Would you call me Mad????

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kandm

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Well bassically my mum said that I can have an Nintendo Wii for My Birthday, and she would get some of the money from all my aunties and uncles and grandparents.

But I have decided to not have the Wii but to have to £200 and put it towards a horse. Even though i wont be having one for atleast 6months....

Do you all think i am mad??
Or would you have done the same??

Or....

Do you think i made the right decision??

Because my mum said i can still change my mind, so i just want your ideas
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Oh well his owner decided to say that i was to big for him and that we had to let him go to a new home. It broke my heart.

It sounds silly i know that i actually want an ex race horse that is either to small or to slow to race. And i know people will say no no no don't do it you wont be able to cope etc etc. But that is what my heart is determind (sp) to do. And that is why i want to put £200 pounds towards one.
 
14, but i wouldnt do it by my self. My older sister has a youngster (3/4 tb), that we are bringing on. But also she has had ex racers before. So she would tell and help me. Also i would have Ross up (amazing instructor, been round Badminton) she is very good.

But it wouldn't be like, i am just going to go out buy an ex racer and think it would be easy. I know how tough it will be, and after mickey i am ready he taught me alot. That i couldn't just ask him to do something and expect him to do it, he taught me to sit a hell of alot of bronking sessions etc etc.
 
what age are you? sorry but from your posts you come across as about 14-15 or possibly less....

re the exracehorse thing - I have 2 and even though I have been riding and working with horses for 15 years I will admit there are time I have struggled with them. Unless you have the time, experience, money (your own, not your parents), ability, support, great instructor and specific knowledge of how a racehore is looked after then the best advice I can give you is BUY A WII AND DONT BE SO STUPID!

This is exactly what I hate about people who want to buy Exracers - they think they are rescuing one from a fate worse than death when infact they bite off more than they can chew and the horse, through no real fault of its own, will be branded a nutter and 'typical' exracer... go ride for a trainer, learn how these horses work and think, about their routine, diet, mental attitude, physical quirks and then maybe, just maybe you'll be in a better position to consider buying it...

<puts flame suit on>
 
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I dont think you can call her stupid! She has already said her sister has experience and wil be great help with ex racers so she can learn from her, and she has a good instructor to.

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Awww thanks.
 
Good girl, start as you mean to go on.....I'm a lot older than you and I still use my birthday/christmas money on my horse!
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what age are you? sorry but from your posts you come across as about 14-15 or possibly less....

re the exracehorse thing - I have 2 and even though I have been riding and working with horses for 15 years I will admit there are time I have struggled with them. Unless you have the time, experience, money (your own, not your parents), ability, support, great instructor and specific knowledge of how a racehore is looked after then the best advice I can give you is BUY A WII AND DONT BE SO STUPID!

This is exactly what I hate about people who want to buy Exracers - they think they are rescuing one from a fate worse than death when infact they bite off more than they can chew and the horse, through no real fault of its own, will be branded a nutter and 'typical' exracer... go ride for a trainer, learn how these horses work and think, about their routine, diet, mental attitude, physical quirks and then maybe, just maybe you'll be in a better position to consider buying it...

<puts flame suit on>

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Thankyou for your worry.

And yes my instructor is very good with ex racers. She is ferm and wont let them get away with anything.

And i wouldnt just go out and buy the first one i saw. I would take time to find the right one.
And yes i know you are worried about my age etc etc, but you shouldn't, and if i found it to hard i wouldn't be stupid and let this horse waist i would sell/loan it on.

But i know how hard these animals can be (i can reasure you), and know i wouldn't be able to ask my family for money as my Dad will not put a single penny towards a horse.

And people had said all said what you have said, and i know you are only doing it to help me and the horse. And i know i do not have the experience like you do. But if i dont try then where will i get it from.

I am not a novice i am far from it, i work bl**dy hard for what i want (like alot of people on here). I don't just get everything served up for me.

So i know the responsiblities. And one day hopefully i will be as knowledgeble as you are, and wil probably saying the same conserns to another person as you are to me.

So like i said before thankyou for your concerns, but you don't need for put on your <flame suit>.......
 
I think most of us will say put the money towards a horse! But it also worries me why a 14yo wants her first horse to be an ex-racehorse. You're still a junior so why not start on a 14.2hh and have some fun? An ex-racehorse is a serious horse, you can't really bomb about on those having a blast! You have years ahead of you to get a horse like that.

It's not good enough IMO to think "if I found it hard, I wouldnt be stupid... I would sell / loan it on", but that's simply passing the buck! You WILL find it hard, thats sort of guranteed especially considering you ARE so young and therefore DO lack a lot of experience. You gain this experience from moving up the ranks like most of us do - You start with a chilled out schoolmaster-ish type, move up to the next level etc. etc. I know you've said you're not a novice, but you ARE when it comes to ex-racehorses as is anyone who's never had one! I've owned various horses since I was 9 (Im now 24) and only now do I feel I could take on an ex-racehorse (although don't plan to).
 
