]

I have two but it was not my intention, not for this long anyway! Had to retire my mare 14yrs ago, age 12, due to several joint issues (DJD and arthritis) and so decided to buy another (a 5yo) to bring on and ride, thinking that after a few years retired the mare would probably get too stiff and sore, and I'd have to say goodbye... Well 14yrs later she is still here and showing no signs of slowing down! The 5yo I bought is now 19, but I am very lucky that I can still ride him. I won't get another until they are both gone.

 

[milliepops]

also never intended to have 2, but would never go back to just one now. I need to have a spare!
I got project cob while Millie was on sick leave, intending to do her up and sell on. she turned out to be a bit wacky, but also very talented. I figured she'd be difficult to sell as limited marked for small sec Ds with a funny brain and good paces for dressage so decided to school her on.

She's training medium now and learning her flying changes so it's proved to be a good gamble. Means Millie can have an easier time now. When Millie finally retires I'll look around for another baby to bring on, I love training horses

 

[scats]

I have 2, down from 3 (my Welshie was put down in June).

I've acquired more than one after having one out through injury and I like having something to ride. That's also how I ended up with 3 as I had 2 out of action at one point.

Now got 2 in work- albeit one with navicular so his level of work is very much dictated by that right. 2 is a manageable number, I like having 2.

3 was one too many on DIY livery with a demanding job and a chronic illness.

 

[skint1]

Up until Friday I had 2 horses at my livery yard. One was retired and the other is our riding horse. Apart from the genuine happiness the horses bring it is sometimes useful to have two. For instance, my boy's field mates are all being bought in overnight from this weekend- his stable is on a different part of the yard and there's only one other owner in there with two horses, they won't be bought in until mid/end November. Whilst he's ok to hang about on his own for a few hours, I wouldn't expect him to stay in there all night on his own, he can't even see any other horses from his stable if there's no one else in so now I have to ask the YM if he can squat somewhere for a while. So for me, it's not so much about the riding as the guaranteed companionship that 2 horses offer each other.

 

[Antw23uk]

I've got two in work for exactly the same reason that you are thinking of getting another. One's a bit of a plonker, the other does everything with a smile on his face. I've had one for fun and one to bring on for years now and I love the contrast.

Correct me if im wrong but so far you are the only one to post with two horses in full work? I would literally collect horses if i didnt have to work them so i think you are the most relevant here as OP would be working both horses (correct me if im wrong all ... I know you will, lol)

I think there is a massive difference in owning two horses if one is broken or a field ornament and owning two horses that need working. I've been thinking about getting a 2nd ridden horse but realistically even though they would be kept at home, if i get to the yard at 1730 and ride one for an hours hack when i get back its going to be dark ect ... thats just winter ... In summer if i went out for a 2-3 hour hack which we love doing would I then get home and want to do it again? Thats potentially 6 hours, a full day in the saddle .. my OH would kill me! ... Im not knocking, please dont think i am, im just musing and throwing ideas around mainly for myself which is why at the moment I think having two is like having a job rather than a hobby but then I work full time and 24 hours are not enough hours in the day, lol

 

[Ahrena]

I have two.

I had 1 and I loved having one (had 2 since I was a young teenager) but when he was 15, I realised with his dodgey hocks he wouldn't event much longer.

I'm useless at selling and want to pursue eventing to as high a level as I can. I decided to buy a talented unbacked horse to produce whilst still eventing the first one.


It worked perfectly - youngster started eventing this year which is when first one retired from eventing.

Mind you, I have a sharer for him now and rarely ride him myself - much prefer just having one to be honest as I found it becomes a bit of a chore to always do two.

 

[Cortez]

I have two in work at the moment, another retired in the field and a mule - so technically 3 and a half. I will always have two (and probably the half as well...) as they are needed to cover the regular work that we perform in the summer months (display and film work). I dream of having just one to enjoy, but that will probably never be as horses seem to just "happen"; something needs some help, or is too good to pass up.

I used to have 47 so I'm doing well really!

 

[milliepops]

Correct me if im wrong but so far you are the only one to post with two horses in full work? I would literally collect horses if i didnt have to work them so i think you are the most relevant here as OP would be working both horses (correct me if im wrong all ... I know you will, lol)

lol. Correction. both of mine are in work, just one is building in intensity and the other is in lighter work (30-40 mins in the school but suppleness maintenance rather than active learning). They are both ridden every day. I used to do 3 a day It is a job, but I love it, and when I can fit it in I ride for other people as well. The reason it works for me is I work from home so have no commute, and can do a bit of flexi time.

 

[Antw23uk]

lol. Correction. both of mine are in work, just one is building in intensity and the other is in lighter work (30-40 mins in the school but suppleness maintenance rather than active learning). They are both ridden every day. I used to do 3 a day It is a job, but I love it, and when I can fit it in I ride for other people as well. The reason it works for me is I work from home so have no commute, and can do a bit of flexi time.

Ahhaa I stand corrected, thank you So I've got the at home for the horses bit now I just need the working at home bit for myself ... a boy can dream

 

[scats]

Correct me if im wrong but so far you are the only one to post with two horses in full work? I would literally collect horses if i didnt have to work them so i think you are the most relevant here as OP would be working both horses (correct me if im wrong all ... I know you will, lol)

I think there is a massive difference in owning two horses if one is broken or a field ornament and owning two horses that need working. I've been thinking about getting a 2nd ridden horse but realistically even though they would be kept at home, if i get to the yard at 1730 and ride one for an hours hack when i get back its going to be dark ect ... thats just winter ... In summer if i went out for a 2-3 hour hack which we love doing would I then get home and want to do it again? Thats potentially 6 hours, a full day in the saddle .. my OH would kill me! ... Im not knocking, please dont think i am, im just musing and throwing ideas around mainly for myself which is why at the moment I think having two is like having a job rather than a hobby but then I work full time and 24 hours are not enough hours in the day, lol

Mine are both in work. The navicular horse no longer jumps but he does 30-40 minutes schooling or hacking per day and is now being produced for dressage (he was an eventer). My cob X does all the hunting/jumping stuff, with a bit of schooling thrown in. She competes during the summer season in dressage.

