Ready or not?

Question

Just a heads up, I might rant a little :P

When do you think someone is ready for the following responsibilities?

1) Part-boarding

2) Leasing

3) Owning

On other forums I belong to and other sites, I see countless posts of: Am I ready for a horse?

and the girl/guy will go on to explain that they have been "seriously" riding for a year, and are almost ready to canter!

Some people replied with the same reply as me: NO, you are not ready. You will not be able to handle/control the horse if he/she spooks, and one year is not enough riding, horse care, and general knowledge experience to own/lease a horse.

I suggested asking their trainer/coach (wow I'm using / a lot) about pbing, but even that may not be a good idea if she can't canter yet.

I'm probably going to look at this later and ask myself: How could you be so mean?

lol sorry, and I'm not bringing in any names to this.

Answer 1

I get where you're coming from (believe me, I do!), but I got my first pony when I was 8 and I had never cantered before either.  Then again, I had a mom who knew about horses and taught me how to take care of my pony properly.  I still remember the first time I ever cantered my pony and how great it felt to make such a "big" accomplishment.  I now show QHs in local shows as well as AQHA, as well as trained my own horse from start to finish.  We all have to start somewhere, but I do agree that if a person is going to lease or buy a horse, they should at LEAST have someone who is knowledgeable to help them along the way.

Answer 2

I got a pony when I was three and I couldnt get that thing to lope if I wanted it too, but she ran away with me all the time when my parents turned there back for a half a second. I never fell off. And again this had nothing to do with being able to own the pony. I never loped in control till I was about 5 or 6. Like someone else said just because you can ride a horse doesnt mean you are responsible enough to own one. I know many people that I have competed with or against and they hardly ever took care of there horses. THey did the absolute minimum. THere stalls were always dirty etc. waters low. I would always fill them. Most of the time these were spoiled rotten kids that could get what ever they wanted and never appreciated what they had. But yeah so I didn't take a horse lesson for the first time till I was 14 and that was to learn how to do gymkhanas. I am a very accomplished rider. I believe it made me better in some ways. I actually had to learn to listen to the horse and feel the horses body to get what I wanted out of the horses performance. Instead of some instructor telling me the exact positions I needed to be in. Sometimes learning the hard way is the best way (some cases). Now I start colts and ride many horses for people on a regular basis.

Answer 3

uve been riding 4 a year and ur not even cantering yet?? ok off topic sry. i dont think ur ready u should perfect all ur gaits and then u should prolly lease or free lease1 so that if u dont like havin ur own horse u dont hav 2 sell it.

Answer 4

at least you said/typed the rant and not me...lol... cause i do agree with you on most the points i read (i skimmed cause i figured that it said the same things ive been saying for weeks now here)

mean and realistic get confused on here... people ask questions not really wanting the realstic answers... they want to hear that they're ready and have their own thoughts jusitified. and as soon as someone tells them other wise: OMG YOU'RE MEAN!?!?! happens.

it's life, cant really change it. all ya can do is repeat your self...over and over and over and over .... not that they'll like the answers they get.  i find personally the questions that are asked more then once intersting, like did we really change our minds on the answer in an hour?

edit: if no is never the right answer, i'm guessing you'd also be one of those to tell others to get a rescue horse not knowing the whole story.

on the internet you will NEVER know the whole story, because people will always leave out important parts (either by accident or because they dont want people to know the whole story.)

so it's better to be safe then sry, not telling these girls that they're ready and shouldnt go buy a horse when they're not even sure they're ready. what's safer in that case? sides, what does it really matter what someone says online? shouldnt they go to their TRAINERS?

Answer 5

Hmmmm.... I agree with a few on here. Know how my sons learned to ride??? I bought them a horse and taught them the basics and said there is the round pen.....go learn. I watched as they tried and failed but they never gave up. I gave them help when they asked, if they didn't I stood back and let them learn by trial and error. They learned to walk, trot, gallop, and fall off all by themselves with witnesses. I will never tell a kid they are not ready because in all honesty I have been riding for over 25 years and my sons have been riding for 3 and I have caught myself asking them point blank ..."How in the world did you stay on that horse"? Even with the experience I have I still find myself on my bum, back, shoulder and elbows skidding across gravel while my beginner sons look at me and shake their heads.

