Horses

Tegan, your post at 10.25 in which you recommend the couch potato life style, never having been the same since you fell of a stile in the Peak District made me LOL.
I've never been the same since I fell off a very large, angry horse when I was 25. He had a fearsome reputation, my close friend was considering buying him but asked me to ride him because he intimidated her. Foolishly, I agreed. He decided I was coming off, and I did. Sailed through the air, landed on my head and was very lucky not to break my neck. I did stretch all top 7 vertebrae and get a concussion. Yep, I rode again once I was fit enough. Madness!

I've never been able to ride, the exception being trecking ponies that make you feel as if you're in control but are really just going along a set route . I did have the 'pony goes under a low branch to get rider off and thinks it's very funny' experience, and another one that just walked back to it's stable with me on it and started eating hay .

I have only sat on a horse once, over fifty years ago. It tried very hard to get its head round far enough to - you guessed it - bite me!! We were out today with DD and DGS, avoiding all known horse locations - or so we thought. A field we had no option but to cross had half a dozen piebald horses and some foals, which I thought would not be ideal. However they took no notice of us whatsoever. Perhaps it's a breed thing.

I loved riding Tegan but the fall in my mid 20's did knock my confidence. All 3 of my daughters rode well but I've spent many a freezing cold hour, standing with my heart in my mouth watching one or other of them in a riding lesson, taking jumps…… truly terrifying but all 3 loved it. Ponies are very entertaining, especially riding school ponies, they know all the tricks (including walking back to it's stable with a rider on its back…)

I spent most of my childhood and much of my adult life riding until my knees finally persuaded me to give up. I also enjoyed all the backroom stuff - tack cleaning, preparation for shows, driving the landrover and trailer but what I did NOT enjoy were the bills! I took ponies at livery and taught children to ride to help pay for what is a very expensive hobby. I don't know how people can finance a horsey lifestyle these days unless they are very well heeled.

We went without holidays and things like cinema trips but the kids tell us time and time again that they wouldn't have missed a minute but I think it's a shame that the DGCs will never have ponies in their lives.

Ronald Duncan's poem, Ode To The Horse, which is read out at the Horse of the Year Show always has me in tears.

My daughter just says 'but it was you that wanted her really, mum'...which is true I suppose. I loved meeting all the characters; the farriers were my favourites. I still can't believe that; apart from holidays I looked after her for 14 years.

Today I walked the fields to check on my horse and although I know all the horses I am careful. They are so glad to be out at the Spring grass but the slightest thing can cause a mad gallop around.
The six months of mucking out is behind and now six months when owning a horse is sheer pleasure; in from field,tack up, ride and chuck back in field!!!
This is the retirement I wanted but at 64 my back so appreciates the six month rest from water carrying and shifting tons of muck.

Now that's what I love about horses - MUCK !! shame that wood shavings are cheaper than straw.

That's why we call it a labour of love jenn

Wood shaving are brilliant in compost, though. I had my last pony's field right next to my veg garden, the compost heaps between the two. I did start off with straw in the stable, and always used some in the winter, but he had to go on a diet in Spring, (sweet itch/laminitis) missed grass and would eat his bedding straw as well as his hay. I found it easier to muck out, and nowhere near as messy. But I did miss that smell of a newly-cleaned out stable full of fresh straw. Plus it was brilliant for putting around the strawberries.

Wood shaving just gobble up nitrogen and take so long to compost down, much prefer straw muck. Straw muck also smells better.

I always gave my boss some straw for his strawberries with a promise of getting some of those strawberries [never did, though ]. Sweet itch is so awful. We live by a canal and it was particulary bad for ponies affected round here.

Trouble with plastic bags, most horses associate a bag with titbitsl. I would avoid walking among loose horses if at all possible, they are big powerful beasts and unpredictable when out to grass. This time of year they ar enjoying the rich spring grass which has the effect of making them lively, a bit like feeding a bucketful of spiked cola. Or for the horsey folk a bucket of oats. If you really have to cross the field by all means carry a swishy stick, most horses hate that swishing noise. Also if you are threatened, don't run, stand your ground and give strong eye contact, they hate that, it gives them the idea that you are the boss. I have spent my life with horses and would not go into the field unaccompanied by the animals owners. I am surprised that they are on a right of way, this poses a risk to others especially children.
Good luck.

I telephoned the County Council and left a message for their Rights of Way officer, who was out (rambling probably!). I am hoping he/she will call me back. Watch this space.

It'll be interesting to hear what the Rights of Way officer says. Personally your OP really concerned me, I know from experience just what damage a horse can do.
My cousin was in a field with a friend when her three horses started galloping around. They didn't take much notice until they headed for them. The friend was knocked over, and ended up with three broken ribs and concussion and as my cousin tried to drive the horses away one literally sunk its teeth into her shoulder and shook her like a rat. Her collar bone broke in five places and is held together by pins and plates and she has a permanently damaged arm and neck.

Personally I'd avoid any fields with horses (and cows too, despite years as a dairy farmer's wife ). You might find out too late that carrying a plastic bag or a stick isn't working.

This is such an interesting and often entertaining thread. I have non horsey pals who think I' m a wuss when I suggest alternative routes to walking through fields full of horses. The posters on this thread who know horses well are united in advising we avoid such things. the point about this time of year is well made, out on the grass after months in stables, they're all de-mob happy aren't they.

