Dirty stopper, any experience s?

I think for the purposes of selling, as it is a long standing problem why she is stopping doesn't really matter if she otherwise seems physically fine. Her market for a new home as an older TB is as a hack, a bit of schooling, the odd fun ride perhaps.
 
I am totally shocked that anyone would consider a mare in her twenties to be a 'dirty stopper'.

For goodness sake, would you expect your granny to jump the hurdles in a county athletics trial?

She is saying no, I can't do this anymore. I will try to oblige you by jumping the odd fence, and if you really must ask, I will jump the odd big one, but honestly, she is telling you no as loudly and clearly as she can and no amount of re-schooling is going to solve this. Her owner needs to be reasonable, a pony might jump in its twenties but I would never expect a horse to, as they are so much heavier and their joints do not stand up so well. She will certainly have low level arthritis in some if not all of her joints, and it will hurt.

I would fire the vet too - passing a horse in its twenties as fit for low level jumping is rather vague if not downright cruel - the horse knows better than the vet in this case.

And yes people's circumstances do change, but it doesn't make it right trying to sell a 22 year old horse as a show jumper of 1m + tracks. Show some mercy and stop jumping her.
 
Luck of the devil said:
To my vet it is. He treats the likes of Cian o Conners jumpers etc.
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That should be irrelevant. Jumping heights are actual. 1.10M is NOT low to a creaky 22-year-old who needs bute. And any vet who can't discriminate between Cian O'Connor's horses and a non-competitive veteran needs their license taking away.

I wish I hadn't read this thread . . . it's making my eyes bleed and my heart break.

P
 
To me, a 22yo horse would generally want to start chilling out. I got my old boy at 22, and he was a star up to 85cm. Honestly the most genuine and kind horse you could find, he would never stop and always went the extra mile for me. If the fences hit 95cm he wouldn't entertain it, I could maybe persuade him over a few but he'd say no in a fairly determined way after that. He just wasn't comfortable jumping that and so we stuck to the lower heights, and as he got older the fences got lower to keep him happy.

To me, 1.10m is too much for a older horse. You get the odd few who are game but she is clearly telling you she isn't. And I think she is most saleable as a genuine and happy horse who merrily pops 75cm sweetly without her zest for life or confidence being taken from her.

FWIW, my old boy had his own issues and our vet also said that he was best sticking to good ground and low-level work. She meant 80cm max, prelim dressage, no hard schooling (I didn't have dressage lessons on him after this as it was too much circling)... She is part of the vet practice the pros round us use, so hardly tinpot. She used low level with us to mean low level for us, and low level with the pros to mean low level to them. Unless you're habitually jumping 2* tracks/ 1.40m SJ I highly doubt your vet meant low level as 1.10m.
 
Lolo said:
Unless you're habitually jumping 2* tracks/ 1.40m SJ I highly doubt your vet meant low level as 1.10m.
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Actually he did. This horse jumped 1.30m in the past with a pro who was considering the international circuit on her until it was decided that she put in stops too regularly to make it as a jumper. She was then sold to current owner who doesn't jump often and has had her for 15yrs.
Vet knows her background and what she is up for better then everyone on here so please please stop calling my vet out for clearing her to jump. He isnt on here to defend himself or his decision.
I have never said that I was trying to jump 1.10m courses on an 22yr old made coming back from a longish break. What I said was there was no reason for her to stop so randomly. She has flown over 1.10m single fences most of her life and she has always thrown in random stops. I said I was trying to bring her around small (80cm) courses to work out how to market her (allrounder/hacker/low dressage etc) and all I asked about was if anybody had success with a stopper like this or was it best to just market her as a happy hacker.
 
Actually you said you were jumping her 1m10 at home and 80cm out.

With a stopper like that your be best marketing as a pleasure horse. If someone wants to jump they can, but it will stop someone with their heart set on competing being disappointed.

You say that she used to stop year ago - so it is an ingrained issue. I'd still put my money on an SI issue given what I have seen other horses do with them.
 
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Well you've had your answer on how to market her. As a happy hacker looking for a slower pace of life.

This fixation about her jumping is beyond me. Sorry op, but I think those involved with this horse are being outrageously unfair - bordering on cruel.
 
Luck of the devil said:
Actually he did. This horse jumped 1.30m in the past with a pro who was considering the international circuit on her until it was decided that she put in stops too regularly to make it as a jumper. She was then sold to current owner who doesn't jump often and has had her for 15yrs.
Vet knows her background and what she is up for better then everyone on here so please please stop calling my vet out for clearing her to jump. He isnt on here to defend himself or his decision.
I have never said that I was trying to jump 1.10m courses on an 22yr old made coming back from a longish break. What I said was there was no reason for her to stop so randomly. She has flown over 1.10m single fences most of her life and she has always thrown in random stops. I said I was trying to bring her around small (80cm) courses to work out how to market her (allrounder/hacker/low dressage etc) and all I asked about was if anybody had success with a stopper like this or was it best to just market her as a happy hacker.
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So the horse has been used primarily as a happy hack for 15 years, and now at the age of 22 she is suddenly being asked to jump single fences of 1.10m and round courses of 80cm. The fact she jumped 1.30m with a pro is irrelevant, it was 15 years ago. To me, this is not fair on the poor girl.

