Advice please - to sell or not to sell?

Sell, this is not the right horse for you if you have a young family you need something that is going to give you lots of fun and enjoyment not stress! we do this for fun and it does not sound like you are having any. Also what happens if he really dumps you, and you get hurt, if someone wants him you are not giving up you just bought the wrong horse we have all done it or know someone who has dont beat yourself up. IMO if you cant think i want to ride today and can then you are making life hard for yourself by that i mean 'i have noone to help me get on/to ride with/its windy/raining/theres a mower down the road' this is an expensive hobby and it needs to make you smile most of the time
 
jrp204 said:
It is supposed to be fun! Not only is your daughter seeing you upset but you are putting yourself at risk. There is no shame in admitting you have the wrong horse, who is very big and could if hasn't already start taking the mick. Sell him, buy something that you can do what you want with and have some fun.
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Second this!!!
 
Something is telling me not to sell to this buyer and I normally trust my instinct. She has now asked if she can pay in installments. I've really started to get somewhere with him and I'd never forgive myself if he went to the market or worse. He needs someone to understand him and be kind to him.
 
OP,

This horses previous owners didn't do you or him any favours - they sold him at 15 (while that's not 'old' it's old enough for problems to be entrenched) without a second thought for his future and your safety.

IMHO the best thing you could do for this horse if you don't want or cannot keep him is PTS. It's hard but it sounds like your vet would support that decision and at least he would be safe from that horrible down ward spiral that difficult horses so easily fall into. It's a very hard thing to do I know as you always hope that there is a good home out there but reality and bitter experience says that they are rarer than hens teeth for big, potentially dangerous, ageing horses when much easier horses are two a penny at the moment... BTW, trust your instinct about this buyer, she sounds like a flake.

Another option (which I took) is to find retirement livery where the horses are only handled by a few knowledgeable people so you don't have the worry of keeping them on your standard livery yard with all that entails as you say he is happiest in the field? Or you can carry on as you are, you have made great strides in the 6 months as far as his ground manners concerned so you may be able to crack the under saddle bit but I'm sure most people would understand if you felt that was too much of a risk/was no fun...
 
jrp204 said:
It is supposed to be fun! Not only is your daughter seeing you upset but you are putting yourself at risk. There is no shame in admitting you have the wrong horse, who is very big and could if hasn't already start taking the mick. Sell him, buy something that you can do what you want with and have some fun.
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^^^ This

You have been very brave to continue riding a big horse that has learnt to get his own way, I'd have given up ages ago!
 
Op, you have obviously made a lot of progress on the ground with this horse. Do you have any experienced people on the yard who can help? I would be tempted to get someone to come over and ride him for you, there are plenty of decent professionals out there, and see what they say. What area are you in? You may be able to get some recomendations on here. It does sound like this horse has been passed around a fair bit, and I would suggest that your potential buyer is looking to make a quick buck. Good luck
 
Please don't ride this horse anymore - he sounds too dangerous and you've suffered enough.
You've said that his previous owner couldn't sell him quick enough and that he's been passed around a lot already - that speaks buckets to me!
He's been so lucky to end up with someone who cares about him and is trying to do right by him but at 16 I would say it's too late in his life for him to transform into something safe enough for you (or anyone) to enjoy.
If you can keep him as an unridden pet then do - you've made progress on his behaviour on the ground and that is fantastic. Keep working with him in-hand by all means and maybe one day you'll feel the time is right to get on him again but be prepared for that day to never come.
If you can't keep him as an unridden pet....
Please don't sell him to this person - they sound very suspicious. In fact, please don't sell him at all unless it's to someone you know and can trust.

There would be no shame in having him PTS. It sounds asthough he's had a long and probably miserable existence and finishing his days with someone who genuinely cares for him would be a lovely end to his story.
 
having him PTS is drastic. From what you say i would think he wouldnt take too much to get right.

There are people who would be more than happy to help you sort him out, YOU DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU. :)
 
I don't have a lot of money to get a professional/horse trainer involved. I was thinking of moving to a yard where there are more experienced people who could help me but I think this would unsettle my horse even more.
 
So make use of the people at your current yard who are willing to hack out with you in walk. Get him settled, then one day try a few strides of trot, uphill. Only do a few strides at a time to lose this habit of taking off. Practice walking him in front, behind and beside your hacking partners to improve obedience and increase his confidence. The walk and trot transitions will improve balance and obedience. See where you are in a few months time.
 
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