I'm going round the bend, please HELP!!!!!

[Crazy horse2601]

hello everyone,
I started riding a few months ago and have just been moved up a group. I'm well chuffed because I can only afford 2 go once a fortnight and I've only had seven lessons. I'm loving it. I have wanted to live around and ride horses all my life. Now I'm finally doing it. I'm only 14 by the way. I'd love to be a groom or instructor when I leave school. I can't imagin doing anything else. Do u think it is 2 late to start now! please I need an honest answer! Be brutal if u have 2. Thankz

[Georgia]

Of course not! Ages ago I rode 2 arabs 4 a woman who did not start riding until she was 25! The arabs, by the way, she bred herself and she is a well good ider! Very stuck up though, i did not get on with her atall!
Georgia X

[Emma_G_NZ]

No way!! I'm 14 now and I started riding when I was 11.. I know lots of people who took up riding as adults so dont worry no way are you too old :)

[Crazy horse2601]

hi,
cool thankz guys! :D I'm well relieved.

[Karenr]

It's never too late - and certainly not for you!

I started learning to ride at 5, worked in stables for rides until I was 14, concentrated on my exams, left school. Went back to riding at 18, brought my first horse when I was 20. Got made redundant at 22 so had to think of a way to keep my mare - I became a freelance groom for about 2 years!

I have no horsey qualifications but had experience having spent years mucking out and grooming horses just for a half hour lesson. Even now if I had too I would run around the countryside mucking out or whatever to pay to keep my girls (and I am now 37 and feeling very old!)

Go for it, horses can be very hard work and there isn't loads of money in it, but I know I was happy working with horses (maybe not on Christmas Day when everyone else was having their lunch but you have to take the rough with the smooth). Nowadays I am lucky to have a contrast, work in an office all day but own a small farm, so out of working hours I have the land and horses - perrrrrrrrfect.:D

[Crazy horse2601]

yeah cool. *** r your horses like? :) :p

[Karenr]

Well one is a British Warmblood 15.3hh 8 year old Chestnut mare, she has excellent breeding, her sire was showjumping and dressage her dam a Grand Prix Dressage mare, but she is very nervous and has had health problems over the last few years.

The other is a Native X Breed 14.2hh 3.5 yr old Palomino mare, very bold little mare coming on extremely well - I felt so sorry for her I brought her!!!! But I think she make a super horse and I hope to be able to do some competing with her as my other mare will never make the show ground because she is so nervous the buzz of the ground would probably give her a heart attack!

I'm good at giving horses homes! I once rescued a 10 month old shire - I kept him until he was 4 but decided I couldn't do my best for him as he really needed to work - a brewery brought him and he had a lovely home for years delivering the beer in London! He is now owned privately and does lots of showing and is loved very much - a good end to a sad start.

My last mare was a dutch warmblood 16.1hh Chestnut - she was a fantastic horse, I got her because she had fractured her pevlis and the owner didn't want her any more - I paid £10 for her and put her on box rest for months, once she was better we had 10 great years together. She was a perfect first riding horse to own, she was brilliant at jumping and if you were nervous would sort everything out for you all you had to do was sit there and point her in the right direction - a dream horse. Sadly she died in 7th May 1999 from leukemia, well I actually put her to sleep rather than see a good friend suffer.

[Crazy horse2601]

wow!! I offered my help at an ILPH but there are none around my area. Back to the drawing board!!! All your horses sound really sweet!!:D

[Karenr]

Puts ads in local feed stores and horsey places, something like

"young girl wanting horse experience/riding lessons in exchange for yard duties"

Then just add the hours you can help out - people are always keen to help if they haven't got to part with any money but can exchange a lesson for help!!!!

Go for it and good luck

[Crazy horse2601]

thanks, i'll try it. :D

[FreedomStar]

hey, I'm 14 in december, and I've been riding since I was 11 also! Go volunteer at the stable, and see if you can get some free lessons in exchange for helping out! That's what I do when I get the chance. Many people think it's really boring, but I enjoy it.

[Crazy horse2601]

thanks everyone, I'll put an add in the paper and keep my fingers crossed, the two week wait seems to get longer every time!:(

[FreedomStar]

Crazy horse2601- I know what you mean about the weeks' wait becoming longer each time. I have 1 lesson every week and I all but go nuts during the week trying to find things to occupy, while the week goes by slowly...

[Crazy horse2601]

yeah, i think the only thing that keeps me sane is coming on here and having a horsey chat!:p :D Hopefully I will get a job soon so I can go every week!! I spent all Saturday cycling round in the rain looking for a job I was do desperate! Now that's SAD! Can't help it, :rolleyes: :D thanks everyone. I'll keep you posted!


p.s had a lesson on Saturday and did some jumping, loved it loads, gets harder to leave very time!!!!!!!!!!

[Piaffe]

Hi!

Why don't you look into doing your BHS stages? I think you have to be a bit older before you can start (16 I think). That way you can gain qualifications as well. A lot of riding schools offer jobs to young people and offer to train them for their stages - it might be worth asking around some of your local stables about training etc.

Good luck.

[Cochise]

have a wee read of the mature riders section it is very inspirational!! i love it!! i love jontos stories

[Crazy horse2601]

yeah Ok I will, thanks. what kind of things do u have 2 do for the BHS stages then? :D