Flicker
Well-Known Member
Why do some people buy horses??
Kind of extended family member of mine bought a nice-sounding cob (youngster) in summer of last year. She had a few months of riding lessons some years ago and freely admits that she knows absolutely nothing. Luckily for her, cob sounds a good sort and looks after her. She rides him about once a week.
Anyway, cob lives out at this yard that can only be described as the equine version of the school in Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby. The 'school' is a fenced off bit of mud, not even square. There is barbed wire everywhere and not a post and rail in sight. Lights at night are via a generator, which has to be switched on in the pitch black and she can't get him in after dark because his field is miles away down a track and there's no light. She says that she visits him about 3 times a week. She has only one rug for him too!
Anyway, her OH is disgusted with the place and is telling her to leave, so she came to see my yard (which is gorgeous!) the other night, as there are some places free. She says she wants to come on with her riding, but also said she 'couldn't get her head round' having to come up to see to him every morning (!!). She wouldn't be able to afford part livery. I even offered to help out if she was stuck (even though I am usually turning three out in the morning, but hey, what's another one...) and offered to ride him or help her with him if she needed it. She's 'thinking about it' as it is double what she's currently paying.
I did say to her that having a horse in a disgusting horrible field and not being able to do anything with it, she might as well be flushing that 20 quid down the toilet every week, or spending it on a couple of decent riding lessons at a proper riding school.
I just don't understand why people do this to themselves and their horses. It is a huge responsibility and lifestyle change - why don't people just think before they act?? The one I feel for in all this is her lovely cob. I really hope she makes the right decision.
Kind of extended family member of mine bought a nice-sounding cob (youngster) in summer of last year. She had a few months of riding lessons some years ago and freely admits that she knows absolutely nothing. Luckily for her, cob sounds a good sort and looks after her. She rides him about once a week.
Anyway, cob lives out at this yard that can only be described as the equine version of the school in Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby. The 'school' is a fenced off bit of mud, not even square. There is barbed wire everywhere and not a post and rail in sight. Lights at night are via a generator, which has to be switched on in the pitch black and she can't get him in after dark because his field is miles away down a track and there's no light. She says that she visits him about 3 times a week. She has only one rug for him too!
Anyway, her OH is disgusted with the place and is telling her to leave, so she came to see my yard (which is gorgeous!) the other night, as there are some places free. She says she wants to come on with her riding, but also said she 'couldn't get her head round' having to come up to see to him every morning (!!). She wouldn't be able to afford part livery. I even offered to help out if she was stuck (even though I am usually turning three out in the morning, but hey, what's another one...) and offered to ride him or help her with him if she needed it. She's 'thinking about it' as it is double what she's currently paying.
I did say to her that having a horse in a disgusting horrible field and not being able to do anything with it, she might as well be flushing that 20 quid down the toilet every week, or spending it on a couple of decent riding lessons at a proper riding school.
I just don't understand why people do this to themselves and their horses. It is a huge responsibility and lifestyle change - why don't people just think before they act?? The one I feel for in all this is her lovely cob. I really hope she makes the right decision.