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One horse kinda girl!

8K views 58 replies 37 participants last post by  kissmybarrelbutt 
#1 ·
I always hear people saying how they have four horses and they are the only one that rides them? Or someone posts "GOT A NEW HORSE" a month after they posted about their OTHER horse don't get me wrong I understand you love horses.......but I have had the same little 21 year old American paint for about 5 years now and she acts like she's 4 lol I wouldn't trade her for the world! I am constantly training her and teaching her new things to make her the best she can be I don't understand why I would get two other horses and abuse my mares training?
WHY IS ONE JUST NOT ENOUGH?? :-|
 
#2 · (Edited)
Why do you care?

I have 3, and love all of them. Each are different, and have talents the others don't. For example, my ex-racer is my foxhunting and hunter pace mount. My Arabian gelding is my trail horse. The old guy is retired, and is my Pasture Maintenance Supervisor.

I'm not sure why you think having and riding more than 1 horse is 'abusing their training'. Each have something to give, and as long as all are loved and cared for properly, it shouldn't matter how many horses someone else has.
 
#3 ·
Well I personally have no horses, but there's several reasons I can think of.
A person's different horses may be used for different things. For example if someone rides rides huntseat and western, they may have a different horse for each.
Or if someone has outgrown an old pony/moved past their horse's level, they may get a new one but not want to give up their old horse.
Some people might have a show horse and a project horse they are training.

I'm sure some people who are actually in this situation will have better answers.
 
#5 ·
I have 10 horses, and we raised several of them. I wouldn't trade many of them for the world. All of them get used, and personally, 5 of them are mine. 2 yearlings, a 4 year old, a 6 year old and an 11 year old.

They all get worked and used as much as possible (except the yearlings... but they get irritated..aka: groundwork) training is never done with any of them, here's always more to do.

I don't see whats wrong with liking to work with many horses? I have the 5 at home, and I get to work with 15 or more at work. It's what I like. I like learning about different horses and how to work with them and their problems and what not. It's how I'd like to spend much of my life (if everything works out....)
 
#6 ·
What Fringe and Speed Racer said. Plus, if you have your horses at home, it's almost a necessity to have more than one. Horses are herd animals and need companionship.

It's great that you have one horse that you can love and devote all your attention to. However, there's nothing wrong with having multiple horses, and no reason one horse's training should have to suffer just because you have another one to ride too.
 
#7 ·
for me, I have a saddle horse I ride because I love trails and riding in general,

a baby for a project, because I adore young horses and find nothing more satisfying that doing all the work on a baby your self and eventually either starting it under saddle or finding it a great home as a well mannered project. It also gives me something to do in the barn when the weather is bad.

and I currently have Romeo. I didn't need him, but he needed me, and I could not say no. If he hadn't come home with me that day he would be in a can by this point.

So do I NEED more than one? no. But I like to, and I have the time and funds to appropriately support the number I have.
 
#28 ·
Plus, riding different horses hones your skill sets.

When I only had 1 horse I thought I was a pretty darned good rider. Turns out, I really just had an amazing horse who put up with my crap! :-p

It's good to be able to ride more than 1 horse. :wink:
Absolutely! Good for you as a rider and good for the horse that we are exposed to more and know more.

A friend is borrowing one of my horses for sorting this week as hers has an abscess. She came to try him on Saturday and was so over the top thrilled at how 'light and responsive' he is to ride. After she left another friend commented - "no offense but if she thinks he is light, her horse must be a real cow."

So I guess it's a good thing I have more than one or my friend would be SOL for league.
 
#9 ·
Horses are herd animals and need to be with other horses.
My parents started me off when one horse, and they couldn't fathom why I wanted more. But, I now have 4 and they realize how important it was to have more than one horse.

First horse Dream had a baby, so that brought my number up. Dream was an amazing western pleasure horse, but I needed a new drill horse. She wasn't fast enough, and had issues with kicking at other horses. Mango had passed away at the early age of 21, and I couldn't quit drill and Sassy was only 1..

So, along came Rosie. Rosie is 21 now also, but she does Foundation(ranch type) shows with me. She can still do drill, but I had to quit this year for college:'(

Rosie helped me win Dusty in a contest. Dusty is going to be my show horse through college and beyond, either reining, cutting or sorting (currently in training).

