Anyone out there own a horse???

[Deleted User]

sophiesmum!! I was 37 when I had my first lesson ever. I have had 20 of the most wonderful, healthy years with horses since then. It isn`t just your daughter who will benefit. Fresh air, new friends, messing around in scruffy jeans. Fantastic hobby. Just make sure that you get the right honest horse

sophiesmum_2

Jay-Jay wrote:

So she'll have nice long legs and an adult body size. She shouldn't look out of place on something around 15.2hh but could get away with 15-16hh.

Have you had a look on the noticeboard in Robinsons? (that's not too far for you?) I'll have a look in my tackshop and feed merchants this week and see if there's anything local.

We went to Robinsons on Sunday to have a quick look at the boards and price up a little of the tack etc.DD's idea of fashion is anything from upstairs at Robinsons:D so we go there quite regularly.
She was drooling over one of the horses on there. We will probably have a look there again once we decide what we are doing, but there were one or two that looked interesting. One had been re advertised though so that made me a bit wary about why.

Think I am actually talking myself into taking up riding after reading everyones comments. There is hope yet......:rotfl:

Thanks
sophiesmum

Eels100

As soon as I saw this thread I immediately thought DON'T INSURE WITH E&L!, but I see some other kind souls have already made the same point. You will be sorry, that's a given!

I don't have anything to add to the already excellent advice except that I agree - loan or at least trial would be best to start with. I was very lucky to have had a great pony when I was 13, but she went lame a week after I got her and that was the end of that. Finding somewhere to home a lame old nag who was very much loved (when I got to 18 and had to go to Uni and my family didn't have the time or cash to keep her) was a nightmare, and I think if we'd started out on a trial or loan basis we'd have been a lot wiser and it would never have happened.

If you do buy I'd strongly recommend, particularly if your daughter is quite a competent rider who is likely to want to eg compete, that you have a full five-stage vetting done and insist that the owner allows the vet to take a blood sample as part of this examination. An awful lot of horses are sold as sound when in fact they've got underlying lameness masked by painkillers.

Have fun - I miss riding terribly but I just don't have the time these days ...

dumpy

I'm 5'7 /5'8 and I ride 14.2 don't dimiss the small ones they can be loads of fun (and easy to get on and off!) She's quite stocky so I don't big on her at all.

Get someone you trust who knows they are about to go with you. Also someone who knows you and what you are capable of. I was saved from a bad decision by my riding instructor and bought the second one she came to see which was much better.

Finally

My OH took up riding at 57 years, so you are a mere youngster!

houseboatdream

Lots of excellent advice here for OP and none that I can really dispute. Agree - avoid E&L at all costs!

Never under estimate the costs of owning a horse, or the emotional attachment. I have owned horses on and off (more on than off!) since i was 16 and I'm 42 now. My dear old mare has just gone to live at a fantastic retirement home in Devon. She is 31 now and I have had her since she was 12. It costs me £108 per month, but I would never begrudge her a penny of it. Sadly its over 500 miles away so i won't be able to visit very often but I know that she is being very well cared for and get regular updates and photos.

DD has now got a horse of her own, we persuaded her wait until she was 17 though and had a part time job which covered the costs. She does everything herself. By the way, don't think that the horse will be an alternative to a BF. DD always seems to be going out with some lad who has a car and is happy to chaffeur her about, fetch and carry feed, water and do the mucking out! Even if they are not remotely horsey, she trains them!!

To finish on a negative note - my father always used to say: "Why buy a horse, just go into the garden, dig a large hole and shovel money into it"....he never did get it, bless him.

MissMoneypenny

One thing I did notice was that the girls who had ponies bought for them, spent a lot of time in the haystack with the boys.:D Those who didn't own their own pony, spent hours looking after the riding school/livery ponies/yard, just to ride the ponies back to the fields in the evening or if really lucky, get a free horse riding lesson.

MissMoneypenny

Dazzieboo wrote:

and when he spooked and sat on a car, I was relieved I had insurance, but wasn't so relieved when the case went to court as E & L refused to pay, all because in the small print it said in the event of an accident with a car and the driver was found to be in breach of the highway code, they would not pay anything out. The driver was in breach, because although the car was not moving, she failed to turn the engine off.

