ANY IDEAS? Please help!!!?

I hate to say this, but no horse is ever for free!

The purchase price is only the down payment for the rest of his life. A life you will spend loving him and taking care of him with grazing, feed, vet attention, shoeing?, transport (and the list goes on).

If you've been riding for 6 years you have a saddle and bridle that fit, or does the horse come with it's tack and cover?

If you haven't already worked out a budget, this is a good start for working how 'free' this horse is.

You also need to be confident that you have the 'budget' in your heart and time to take care of this horse for the the next 10 years+, above boyfriends, nights out, and whatever other distractions come along. Then go back to your Dad with a pledge to help him around the house, cleaning his car, getting your grades... whatever it takes to show REALLY how committed your are...

I got a 'free' horse for my daughter, nothing was more expensive (or more worthwhile).

Your dad is right and wrong at the same time. He used the "free" argument earlier because he was sure it would never happen. Oops. It happened!

Now he's stuck having to find some other way to say no.

Perhaps he see the horse as being a limitation on his life. He won't be able to take that trip to go fishing in Manitoba because he's stuck with a horse to take care of. Or maybe he knows that the horse will get sick and try to die and use up all the money he had put away for you to go to university.

Or perhaps there's something else that he Really Does Not Want To Talk About.

And he does know that a free horse isn't free. Give him credit for that much understanding.

He might even know something about that particular STB that you don't.

Well, as many have already said, a horse is never free. Buying a horse is a one-time payment. Keeping a horse is another matter.

Ask yourself some questions like where would I keep him? Can he live at your property, or would you have to board him at a livery? Can you afford to take care of him? If not, that will be a burden on your parents, and that is probably what your Dad is thinking about. By their nature, horses are not cheap animals to keep, or I would already have my lifelong dream of having my own.

Do you have the time to dedicate to looking after him properly? Riding a horse is one thing, but all the work involved in looking after him is another.

Rather than tell your Dad, "That's not fair! You promised!", show yourself to be mature. He will view you as more responsible. Be calm, and ask him (respectfully!) to explain his reasons for not letting you have a horse. I have a feeling that he is most likely negative about it due to money concerns.

When he explains his reasons to you, don't fire back at him straight away. Think about the reasons he's given and try to address them. If he's worried about the cost, could you get a weekend job or something to help pay for his upkeep? If he's worried that you won't look after him properly and will get bored of him, show yourself to be responsible. If he see's that you are mature enough in other areas of life (looking after any pets that you may already have, keeping your room tidy, being reasonable and trying to understand why he feels the way he feels about having a horse... Just little things), then he may start to see that you mean what you say when you tell him that you will look after him.

It may also be because of the horse's age. Does your Dad know how long horses live? If not, he may think that a 12yr old horse sounds old and will run up vet's bills.

Is the gelding in good health now? Does he have any problems?

It could be any number of reasons that your Dad doesn't like the idea. Your only way to find out is to ask him.

Try to be patient, and just maybe things will work out for you. It may well take a little while for you to prove yourself to be mature enough for such a huge responsibility as taking on a large, demanding animal. But with time, patience, understanding of *his* feelings on the matter, and gentle respectful persuasion, just maybe he will understand *your* side too, and things may work out for you.

I hope you get your horse and that thing's will work out for you :)

Sounds like you have some convincing to do... find ways to show your responsible and if you can get a job to help pay for the expenses that would probably make a huge difference. Good Luck and remember you are young so you have a lifetime of horses ahead of you. Also maybe a leasing option is possible. That way your parents arent completely responsible for him but you still get to ride and call him part yours and after you prove what a good match you two are maybe your dad will consider letting you actually own him all on your own.

say ' dad you said i can now your saying no, thats not fair to brake a promise to your daughter' get your mum to back you up aswell!!