Rosie is slowing down a tad but still kicks butt at shows. She still has many years of service available, but when the time comes for her to retire, Dusty will be there as my Foundy show horse. I could never sell Rosie as I have personal morals against selling senior horses, and she has been my partner for the past 4? years. She'll be with me till her last day:)

Sassy is an illegitimate child, unknown to the REAL owners of the stud we bred to, so there is never any chance of getting papers out of her. I refuse to sell her, because I know it wouldn't take long before somebody would give her a first class ticket to the kill pens. She has an attitude a mile wide and a personality to match her name. Given, yes, she is an amazing horse, but she has a serious "I'm the best, your so stupid, I'll do whatever I want" problem XD

There are many reasons for having more than 1 horse. I don't ride Dream very much any more, and it breaks my heart to have grown from her, but she needs a new home where she will be used and shown.:'(
 
#10 ·
i'll have to stay out of this one, we have over 4 dozen. ALL get ridden more than once a week (except the seniors, about once a week). they work. they work the ranch. when we work cows, there will be ten plus of us out there and we work on one horse all morning then after dinner switch to another horse, so thats twenty plus in one day. if its hard work we rest them in between days. when we have over 1000 head it can take over a week to finish working them. then we have our "pleasure horses" and i have barrel horses. i certainly dont cut and work cattle with my barrel horses or pleasure horses.

THEY ALL HAVE A PURPOSE.
 
#24 ·
i'll have to stay out of this one, we have over 4 dozen.
The first time I read this I didn't process "Oh, she has a lot of horses.", as an owner of 3, all I got was "Ohhh, she buys a LOT of feed."


I've done more "liking" in this thread than I have in a while..Great posts by SR, MM, MHF, and Kait..Love it.

OP, I really, really don't understand how you can say that it's abusing one horse's training when someone owns multiple horses. I own 3 QHs and they are my life, I have a 22 year old retired gelding, and two 12 and 13 year old mares.. Now, up until last year my gelding still would occasionally run barrels. He is an absolute spoiled brat and is a fantastic Supervisor now..I still ride him frequently, bareback and under saddle. He still gets a good bit of ground work and isn't neglected in anyway..If anything his fat butt lives better than a ton of horses out there...When it comes to my girls, I barrel race both of them. Nikki and Lark both bring a VERY different set of cards to the table and have different things to offer. Does that mean I love one more than the other? No..They are equally cared for and not abused in any way whatsoever. They are all ridden multiple times a week and worked as their own "person", not as just a general horse would be. They have their own personalities and it's a huge pleasure to watch all of the gears click into place when working those individual horses and our little goals coming together.

I also think that riding and caring for more than one horse makes you, as an owner/rider, a better and more experienced horse person. Riding just one horse, you get comfortable with that horse and you haven't experienced those different traits of different horses.. I've ridden every Western discipline and dabbled in English..I now barrel race full time but I seriously think that riding and showing all of those different horses and disciplines MADE me the rider I am today. I'm not just stuck with one set of skills, I can play those different cards and skills when riding my different horses..

As for owning multiple horses, like others have said, horses are herd animals. You can't expect one horse to really be happy on it's own. You aren't in it's "herd" at all times and can't replace that herd by being your horse's friend. That animal interaction is still needed between horses..
 
#12 ·
I own one horse, but my boyfriend has two and I ride one of them frequently. Although they're all TWHs, they have their strengths and weaknesses and I like having that variety to work with.
 
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#13 ·
Honestly Mac, I think she believes you can't love or bond with more than one horse at a time, so feels sorry for horses whose owners have more than one. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's like having children; you don't love a second one less, your heart expands to love each one of them in their own right.
 
#19 ·
I think she believes you can't love or bond with more than one horse at a time.
LOL! I have 2 horses + 2 dogs + 3(!) cats. I guess I have to give up some of them...

