Jump to content

Pony ownership


novice cushie shooter
 Share

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, novice cushie shooter said:

Thanks for all inputs and options. It sounds like shooting but EVEN more expensive. A loan would be a good starting point but maybe in a while. 

True - but you can pick and choose when to go shooting and effectively control your costs.

You can't pick and choose when to have a horse/pony or how many gazillions of £££'s they will cost you.

It's just like having dogs. You don't get a day off.

Horse ownership is very rewarding but certainly comes at a cost. You just need to be able to justify it.

Edited by hedge
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

1 hour ago, novice cushie shooter said:

Thanks for all inputs and options. It sounds like shooting but EVEN more expensive. A loan would be a good starting point but maybe in a while. 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA it makes the cost of grouse shooting look like a quick round of Clay's 😂😂😂 I always reckoned there was 2 banes in my life. Horses and women, that's why I took up shooting for the peace and quiet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, SpringDon said:

I know nothing of horses but I’m glad I looked at this thread as it’s been an amusing primal scream of bitterness and regret. But nobody’s  mentioned that some of the costs can be recouped at the end of the hobby by contacting findus.

I don't think it's a case of regret, it's just be sure to know what you're getting in to before it happens! It's a wonderful hobby, particularly if you do competitions, it's just it costs a fair old whack! With a bit of training, £2k would buy you a brilliant Eventing horse (cross country, dessage and show jumping). It'd also buy you a state of the art fishing kayak. The difference is the kayak doesn't need stabling costs, feed costs, vet bills complicated travel arrangements, a carrying box, the need for cover when you go away etc...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, SpringDon said:

I know nothing of horses but I’m glad I looked at this thread as it’s been an amusing primal scream of bitterness and regret. But nobody’s  mentioned that some of the costs can be recouped at the end of the hobby by contacting findus.

No! That costs you again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, SpringDon said:

I know nothing of horses but I’m glad I looked at this thread as it’s been an amusing primal scream of bitterness and regret. But nobody’s  mentioned that some of the costs can be recouped at the end of the hobby by contacting findus.

Don't even get me started on the cost of getting them dealth with at the end of their lives, I've banned one vet from our yard after they scammed my girlfriend! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You think that's expensive? Wife also decided to do side saddle for a few years!.....so that also,needs a complete  new set of stuff. Fortunately she gave up on it and sold the tack, saddle, clothes ( habit) I took her to Manchester to be measured for a custom habit, then back again for a second fitting, then back again to,collect it

she has just had one put down, still,has one. Talking of getting another

it has cost us 14 years of holidays, countless arguments, missed a birthday party of one granddaughter as she wanted to do a show!

i have NO interest in them.....horses come FIRST with her but she won't admit it. Then we have "yard politics"   I just switch off

 

we are currently on holiday ( first in 14 years ) staying with daughter, son in law and 2 youngest granddaughters about 3000 miles away...she is going riding on Tuesday !!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its not regret its just being pragmatic. I did things a bit backward and had my own business breaking horses in by the time I was 20. And by the time I was 25 I had 14 boxes constantly full. Until I broke my leg 2 1/2 years ago. I had dealings with a lot of horses that should have been made into burgers and a lot of people who shouldn't own a Guinea pig. Horses are the most brilliant, heart breaking, exciting, time consuming, fun, money pits going. For example that horse I'm syndicating was out at 5am this morning, did 3 miles cantering on the grass and was back in the field by 630. Quick shower **** and shave and it was time to go to work to ride another 4 or 5 then home to ride 2 or 3 on the way home depending on the rain. That's 6 days a week. On sundays I usually only ride 2 or 3. Throw into the mix the odd injury, last week I rode 3 through the stalls. 1 tried flipping over backwards and smashed me off the sides, another preempted the gates opening and tried to go underneath them with me and the final one decided I needed some dental work and tried to take my teeth out with her head and put my tooth through the inside of my lip and split the outside leaving me look like Katie Price!

My 9 month old daughter will have a pony because she already adores the bloody things. But I wouldn't be encouraging her to work with them. What I would say is if you do get a pony dont worry about her. Let her have fun and be wild and daft. She will fall off. She will get stood on, bucked off, bitten, knocked over, kicked its inevitable. Riding hats are essential, body protectors arent! Hi vis tabbard to ride on the roads is a good idea but head to to hi vis on every inch of her and the pony isn't essential! Always say thank you to drivers, dont be afraid as the person in the ground to encourage bad drivers to slow down by any means necessary! Things like buckets and brooms are cheaper if they're not in the horsey section - £3.99 for a bucket compared to 99p for a builders black bucket!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have some local stable yards go there and ask the owners about costs. DIY livery can be anything from £30 a week upwards. Full livery if your lucky from around £400 a week. You will have other costs above this farrier every couple of months at your daughters age I would say her pony would only need feet trimming no shoes. You would need Tack saddle/pony pad bridle grooming kit. A couple of rugs for winter. All of these can be found second hand at reasonable cost. Vets fees are a complete unknown but small ponies tend not to require vets very often. It's when you move onto bigger horses they tend to pick up more injuries etc mainly through the amount of use. I am not sure how easy it would be for you to find someone to do you a loan pony they usually like to send their horses to knowledgeable homes. I now have six horses and have owned or been around horses all my life they are a seven day a week at least twice a day commitment they do not have time off for bad weather christmas summer holidays etc they need you every day. But they are very rewarding and I believe give children a sense of responsibility and hopefully keep them off the streets getting into mischief. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Diver One said:

You think that's expensive? Wife also decided to do side saddle for a few years!.....so that also,needs a complete  new set of stuff. Fortunately she gave up on it and sold the tack, saddle, clothes ( habit) I took her to Manchester to be measured for a custom habit, then back again for a second fitting, then back again to,collect it

she has just had one put down, still,has one. Talking of getting another

it has cost us 14 years of holidays, countless arguments, missed a birthday party of one granddaughter as she wanted to do a show!

i have NO interest in them.....horses come FIRST with her but she won't admit it. Then we have "yard politics"   I just switch off

 

we are currently on holiday ( first in 14 years ) staying with daughter, son in law and 2 youngest granddaughters about 3000 miles away...she is going riding on Tuesday !!