Where does it say in the highway code that a car engine has to be turned off?

"191: Horse riders. Be particularly careful of horses and riders, especially when overtaking. Always pass wide and slow. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse rider. Look out for horse riders' signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Treat all horses as a potential hazard and take great care."
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/20.htm

Sounds like your ex insurance company were trying it on?

Its interesting to read the highway code for horse riders too, such as "never ride a horse without a saddle". I rarely rode with a saddle or hat, unless I was at show or event.
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/02.htm

Dazzieboo

MissMoneypenny wrote:

Where does it say in the highway code that a car engine has to be turned off?

"191: Horse riders. Be particularly careful of horses and riders, especially when overtaking. Always pass wide and slow. Horse riders are often children, so take extra care and remember riders may ride in double file when escorting a young or inexperienced horse rider. Look out for horse riders' signals and heed a request to slow down or stop. Treat all horses as a potential hazard and take great care."
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/20.htm

Sounds like your ex insurance company were trying it on?

Its interesting to read the highway code for horse riders too, such as "never ride a horse without a saddle". I rarely rode with a saddle or hat, unless I was at show or event.
http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/02.htm

This was in 1995 and E & L provided a document from the highway code saying along the lines of " a driver must take extra care when passing animals on the road, if an animal appears ditressed the driver should turn the engine off" I can't remember the exact words, but it was enough for the court to award the case to E & L and leave the car driver well out of pocket and having to lose her own no claims.

What made matters so much worse, was when the accident first happened and the driver phoned me up (a friend was on my horse, not me), I told her I had insurance and gave her the details, the driver asked if he had ever spooked like that before and I said he hadn't but his Mother had at exactly the same spot, she then phoned E & L and asked if my cover would allow her to hire a courtesy car and they said yes. So going by this phone call alone she hired a car for what ended up being 4 months.

I was awarded costs for "trauma", I didn't want these costs as I felt so sorry for the driver, she had done everything a caring considerate driver would have done, but the judge said as I was 9 months pregnant, I must have suffered some sort of stress and awarded me £500 out of her court costs. I think in the end it all cost her £9000, she tried a private prosecution against me which failed.

I would hate the thought of anyone wether they are the injured party or not having to go through this hell with this company, the judge actually said to me afterwards, he suggested I insured with another company in future.

vics_1982

Hi There,
Only just seen this thread,
I to am a horse owner(throughbred 16hh rising 9) in suffolk, my costs are as follows, i have him on diy livery at a farm:

Rent £85 per month include light and grazing
Hay £2.50 per bale (big bales from the farmer)
Barley Straw £1.20 big bales(we dont use as he eats it and then has colic but also from farmer
Feed & Suppliments £20.00 per month
Shavings £5.60 per bales (Seven bales to make up bed, 1/2 every week)
Insurance £30.00 (NFU-they are great!!!!)
Rugs £100-200 for ootdoor heavyweight winter rug (i like fal)
£50-150 for outdoor middleweight winter rug (Fal)
£30-60 for summer sheets (we don't use them but have incase of flies)
£50-100 stable rug heavy winter
£30-60 lightweight stable rug.
Vaccinations £50-60 per year
(i have a rug fettish and this caused part of my debt he he)
Luckily my partner is a farrier so i do not have to pay for shoes but they are £50ish every 4-6 weeks a set, or trims £15ish etc.

I agree with others that your daughter should loan first, My parents made me wait till i was 19 to get a horse after asking for one since i was 5(bless them)
I am pleased they did as i would probarbly neglected him when i discovered boys.
We also had a really bad time in the first year of owning ours, he took a great liking to his barley straw bed and gave himself impacted colic for which he was eventually refered to rossdales (they are the god's) for treatment over xmas week.
Also be careful with chosing vets, i will not name our old vet but suffice to say they came out for four days(2 different vets a day - total 8 different vets) to chuck liquid parrafin down his neck and for him to not improve, i then head to row with the head gov'ner of the vets to get him refered) When he got to rosedales they told me he was so poorly that had we left it a most 48hrs we would have lost him) (case continues for neglegence)

Got to go back to work now so shall write more later.

Thanks
Vics

Slapps

omg!!! my son seems to like horses and he's only 2 now but ty all for putting me right off getting a horse for him when or if he ever asks lol