Your Horse Background

[Birker2020]

I was born into horses (well ponies). My parents bred welsh ponies. My uncles and grandfather worked for the local brewery delivering ale on the drays with shire horses. My surname comes from the manchester ship canals when the horses pulled the barges along the canals as thats what my family did 'in the olden days'

That's interesting when you have historic background relating to horses.

When Dad was evacuated to Dol-y-bont in Wales in the 40's in the War, his Uncle used to be a blacksmith and owned the Smithy there and Dad would ride them up to the Smithy. Dad said the Shires had feet the size of dinner plates and one kicked Dad's Uncle Tommy across the Smithy. Uncle Tommy was only a very slight framed man of 5ft 5" but he picked himself up from the floor and wordlessly strode across to the horse and with all his strength punched it on the nose....it never kicked him again. In those days working animals did as they were told and life was simple. My Grandad was in the mounted for many years and his Father was in the Fire Service, stationed at Aston in Birmingham, they used horses to pull the fire appliance. When the bells sounded the collar that fitted around the horses necks dropped down on a pulley system of some sort (Dad did explain it to me once) and the Shires automatically knew to place their heads in the collar to be quickly hooked up to the fire appliance.

Mum used to ride a horse called Mystery for a chap, this was in the 50's when she was in her early twenties. She lost the ride to another girl when she didn't turn up the one day as the weather was snowing, apparently she 'let the man down' who owned Mystery and he let someone else ride him after that. Mum was devastated.

 

[EventingMum]

When I was about 7 we went on holiday and went pony trekking which I loved, the second trek we booked was rained off so my dad promised I could have a riding lesson when we returned home. That turned into weekly lessons at an excellent centre and my dad also started lessons having ridden without tuition as a child.

When I was 11 we moved backed to Scotland and being more affordable to keep here a pony duly appeared on Christmas Day - every child's dream!. Soon Dad also got a horse and with guidance from a hugely inspirational lady we became immersed in PC and RC activities. I outgrew my first pony in under a year so aged 12 I got my first horse - on paper a disaster waiting to happen - a young, poorly backed horse in awful condition and a young girl. However, with guidance, everything worked out. 2 years later I started affiliated jumping and, to cut a long story short, the horse blossomed and became a Grade A show jumper doing many exciting things on the way including being a Foxhunter finalist at HOYS.

When I left school I took a gap year and did my BHSAI and then whilst a uni did my BHSII. A few years after I graduated my parents bought some land and started the development of a riding school and livery yard as a semi retirement project which I became involved in so I didn't pursue a career relevant to my degree at all! 30+ years later I'm still here running the yard having done various horse related things over the years including being a BHS examiner until ill health made me stop. My original horse was here until his end too, I often think I perhaps wouldn't have done so much with horses if it hadn't been for him, he really was a miraculous boy! My love of horses has rubbed off on my son who sucessfully evented until his work as an EDT became too busy for him to ride but he and his wife are hoping to take over in due course. All this happened because of a rainy day when a pony trek was cancelled in 1970!

 

[Jenko109]

I had zero interest in horses. My next door neighbour was going to see a friend who had horses and I tagged along. It ended in me riding their little Shetland; I say riding. My friend ran said Shetland around and I fell off. A lot. I must have been about 11.

That was it though. After having never considered horses before, suddenly I wanted to know everything.

Mum agreed to lessons. Sort of. We didn't have much money so I had to go to the cheapest, most dog s*** riding school in existence. It was (and still is) an absolute dive, but it was cheap and we knew no different.

A few years there, helping out all day on a Saturday and Sunday and somehow still not really learning anything. Then I went on a riding holiday and discovered what riding schools should be like. Moved riding schools and started learning a bit properly.

Progressed to owning my own pony at 15, for which I made many mistakes due to my complete lack of knowledge on ownership. I had never been taught how much hay to feed etc so pony must have had a tough first winter with me.

Owned my first yearling at 17. Broke him myself, although he was very quiet so perhaps a fluke!!

Done some low level stuff since then with various different horses along the way. Have been lucky enough to hunt in Ireland on a particularly experienced hunter who took wonderful care of me.

Those first initial years of poor tuition have built a poor foundation with me though. I have an absolute mountain of flaws in my riding, however I mostly stay in the saddle and am lucky enough to have a lovely safe, confidence giving horse to do a bit with and a few other ponies to play with.