 

 

Think you need to put your foot down a bit here 

holiday !!!! = no horses........ unless your shooting 🤔

37 minutes ago, Mice! said:

This has been one of the funniest and informative threads for a while.

It’ll get better 😂😂😂

wait for the I bought a pony thread 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah yes, the extras issue. You'd have thought a saddle's a saddle, but nope! one for each discipline is apparently needed - and this for a horse that still needs to sniff every fence he's pointed at. Practice rounds of cross country take quite a lot of time when each one needs to be inspected for demons, like flower pots, or flags, or bits of wood that don't look right. He tipped my other half off a few weeks ago just before dressage because he took exception to a cable lying next to the entry point. Doing a dressage test in smart, pristine clothes suddenly stained with blood from the bloody nose she picked up was interesting. He'd never done that before or since. He's young and still learning. Apparently.

And the number of times she's geared up to do a session with him, only to find he's thrown a shoe is amazing. He seems to time it whenever it's dressage time. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on my local prices............

Full livery from £150/week

DIY livery including bedding & hay from £45/week

DIY livery, owner providing bedding & hay from £25/week

Lessons £25/hour.

Feed for small pony say £400/year

Rug for use in field £60 upwards

Stable rug £40 upwards

Bridle and saddle including necessary accessories from around £650 all in.

As has been said, to this you must add farrier costs, wormers, vaccinations, the odd vet bill and insurance.

Having kept horses and pony's myself (and for 2 daughters) for close on 70 years all I can add is that although I have enjoyed it tremendously and still do, if I hadn't have done so all my family would  now be driving brand new Range Rovers !

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well today I’ve been at a busy riding school 

heaving with kids ages from 5 to 12 

probably 75 in total 

so in true PW style I did a survey 😊

who wants to have there own pony ? 

All of them (no surprise) 

than I asked them to choose the one they wanted 

first place ....maple (guess it’s culor ) 

2nd boffin grey

3rd spirit/meg bay 

absolutely none of them wanted humbug coincidentally the only one for sale

then I asked the parents/grandparents

who unanimously decided that riding school was the best place as there mixing with like minded kids and it’s cheap child minding drop them off a hour early and let them groom the horses picking them up hours after their ride is finished

i tend to agree as most weren’t capable of doing the basics and after talking to the stable girls we agreed 10 years old was about the earliest they would get a kid it’s own pony as the younger ones grow out of them to fast 

this yard does a have a pony for a week

its yours and you have to do everything (under supervision)    For the whole week a bit of a shock for some of them 

i then asked all the kids which was the best horse in the yard 

and to think very carefully before they answered 😊😉

the winner 👍😊

AC3AADE5-16E5-492B-840F-DB9D36F59804.jpeg 

Edited by Old farrier
Spulling
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Well today I’ve been at a busy riding school 

heaving with kids ages from 5 to 12 

probably 75 in total 

so in true PW style I did a survey 😊

who wants to have there own pony ? 

All of them (no surprise) 

than I asked them to choose the one they wanted 

first place ....maple (guess it’s culor ) 

2nd boffin grey

3rd spirit/meg bay 

absolutely none of them wanted humbug coincidentally the only one for sale

then I asked the parents/grandparents

who unanimously decided that riding school was the best place as there mixing with like minded kids and it’s cheap child minding drop them off a hour early and let them groom the horses picking them up hours after their ride is finished

i tend to agree as most weren’t capable of doing the basics and after talking to the stable girls we agreed 10 years old was about the earliest they would get a kid it’s own pony as the younger ones grow out of them to fast 

this yard does a have a pony for a week

its yours and you have to do everything (under supervision)    For the whole week a bit of a shock for some of them 

i then asked all the kids which was the best horse in the yard 

and to think very carefully before they answered 😊😉

the winner 👍😊

AC3AADE5-16E5-492B-840F-DB9D36F59804.jpeg 

That sounds spot on, And i showed the picture to my daughter, it got a massive gasp!! Winner winner 

WP_20190816_15_17_33_Pro.jpg.aa80990d5f0f065395fe42b450d33007.jpg

two horses, no fuss no hassle 😁 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Farmer friend once said to me "'There's only one thing worse in the whole world than a horse".

"What's that" I replied.

"The b***** woman riding it" he replied. 

I'll just get my tin hat out of the loft...

Edited by Grandalf
Error in text
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is our Carribean Cruise in our Skiing holiday after taking an hour to get into the flipping thing squawking at everybody else’s.....

In the boot of the truck you will find his saddle (which would have paid for another horse) and bridle which would have funded a nice day out with all three kids.

 

0696CA26-5726-4C8C-81B4-734A7AC3C680.jpeg

Edited by bigbird
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...