As for "abusing a training". Wow! Both my mares go to the very good dressage trainer for lessons. I hope to start taking one of them (with jumping potential) to eventing trainer next year. And what I learn during a lesson on one I always transfer on other one. Plus (as already mentioned) both are VERY different in their attitude, smartness, style of riding, gaits, you name it. So riding each gives me different experience and insights on training.
 
#14 ·
Ummmm, abuse their training? Not sure how you came to that conclusion. If you feel that having or riding more than one horse is a bad thing, that's OK...for you. If you're just learning or haven't had horses before, having only one is a GREAT idea! But for others (me included) who've been riding for a looong time, and have ridden more horses than they can count, riding only one horse seems to dull your skills, like if you don't use it you lose it. For a very long time I only owned one, but rode countless others since financially I could only afford one. Each one taught me different skills that I could mix and match with each horse. Now that I have 2 horses, I'm sooo glad I never stuck to just one in the past!

May I ask, at this point with only riding 1 horse, would you feel confident enough in your skills to be able to handle any type of horse?
 
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#17 ·
WHY IS ONE JUST NOT ENOUGH?? :-|
I have 2 horses on my property. I needed a companion for my first mare, and rather than getting a donkey or mini (that I can't even use) I decided to give a home to the other horse in bad situation. I ride both of them. Some people have a retired horse and need a younger one to ride, some want to have extra-mount for guests, etc. Billion of reasons why.
 
#18 ·
I have to say that I find the statement that owning more than one is abusive to training a bit offensive.

Owning more than one is not abusing the training of one to ride another. I have 11 myself. Aside from the 2 that aren't old enough to ride and my mare that is 9 months in foal, they all get worked on a regular basis. My seniors only get me once a week and lesson students for 4-6 hours a week, everyone else gets worked 6 days a week. My youngsters get groundwork 6 days a week, my broodie I just stopped riding a few weeks ago because she is getting big and grumpy. I spend several hours a day riding just my own, plus several hours a day riding for others. I don't think in any way that is abusing their training. I love them all and they each get their fair share of my time.
 
#20 · (Edited)
ouch op... i am very confused by your post to say the least...

i have 4 one retired, one blind and semi retired and 1 go to horse/work in project, and 1 plain project...

its not about who has more horses or how many someone has but what you plan on doing with them... its not abuse in anyway to have more than one, as your last sentence hinted to that... if anything its abuse to keep them isolated and alone with no herd other than its human... but then thats is assuming your horse is not boarded with other horses..

plus if an individual has the funds and the resources to have 1000+ horses just as pasture puffs what does it matter... me you and others are not involved with that one person and cant make judgement on what they feel is good for those horses whether they are being handled or not
 
#21 ·
Rly?

I had one horse for 5 years, and have owned since birth. Due to conformation problems in her legs, she's spent the better half of the last 3 years off due to repetitive tendon sheath injuries. She's my baby and I could never sell her, so she lives in a blissful state of partial retirement and I bought a 2 year old three years ago to be my main riding horse.

"Abuse" the training? That has to be the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. The very idea that a horse is "upset" by not being ridden makes me almost hysterical. Yes, SOME horses prefer a job, but the vast majority of horses are PLENTY happy being allowed to wallow in knee high grass with their friends, and only being brought in for some treats and a brushing.

I had a friend recently ask me if I thought she "neglected" her horse because she's so busy with work and school, she can only ride a couple times a week now. This horse is SO pampered and spoiled, the very idea that you could POSSIBLY "abuse or neglect" a horse just because you don't ride him is absolutely ludicrous.

With all the ACTUALLY abused and neglected horse in this world, I tip my hat to ANY kind soul who fills their pastures with pampered pets who are given absolutely every basic necessity and aren't asked for anything more then a kiss every now and then. I'm pretty sure that's just about any horse's version of equine heaven.
 
#22 ·
Rly?

I had one horse for 5 years, and have owned since birth. Due to conformation problems in her legs, she's spent the better half of the last 3 years off due to repetitive tendon sheath injuries. She's my baby and I could never sell her, so she lives in a blissful state of partial retirement and I bought a 2 year old three years ago to be my main riding horse.

"Abuse" the training? That has to be the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. The very idea that a horse is "upset" by not being ridden makes me almost hysterical. Yes, SOME horses prefer a job, but the vast majority of horses are PLENTY happy being allowed to wallow in knee high grass with their friends, and only being brought in for some treats and a brushing.