They are, I loved letting mine out in the Spring after a winter inside - although I used to take mine out occasionally, he was never let loose. but in Spring he would canter out, and just run, hooves pounding, kicking up behind. Then roll and roll with legs in the air. He would usually take a week to calm down. Then there's the wind - he definitely got the wind up his tail! That would get him all excited too, more careering and spooking at nothing and balletic sideways leaps. I do miss him.

Expensive - well, we already had land and a stable block. He was supposed to help keep the grass down, but sweet itch and laminitis put a stop to that. Most of my friends were farmers, so hay and straw didn't cost much - I would help out with a sock lamb or three in exchange for all that. I bought my own file to keep his hooves down, he rarely went on made-up roads so didn't need shoeing. His feed was pretty much the only expense, and the odd bale of sawdust in bulk from Scats. All his equipment was second-hand. Before we moved to the house with the stables, he lived in a large disused garden shed, I laid a brick floor for him. The largest expense ever was having him gelded.

He provided all the manure I could possibly want for my veg patch, I sorely miss that. Endless entertainment for the children, and he was my running companion every morning around his field - hence the wide stick. Just occasionally he would try to head me off and I would use the stick as they do in martial arts.

He only bit people if they wore sparkly rings. I always warned people I hired to feed him while I was away, but they never listened. I think one girl's parents were about to sue me, until I asked to see the instructions I gave her and pointed out 'Never wear rings'. As it was underlined several times, she had no excuse. She had said Yes, she had worn rings when I asked, clearly she hadn't even read my instructions.

If you are thinking that feeding the horse while on holiday is another expense, I also had three dogs, three cats and a dozen chickens!

Oh yes. The second hand tack. Driving all round the country to get good quality English rather than cheap Indian leather which would fall apart.

The children's birthday presents were hacking jackets and riding boots. What child these days would settle for a hay net for getting a good exam result?

I still have my hay nets, I use them for onion storage in the garage! I had forgotten the riding boots, hats and jackets. (All passed on to smaller riders.) How he escaped by walking across the pond which froze unexpectedly, how he jumped his fence to join the local hunt and they thought they had a dismounted person running around the countryside somewhere, possibly wounded... Horatio is still going strong, aged 30 he is companion to a friend's elderly mare. He was such a character. He loved people who smoked, he would steal their cigarettes. Also beer cans, he could flip back a can of lager and drink it - and no, I didn't teach him! He loved a game of football.

I feel guilty now for giving him up!

Are sheep alright?

Our first saddle was an old English flat back. Not very comfortable for the horse or the rider, but it did till we got a better one [which is still in the loft; no one seems to want it]. I lent the old one to someone and it was stolen from her tack room. She didn't tell me for ages [didn't think it mattered for some reason] and then didn't apologise either. But we'd bought it from an elderly farmers wife who thought a lot of it and so did we. The newer one meant nothing to us but I'm still annoyed about losing that one even though it wasn't worth anything . I've still got Rosies numnah and bridle in the loft. I took the numnah out of it's bag a while back and sat on the loft floor crying all over it . I can still hear her whinny to me when I got to the field. It always amazed me how the horses and ponies knew when their owners were going to arrive, even if they didn't have a set time of day.

Wonderful memories.

I still have the tiniest hacking jacket that I managed to find at Sandon Saddlery near Baldock. It was a present for DD2 when she was only two. We stuck her on a Welsh Mountain pony in the leading rein class so she didn't feel left out while her older brother and sister were competing. She ended up winning more rosettes than they did!

I have a lovely photo of her being given a piggy back ride by a friend who was amusing her while we concentrated on the serious stuff. She has her little riding hat on back to front and is pretending to whack my poor friend with her stick.

Happy Days.

Yes, sheep won't bother you jingl Our neighbouring sheep farmer used our field to graze his sheep which helped us keep the grass down. One of our horses loved the lambs and would,lie in the sun allowing one or two lambs to snuggle against his tummy.

I thankfully hung on to both DD's riding gear as both GDs now use it. Saves quite a bit.

Lots of great memories merlot. Nice to have them.

Sorry. Meant Tegan although I'm sure you do have too merlot

I trained as an instructor in the 1960's and was lucky enough to work at a beautiful place just outside London. I stayed on after qualifying and worked there for the next 6 years. We trained show jumpers and 3 day eventers and many happy days and weeks were spent traveling the country with a box full of horses to compete at such shows as Hickstead, Wembly Winsdsor and Burghley and Badmington Horse Trials.
It was an exciting time, but ruthlessly hard work, a world of privilege and indeed the sport of kings at that level.
Of course I had to leave all that behind when I married and moved to the north of Scotland. Needless to say I bought and trained ponies for my children and started the process all over again, without the trappings of fancy horse boxes, indoor schools etc. I earned enough money to fund my intense love of horses by teaching at riding club, pony club and individuals that needed some help with naughty horses an ponies.
Sadly I now live in an area where I never even see a horse, and oh boy do I have my moments of nostalgia, which I fix with a phone conversation to my friend in London who still owns and runs the yard where I worked so happily 50 years ago. She is now thinking it's about time to retire, but we do talk about the costs and how it's all so crazy these days.