I get up at 5 to feed the horses before work and before the gym and as soon as i finish work i am out there riding and doing all the other tasks related to them, Yep its expensive but i have to have a hobby and i love what i do!

When I was growing up the Saddle Club books were extremely popular, they had shelves in Whitcoulls dedicated to them. I remember going with my weekly $5 pocket money and trying to decide which one to get.

Unfortunately the books were as far as I got (apart from the occasional trek while on holiday). Apparently owning a pet as large as a horse is expensive.

I was also a huge Western fan (loved the Magnificent 7 (newer) series that was on tv in the 90's), and riding horses just seemed like the cool thing to do.

My best friend at college was the horsey chick, i grew out of it a bit, but she never did. I still love to go out any chance i get, but those are few and far between since spectacularly shattering my tail bone. Word of advice, if the tiles look slippery, and you have an unnatural level of clumsy, stay away from the edges of stuff!

Makes sitting on a horse, a right pain in the ;)

I rode horses for about 2 years when I was 14. Went to Pony Club and did a few shows. Dont get the chance to ride much now but would jump at the chance if it came along. Ahhh whats not to love? They smell delicious, feel nice, is such a great feeling when riding (Not that feeling) but when your bucketing along in a great gallop or just doing those jumps that make you feel so free.

Ah my dream - To retire to a farm with a horse of my own.

I loved horses as a kid but we were not well off enough for me to be horsey. I did my best though inviting friends around to play and subtly reminding them to bring their "my little ponys" round for me to play with as the family budget did not stretch to those either. In later years I have tried riding but find myself hopelessly lacking in horseriding capabilities. I still dream of the wind whipping through my hair as I gallop through a paddock (even though my horse riding exploits have never involved actually getting the horse up to a gallop). I loved Follyfoot! "grow grow the lightening tree...."

I've been merely an observer of the horsey culture, but yup, I have to agree that it seems to be something that teenage girls in huge numbers went through while I was at college too.

It definitely attracts those girls with wealthy parents! I live close to Ohariu Valley in Wellington where there are riding clubs and much in the way of horses grazing in paddocks. Also more Mitsubishi Pajero's, Range Rovers and Nissan Safari's per square yard than in the average suburb ten minutes from the central business district. So unless you're keen on the idea of being taken out via a head on collision by Popsi from Khandallah (with daughter Madison in the passenger seat) as she fails to stay on her side of the Island much less her side of the road, Ohariu Valley is a great place to avoid during the weekends.

Growing up on a farm, we had a horse. His name was Pluto. He was as round as his namesake, so you couldn't find a saddle that would fit around his fat gut. The only way you could get a halter on him was to wrap bread around the bit. It would take about a loaf of sliced bread to finally get that mother in his mouth (he was tricksy as a hobbit). Once you'd got on him, legs in an almost split he was that chubby, he would trot off with a slight lean to one side, so you would inexorably slide off. Failing that, he would break into a canter, stop on a dime while dipping his head so you flew off the front. Love horses? I hated that demon equine spawn.

The only other horse I knew was Biscuit, at the Riding for the Disabled School. Biscuit had a severe flatulence problem, and anything above a trot resulted in foul fumes of horsey fartiness. Rancid stench of satan ...

I am definitely not in love with horses!

I am one of those horsey girls, although for me it started at about the age of 6 or 7 and I've never grown out of it (I'm 25 now). I was fortunate enough to grow up on a farm, so many of the expenses related to keeping a horse weren't really applicable. As for why so many girls go through that phase (slash never leave that phase) there is a lady in Aussie writing a PhD on it...I kid you not.

For me, it's hard to explain really and most 'normal' people don't understand when I talk about my horse as if he's another person but it's my escape, therapy, recreation, sport and greatest expense all wrapped into one! Horses really do have the best personalities and the relationship that you can build with a horse is amazing.

No, I was never very horsey either when I was young and I never wanted one - living in urban areas an all! However, I did use to like to read books about gymkanas etc probably because it was as far removed from my own adolescent life as possible (a bit like those Enid Blyton books about boarding schools and midnight feasts - fun to read about at the time but you don't really want to actually do it).

@Moata.. Tack is like the bridle (man translation: head thing) and the Saddle (man translation: the bit you sit on) along with assorted other bits like a martingale.

I always found it hard to get the legs right if the horse was doing more than standing still.

I was a horsey girl, not a cool one but definitely a horsey girl.. but from about the age of 7 or 8 instead of 13. I finally convinced parents to buy me a horse when I was 15 (the source of my scarred face).. love affair continues to this day.. not sure why actually.. they're large hairy and stupid but also amusing and great fun to ride (once you know what you're doing)..