Answer 6

So...going by your logic, a little 6 year old should never be given a pony for Christmas.....how many people have had ponies since they were little?

The length of time a person has ridden has nothing to do with personal responsibility and willingness to take care of a horse.  I always suggest leasing first because horses are a lot of responsibility and if you decide you do not want to own after all, you can give up the lease rather than have to try to sell a horse.

I suggest this to people that just started riding or had been riding for 20 years.  I suggest this to the parents of a 6 year old or someone in their late 40's.

A friend of mine started riding when she moved to a piece of property where she could keep a horse and bought her first horse.  She had not ridden at all - no lessons or anything - before she bought this horse.  10 years later she still has horses and enjoys them.

What I am getting at is 'NO' is never the correct answer on an internet forum because there are so many other factors involved.

EDIT - shadow, I can be more clear.  'YES' is never the correct answer either.  I neither would nor would not tell someone to get a rescue horse if they posted on a bulletin board asking where to buy a horse.  I would say a lot of horse rescues have great horses that are more cost effective, but you have to be careful because they often have trust and other issues.

If someone wanted a horse, I would just caution to make sure they can afford it and list the different ways to keep a horse and the responsibility involved in each scenario.  I would also suggest leasing first to get the idea without the cost of owning and being 'stuck' with a horse if you decide that horse or horse ownership is not for you.

Riding has little to do with horse ownership.  You can be a grand prix rider but not have the time or inclination to be responsible for your own horse.  You could be bouncing between the US and Europe riding horses for different people and do not have time for your own horse.  You could be a great rider but have no sense of responsibility and ignore signs of a horse being ill or lame.  

You could have never ridden a day in your life but are fully capable and willing to take care of a horse.   I know a good few people that have horses as lawn ornaments - take great care of them, just do not have the inclination to ride.  If I knew the person in real life, I would be better able to judge if horse ownership is for them - but I do not.

EDIT: I see where you are coming from - you are thinking of a particular person.  As far as a horse spooking and someone being in an accident - that has nothing to do with horse ownership and is all about buying a horse that suits you.  If you are a pleasure rider and buy a spooky show jumper when you don't jump - expect trouble.  There is also the 'accident' factor.  Take Teddy into account - Olympic level eventing pony.  Being handled by an experienced rider who had worked with him for a long time.  He spooked, bolted, got away, slipped and cut his tendons, ligaments, nerves and arteries in his leg and had to be euthanized.  Are you going to now say that Karen O'Connor and her groom, Max, should not own horses?

The question of horse ownership is whether or not the person is financially stable to not only handle the regular care of the horse, but emergencies also.  The person also has to be willing to run to the barn at 2am because their horse is 'doing something strange' and wait for the vet...hopefully just to find out nothing is wrong.

Riding is about being on a horse that is not so above your league you will fall off three seconds after you get on.

I know people that have been riding for over a decade and are not ready for horse ownership - they are good riders, but either not responsible enough or not able to spend the time with the horse.

Answer 7

I honestly believe you cannot seriously ride for a year. Most people have to work months just for enough strength to post at the trot. Even if someone where to start trotting in their second lesson, it means nothing in terms of how good they are at trotting. You will just feel it when you are ready. You should spend a lot of time just hanging around a barn, because in order to own a horse you have to have "barn sense" and also know how to ride. When you know enough about a horse to be able to feel confident in answering horse questions, you are ready. Hope i helped

:) Emma

Answer 8

I'm curious: why does it make you so angry? Is it that you don't think they deserve it?

EDIT: So much of what I see here is knowledge that you probably didn't have yourself until after you owned a horse...is it fair to expect that a person know all of these things before owning and caring for a horse?

EDIT: I had that wrong...you still don't own a horse?  Anyway, what does a person really need to know before owning horses?  I don't think riding should even be on the list.  What do you think is really essential for a person to know going in?

Answer 9

some people could be ready for horse ownership without even riding. Some people like doing trailrides and maybe just want to trot. I'm not saying that you are being bitchy or anything just that some people buy horses to learn.