I would get a horse but in my opinion think you would be better getting something you can have fun on rather than having to do loads of work. As its your first horse you want to try everything out. I am so glad I got such a good horse for my first as its so nice to be able to do anything I wanted without the worry of how naughty she was going to be etc.

Its quite a big step I think aswell going from a 13.2ish Sorry dont know how big micky was to something a lot sharper and about 15.2 + believe you me its a big shock. Its not initially but when you start jumping or in any given situation they react so much different to ponies.

I am not saying you cant ride I just hope you take in the things that people are saying as they are not easy horses. People are just putting across they arent easy.
Best of luck whatever you do, But I would get a horse
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Thats good - I'm glad you seem to have had a bit of a think about it all and don't plan to just jump in. I do think you should go to a racing yard and see how the horses are trained as it really helps to understand the routine they are used to when in training....

I am friends with a trainer in Lambourn and I help him rehome his horses when they are finished racing. You wouldnt believe the idiots I have call me up about these horses thinking they can cope with one but in reality have no idea what it involves and are only after the horse due to the cheap pricetag....

Personally I still think your too young for an exracer just now - save your money and go ride some exracers or even racers and get a better idea of whats involved, you wont have your instructor with you 24/7 so you'll need to know how to handle them in all situations...

If your anywhere near Guildford your welcome to come meet my 2 loonies.... or if your in Berkshire I can take you to a training yard and show you what I mean....
 
I am afraid I echo the concerns of people who said dont go for a racehorse yet. You cant rely on everyone else all the time. There will be many times when you have to do it yourself. I'm sure some exracehorses are straightforward but many are not. Go for something a bit more straightforward, maybe a part TB, that you can have fun on. Then when you are more experienced you could try an exracehorse.
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Unless you have the time, experience, money (your own, not your parents), ability, support, great instructor and specific knowledge of how a racehore is looked after then the best advice I can give you is BUY A WII AND DONT BE SO STUPID!

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Hi, I'm Kiri's sister and (alongside bashing Kiri's head against something very solid for explaining things badly!!) would just like to clear a few things up:

1. Kiri won't be the one buying whatever she has next I will - Dad has only in the last few years allowed me to become financially responsible for a horse of my own and I am now 22!! So Kiri has a fair few years to go before she will be able to go out and do the same - Mum has told her that if she would like to start a savings account for when the time comes then she can as there is no way that our father will ever give either of us a penny towards a horse in any capacity, possibly with the exception of the odd "rider item" xmas or birthday present (Jods, hat, etc.). Personally I have huge respect for her as at her age I'd have had the game and enjoyed it while I could (especially as I wouldn't be able to afford one now as a student with a horse!!!).

2. I have told Kiri that once I have finnished my degree and can comfortably afford to keep another one then I will help her to buy (in other words I'll probably end up buying it and she'll contribute where she can, the fact that she is prepared to start saving I have enormous respect for her for and see absolutely no problem with, especially given she doesn't have much money). The "6 months" Kiri talks about is the 6 months left of my degree - I may be fortunate enough to get a decent job this summer and given how hard we have both had to work to have "our rides" and how difficult my father is I'm more than happy to make an investment when I can - the other side of the coin is I may not be in a position to do this for a number of years, by which point Kiri may even be thinking of going to uni herself so it may not happen even then and Kiri understands that.

3. I have produced 3 exracers before, the first one (and this was also my first "loan"/going it alone) was when I was only 17 after only 4 years of riding experience. I wasn't in the fortunate position of having someone experienced on hand to help me and couldn't afford regular lessons. When I first took him on he was racing fit, had 2 speeds (walk or gallop), bucked for England if you tried to pull him up, couldn't canter right, had never seen a jump, was a total stresshead and I think I was completely barking!!! He was also very sweet, not too big or strong, intelligent, forgiving, a fast learner and he taught me a lot. After a year the loan ended, I sat my A levels and he was out happily PC eventing, dressaging and SJ and is still a cracking PC alrounder today. Yes I probably got very lucky because despite his faults he was a fantastic little horse but that doesn't changed wahat we achieved together. The other 2 I have schooled and produced for friends who have done just as you suggest Kiri may do - bought them because they looked nice and were cheap and they liked them but found them a nightmare once onboard - why did I take them on? Because I wasn't allowed my own horse, wasn't frightened of the challenge, had my friends trust and was desperate for something to ride. So I have no doubt that with my help, my 2 brilliant instructors tuition, advice and training and Kiri's fabulous, calm, patient and very stickable nature with horses that we wouln't totally ruin one.

4. Kiri (although anything but textbook) is a cracking little rider to the extent that when starting my youngster my instructor wanted her to be the first on out of the two of us and has said that between us we have the ideal match for Tills - I am firm with her, push her a bit, ask for most things as correctly as I can and worry far to much about if I'm doing things right; Kiri is soft, relaxed, keeps things fun, is stickable, sensitive, not worried by anything she chooses to do underneath her and actually rides very, very effectively and as much as I hate to admit it gets a far better tune out of her then I probably ever will!

