Who Owns a Horse or willing to own one(or few)

I k ow what you mean MTR but it's the justification- whatever works!

 

Moira Rainer wrote an article on this discussing Peter Singers ethics with regards to racing.
Ethics is a fascinating area of study one can go off into on these matters as lots of rabbit holes to explore

 

A racehorse only has 8 or so years of racing. They live to 30. Afterwards, they can end up being bred, some end being equestrian horses, they can be training horses for new jockeys, and others can end up being a horse for casual riding. It’s not all doom and gloom.

 

I wish this was true would be great

But this was recently exposed, and it caused outrage around Australia at the time

'Broken-hearted': Racing industry responds to 'appalling' slaughter allegations

Footage of racehorses being abused and slaughtered 'will shake the industry to its core'


After this, a commitment was made by the industry to rehouse these horses??? Not sure whether this will happen??

 

true
I can only go on how it effects me personally and what I will do.

 

Horses are bred to run. It’s what they evolved into. Other animals were bred to be a food source or to hunt, guard, to provide materials for clothing, all sorts of things. Horses were bred to provide mobility, transport and to connect people.

I get where you're coming from, but for the most part humans have had a very special relationship with horses.

The history of empires is the history of horses.

 

Sure.....I get this

But I am against cruelty......


whipping horses

tongue ties, widely used to control horses, its unregulated and controls the horse

Problem is people making millions from racing horses and when they are no longer making money sending them to the slaughter house.

I posted links on this which was exposed recently in Australia ....and we know its happening Today.

I guess Its choice.

 

Even with a legend like ''Winx'' it is always hard to distinguish between probability and expectation..

Winx First Foal Dies - scone.com.au.
Quote..
LEGENDARY racehorse Winx lost her first foal overnight, just weeks before she was due to give birth.

The retired mare was expected to birth her new filly this month, after being in foal to sire I am Invincible.


The Kepitis, Tighe and Treweeke families shared the sad news today in a press release statement.

“There are so many people involved in the Winx story from owners, staff past and present to her many fans around the world,” the statement said.

“Our thoughts and attention at the moment are on Winx ensuring that she remains healthy, as anyone in this situation would respect.

“It is a traumatic time for a mother and those involved and Winx is now the centre of our attention following the loss of a beautiful filly this morning.

“We wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding, please respect the connections during this sad time and we will update you as soon as appropriate”.

 

Sad news....


Moving away from horse racing, what about having a horse as a pet and weekend/evening rides....heard the loyality and friendship of a horse is remarkable.

Well said....

 

I think it's the same as with any industry - there are lots of good people doing the right thing and a few bad apples that give everyone a bad name.

I own horses and compete in show jumping, and I've owned a lot of OTTB (off the track thoroughbreds) in my time. I also know a fair few people involved in the racing industry. For the overwhelming majority of them, horses are their lives and they absolutely adore them. Racehorses get treated better than a lot of people would as they are an extremely expensive investment (so to the OP... just say no, they're a black hole for money and very few % wise are actually any good at racing).

I get so jaded when Melbourne cup time comes around and people are suddenly out in force talking about how racing is cruel... then they disappear for the rest of the year until cup time comes again. The video of the horses at the abattoir is horribly upsetting - but those horses weren't sent there by the racing stables. They were sent there by whoever bought them in their lives after racing and unfortunately there isn't any way to control that. All sorts of horses end up at the knackers, not just racehorses

In short - horses are large critters who are more than capable of having their own opinion and making it known. You simply can't force them to do something they don't want to do, whether that's jumping or racing. Being whipped doesn't change that (and there is a limit as to how many times a horse can be tapped). A huge majority of horses are retired after a trial or 1-2 races because they simply don't want to be racehorses and the trainers don't want to continue making them do something they clearly aren't interested in. These horses are for the most part turned into equestrian horses. There has been a huge shift in the last 5 or so years into ex racehorses being given formal education at a retraining facility before being sold or given on to amateur owners.

I for one am happy that there are so many terrible racehorses in Australia as it gives riders access to beautiful, intelligent, athletic and versatile horses to pursue equestrian activities with that are available much cheaper than if we only purpose bred sport horses.

 

My father still rues the day he ever let me near a horse. To quote him "they are a black hole for money" and he's spot on. But unfortunately I really enjoy it!

In terms of racehorses - just say no. They're horribly expensive and very very very few are successful.

If you are interested in pursuing horse riding as a hobby then go for it! But do yourself a favour and go have at least a year's worth of regular lessons before you consider buying one of the 4 legged money suckers for yourself. The list of bills is endless (agistment, feeding, shoeing every 5-6 weeks, vet bills, then you need a horse float, then you need a large car to tow the horse float!!! and on and on........)

To put it into perspective... I bought my latest horse for $10k. That's expensive I hear you say! But it costs me nearly $8,000/year just to feed and keep the little rat. And to take him places I have a $100,000 car and a $40,000 horse float so buying the horse is definitely the cheap part!

Certainly not something to be getting yourself into on a whim, but have some lessons and see how you go! Where are you based I might be able to suggest somewhere to go..

 

Thank you for the detailed repply, appreciate it..no wonder I saw number of Ram trucks around Scone as they need powerful vehicle to pull the mob...

I am in Syd around WPH/Carlingford area and may be oneday I can own a horse as it seems like grapes are sour at this stage.

 

I have an ex-girlfriend who was into horses and has now raised her kids to be horse nerds. As I understand it she's pretty much broke, but she'd probably be doing okay if it weren't for the horses.

She knows this but she loves them and I really can't blame her. Seeing how much she and her kids love them is a delight to watch in itself.

 

If you are in that area your best bet for lessons is Terrey Hills/Duffy's Forest.. lots of riding stables in that area. Also my maths was only based on having a horse and NOT living anywhere near Sydney... agistment per week starts at $250 in Sydney and goes upwards from there still, it's a wonderful hobby even if it's expensive. And we all have our vices in one shape or form don't we

 

Most horse people have the same issue... all financial logic goes out the window because even though they're expensive, they're wonderful too.

I try not to think about how much extra money I'd have in the bank if I hadn't been paying for at least 1 horse since age 18! Conservative estimates would be upwards of $100k luckily I earn a good salary so it hasn't affected my property goals so far, though occasionally I think about selling both horse + trailer to use as a deposit on another!

 

There is a reason they have large bars at racecourses. It not for the punters as much as its for the owners. Winning races doesnt mean costs are covered.
Most trainers and stables also have great debt collectors on their books.

But the true battlers of the earth have dogs.

 

If you want to give away cash, you should try sailing.

The survivalists have retrievers (gun dogs).

 

.........Any boat with a motor. Or a airplane, if you have exceptional wealth to lose.