The only thing you need to own a horse is a passion for them, a place to keep them, money to afford vet and/ or farrier bills as well as board and feed. no riding experience necessary.

Answer 10

I've grown up on a property with horses all my life, so never had that emptiness and that want and desire for a horse. But i've known a few who did....just remember these girls love horses, they don't see the bigger picture because they haven't yet experienced it, they only see days of fun riding and ...yeah riding's it......they don't understand the money side of it or the time or the space or the worry. they only know that they want this horse so badly, regardless of the reason.

just be nice and supportive, because chances are their parents and coach aren't going to change their opinion because of what we have to say, and she'll just have to wait anyway.

it's because they get slightly fixated and obsessed and they can't actually see that they can't do it yet. in reality these kids are probably surrounded by girls that can and girls and guys that go to shows and bring home ribbons all the time. and they just want to join in, peer pressure also and the fact that if you don't have your own horse, you tend to get left out of a lot of social circles, or at least the circles you want to be in. and rationality sort of disappears, and with the world as it is now, this particular generation of 12 - 17 year olds isn't learning to wait, they are a NOW generation and haven't learnt to work for things, but just get them.

there's so many factors, just remember sometimes kids just have to live the dream on some level, even if that means asking the question so it feel more real

Answer 11

It's a very difficult subject; a lot of this is about teenagers who think they know everything. It doesn't matter what about - teenagers who have had a handful of riding lessons know everything there is to know about horses, a teenager who successfully baked a cake is destined for culinary greatness, and so on. There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and there are a lot of people who don't realise they are on the wrong side.

My daughter had never ridden when I bought her a pony when she was 2; I had never ridden when my mother brought a pony home when I was about to turn 4. Obviously no child is ever ready for the responsibility - until the time when they are ready (and honestly, I'm not expecting my children to be entirely responsible for their ponies until they're 16) there has to be someone to pick up the slack. The same applies to anyone older who wants to buy a horse.

I know of people in their mid-30s, successful, financially independent people, who decide to start to ride - and rather than go to a riding school every week for two years they buy a horse. The people I know of enlist the help of an extremely knowledgeable helper, who looks after the horse on a full livery / production / lesson basis. They learn to ride on their own horse - and it works. One lady who lives near me has had her horse for about a year and is doing very well in local dressage; before she bought the horse she'd ridden once or twice as a child.

If the backup is there, and the person has enough common sense to realise that they are utterly clueless, it can work. If there is little support - or the person brushes support away and thinks they're pretty knowledgeable and can muddle through - of course it's going to end in disaster.

Difficult question!

Answer 12

I think someone is ready for there own horse when they have enough confidence in themselevs not to ask such a silly question! =)

Answer 13

I think they should at least, know how to canter, trott ect and do it well.

No use saying im ready to own a horse when u have been riding push button ponys in riding school.

Your right, they wouldnt be able to control the horse and they may not understand looking after it enough,

i have gotten back into riding and have been riding now for 2 years straight. i can do almost all perfect and my riding instructer was the one telling me i was ready.

Answer 14

Aww this is really mean :( I have only been riding a year, but own a horse and have been for the last 6 months. When i got him i had no idea how to canter yet alone trot great. Sure my situation probably is differnt than the people you are talking about, but i still think that if they have a trainer, and have enough money, and barn friends to help out, it works out just fine... just my opinion, yeah the rant isnt really a question. and in my opinion it really irritates me :(

EDIT: Oh sorry LOL it is a question, just got a bit caught up in the rant. Let me answer it:

1.) When they are currently taking riding lessons and are serious about riding

2.) When they are at that level that the horses at the riding place arent quite advanced enough, or they want extra time to practice, but dont want the full on commitment.

3.) Well i personally believe that everyone should lease a hrose for at least 6 months before buying it.

EDIT: yes it does change everything if there are many people at the barn that will help along the way. In my case the person who i leased the horse from was still really involved, so when i bought it she still helps out a lot. My barn i go to has all older people and no kids ( i am 16) so they are all into helping me and teaching me things along the way. It really depends on the situation and every barn and every person is differnent. You cant just say that anyone who can canter a horse can own a horse, come on now that isnt right :>L  oh by the way the horse i bought is 20 years old!