One of those Wee Small Hours thoughts

I have always said that if I could no longer ride and Ben had passed on, I would take on an in ridden horse from a charity just to love and take care of. I would keep at one of the livery yards in my village which have little in the way of riding facilities, but a stable and a field would be all we would need. I already spend hours per week grooming so I would keep on doing that.
 
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carthorse said:
Why on earth would that be a target? All it means is horse and rider are old, no great personal achievement in that. Now the chap who has the Tamarack Hill fb page is an inspiration, both in terms of general horsemanship and also what he does at his age! No 100 target for him, that would mean riding an older horse that pobably wouldn't be up to what he does.
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Is it a wicked target or a target at all? I dont know. You have a horse and maybe access to others. So you cal the shots. Whereas I ride other people's horses which are all expertly looked after and happily the owners like to have me ride them. I will look at the facebook page you suggest. And you can picture me being really cruel to horses and whipping them on. My "John Wayne act" the staff escorts used to joke.

The great examples of finding ways to ride into old age were the natural Horsemen Tom and Bill Dorrance. And the Queen of course.
 
Well lets say I'll ride as long as I can, and as long as Hogan can carry me happily. Then we two will totter around the field until one of us has had enough. I'll be quite happy to just have him to chat to, and hopefully he'll feel the same. Ramsey enjoyed plodding into the barn for a bucket and a chat until the day he passed on, bless him. I have a video somewhere of him taking himself in, and a photo of his lovely old face in my hands, just chilling.
 
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Skib said:
Is it a wicked target or a target at all? I dont know. You have a horse and maybe access to others. So you cal the shots. Whereas I ride other people's horses which are all expertly looked after and happily the owners like to have me ride them. I will look at the facebook page you suggest. And you can picture me being really cruel to horses and whipping them on. My "John Wayne act" the staff escorts used to joke.

The great examples of finding ways to ride into old age were the natural Horsemen Tom and Bill Dorrance. And the Queen of course.
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Skib what on earth are you going on about?
 
Skib said:
Read your response to me?
I cant find the facebook page you recommended to see a good example of an older rider. Do you have a link please
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My reply had no mention of cruelty, whipping, whose horses were being ridden or indeed almost anything else in your reply hence my confusion!

If you go into facebook and type Tamarack Hill in the search function it will come up, it's a popular page so should be easy to find.
 
I'd keep my horses for as long as they were happy, even if I couldn't ride them, but no I wouldn't get another in my old age, I'd be too worried about dying or not being able to look after it, as there is no-one else in my family who is remotely interested in horses who would be able to take over. If anything happened to me now Jack and Raf would have to be pts as it is. Jack is old and lame if pushed and Raf is worth his weight in gold to me, but no-one would want to take on a horse with Cushings, skin conditions, history of ulcers and goodness knows what else.
 
Yes, good point @Bodshi I'm in my early thirties, but have drawn up an agreement that should anything happen to me Pete is to be PTS and there's money put aside specifically for this.


Don't get me wrong, I hope nothing ever does happen to warrant it and I hope even more he can have a long retirement and be PTS at an incredibly old age (he's stubborn enough to live that long on principle ?) when I'm much older and grey-er too. But, he's quirky with a couple of medical conditions and I owe it to him to safe guard his future should anything happen to me and the best way I can do that, is to PTS.
 
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I already keep a horse to hug, love and be around.
Not so much the hug she's more into itchy scratches.

I can be pretty sure mine couldn't careless if she's ridden or not. Providing she's been out for a 'hack' , you can jog beside her or sit above, it's no big deal either way.
And the plus point about where we are, nobody cares! At the end of the day we do with our horses what we want to do with our horses. The only person that needs to be content is you.
Someone said they wouldn't go back to a livery I think, go for a livery that has non riders, it's bloody brilliant!
 
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I wouldnt go back on livery even non ridden as im not a people person. I also hated watching how others look after the horse. As its not my way. I would want to manage my horse how i want, not be dictated to. Cant explain it but its just the way i feel. Its the same as the way i look after my sheep and cows. If my brother does them for me its different to me. Like i fluff the hay in the sheep hay racks he doesnt. Im sure its the same if someone does a stable for you. It has to be your way.

So id rather have lessons to get a horse fix and walk away if i dont have my own land. What i dont see.
 
chunky monkey said:
I wouldnt go back on livery even non ridden as im not a people person. I also hated watching how others look after the horse. As its not my way. I would want to manage my horse how i want, not be dictated to. Cant explain it but its just the way i feel. Its the same as the way i look after my sheep and cows. If my brother does them for me its different to me. Like i fluff the hay in the sheep hay racks he doesnt. Im sure its the same if someone does a stable for you. It has to be your way.

So id rather have lessons to get a horse fix and walk away if i dont have my own land. What i dont see.
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Yes I get what you mean.
We are really lucky here in that I have a whole field to use, but there are restrictions because its not my land.
 
With both my horses off work at the moment I am not discontented, well I try not to be, sometimes I feel a bit left behind, but I don't think riding is as important to me as just being with them. I think it would sometimes be easier if it was just me and them, but I do enjoy time with my livery friends most of the time
 
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