I would say the owner is best advised to market the horse at what she is used to - happy hacking.
 
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Out of interest OP, is this the same mare you posted about in May? The one you have on long term loan (or until you get sick of her)?
 
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Amymay no I still have her. I have to admit the two sound similar but totally different horses. That mare is currently in the field behind my house and is enjoying a weeks rest after going to pony club camp with me. The mare I am posting about right now belongs to a family friend who as I explained can no longer keep her and I am bringing her back into work in order to sell her.
 
For me, the fact that the horse has hardly jumped for 15 years and is now 22 says it's too late to start. Get her slightly fit and sell her to a lovely home as a happy hacker, which has been her primary career during her life. Scrap the jumping, don't try and big her up as a show jumper for more money, she failed at that, she doesn't like it clearly. Give her a break and just sell her on to a quiet home for her old age.
 
Luck of the devil said:
Actually he did. This horse jumped 1.30m in the past with a pro who was considering the international circuit on her until it was decided that she put in stops too regularly to make it as a jumper. She was then sold to current owner who doesn't jump often and has had her for 15yrs.
Vet knows her background and what she is up for better then everyone on here so please please stop calling my vet out for clearing her to jump. He isnt on here to defend himself or his decision.
I have never said that I was trying to jump 1.10m courses on an 22yr old made coming back from a longish break. What I said was there was no reason for her to stop so randomly. She has flown over 1.10m single fences most of her life and she has always thrown in random stops. I said I was trying to bring her around small (80cm) courses to work out how to market her (allrounder/hacker/low dressage etc) and all I asked about was if anybody had success with a stopper like this or was it best to just market her as a happy hacker.
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Why don't you market her as a veteran hacking and pleasure horse looking for a quiet life? With the best will in the World, the next owner will be lucky to get another 8 years out of her.
 
9tails said:
Why don't you market her as a veteran hacking and pleasure horse looking for a quiet life? With the best will in the World, the next owner will be lucky to get another 8 years out of her.
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With the best will in the world, if the OP keeps jumping her over the heights she claims, she won't last that long.

Treasure her, pamper her, baby her . . . she's a veteran and she deserves to have a gentle retirement. No, that doesn't necessarily mean no work at all . . . but it certainly doesn't mean packaging her up as an all-rounder to someone who may try and make her do more than she should be doing in her advanced years.

She isn't past it . . . but she is certainly telling you that she doesn't want to jump competitively any more.

P
 
Luck of the devil said:
Actually he did. This horse jumped 1.30m in the past with a pro who was considering the international circuit on her until it was decided that she put in stops too regularly to make it as a jumper. She was then sold to current owner who doesn't jump often and has had her for 15yrs.
Vet knows her background and what she is up for better then everyone on here so please please stop calling my vet out for clearing her to jump. He isnt on here to defend himself or his decision.
I have never said that I was trying to jump 1.10m courses on an 22yr old made coming back from a longish break. What I said was there was no reason for her to stop so randomly. She has flown over 1.10m single fences most of her life and she has always thrown in random stops. I said I was trying to bring her around small (80cm) courses to work out how to market her (allrounder/hacker/low dressage etc) and all I asked about was if anybody had success with a stopper like this or was it best to just market her as a happy hacker.
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Doesn't matter what your vet did, but what YOU'VE done. And your story keeps changing, so I cba.

As someone who has taken on a 22yo horse looking for a quieter life, I didn't even want to jump. That wasn't on the lost of what we were looking for. I wanted a friendly and kind horse, and that's why I looked at the more elderly ones, because I could trust them. I think you've got your target audience wrong.
 
yep, back to OP first post....I was given a cracking 16 year old jumping horse, he was a bit sick n tired of jumping, not over jumped but basically he'd earnt his keep. He was retired from high level SJ to me from a lovely family.

They made it very clear he needed low level fun stuff, this horse was CAPABLE of incredible things and I am sure any vet would have "passed him as fit to jump" medically within his body!!!! But his head had had enough.

Your story keeps changing, so not spending too long on this but at 22 the horse has made it clear she isnt overly interested in jumping, it's unfair at that age to even ask, just find her a nice home where she can pop the odd cross pole and have a happy life!!

Just because she is "fit to jump" doesnt mean she wants to!!!
 
I'm still reeling that a veteran TB that has been out of work is being labeled as a dirty stopper.
 
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