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Post by Giving Up on Nov 19, 2014 15:31:53 GMT
After 15 years of riding/ horse owning I have come to the conclusion that I've had enough. Just had one too many bad experiences lately so when my old boy goes to the bridge I'm not doing this anymore. Sad day but feel it's the right thing. Anyone else just fed up of it all?
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 19, 2014 15:45:20 GMT
Rather the opposite! I love my ponies although I can't ride any more for health reasons and am facing having to give them up altogether at some point which I'm not looking forward to. I shall miss them hugely, not got there yet though, still carrying on regardless although numbers are getting fewer and ponies smaller.
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Post by GaynorStones on Nov 19, 2014 17:09:20 GMT
Im the same as sarah. Dont ride anymore (too old!) but have a brilliant jockey but dont know how long she will want to continue competing. Love my ponies too bits, dont know quite what I will do when jockey gives up!
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Post by ponymum on Nov 19, 2014 19:44:32 GMT
Im 46 , my daughter is 15 and has now got ponies big enough for me to ride - so im now back in the saddle and loving it (I can't believe what ive been missing all those years! ) Time to catch up , I did show riding horses in my day , but think I may try my hand at some dressage.....watch this space ...
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 19, 2014 23:12:59 GMT
I never stopped riding, always had my own to ride and rode daughter's too when she wasn't at home starting with the home bred C she had at 10yo all the way through school and uni. But I'm a lot older than you ponymum.
Breeding was always my first love, and I still do a bit of that.
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Post by stormyskies on Nov 20, 2014 12:08:21 GMT
No. I would feel like a ship without a rudder if I didn't have equine friends. Wether I could ride them or not.
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Post by chalky284 on Nov 20, 2014 16:11:43 GMT
I think it's easier to carry on enjoying ponies if you have your own place. No restrictions to doing what you want then! In my experience livery yards are a huge contributor to enjoying ponies or not.
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Post by gillwales on Nov 20, 2014 16:32:12 GMT
There is life away from horses and ponies. Like everything else in your life when you stop you can miss it. I stopped breeding, Judging and showing for various reasons, there are still a few of my old ladies eating the grass, but other than check them and have chats and pats when time permits I do not do a lot with them these days, however they all seem to enjoy their lives so I do not feel guilty. I have other interests and I keep in touch with some of my babies which is lovely. I must admit that HG has filled the gap when I missed the horse world and I try to keep abreast of what is going on. I do miss the spring when my babies were born and foal shows were my favourites, however life carries on and I now chat about other things that do not have 4 legs, a mane and a tail! I do not get up at silly times of the day when sane folks are snug under their duvets, no longer look at trousers deciding if it would be suitable for showing in and purchase vehicles without considering how to get horse feed in it or the damage that would do. You have to do what is right for you and one thing life has taught me is you never can really predict how you will feel or react when something happens, you have to live through it. If you move away from horses you will always have your memories and you can always change your mind and include them again in your life if you want to and can do so.
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Post by nj on Nov 20, 2014 17:21:38 GMT
Giving up, i funnily enough have been feeling like this lately and feel that when they have gone it will also be the end of an era for us, we have had too many upsets, been taken advantage of by some pretty nasty people in the showing world who have taken all the joy of everything we loved away from us, so I feel where you are coming from. xxx
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Post by bouncer on Nov 20, 2014 18:36:04 GMT
Giving up, i funnily enough have been feeling like this lately and feel that when they have gone it will also be the end of an era for us, we have had too many upsets, been taken advantage of by some pretty nasty people in the showing world who have taken all the joy of everything we loved away from us, so I feel where you are coming from. xxx Echo this, we sold up a years ago for very similar reasons. However my daughter recently decided she wanted a pony again, changed her full time college course to part-time and got a job working with horses. The pony she has bought has potential do a whole variety of disciplines and is a lovely person. I haven't seen her this happy for some time. I do think you have to 'go with the flow' and if you are no longer getting pleasure from your equine/s consider the options.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 20, 2014 18:39:34 GMT
There's more to a horse/pony life than just showing. If you don't enjoy that, go and find another discipline.
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Post by honeypot on Nov 20, 2014 22:27:57 GMT
I am trying to down size, not very well, but I would never give them up totally. I have a friend who is in her eighties, her donkey is her companion and her reason to get up in the morning and I think I will be that way. We are just finishing building a house and I have made it that I can get up in the morning and sit and drink a cup of tea and watch them in the paddock. I love ponies, they make me smile, I just wish I had more time and half the energy I had when I was fourteen. I no longer ride by choice, it would get complicated if anything happened to me, I never had ponies to show and compete I had them because I have always loved them.
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foxyt
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Post by foxyt on Nov 21, 2014 6:39:14 GMT
I gave up after I got married, horse was old and out at grass, new career was amazing, had a baby amazing, had a second etc. number one daughter went to school and at age 6 decided she wanted to learn to ride. At his point my new friends from school etc would describe me as non horsey, but they were. Got a pony on loan and then what consumed me was unbelievable! I had completely for gotten what I was like to have a hobby the consumes every spare inch of your thinking. Fast forward 4 years and I am about to go out and plait up to go hunting for the very first time, and on a four yr old horse I have broken my self. Daughter is coming on loan pony (no school) for her first time too!