 

[PaddyMonty]

We have 3 and looking for 4th atm.
we have wife older welshie who retired from serious dressage but still schools and hacks. She will live out her days with us. Daughters horse who is in full work, daughters youngster (3yo) who we will be backing next year and now looking for new dressage horse for wife.

 

[Antw23uk]

Mine are both in work. The navicular horse no longer jumps but he does 30-40 minutes schooling or hacking per day and is now being produced for dressage (he was an eventer). My cob X does all the hunting/jumping stuff, with a bit of schooling thrown in. She competes during the summer season in dressage.

How do you do it? I keep running it through my head but I cant realistically find the time for two (no school which I kid myself would help, lol) Keeping yes, give me five but actual riding two horses a day? I guess it works for some and not others and i think im just one of the others ... for now

 

[scats]

How do you do it? I keep running it through my head but I cant realistically find the time for two (no school which I kid myself would help, lol) Keeping yes, give me five but actual riding two horses a day? I guess it works for some and not others and i think im just one of the others ... for now

Honestly I don't know. I think coz I've gone from 3, (albeit one not in work but he followed the same routine as the others so had his stable to muck out etc) I'm finding that extra time really useful so at the moment 2 seems like an absolute doddle to me.

It's December and January that kill me. I have zero motivation during these months and I struggle with the dark nights (we do have a floodlit school, I mean mentally from my point of view) and every year I question my sanity and whether I can carry on. But it's been 30 years and I'm still doing it!

I am realistic in the depths of winter- I may lunge one and ride the other on a bad day.

 

[poacher82]

What an interesting thread, made me think a bit. Sometimes I question my sanity (right about this time of year, usually!) but I enjoy having two horses.

I have two both in full work, both stabled at night for 7 months of the year (yard rules) and out 24/7 for a few months in the summer. One is 14, sane, sensible, I can go jumping gorse and galloping round then walk on the buckle end. The other is 6 and, well, my mission is to get him as chilled as the other boy! He's good fun to ride but I have to have my wits about me far more in case the monsters are in the hedge etc. He arrived as a yearling as a companion, as I moved house and was then able to keep my horse at home so needed a friend. He's kinda cute, ended up staying, I broke him at 4 and am having fun bringing him on. Although I've now moved again and they are on livery, I'd echo skint1's comments re them being companions for each other - I don't have to worry about everyone else bringing in and 3pm and mine being the left in the field alone, as there are two of them!

I work full time but am lucky that I can be very flexible, so most days both get ridden - one before work and one after. Sometimes this involves a head torch but hoping to have lights in the school this winter. It is quite full on, but my husband gets it luckily - he's always out shooting and fishing, so it's not like he's sat at home waiting for me to get in. Sometimes I'll take them both out for long hacks on the weekends and be in the saddle all day, but mostly I'll take one for a long ride and one for a 'normal' ride on Saturday and then swap on Sunday.

Someone asked me recently "don't you have any friends that would ride one for you?", which made me chuckle. Occasionally a friend will come and hack out with me for fun, but for the purpose of helping me exercise. I keep them to ride them, that bit isn't a chore that I want help with... on the other hand if I had a friend that wanted to muck out and soak hay for me, that'd be lovely

 

[milliepops]

How do you do it? I keep running it through my head but I cant realistically find the time for two (no school which I kid myself would help, lol) Keeping yes, give me five but actual riding two horses a day? I guess it works for some and not others and i think im just one of the others ... for now

Having a school helps massively. It doesn't matter if it's dark, you can kind of see the fence well enough and I find I can feel more when I can't see!

I ride and lead and take both for a hack (2 for the price of 1) on my idle days

Having competition aims in the spring helps with the drudgery of winter. BD Winter regionals in Feb/March mean you keep pushing on during grim January

 

[milliepops]

. I keep them to ride them, that bit isn't a chore that I want help with... on the other hand if I had a friend that wanted to muck out and soak hay for me, that'd be lovely

Oh, yes, or POO PICK!! Please??? anyone???

Other benefit to having 2 when you are on DIY is that it doesn't matter what the rest of the yard does because your horses always have company. So if mine are first out or last in, it doesn't matter.

 

[Bens_Mum]

My instructor and YO will go mad. She thinks the TB was a stupid impulse purchase which maybe it was and that its fine no problem with it. I feel like its fine but hard work and you have to constantly be on it 24/7 hacking we have the monster problem and if anything comes up behind its a pain. Schooling is hard going too and he does test my nerves quite a bit.

I don't want rid of him I want something to trust and mess around on too if that makes sense? Last night hacking out was so stressful as soon as he turns for home hes a pest and we pretty much are hacking alone becasue everyone's miles behind

 

[mytwofriends]

I had one, acquired the other due to a bereavement, semi retired my original and rode the new one, only to have him go through a catalogue of disasters culminating in him being PTS earlier this year.

I'd never wanted two horses just for me (used to when the kids were younger and riding), and I guess it was just never meant to be with my little boy.

So back to my old boy now - 90% retired, but that's ok. I don't miss riding, just love being with him.