Do any of you have horses and NOT ride?

[Sarahlou63]

Just wondering...

We have 6 horses - all bar one (arthritic hocks) are rideable and sane/sensible/well mannered but I just...don't want to ride. I was never very confident (or competent!) and the thought of either riding in the school or hacking out on the same tracks I've ridden a bazillion times leaves me cold. No box or trailer so no option to explore far flung areas. I love the horses and love the work I do with them and they certainly love mooching around not being ridden (!) but I sometimes feel a bit of a fraud and that I should be riding.

Hmmm.

I don’t think horses stand there thinking ‘I wish I could be ridden’.

However you derive your enjoyment from them, whether that is from hacking, competing, working in hand, or simply caring for them is totally up to you. Do things that make you happy. Life’s too short!

I ride mine a bit but as I've got older, I've become increasingly soft and think, why should this animal have to cart me around! That said, one of mine is incredibly talented and I feel like a top rider when I'm on her (I'm the furthest thing!), so I do drag her out for a toot round every now n then! Just do what gives you joy and don't feel pressured into riding them if you don't want to. They don't give a stuff!

What work do you do with them?

That's pure curiosity. Sounds like you and they are very contented, so wondering what it looks like day to day I suppose.

Yes I am exactly the same. Had my pony many years and since being an adult ride very infrequently and now maybe a few times a year. I've never been that confident a rider and my pony has a number of 'quirks' (napping, spooking etc) that make riding more stressful than it needs to be. I feel less guilty now she's getting on but I really enjoy generally looking after her, grooming and a bit of lunging etc. She's more like a pet than a purpose but we both seem happy with it!

Very rarely unfortunately as I keep 2 of them in rented fields together and the pathetic gelding now has separation issues so unless someone can ride one of them with me, I cant get either of them out. Frustrates the hell out of me!

Meanwhile they are as happy as pigs in muck mooching round their fields together and being semi-feral.

@user18463585026 - I coach people in communication skills, team building, leadership and self confidence with the horses. They love interacting with people and it can be quite emotional at time.

Ooh, that sounds great. You're doing something meaningful and fulfilling, I don't think you need to feel like a fraud for that! Especially if it means more people, who perhaps can't or wouldn't want to ride, can experience or benefit from experiencing a connection with horses.

If they are happy not doing any work. I have a pony that was always a companion and has never been broken in and an old horse who is retired. Both are very happy eating grass and pooping all day long. Then again I have had a young horse who had to be retired due to a career ending health problem and he just could not settle - he had to be PTS after months of endangering everyone.

Do whatever makes you happy. I never rode my last horse I had for 5 years. They can be just as rewarding on the ground

@Sarahlou63 Are you near Chichester? I think we might have met

@LizziesTwin - not really; Portugal!!!

Yes - I'm another. I have 2 elderly ponies from when my children were doing PC etc. They are happy, I enjoy faffing with them, but I won't have any more horses when they are gone (could see me into my dotage though)

When I say elderly - they are 19 and 22 and in rude good health and could be ridden. I do lunge them/in hand work and a bit of pony agility training. Keeps them supple and sweet, but I don't feel like riding now and the kids are elsewhere now, and too long legged anyway.

Love this thread. I rode a lot as a youth but have since realised I like hanging out with horses more than I like sitting on them. I have a friend who kept a tough little pony and used to load it up with a picnic and go wandering the York moors with it and her kids. Lovely, and no riding involved.

Answering the question but in quite a different way. I love horses but I have never ridden, my parents were not horsey & could never have afforded to get me near a horse. As a young adult & then a working mum I was always cash-strapped and we live close to the CBD of a large city so it was impractical. When my DD showed interest I was happy to indulge her & it the horse thing has snowballed and become a bit all-consuming, she is now 15 & events. I'm now doing fairly well career-wise, when my daughter's coach (a 5* eventer) & his wife approached me about buying a share in a talented young horse which he will compete I decided to get on board. So at the age of 49 I finally own (half) a horse & I love it! For me it's great fun being part of the journey.

I got bought a wild dartmoor pony off the meat man when I was 5...... I lost him 2 weeks ago, I'm 33. In that entire period I probably rode him 20 times. I loved him to the ends of the earth, to the point he was a family member but when I was a kid he was too much of a piss taking numpty and as I got older I was too big for him!!

I currently have 5 horses........ I haven't ridden since 2015. I haven't ridden regularly since before then.

My horses are rescues, I am capable of riding and backing them but so far the stars aren't aligning!!! Luckily I love horse, full stop, and not just the riding part!

I took on a young Clydesdale cross (she's my soul mate) I rehabbed her to the point of "ready to be backed in the summer" and then found out I was pregnant..... I was meant to be infertile, hence all the horses.

I then rescued 3 foals 1 year after the Clyde and before being pregnant (they're siblings, hence there being 3 and there's quite a back story!) they're old enough to be backed now........ Except one is an obese midget and far too small for my 5'9 big boned frame, 2 is just no where near mentally ready and 3 has still not forgiven me for having my daughter (who is now 2.5.....and has cost me £1k in vets bills for me to finally work out that her probkem was me and the Clyde cross! She lives with my mum now)

Prior to this I rescued a belgian draft, rehabbed her, sat on her once before discovering she was epilieptic.

My luck is odd with horses but I love them dearly anyway!! Luckily, I rent cheap land (partially due to the three "foals") so all the ornaments don't bother me too much..... There's also a warm blood who's had 20 homes, been v badly treated and won't ever be ridden in the mix and a beautiful cob who was part of a major rescue in 2013 that's been so badly treated he won't let people touch him.... Had him 6 years now and he loves people so long as they keep their distance! Hell follow you to the neds of the earth so long as social distancing is maintained lol.

ItsMischerWavy

In my eyes, you are absolute hero, you story is fabulous, all those happy horses.

You'd think wouldn't you.... The reality is that the Clyde gets the hump if I so much as look at the 2 "babies" (who are now 5) first and refuses to talk to me for about a week. I get the same treatment if it rains.

The midget baby is a rotund knob head and his brother is a super, super pony..... But only for me, if the wind is blowing exactly South westerly at 12.6mph 😂