A difficult situation, any suggestions?

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Taffster

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I always seem to take one step forward and 3 back, and at the moment I am finding it really difficult.
I sold my lifelong friend in august and bought another in September - soon afte rthis I found I had to move into the house I was renting out so lost my rent income, I also took a job 4months ago with substantially lower pay. The current situation is - in the past I had spent all my spare cash on the horses which is fine - now once the horse is paid for I have little or none left for anything else. That is also fine except the house i moved into needs loads of stuff doing to it, christmas is coming and i genuinely cannot see how to juggle everything.
I pay full production livery for the new horse which as you can imagine doesnt come in cheap however the horse is a show horse and is currently being backed.
I am thinking what I could do to ease the pressures and wondered what you would do in the same situation.
The horse cost me a lot of money, and has a sarcoid so in his current state is not really saleable on horsemart/quest etc.. Could you expect someone to lease him and do all the hardwork, or should i loan him out for 6 months until i figured out my long term situation. This horse is Hoys material which is another reason i dont really want to let him go, it would be the highlight of my life to see him at Hoys. But then the producer would feel a bit put out too - I really dont know what to do but the situation is i cannot afford 600 a month on one horse anymore
Ideas please - im beginning to think just sell it and cut my losses, then i think I would have given Taf up for nothing???????????????
I seem to make everythng complicated and its starting to really get to me.
Marshmallows and hot chocolate for those of you listening to my winging
 
Maybe an utterly stupid sugestion but:

Put your horse on DIY and have regular lessons from a respected instructor or said producer... you'd then also have the satisfaction of having done it all yourself too!
 
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Maybe an utterly stupid sugestion but:

Put your horse on DIY and have regular lessons from a respected instructor or said producer... you'd then also have the satisfaction of having done it all yourself too!

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Ditto. Seems a no brainer.
 
I agree - and just because hes 'professionally' produced doesnt make his chances of going to HOYS any greater.
If you are a confident and capable rider and have a decent instructor theres absolutely no reason you cant do it yourself and then your horse will only be costing you a third of what you are paying now and as CBFan said the satisfaction in doing it yourself will make the end goal even better.
 
Echo compleatly what others have said, keep him on DIY and get lessons and if want to cut costs even more chuck him out in field for 6 months
 
Find livery with winter 24/7 turnout and turn him away til the Spring. By then you should have your finances/accommodation etc sorted out and a winter in the field will do him no harm. Presumably he's young so he will spend this time maturing and just 'being a horse' which will be good for him mentally.
 
If he's good enough to excel in the show ring I would advertise for someone to part own him so the costs are halved but you can still enjoy his success.

Failing that I would be wary of producers who say he will go to HOYS ( if it is them ) because you may just have a dream that doesn't materialise and you will be broke whilst the producer is laughing all the way to the bank on your livery money.

Do as others say and stick him on cheaper livery, whats the point tbh if your struggling now how will you afford the costs of competing him which will go through the roof.
 
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This horse is Hoys material which is another reason i dont really want to let him go, it would be the highlight of my life to see him at Hoys

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There is no reason why, as an amateur owner, you can't get the horse there yourself. Plenty have done it, and will do so in the future.

Far more satisfying than paying someone else to do it for you.

You seem more than capable. So I'm another one that says go DIY.
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Just want to add to others views that the producer has no right to feel put out, you are paying them for a service and it is up to you what you do with your horse.

If they were subsidising livery or similar that is a different matter but with a straightforward livery arrangement it is up to you!
 
I'd wait until he's backed and schooling nicely on the flat, once at the stage I'd then try to find then find someone to loan him who ultimately has the same ambitions/intentions as you, providing if need be they don't mind him being turned away for a short while, or just pottering along to some winter shows and doing some inhand stuff to gain some experiance ready for competiting under saddle come spring time.

No horse is guaranteed to be HOYS standard at this stage, if they keep telling you that knowing full well that is your dream doesnt matter if the horse is or not, there goign to keep taking your money as long as your wanting that horse to go to HOYS, all I'm saying is once you horse has established the basics there is no reason why your horse can't continue do do well with someone who wants to do well on it...and pay for that pleasure.
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I'd second riding it yourself and getting lessons, would dramatically cut your costs.

Alternatively get a second job or a lodger.
 
£600 a month?
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move to a diy/part livery yard, have lessons-produce him yourself, get help if needed, i wouldnt risk loaning him out, he may get ruined.
 
Can't really offer suggestions about the horse but i would suggest to not put yourself under pressure re christmas. Sorry I know im a total bah humbug but i see so many people literally busting guts, veins and bank balances to put on a show at christmas and its just not worth it.

I'm hoping to buy stables this year and I've got everyone well warned christmas is cancelled. I'm amazed at the response with everyone breathing a sigh of relieve that its one less pressie that they need to worry about and thinking they'll trim down a load this year too.
 
Ok for the no brainers, I dont ride!! I forgot to mention that bit, sorry!
I said he is hoys material and no offence intended to anyone but I think i would have saved myself a lot of money on a horse with a sarcoid unbacked if i and the producer didnt think he was, the producer has become a good friend and would only produce something she thought was good enough. She is riding him, and certainly wouldnt ride something that was not good enough it would do her more harm than good in regards to her professionalism, she is also looking forward to it a great deal.
I have not broached the subject with her yet, but it is inevitable that i do. I seem to make the situation more difficult because i create such great friendships along the way.
I could bring him onto diy back home which by the sounds of it is my best option. Although I would like him to be up and running first.
 