If you want to give up, it's not cast in stone you can always get back in to it. Having a break (7/8 years) for me was the best thing ever. What I enjoy most is sharing my hobby with my children and best friend, and that is what I missed when I got married and moved away. Why do some thing you don't get pleasure from any more. If it's still in you it will come out again when you have rested. My horse time looks completely different now, and showing hardly features at all. Hunting, horsemanship, mounted games, pony club, endurance is on the brink and going to be something for next year. Rest well x
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 21, 2014 8:54:57 GMT
I had an enforced gap for a few years over my uni time when parents sold my pony when I was 17. We had only really fiddled about as children, as once we didn't fall off much we had a green 4yo to share (two sisters), and then added a useless but loved 14.2 who was mine, both bought in ignorance with no guidance. No tuition was considered necessary by non-horsey parents, except what came our way at PC. After uni and marriage, I went back to it and really started learning by riding once a week at what was basically a dealer's yard, used as a riding school to keep them exercised - any good ones went to a more upmarket dealer out of London. I was one of her better riders, not that that meant much except that I got to ride the more interesting ones - I can remember a heavyweight hunter just bought from Leicester Sales (I should put those on the oldies thread!), an ex-racehorse just out of training and a 14.2 jumping pony but there were many others.
A few years down the line I had my first child and we moved out of London to a house with a small paddock so I could start up owning again. Onwards and upwards from there, one never stops learning, that's if you want to.
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Post by nici on Nov 21, 2014 11:46:26 GMT
Having the best time ever with the ponies at the moment, now my daughter is old enough to really go out and enjoy them (she's 11). It feels as though all the years of having her ponies up til now have been building up to this point. In the past we've shown a lot, we've done a bit of dressage, PC and games and some jumping, and we've hacked out and done fun rides. Now she's discovered hunting, and all the years of preparation mean she's confident out in company, her pony is well schooled and responsive, so a fabulous hunter, she can do some of the jumping and she's having the time of her life socialising with her hunting friends every weekend! And for the first time in 11 years I want to be riding with her, and will be buying a pony for ME in the Spring! Even the dreariness of winter hasn't started to get me down yet. We're missing the daylight in the evening for riding, but have ridden in the back field by my car headlights. It's been a relatively dry autumn, so apart from a couple of gateways we're not constantly fighting mud. We still have loads of grass, so I'm not yet having to cart hay out to the fields every day - in fact our winter field has so much grass we have 2 ponies I won't allow in there yet, as they're on diets... Life is good
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Post by Philippa on Nov 21, 2014 13:07:10 GMT
I had a lull where id had enough but then I got Maisies LR pony and started showing her in hand while Maisie was of showing age. What a ball ive had, it was great to get back in the in hand ring with a section A again. Love the Medal shows.
Now Maisie is of showing age we have had a fabulous first LR season - Not without its ups and downs granted and we are nearly 6 months down the line with a pony that was crippled in July but all is going well and we have the fantastic SP now too which Maisie rides off the lead at home.
I for one cant wait for next season, its crap at the moment but think its a bit of the winter blues kicking in, xmas is just round the corner and then bang, off we go again getting ready for the season ahead.
Sometimes you have to look a bit further to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Good luck in whatever you decide, you will soon know if ponies are your blood or just a bit of a fix!!
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Post by oldschooler on Nov 21, 2014 13:17:13 GMT
I never stopped riding, always had my own to ride and rode daughter's too when she wasn't at home starting with the home bred C she had at 10yo all the way through school and uni. But I'm a lot older than you ponymum. Breeding was always my first love, and I still do a bit of that. i'm a bit like you but we have cut down on the breeding. Find the foal handling can be heavy. Still riding but had a fall off my youngster 3 weeks ago when he spooked and fell down a drainage channel - no chance to stay on. First fall for probably 20 years and it hurt. Cracked a rib and hurt my back. Managed to ride in the school last week but I'm afraid you don't bounce when you are older. Husband is more worried than me, but I now accept my limitations. i have said next season's showing will be my last, but I have said that for the last 5 years. Retiring in july so will have the time to try and keep both my two traditionals fit, but struggling at the moment. Have been in horses for 55 years so cannot see me stopping ever.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 21, 2014 15:29:05 GMT
I meant I never had a gap in my riding, had to give up altogether now though - arthritis. I won't breed any more Ds, too big, but still breed a few As, I can still cope with those, and have wonderful help I can enlist when necessary. One a year gets shown for me by someone else, can't do that bit. Mine here live a life of benign neglect and love it! Feet and worming done, otherwise they just wander about and eat.
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Post by mcnaughty on Dec 1, 2014 10:09:14 GMT
I have just sold my own mare as I just dont want to ride any more. Completely lost interest in getting into the saddle. However, I have just exchanged her for a fab new pony for my daughter as she is as keen as mustard and I still get my horsey fix!!
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