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Daffy Dilly

Daffy Dilly

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Dec 5, 2004
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Following from the below quote I took from another thread (didn't want to go off tangent)..

puzzles said:
I suppose it depends on how you perceive them: if you've grown up with horses and have a family who rides, then buying and caring for a horse in adulthood should be no problem at all.
If, however, you're like me and have a non-horsey family with very ltitle finances and understanding, then it can be very difficult.
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I'd like other peoples views on that. I think I, to an extent, disagree. I agree that if brought up as a horsey person, you should have the knowledge and I would hope ability, and I think that in a lot of cases thats true. I also think that it can be difficult coming from a non-horsey background.

But, in my experience over the years, the people that seem to stick with it, are those from the none horsey backgrounds that have worked hard to learn all about it and pay for it. Out of the girls I used to ride with, I think 4 or 5 of them, there were about 7 of us (lost contact with a couple) lost interest a bit, or completely. I think all bar two had had ponies from the offset/horsey parents.

I don't know if this is the case elsewhere, but I thought it was quite interesting, and I've no idea why that seems to be the norm around me.
 
I think if you are from a horsey background then yes you can take horses for granted and loose interest in it later in life. Perhaps if you had pushy horsey parents then you may not want horses at all later in life. Conversely, if you have come from a non-horsey family and worked hard for the knowledge and skills that you have (horsey wise) then you are more likely to value the horses and cherish your own when you can finally have one. :)
 
I see this from 2 angles. My parents didn't have horses and couldn't afford the time or money to have a horse. I finally bought my first one at the grand age of 33 last Christmas so my daughter won't know any different.

I think that those bought up with horses don't necessarilly see it as anything special because it has always been in their life. My 5 year old certainly doesn't think that having a horse in the family is anything to write home about, she sees it as the norm.

I haven't stuck her on board for a ride everytime she goes down the yard. She asks for a sit on and that's fine if she has been helping out. She knows what goes into Joy's feed and the other pony we feed at the same time and will knock those up for me. She will do the water, help poo pick etc but obviously has limited concentration.

She is already learning the body language she needs to use to move my Welsh D about, she knows what is normal behaviour for Joy and when Joy is a bit quiet or a bit hectic and to be avoided. She's the same with our cats and chickens.

The trap I have always wanted to avoid falling into is forcing her to spend loads of time down the yard whilst on school holidays. This is my hobby not hers. I don't want to have an expectation of her being into horses as I was. She is more into cars and motorbikes and to stiffle her interests for the sake of mine is unfair.

If she did decide to get a horse when she is an adult then she will know how much time and money it actually requires and wont be daunted by it.

I was pretty scared about being overwhelmed and made sure that I had done my homework. I know more about horse care and diseases than I do about the human variety!

It is more about the indivual having an open mind alert to potential problems although a base knowledge would be required.
 
Daffy Dilly said:
Following from the below quote I took from another thread (didn't want to go off tangent)..



I'd like other peoples views on that. I think I, to an extent, disagree. I agree that if brought up as a horsey person, you should have the knowledge and I would hope ability, and I think that in a lot of cases thats true. I also think that it can be difficult coming from a non-horsey background.

But, in my experience over the years, the people that seem to stick with it, are those from the none horsey backgrounds that have worked hard to learn all about it and pay for it. Out of the girls I used to ride with, I think 4 or 5 of them, there were about 7 of us (lost contact with a couple) lost interest a bit, or completely. I think all bar two had had ponies from the offset/horsey parents.

I don't know if this is the case elsewhere, but I thought it was quite interesting, and I've no idea why that seems to be the norm around me.
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I agree totally! But I think that people who have not grown up with horses - even with the same amount of knowledge, more even - may have a different view to how 'easy' horses are to look after as they have so many battles to fight through to even get to that point: the horse may even be the easy bit, compared to convincing family and explaining constantly why you don't the time to see them as much, as well as the cost and who's paying for it, etc.
People who are well used to and have grown up around horses have the insurance of a family who is like them and understands, can help (practically, mentally and financially).
I am a teenager with a non-horsey family and very little finances (i have two jobs to pay for my own lessons and going to events, etc, and i help someone with her own horses most days).