 

[Tarragon]

I grew up in rural Suffolk in 1970s. Always been pony mad and cannot remember how it started. I was the only one of us 4 children who wanted to ride and parents were not horsey, but as as we lived at the Old Rectory which had land, I managed to buy my first pony (a Kirby Kane Welsh Mountain Sec A) and had a lovely pony filled childhood. Went to Suffolk Hunt Pony Club and would hack to rallies in Ickworth park and to all the local gymkhanas, earned my pocket money working in local race horse stud.
Went to work in racing stables in Australia after A-levels, and decided that a career with horses wasn't what I wanted to do and did a degree in computing, met a completely non-horsey OH and spend next 15 years just riding occasionally whenever I could borrow a horse to ride.
Then, aged mid 30s and with 6 month old baby, decided that i would fulfil my ambition and got my first Exmoor pony. Exmoor ponies because I wanted a native pony, the fact the there were more otters than Exmoor ponies amazed me, they were big enough for me to ride and not as expensive as my other love, a Highland Pony.
Now, 3 uni aged daughters and a few ponies later, happily filling my spare time riding my ponies. OH still non-horsey (I could have had dozens of ponies and got away with it as he doesn't go to the stables and all Exmoor Ponies look identical (to him anyway ;-) ) but we have a working arrangement that suits us both.
None of my 3 daughters ever had the riding bug

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

My family has always had horses so I grew up with them. Naughty Welsh, show ponies etc. Moved to Scotland when I was 8yo and got a 2yo Shetland colt. Broke him to ride as a 3yo then as a 4yo he won over 60 rosettes in his first season in the show ring. We have bred shetlands on and off for 20 odd years. I left school when I was 16yo and was told to either get a job or go back to school so I got a job at the racing yard down the road. I didn't know it was a racing yard tilI walked through the gates. 17 years later and I am still here. Still loving working with the horses - the people not so much. It was supposed to be a gap year before buckling back down to my eduction then onto uni. Yeah that worked ...

So Needless to say I have brought horses home from work with me over the years. I have always shown ponies and horses and that won't change. Dressage, jumping etc don't interest me. Bringing on youngsters to their full potential - natives and racehorses - is what I like doing best. As well as reschooling racers for showing.

I think I will always have ponies in my life. I am not bringing another horse home from work, too much hassle, I'll stick to my natives from now on and get myself another Fell pony to ride at some point.

 

[fidleyspromise]

As long as I can remember I loved horses and had so many my little ponies. I then bought pony magazines as I got older having never been around them. Then when I was 12 we moved in with my step dad and the community is small where everyone knows everyone else so one Saturday I got up and wad told, "get dressed, you're going horse riding". I was ecstatic and off we went. I was dropped at the stables, introduced to the owner and paired up with a girl called Dawn who showed me how to lead, groom etc and from then my weekends and holidays were spent at the stables. That was over 20 years ago.

Since then I worked briefly as a trainee groom, at a show jumping yard, an Arabian stud yard and as an instructor at a couple of riding schools.

I now own 2 lovely ponies (one for 14 years and one for 11 years) and I'm a happy hacker looking to start doing endurance.

 

[HorseMaid]

Can't remember a time I didn't just love the look of horses/ponies, can remember waiting for a ride on a tiny Shetland at a fete and feeling weak at the knees aged about 5. Asked to go riding for my 7th birthday, I was hooked and went whenever I could progressing to helping at the local stables through my teens in return for rides. Had a break for a few years to get boys and partying out of my system, got my first horse when I was 28 and haven't been without one since ? have never really progressed beyond "happy hacker" with a few lessons\xc/fun rides but I do take my girl out to all sorts of places and we definitely don't just plod about everywhere. This year am hoping to up the ante with a few lessons and xc

 

[laura_nash]

I grew up in Leeds and for some reason was obsessed with farming, dogs and ponies from about age 5. My parents are keen ramblers so we went into the Dales almost every weekend, but they don't do animals and my mum was phobic of horses (she was attacked by one as a child). I read every book in existence on horses and pestered my parents for riding lessons and they finally gave in when I was about 10. I had to take two separate buses and change in Otley to get to Ilkley for my weekly lesson.

When I was about 12 my dad got a pay rise and they agreed to buy me a pony and keep it on full livery. This was incredibly generous, but also partly because they'd rashly promised I could get a dog if I saved x amount and I'd managed to save the amount - the idea of a dog actually living in the house with them compared to a pony at a stables was definitely a factor. After a long search and a failed vetting we ended up buying a pony I was already riding at the RS and although she was decidedly grumpy on the ground she was a wonderful hack and I had some great times with her.

I had some trouble as a teenager, ended up dropping out of school at 15 and doing my GCSE's at evening school, which on the plus side did mean I could ride during the day. Went to Equine College, with my pony, and then did around 3 years as a working pupil at 2 very different RS's. Had some wonderful times and I certainly don't regret any of it. I even managed to get my mum out on a horse for a short hack! Then sadly had to have my pony PTS which made me think about the life I wanted long term and made the decision to make a change, did an Open University degree and got an office job (and 3 dogs).

Carried on riding on and off, lessons or shares, until I got my current cob about 15 years ago. I kept waiting for the right time and then decided it would never be the right time and just did it. We've never really done that much, entirely due to me as I got pregnant 3 years after I got him so things got pretty tight with time and money. Then 6 years ago decided it was time for another change and my OH and I bought a semi-derelict small-holding in rural Ireland and spent the next 5 years getting it into a reasonable condition. I'm now living the rural dream of my early childhood (at least if you ask me on a good day), complete with dog, cob and daughters pony, and small herd of cows. The riding has taken a step back, we really just plod about in the warmer months and take every winter off, but I'm happy with that at the moment.