Should you OWN a horse?

This is a great thread

SpeedRacer, you read my mind!!! Isn't EVERYTHING always the horse's fault?

I also now ignore most threads that would fall under this category. I end up getting pissed off and the OPs never want any real advice anyway... I quickly learn which threads I don't want to read by looking at the usernames!

I agree with your thoughts in this thread in many ways. I get so mad sometimes when I read threads I just want to post something obnoxious. I've actually screamed at the computer before "You stupid selfish dumb dumb dumb girl!" And then I've typed something like "remember the conscientious ettiquette policy" instead. Not quite as self indulgent.

Our riding instructor has this policy for kids who want a horse. She wants them to lease from her first, AFTER they are old enough to work off part of the lease so they have to earn it. She has chores around the farm that the kids can do to help pay for their lease, and they have to learn about all the responsibilities involved in owning a horse. Then she really encourages the parents to be taking lessons or helping out also so they also know the needs of horses. She feels very strongly about not buying a horse for a kid until the kid can help take care of it (both with a time commitment and financial help).

Even for her adult students who want to buy a horse, she asks them to do a 2 week barn duty to see just how much barn cleaning is involved, not to mention everything else.

Granted, all of this is for people who want a new horse, and don't already own one. She's also shares her ledger for one horse as far as bills go. That's a scary experience! It's a tally of a years worth of expenses, minus hay which they grow and harvest themselves. It includes her lessons on the horse, vet, farrier, and vaccines, blankets, supplements, grain, etc. She just hands you a copy and lets you look at it.

I love that she has my daughter convinced that she has to wait a few more years because she has to be able to help out financially and with her time. She knows we will get a horse, but we're in no rush.

Yes, yes it is. Can't possibly be because they're neglectful, ignorant owners, now can it? You're a meanie doodie head for even suggesting that they're not the bestest owner evah!

You and me both, sister. Why should I get a pounding migraine and raise my blood pressure for someone who obviously doesn't give a rat's patootie for their horse, other than how it's affecting them.

I do believe this thread is turning out to be quite therapeutic for some of us!!!

Somebody please PM dantexeventer with a link to this thread.

In a classic one-of-these-threads; she just posted that people posted for critiques, opinions or advice should just put on their big girl panties and deal.

I'm getting a horse!!

I think she needs this thread,

Now THAT is terrible.

Ditto. If your horse cut himself on a nail, it's obviously the owners fault for having a nail within reach of the horse! And when you give some people advice, they start playing with your sympathy with the whole "vet's too expencive....my favorite horse please please help me....she's dying what do I do??" *headdesk*:roll:

Ughhh with the thread of "Im getting a horse!!!" post #38 is REALLY irking me:

"don't worry about having a 3 year old because they're too jumpy and whatnot. When I bought trigger, he was 2 and a half. Everybody and their mother told me not to. We're buddies now, but it took a lot of work and a lot of help from a trainer."

I tend to post in far less threads than I used to for this very reason. If I get involved, I get heated, and it is very hard to stay impartial once i've started. So many times recently I've got half a response typed up and then I just delete and exit.

Maybe i'm mellowing :]

There are 5 or 6 threads active at the moment that are making my blood pressure rise.

Surely people are smart enough to realise that 20 odd people saying the same thing has to mean the idea has some merit? Or is that too much to ask?

I'm one of those who started out with the bare basics of knowledge - I took lessons for 5 years and was a junior staff for 2, but really, having non-horsey parents, we were very unprepared for horse ownership. The first time we tried to load my pony on a float it took three hours and I was in tears. Actually, I was in tears most rides. I was riding an 11h pony in a saddle sized for a 15h stock horse. But the key is that we LEARNT. We went to pony club and soaked everything in like a sponge. We went to competitions and listened to everything. We sorted the good information from the bad, and now, we are ok. That pony survived our inexperience and went on to have a foal who was a royal show champion. We have since gone on to produce a few quiet, sane and happy horses who are all in good homes.

There is no limit to what you can achieve with the right attitude - It's a shame that the right attitude is so rare.