Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think lots of people have ridden a horse before?

134 replies

reastie · 01/07/2011 21:59

I know this is random! For some reason DH and I were talking about horse riding ealier and he announced his mum has ridden a horse in a way which implied I should be amazed and impressed. I made some comment about surely lots of people have done this and it wasn't unusual at all, a argument discussion ensued and we both had a stand off as to who is right. So - who is right? Am I being very middle class and showing my country-ish upbringing by assuming it's normal that people would have been on a horse or is he right ? He is convinced he'll win this Hmm

OP posts:
sparkle12mar08 · 03/07/2011 19:36

Quite activate, quite. I always think I fall between two stools on mumsnet - though not a 'deprived' one my childhood was a very typical northern/midlands inner city working class one, yet I've moved away, have both worked hard and also been very lucky, and am in a position where I probably could give my children ponies and lessons if I wanted to. I've seen both sides but am constantly astounded at the unthinking naievety on display here sometimes...

Fecklessdizzy · 03/07/2011 19:38

Been riding since I was a kid ( country girl , not even remotely posh ... ) All my family and DP's lot do but I think it costs a fortune if you live in a town ...

FabbyChic · 03/07/2011 19:39

Never ridden a horse.

catgirl1976 · 03/07/2011 19:43

7% of the population have ridden a horse at least once in the last 12 months.(4.3 million people) 4% ride regualrly for pleasure.

Lessons are about £20 an hour for children where I live.

TrilllianAstra · 03/07/2011 19:45

Where do your stats come from catgirl?

I am on the side of "not many people ride" and I am surprised at how low that is.

Still not low enough to be impressed/surprised that someone had ridden a horse.

LunaticFringe · 03/07/2011 19:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

catgirl1976 · 03/07/2011 19:47

I was surprised how low it was too - I was on the "loads of people ride its no big deal side" and expected the stats to be higher. Got them from the British Horse Association and the same stats were quoted on the British Equestrian Trade Association page. Not sure how up to date they are........

MollyMurphy · 03/07/2011 19:47

Horseback Riding is expensive and now with city living a lot of people just aren't exposed to it IMO. I don't think its a common activity where I live anyway....so yes YABU.

catgirl1976 · 03/07/2011 19:50

It's about the same amount of people who play tennis regularly but you wouldnt think the OP was being unreasonable if they were not surprised / impressed that someone had played a game

Birdsgottafly · 03/07/2011 19:56

It depends on where you live. There are six centres local to me (country park and once working farms) and horseriding brings in revenue for them, as said there is a six month waiting list. With camping becoming popular more people try out riding and treking. It costs £20 for an hour upwards. It's a similar price to other outdoor activities such as quad biking. Tesco's and Aldi's value ranges of riding gear has brought the costs down of equipment.

LauLauLemon · 03/07/2011 20:00

I've ridden a horse. My uncle bought me my very own horse age 5 as he had a farm outside of the city. Haven't ridden in years, mind.

Fwiw, I come from a working class family based in a city.

catgirl1976 · 03/07/2011 20:00

Its about £20 for an hour group lesson here. An "own a pony" day costs £30 for a full morning. When I was little "work for rides" was a popular way for children who didnt have thier own pony to get rides in exchange for a bit of mucking out

Riveninside · 03/07/2011 20:10

Quite expensive then

catgirl1976 · 03/07/2011 20:14

Not the cheapest hobby. I guess because you need lessons - its not something you can just "do" like football or rounders. I imagine anything that requires lessons will not be cheap - am thinking tennis lessons, muscial instrument lessons etc are all pretty similar in price. Not the cheapest but not the most expensive either

DENMAN03 · 03/07/2011 22:37

I would imagine it does depend on where you live. Ive owned horses for 25 years and competed for most of that time. I have stables at home. Pretty much all of my friends own horses and ride. I guess my friends share the same interests as me. The only person I can think of who has never sat on a horse is my mum! She is terrified of them.

LaWeasel · 04/07/2011 07:09

It really depends where you live.

Of course owning a horse and any official lessons are expensive, but where I used to live there was pretty unique! There are just so many of the damn things, and owned by so many different types of people (very much not just a rich person thing) it would really be very rare that there wasn't a friend who had one when you were a kid and let you had a go, or a parent who works with them and takes you in one day.

MrsKravitz · 04/07/2011 07:13

My DH had a horse and he is from a very working class family. In fact they were dirt poor. I came from a rather priviledged background and have never touched one. My family owned quite a few racehorses but we certainly didnt ride or go near them.

thumbwitch · 04/07/2011 07:20

I had riding lessons every fortnight from the age of 7 to 15 in SW London. It wasn't that expensive where I went, although it would be now, I suspect.
DH has been on a horse; and DS has been on horses at fairs and country shows.

TrilllianAstra · 04/07/2011 08:48

I don't think anyone has agreed that having ridden a horse is surprising.

But we have had a split between "not many people ride horses, but it's still not a big deal" and "everyone I know rides horses so of course she has ridden one".

Maybe there are horse-riding ghettoes where the 7% live, and everyone else lives outside of these areas? And maybe horsey people ae more drawn to this thread.

Do we know if there is a gender split? I feel that more women than men will have ridden horses.

Jajas · 04/07/2011 09:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Muckyhighchair · 04/07/2011 09:29

In my house its

Love me, love my horse!

Everyone i know rides or had horses, mums had horses etc. But then again i do live in middle of no where

CalamityKate · 04/07/2011 09:31

I'd have thought that most people have at least sat on one; even just for a pony ride at a fair or something as a child.

When I first met DP I gave him a lesson - he'd never sat on one before but I was a riding instructor at the time and he was trying to impress me by having a go. I've seen plenty of beginners in my time but never - before or since - have I seen anyone who looked LESS as if they belonged on a horse than my DP. He was on the quietest horse in the yard, plodding round in circles on the lunge, yet his knuckles were white, gripping onto the front of the saddle for dear life, hunched over so far in a foetal position that his nose was practically touching the horse's mane. I think the only reason he wasn't gibbering in terror was that his gritted teeth prevented any sound escaping. I always regret not taking any pictures Grin

ada07 · 04/07/2011 09:41

Does sitting on a stationary horse before it bolted and threw me off count as riding a horse?

I think not myself.

MamaChoo · 04/07/2011 09:49

Reastie, did he mean she'd ridden a zebra? That would be quite amazing. Sometimes people get them confused.

curlybuns · 04/07/2011 09:50

I grew up in central London on a council estate (and I still live on one). I had my first horse-riding lesson this year (a Groupon offer!). I took my DS for a lesson too, but I expect that most of his classmates won't ever have been on a horse. Most families here would struggle to pay for just a one-off lesson, plus many of them rarely travel outside the area for leisure activities (we live about 40 mins from the Science Museum but when I helped out on a school trip there, none of the other children in the class had ever been, even though it's free and it's free for children to travel).

Swipe left for the next trending thread