Advice please, Long one sorry.

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dressagecrazy

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Hiya,

Advise wanted on what you would do if you where me.

I have 3 horses atm, 1 retired, 1 22yo who's still active (hacks of a w-end atm) & one 7yo who i ride & compete. They are all kept at home where i have my menage, stables & land.

I have just been offered the oppotunity to buy a rarther lovely filly foal (IDxTB) skewbald, good breeding but not WOW factor. I know the Dam who is also IDxTB & have been working with her for a while now & she has a lovely personality & good correct paces & is very trainable. The sire of the filly is also well know for his temprement. I compete in affil dressage so would want something capable of getting to at least Elementry level preffered above.

So now my major dilema, i don't have enough land for 4 big horses during the winter ( i have heavy clay soil). The owner of the filly has generously offered me very good price per month for grass livery with her other foal who is approx the same age. Where she is kept & will continue to be kept by me if i buy her is only a 10 min drive for me. Obviously the livery would be fine for a few years but im worried that when i start getting the filly ready for backing i will be struggling time wise to do it & would be limited to w-end work only during winter, with 3 other horses (only one ridden & competed). Plus there's no facilities only grass paddocks & quiet lanes.
In the spring she would be able to come here once backed & spend the summer furthering her education, but once the winter came she would have to go back on grass livery & w-end visits from me. (This senario is obviously quite a few years away yet).

I'm also worried about the livery situation mainly because i havnt done livery of any sort for quite a long while, & i know how easily people can fall out not that i think that will happen as we get on, but im having to think about every possibility. As this will be a long term livery at least 5-6 years as IDxTB's mature slowly so she would not be backed until ready. The owner will let me pay over a period of time for the filly & i can afford another but wasnt actually looking for another at all if you understand me. Also i have to pay livery for this one if i took her on. But i do feel this might be a good oppotunity for a horse for the future.
Obviously if the worst happend she would be the first to be sold hopefully that will never happen. But you have to think of it as a resposible horse owner as my retired & older horses could not & would never be sold!!

What Do you think good idea or bad ??

Thanks for reading i know its a long one sorry!!
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Id get it, by the time its old enough to be broken in one of your other might be nearing his time so its not as if you will have to keep her on livery forever, id go for it.
 
I too would go for it - not a nice thought at all but by the time you're doing anything serious with her one of the older ones may have gone to horsey heaven and it would be a real shame if you missed the opportunity of what sounds like a lovely filly.
 
i think to go for it.... you seem to have thought out every option. as you say IDx tend to mature slowly, and there's no harm in bringing them on slowly at first, and turning them away over the winter and i think their nature works better with time off to think about all you've taught them over the summer.

its probably perfect timing too, you've got your 7yo to think about and compete for the next few year until the foal can be started, and by that time things may be different anyway! who knows what will happen in your work/home life/horse life or whatever....
 
I think you are right to think about everything possible when thinking about getting another one!
But where is the wow factor?
That seems to be missing from your conversation!
You sound a little flat about her!
I am sorry if I sound harsh!
But I bought a pony with yeah but no but yeah thing happening and it was the biggest mistake of my life!
I sold him on and got something that really pushes my buttons so to speak!
Do you really get a buzz in your tummy when you think and talk about her?
If so then great, go for it, but your doubting so much!
I would ask myself why?
I am only talking from my experience, I am sorry if I upset or offend you, but would hate for you to make the same mistake as i did.
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Not upset or offended at all Madmarcher this is the type of thing i need. By Wow factor i mean she not got big flashy paces like my lovely WB, she's a nice IDxTB. Moves nicely, she is pretty.

I think she could be very nice & i could see her with BD points in the future. I already have an IDxTB who was retired with heart problems but he did do well at dressage.

I do feel excited when i think of owning her but at the same time worried because i couldnt keep her here & i would be at the mercy of someone else so to speak. Im very independant.

I have been planning all the things i could do with her though lol. But again in the cold light of day worry about the livery thing.
 
Would the owner of the filly take your retired horse on grass livery instead? Then you could have the filly on site for the same cost...
 
[ QUOTE ]
Would the owner of the filly take your retired horse on grass livery instead? Then you could have the filly on site for the same cost...

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, a good option but..... My retired horse has serious heart problems (hence why he's retired) & if he gets highly stressed it could kill him easily. So moving him wouldnt be an option, he also has a strong pair bond to my 22yo. So with all that in mind i wouldnt do it.
 
God it is a hard one for you.
I guess you really need to think about "what would you feel like if she sold to someone else"
That may answer your question!
And livery can be a nightmare!
People are always falling out on yards and it's terrible, I dream of the day I can get my own land!
 
I'd go for it. It sounds bad but with youngsters if it doesn't work out with them you can always do a bit of work with them then sell them on, or it could turn out to be the best thing you've ever done!!
 
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