I, however, would prefer this to growing up with horses as i definitely don;t think i'd have the drive, ambition - this has built me as person - and my family has had to accept that i love horses more than anything else (except for them of course, but only just!) in the whole wide world. I means i appreciate money and what i can and do do, with horses.
Which is why i'm not sure i would buy my own child a pony of his/her own, because i want them to earn it, if you see what i mean?

I have also found that - annoyingly - when having conversations with owners about horses, I have found that some of them don't seem to know as much as some non-horse owners do, funnily enough; especially those who have grown up with horses and those my age who own them, as though they feel that since they have tjeir own horse now, they're already superior (THIS DOESN'T GO FOR ALL HORSE OWNERS OF COURSE, ONLY THE SELECTED FEW THAT I KNOW!!)

Being so frustratingly restricted only fuels the desire for more, more, more in my case!!

:)

xx
 
umm, not sure. i'm from a completely non-horsey background and had to earn money for my own lessons. i started riding at 8yrs with lessons as birthday presents etc. i think if i had had horsey parents i would have reached a better standard quicker. i also believe that if i had of had horsey parents i would have been more successful and confident in my riding as i wouldn't have had to ride just 'any' horse (mainly ones no-one wanted to ride for a reason!) in order to continue my hobby. i regret not having had the opportunity to have competed etc especially as now a adult i feel a little 'left behind' in these issues.

However, i am horsey and i'm not sure my four children would say its any better lol. my 8yr old rides when she wants to but we still don't have a pony she can control off lead rein although she will probably have one within the next year/two. My 5yr old has no interest really in horses which is fine but i do feel a bit guilty that a lot of our (as a family) time and money is wrapped up in the horses. my 2yr old rides occasionally and my 1yr old sits on a pony occasionally but i doubt either of them would say they are going to appreciate the hour sit in the buggy each day when i have to poo pick during the day because it will be too dark to do it at night.

it will be nice if they all continue riding but wether they do or not i'm not sure although from whatever background i think its great if you can teach children how to ride wether they carry it on or not.
 
I came from a non horsey background! I am the only person in my family who rides other than my sister who very occasionally gets on! I learned everything I know from helping out at a local riding school for my teenage years learned everything from grooming to tacking up to all aspects of riding before I moved onto getting my own horse!
 
my mum is horsey, hence me having a pony from a young age.

my children have had their pony from being babies, if they want to carry on riding then ponies will be bought for them, if not fair enough:)
 
It annoys the hell out of me that, merely having started riding at the age of 11, with non-horsey parents and low finances, I can't really get very far in the sport whereas every weekend (at one of my jobs) i watch teenagers around my age - and, excruciatingly, people younger than me - jumping 4 foot-plus courses, most of them treating their ponies like s*it, whereas i can never do that. it p****s the hell out of me. I know competign isn't everything - far from it - but it's very irritating to know that i don't even have that option nor the opportunities that these youngsters do, and I think most people would agree that starting riding as a child is the best/most useful time, being very receptive and influential, fit and carefree etc. Then many of them literally tear round, whipping their ponies at refusals, etc, growling at them constantly and kicking with their spurs (which i don't really agree with as i think young people should learn to use their legs properly rather than resort so quickly to spurs) - seemingly taking it for granted.

My mum is very supportive though - as much as she can be - and even though she's scared of horses and is a worrier, she wants me to do well in it. :)

God i sound bitter! :-/

xxx
 
i think its harder to make it to the top levels without coming from a horsie background.

in the majority of cases non-horsie parents don't understand the costs involved with horses and the commitments, so that makes it a lot harder, you will have to fund much if not all of the costs by yourself!

I have paid for everything concerning my horses, this has made it harder for me, but made me appreciate everything more. if I'd had everything from the start, it may well have been a different story!
 
sj2007 said:
i think its harder to make it to the top levels without coming from a horsie background.

in the majority of cases non-horsie parents don't understand the costs involved with horses and the commitments, so that makes it a lot harder, you will have to fund much if not all of the costs by yourself!