Taffster, I think you could find a full livery at a lower cost to yourself each month, and the horse could still be produced with a long term view to the show ring. This producer may have become your friend but they are an expensive one.
 
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I said he is hoys material and no offence intended to anyone but I think i would have saved myself a lot of money on a horse with a sarcoid unbacked if i and the producer didnt think he was

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Ah, you are making the assumption here that you are being replied to by people who; a) have no idea what a top quality show horse is, and b) have never had significant success with their own horse(s).

Not riding yourself does not prevent you from producing the horse yourself. All you need is a tidy jockey. And you have been given some really good sound advice on here about how to get yourself out of a financial predicament.

Very rarely (if ever) are they leased out. So your choice is put it on DIY and do it yourself (putting your rather superior attitude to one side), sell it (as you say it has a sarcoid
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) or carry on with your current situation and take the financial hammering.

I hope your able to come up with a solution that suits you and your pocket.
 
What about part loaning him? A lot of people would love a horse but have neither the time or money to commit full time so sharing could be a good option. Obvioulsy, you would need someone competent.
 
Well anyway, assuming horse is backed I would get him back and put him in DIY until end of February and then move him back to the producers for the season. There is no reason why that wouldn't give the producer time to school on and get ready for the shows and would save you a packet.

I had a youngster produced. She was backed in the early autumn for 6 weeks, then came home and was turned away until end of Feb and then went back and was doing the county shows that same summer.

I think it would be shame to give up on your dream and a huge shame to have sold the Taffster for nothing
 
If the producer likes it that much will they not take part ownership? They can produce it free of charge in return for a share in the horse. just an idea.
 
all good suggestions but what I would also do is have a look at your entire financial situation and be realistic about how long this will last - so if you are always going to struggle paying the £600 a month then best to look at the above options and cut your losses. if its short term then I think bringing your horse home and giving him a break is a good one.

final note - the producer may be looking forward to showing your horse and be a friend, but a friend would not ask you to put yourself into financial straits for their benefit.
 
In my short time in the showing world I know of 2 horses this Winter that have been leased out, if your knowledgeable then you possibly know of them yourself. My attitude is far from superior I had a dream and followed it! I would expect someone who shows for a living to have enough of an eye to see what would be or would not be Hoys material - as with everything there is a risk and a gamble with a 3year old, it could go through fencing tomorrow and no longer be hoys material.
And i did not make the assumption that my replies were to numpties - infact looking at the thread it would appear they thought i was the numpty of course if i could ride myself then bring it home. I suppose you could put my situation the same as a race horse owner they dont do anything with the horse except pay for it!
Although I value everyones opinion it seems you were just anchoring for an argument, if my inital thread sounded like I wanted hassle then accept my apologies, however i thought it was a plea for sympathetic advice.
The sarcoid thing meant I took a risk knowing it would be worthless out of the show ring, not that i like to throw money around on a whim. Adding to the whole complexity of the situation if i dont show it i waste all my money!!!
 
I am finding your post a little confussing - one minute you are saying he has HOYs potential and the next that you could not sell him on horsequest as he is not saleable.

If he truely has HOYs potential you would be able to sell him as others as experienced as you would be able to see his potential even if he is roughed off.

If your financial situation is only going to be short term then you could look at getting a bank loan to tide you over and then pay it back later on.

If your producer is also your friend could she help you out a bit by offering you a mates' rate? Could you help her in return at the weekends with mucking out etc in return for livery/schooling costs?

TBH I don't think there would be many people wanting to lease a horse for just the winter as they would be having all the costs and none of the benefits of being able to show as there are less affilated shows in the winter.

Could you get a bar job in the evenings or weekends to earn more money?
 
Slightly OT but doesn't a sarcoid count in showing?

I would think the horse would be more use out of the show ring?

Not that I would buy a horse with even a hint of a sarcoid tbh.

It seems to me that £ 600 a month is a lot to pay for possibly a few pieces of ribbon?
 
£600 is an average amount for a professional production livery. Granted, to a lot of people it's an extortionate amount of money, but if you want the right producer it's what you have to pay.

What do you want to get out of this horse? Is your aim to keep this horse forever and hopefully one day be the proud owner of a HOYS horse? If so follow your dream but you will need to seriously think about your finances, because for 10 months of the year you are likely to be paying £600+ a month if you are unable to produce this horse yourself.

I cannot see anyone, with any ounce of real capability for producing show horses, want to loan/lease your horse short term. Why on earth would they want to put i the hard slog for you to potentially take the horse off them?

So my suggestions would be

a) long term lease, that way you can be the owner but without the financial burden. Your horse will be produced, but you will have little to no say in how that horse is kept/produced.
b) will the producer buy a half share in the horse?
c) bring the horse home on DIY and find a local producer to come to you, and a good jockey to exercise in the interim periods.

Also, my one burning question is - does the sarcoid not affect showing potential?! Surely you would need to have this removed for the show ring and there is no reason why you couldn't sell the horse anyway through normal advertising?
 
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