5. Due to the "you are not having a horse" attitude of my Dad, Kiri - like me, has had to ride whatevers been going if she wanted to ride at all (Dad refused to pay to put money in other people horses mouths too so going to a RC was out of the question). What did she end up with 4 years ago? A little welshie who's owner deamed him unrideable and repeatedly threatened to have him shot. The initial condition was that Kiri had to stay on the leadrope but because she was a novice and Mick's had basically been ruined by being pushed too soon they started back at basics - bareback initially because he was too fat to wear a saddle - and in June this year he went to a local riding school to teach children to ride (and how to sit some fairly impressive bucks) as he has changed so much and that was entirely thanks to Kiri's very gentle, patient and careful approach with him so I, and anyone who actually knows Kiri, would all agree that if anyone is equipted to take on a challenge then she is! To the extent that she has recently taken on another ride (14hh pony) with major confidnec and rushing issues for a friend and is doing a fantastic job with him too.

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This is exactly what I hate about people who want to buy Exracers - they think they are rescuing one from a fate worse than death when infact they bite off more than they can chew and the horse, through no real fault of its own, will be branded a nutter and 'typical' exracer... go ride for a trainer, learn how these horses work and think, about their routine, diet, mental attitude, physical quirks and then maybe, just maybe you'll be in a better position to consider buying it...

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While I agree that there are plenty of people who do this I can assure you that that is the very last reason why either I or Kiri would take one on - for both of us it is fair to say that we both love tb's (mine is only 3/4 tb and that is the very least amount of tb blood I would have!) and we both enjoy the challenge that "problem horse" brings and while we both except that sometimes things will end in heartache provided you take on the right one with the right temperment (and that is one reason why Kiri wants one that has only got as far as training!) then they can make and do make fantastic little horses and not all of them are nutters. I have to say that while I can see how alarm bells would ring at "14 year old spending £200 on an exracer" (and for that I will at length explain to Kiri why she needs to explain things in much greater depth), I am very saddened by your response and also now have quite an upset sister as she did feel very much under attack and actually, when you understand the situation fully, you will realise that that is completely unfair
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An ex-racehorse is a serious horse, you can't really bomb about on those having a blast!

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Oh but you can
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The best horse I have ever had and who I have had to most fun on was an exracer - the most important thing is that you understand how their minds work, once you've worked that one out and gained theyir trust then imo you can't beat them for fun little alrounders. I'd would absolutely hate a boring "been there, done that" schoolmaster, yes the more quicky ones bring a hell of a lot more down days and tears, especially at the start but they also, when things fall into place, make every tear worth it ten times over.

As for the "if I got in over my head I would sell it thing" - at the end of the day the decision would be mine NOT Kiri's and it wouldn't be as black and white as that.
 
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Thats good - I'm glad you seem to have had a bit of a think about it all and don't plan to just jump in. I do think you should go to a racing yard and see how the horses are trained as it really helps to understand the routine they are used to when in training....

I am friends with a trainer in Lambourn and I help him rehome his horses when they are finished racing. You wouldnt believe the idiots I have call me up about these horses thinking they can cope with one but in reality have no idea what it involves and are only after the horse due to the cheap pricetag....

Personally I still think your too young for an exracer just now - save your money and go ride some exracers or even racers and get a better idea of whats involved, you wont have your instructor with you 24/7 so you'll need to know how to handle them in all situations...

If your anywhere near Guildford your welcome to come meet my 2 loonies.... or if your in Berkshire I can take you to a training yard and show you what I mean....

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Thanks for the offer.

But I have already started to ask people about racing yards etc etc and i know acouple of people who ride at racing yards who would take me up there etc etc (this will be in the Summer time). Someone two doors up my road is on a racing yard, and she said that i could go up with her etc....

Ah i live in Gloucestershire so abit to far away.

But like i said thanks for the offer.
 
Well that does shed a lot more light on the situation.
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I'd just suggest that you wait a bit until you have a job and know what time you have available to ride horses and support Kiri. Once you know your working hours, travelling time and salary you'll be able to make the right decision. I'm not criticising you just offering the benefit of experience.
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Well that does shed a lot more light on the situation.
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I'd just suggest that you wait a bit until you have a job and know what time you have available to ride horses and support Kiri. Once you know your working hours, travelling time and salary you'll be able to make the right decision. I'm not criticising you just offering the benefit of experience.
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Thanks
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an ex-racer will certainly never be boring but i agree with some of the other posts, that they can be very demanding and troublesome. my ex-racer is my first 'big' horse after having ponies for many years.

The one thing i would consider is, will your sister always be there to help whenever needed? what happens if shes not always there or doesnt want ot help you after a while? lots to consider really.
 
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