I have paid for everything concerning my horses, this has made it harder for me, but made me appreciate everything more. if I'd had everything from the start, it may well have been a different story!
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Ditto.
Plus the minor drawback that I don't have a horse to compete on :rolleyes: although i know you don't have to have your own horse to do that, it's quite difficult.
 
I have been around horses from the age of 3. My parents were not horsey and despite owning land declined to buy me a pony. Maybe that was a good thing. Our neighbour and Mum of my best friend owned a riding school and let me ride her horses and let me spend all my weekends at the yard. I also spent summer holidays working at a trekking centre.

Result is that at 27 when I finally got my own horse I had knowledge and experience both of stable care and riding...

Unlike my friend whose mother owned the stables I still have horses- she gave up bored.
 
Gypsy-666 said:
i have a completly non horse family i saved and bought my first pony at 20, liturally, because i missed out as a kid i bought a 12.3hh!
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lol this made me laugh as i too didn't buy a pony til i was 19 and that was a 12.2hh 3yr old new forest x welsh. lol. the pony i ride now is only 13.2hh. maybe when my dad asks when i'm going to get a proper horse i could reply its his fault i only chose a 13.2 lol
 
none of my family have ever been horsey,but at 12/18 months old i screamed for any horses in the fields and screamed and screamed to ride them ,so my nana had to bribe/blackmale the stables to get them to walk me around the stable block just to shut me up!!!!!!! that was 31yrs ago!!!!! due to my farthe being in the army owning was out of the question as we lived abroad most of the time,ive either sponsored/loaned a pony from the army pony club, out in germany,or i loaned arab stallions,when we lived out in kuwait,i actually owned my first pony at 12yrs old,when we came back to england, theres been a horse/pony in my life ever since,i feel very lucky to have had my pony/horses as we were not wealthy,just comfortable,i now own nelly and he means the world to me (some of you know why!!) along with my hubby and my 4 children.:D:D
 
I come from a non-horsey background, I did get riding lessons from being 4 but when i got older i had to pay for them myself. My parents bought me a pony when i was 14 after i had been helping out some friends on a regular basis so had gained a lot of experience but even though they helped me out a lot with him they didn't have a clue about the riding aspect and left me to it. They also had no desire to become pony club parents so didn't push me to do PC activities, although i did go to camp and they did help out with the organisation of it, they also would never buy me a trailer so i didn't get to compete other than shows i could hack to or if i could get a ride somewhere.

Sometimes i do wish I had come from a horsey background and could have had the opportunities to do high level competition, but on the other hand I am very grateful that my parents let me have the opportunity of owning a pony at all.

As for my kids, they are now 5 and 3 and are interested in ponies but are not currently having lessons. I wouldn't buy them a pony unless they were begging for one as other wise i can see them taking for granted. I would like to get my own horse again in a couple of years and will take the kids down to the yard with me to do jobs such as mucking out etc. and if they want to get more into riding then i will encourage them but never force it upon them
 
I started riding in July 1960 when I was 9 years old. It was a smallish stables in West Norwood, London. Everyone was very snobby, rude and totally 'up themselves'! Staff used to take the **** if a person was nervous.
 
I agree, I dont think you can get to the top levels in horse sports unless you come from a horsy family/background. You need the support from peeps that have the knowledge and experience of the relevant horse sports.
 
StormArion said:
I think you have to judge each person individually. It's not fair to lump them together and say that one group will be more knowledgeable then the other.
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I think this is right, StormArion; people are all different. I came from a totally non-horsey background; I was allowed to have riding lessons, but I didn't get my own horse until I was grown up and married. So my daughter was used to having a pony from when she was very young, but she did her share of the work right from the beginning ..
She pretty much gave up riding when she went away to university, but of the people who were at pony club with her, the two I know who are professional riders both came from horsey backgrounds, but another whose background was just as horsey doesn't ride at all now ...

I'm sure there must be plenty of successful people around who didn't come from horsey backgrounds. I know Pat Smythe didn't, but that was a long time ago, there must be more recent ones, but I'm not really up on top riders' biographies. What about Mary King? On the other hand, the young Whitakers don't seem to have got bored with horses and given up ...
 
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