I had a friend recently ask me if I thought she "neglected" her horse because she's so busy with work and school, she can only ride a couple times a week now. This horse is SO pampered and spoiled, the very idea that you could POSSIBLY "abuse or neglect" a horse just because you don't ride him is absolutely ludicrous.

With all the ACTUALLY abused and neglected horse in this world, I tip my hat to ANY kind soul who fills their pastures with pampered pets who are given absolutely every basic necessity and aren't asked for anything more then a kiss every now and then. I'm pretty sure that's just about any horse's version of equine heaven.
Thank you.
 
#23 ·
Oh..wow. I may not have any horses but when I do have the funds I know I'll have many. Having one horse does not only make them lonely ( if your horse isn't boarded) but it also does not broaden your horizon. I personally LOVE my stable because they have over 40 lesson horses, plus over 80 boarded horses that I can interact with ( owners permitted) and sometimes even ride. I love my variety and I hope when I'm older I'll have a farm with over 7 horses. That would just be heaven to me, to have a different horse to ride each day, and then more to work with. I think it is not abuse at all, most horses would rather be out in the field with their buddies than inside working. Don't be too judgemental ;).
 
#26 · (Edited)
What are you going to do when she needs to be retired or when she slows down? Are you going to get an additional horse? Sell your mare? Sit out in the pasture until the day she dies, which hopefully will be in 20 more years, but you'll be sitting around wishing you were riding or riding harder.
I've had multiple horses at the same time: slow ones, fast ones, steady ones, flighty ones, drafts, Arabs, QH's, eventing horses, trail horses, etc. Some at different times got ridden more. The others were QUITE content to stuff their faces and bask in the sun while the unfortunate horse had to work. LOL!
And I'll also add backups. Do you do events? What happens if one or the other is doing better or injured? We have a backup trail horse. Seems like there is always a reason to ride one or the other.
Now we only have three, one for each of us. BUT, normally only one or two gets ridden and trained at a time... the other(s) basks in the sun stuffing their face.
They are quite happy and could care less. I'm thankful I can give at least three a good home, might even get another!

Bummer first post. Don't let it discourage you, you'll figure it out.
 
#27 ·
The lady I board with has seven. Part of the reason I board is that I only own one and he would be miserable all alone at my house. I only own one because I haven't found an older, kid-safe, well trained, small horse that I can afford. I'm looking though!

I love where I board, 7 well-trained, fat, happy horses and mine. You know how nice it is to know that when she's on vacation and I take care of everyone that nobody is going to kick, bite, pin their ears or otherwise misbehave? The worst that might happen is my toes get smooshed while everyone's mugging me for cookies. Obviously having a horse for every day of the week hasn't prevented her from having absolutely wonderful horses that I adore.

I have two kids, love both of them equally as much and somehow I find the time to be with each of them individually, do schoolwork with each one and so on...
 
#29 ·
I have more to add.

In riding and handling all of my horses, I've learned how to adapt to the different ways each horse rides. I think the mentality it takes to be able to adapt quickly to different horses will not only prove benficial in the equine world, but everywhere else too.
 
#30 ·
This! Riding only Zierra for a few years was the worst thing that ever happened to my riding. She can be a bit flinchy and jiggy, but she has virtually no buck, bolt, rear or spook in her. I got WAY too comfortable, and then riding Jynx she's dumped me 3 times in the last year for REALLY stupid reasons. My gelding growing up was a brat and always kept me on my toes and I was always riding other peoples horses so I had a velcro butt. It definitely hurt my velcro butt to ride only one horse for a few years!
 
#32 · (Edited)
Think of it this way: With the huge overpopulation of horses in the world, those of us who take care of multiple horses provide great homes for them. My seven horses are seven more horses in good homes.

It sounds like you're jealous of those who have a multitude of horses available to ride, but what you have to understand is that people work their entire lives to be able to afford the luxury of horses. I'm very fortunate to have my two personal riding horses, and riding a variety of horses has given me great experience. It's not a crime to work to afford something you want.
 
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