How did you get involved with horses?!

[K8]

As above really.. After reading a couple of threads i see lots of people 'have no one horsey' in their family.

So how did you get involved with horses? And what made you take the plunge and buy your own?

I'm lucky enough to have come from horsey stock! My mums side of the family are all horsey, so i had ponies from a young age and then on to horses..

Just being nosey really!! ;D

[anastasia55555]

well my mum used to ride as a youngster but had so many accidents, broken elbows, arms etc (she always rode the ones most people would steer clear of ) she didnt continue riding past her early teens.
Then when my sister was around 6 (i think) she wanted to learn to ride, and eventually after pestering my dad he gave in, he was obviously reluctant after all the problems my mum has had with her elbow/arms since (operations, septic arthritis, etc etc etc).
So my sister was the first to start riding and then i thought i would have a go at it a few years later when i was 14. Loaned horses for a few years etc, then stopped riding for a bit, and then about 3/4 years ago i go back into riding big time, and now finally i have my own :-D Apollo, and Bobby (although really he is shared with my sister as he is a bit mini for me!)

[eden]

Morning my mum always rode but she never had her own, my sisters are scared of horses, but i loved them, mums friend was horsey so I started riding sheltlands, then started lessons I went every other week as mum and dad were saving for a pony.

[2 bays & a grey:D]

My step mum used to showjump and then our neighbours kept their horse in the garage!!! Went from their really, was bought a pony, sold her at the age of 16 after winning lots of competitions, did the uni thing, settled down and 13years later bought Bronte ;D. Now have Nancy as the addittion- definitely NO MORE ;D.

[jennyb]

Always been mad on them since before I can remember. No-one else in my immediate family is horsey, but my Grandparents had two horses when I was young and my Mum's siblings had ridden as children, but no-one kept it up into adulthood.

I nagged and nagged and finally got riding lessons when I was ten. Went on from there and got my first horse when I'd qualified as an accountant and could pay for it myself!

[Tuppence]

I was forbidden to go near horses and ran away when I was 16 and did my BHSAI and then off to work in various places with them. My Grandparents loved horses and used to encourage me when I went to stay with them, secret riding lessons etc!

[sandy]

I started riding when I was 5 - No one else in the family has ever had anything to do with horses- Oh except my Grandad who was a miner and had a pit pony! I just loved horses but had to wait until I was 44 to actually buy my own. Worth the wait!

[3pinkmonkeys]

Mum and dad had floated in and out of horse ownership, and we got our first pony when I was about 10 and I've had horses pretty much from then on. I'm lucky that my parents are still on the same farm that I grew up on and I now live about 4 miles away. When I had my girls I had to sell my horse and fortunately I could share my mums horse Solo

[pip]

I had two older sisters who were very keen and were friends of the children of a local dealer, so although they didn't become fearless riders they were very interested and got a 14.2 pony and they were just waiting for me to get to 7 so I could have a pony too, so they could tell me what to do. I was nearly 10 before I would ride off the leading rein. As a teenager my sister would say "jump that" and like an idiot I would. I jumped things my sisters wouldn't have done!

My father was a farmer's son who used to ride to school on a pony, but when we had our ponies he had no involvement at all.

[Trouble]

I'm from a non horsey family. Apparently from the moment I could talk, all i talked about was horses.

Mum finally caved and bought me riding lessons when I was 6, and I never stopped! They said thy'd never buy me a horse, and they never have. I've had to work really really hard to buy and pay for my horses livery and needs, I did that with paperrounds, checkout jobs when i was 15/16 etc, and managed to always just about afford it.

[arabheaven]

My mum used to ride when she was younger but gave up. When I was 6, we were driving through camp (army) and we saw the stables and horses and I decided I wanted to ride. Bugged for a few months, so Mum and I both joined a local riding school before going to the army riding school where mum started instructing.
I used to lead in classes and carry tack home to clean in return for a lesson I was at boarding school so could only ride during holidays, so made the most of it when I could. My favourite pony was a little new forest who bucked a lot called Max. Mum bought a 3 year old wild child arab from devon who took about 6 hours to load when I was about 10, so then I used to ride at the army and help mum out with charisse during holidays.

When I was 11, Max was going to be sent to the meatman because he wasn't earning his keep due to his rodeo-ing, mum told me and I was distraught. I came home for summer holidays on my birthday in July to find him in the stable by charisse with a big pink bow round his neck!!

I left boarding school when I was 13. We bred Zac from Charisse when I was 14 and we bought a couple of welsh sec As from the Brecon sales. Mum and Dad got divorced so we had to downsize dramatically.
We rehomed the welshies when they were handled, Max went out on loan, given the choice between 2 year old Zac and Charissey, I thought Charisse would get a better loan home so she went on loan and I took over ownership of Zac.

I moved into a point to point yard and had Zac in the garden next to my caravan Someone put Ori's advert up on here, wasn't looking for another put she ended up arriving