Do i keep her or sell her?

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express_75

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Really need some good advice please.
This is my info:
I bought a 4yr old Welsh D last October and she's been broken for a month. Since then i have moved her to a lovely small livery yard (DIY), lunged her, hacked her on her own & in company (very well behaved) taken her hunting once and my friend has taken her twice, she loved it.
My dilema is that i find her quite stressy awkward at times; like this afternoon, i tied her up outside to wash her tail and she would not stand still, pawing the wall/floor ect, she doesn't kick or bite and there isn't a buck in her but i was saying to the YO's daughter i just wish she would chill out, i understand that she's a baby but ive had a [****] week and there have been a spell where ive thought about selling her and getting another Section D, one that had been there and done it all..one to gain confidence on. She's my first horse and i don't want to ruin her but i also love her to bits and wanted her for life, not for her to be passed around. I feel so guilty for these thoughts as she's lovely just a bit of a handful and she's such a big lump, more like a stallion that a mare TBH.
So...people who know/been in a similar situation..advice please, im so confused.
Do i keep at it and see what spring/summer brings?
I think im just frustrated with the weather and having lost a bit of confidence......This is awful to type but i know i'll have the best help off you on this forum....

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Have you tried a calmer at all?? Its a shame to sell her on though, if she is good to ride and you know as far as possible that she is healthy and has not been ruined.

If you sell her and buy a been there and done it horse you could get all sorts of health issues or find its not the same horse once you have had it for a while.....

They are individuals and I am sure she will grow out of her playfulness
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Good luck what ever you decide to do.
 
I had the same with a very stressy horse..thought she would be better when she settled in a bit..months later she was the same! I did end up parting with her for both our sake as she was stressing me out too! I would give it more time as she is still young but dont keep her just because you feel guilty thats no good either
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blimey seems if she has only been broken for a month she isnt putting many feet wrong pardon the pun. i think you might kick yourself if you give up so soon. and no i certainly dont mean to make anyone feel guilty. the biggest question is...have you bonded???
 
She sounds lovely - the fact that she is only 4 and is happy to hack out on her own and in company and has been hunting. I think we all forget that mares are entire, just the same as stallions, and can have their "little ways". If you sell her and buy something else, you may well regret it. I've had horses for 30 years and this winter I've got really down about it - the rain, the mud, the rain and more rain etc., etc. Hang on in their for a while and don't rush into any decisions just yet.
 
Thanks.
Im thinking about a calmer to put in her feed.
She's out 24/7 and im a very calm person and give her so much reassurance, i just get so fed up when i take her into the school for a lunge and she starts stressing at the banners or a barrel, with that silly, wild look in her eyes. I feel like a failure.
All i want is for her to calm down and enjoy her life so that i make a nice all rounder of her.
I love Sections D's and she's great apart from the stressy ways! She jumped the fence last week cos her field mates (two mares) were having their feet trimmed! She could still see them......
 
My horse was the same at 4 1/2 .Six months down the line with regular consistent handling and he was so much calmer and patient.She is still a baby and learning as long as you have time I would stick with it.When I used to walk my horse in on a windy day it was like flying a kite I wondered if he had been gelded properly at one time.He comes in like a dog now.Give her time she will learn to trust you and stand still .
You could try a supplement for mares.We use moody mare herbal supplement for my daughters horse as she can be a bit impatient but again 6 months down the line with regular work and handling we have been able to take her off it .This is a horse who had to be sedated for clipping before we took her on.Stay positive and keep calm and she will come right for you.
 
Aww thanks everyone, this is helping me so much.
to the wonderhorse: She was broken a month back in october so its been about 4/5months now.

How do i tell if we have bonded?? She stands with me in the field when i take her back out and loves me to wrestle with her head, she closes her eyes and rests her chin on my shoulder and looks so happy - i don't know how to tell if we've bonded, i do believe she likes me and trusts me....
tell me more as i hope we have..
 
i really wouldnt worry!
it takes a long time to adjust to having a young horse around. They just have tht bit more of a buzz about them.
Hattie used to drive me insane and still does now sometimes and now we have grown to know each other and she has calmed down.
she will soon calm down once you get to know each other a bit more.
 
In short. KEEP HER. We all have days were it seems to hard and we think of sellling up for a 'ready made' horse, but one, weres the reward in that? And two, not 100% sure that horses exists.
 
I would keep on with her, we have found that mares can take a long time to settle. Our current Appy was good as gold for six months, then started a bit of sillyness, three years on she is brilliant and is very much my friend. I could not sell her on whatever.
 
My YO has a 5 yr old section D. He had stressy moments all the time but as he gets a bit older they get less and less. She reckons they don't fully grow up until they're abt 8
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I think u should keep her and work with her to lessen the stressy moments. Also, if u get stressy when she is stressy then it could be making it worse. Try taking a few deep breaths when she does it and disract her.
 
I've got a 4 year old and we get our 'stressy' moments.

Like the other day when she decided to tank around the menage at 100mph on the lunge. Normally she's as good as gold but different things set that episode off.

They are still babies at 4 years old and learning. It depends on whether you want to teach her or not.
 
She sounds wonderful and you've already achieved more with her in 6 months than many people do in years! TBH she doesn't sound very stressy at all but I think I am probably just used to sharp warmbloods where spooking and silliness comes with the territory. Def keep her! Good horses are very hard to find - she is just a baby and as long as she is not scareing you and you are having fun with her then I wouldn't worry - she will calm down in time.
 
I have a green ten year old Welsh D gelding, who shows a lot of the same behaviour as your mare. Recently I have been thinking the same kind of thoughts as you, as I want an RC all-rounder and my horse spends the whole time spooking and running backwards when ridden under floodlights or in bright sunlight in the arena because of the shadows. Most of the other behaviour doesn't bother me. To be honest all Welsh D's are quirky (not sure if that's the right word) and it's one of the main reasons people like them.
Try to concentrate on all the good things your mare does and get an RI to help you work through the silly issues, I know it's hard not to let them stress you out.
She's still a baby and only been broken a short time and already she's happily hacking etc
 
She's only been broken in a month and she has already been hunting 3 times - how on earth is she fit enough?

I think you need to slow down a bit and give her time to grow up and get stronger and fitter. No wonder she is a bit stressed you are asking an awful lot of her.
 
I have a rising 4 year old and he is getting more full of himself at the moment, but I put it down to being winter! They are always fresher a bit more spooky this time of year. He is always a fidget when I wash his legs and tail thats just horses for you. I really wouldn't worry about it. To me she sounds a good honest horse (going out on her own & hunting etc what a good girl) I reckon in the summer she will be more laid back and this will all be forgotten about. Keep her for at least the summer and see how you get on. You can have lessons and get advice from an instructor to keep you on the right track. I am sure if you sold her, she will get snapped up and you will end up regretting it. She sounds lovely!
 
You will be sorry if you sell her, she sounds lovely, sounds like she just needs time to grow up and settle in a bit, give her a couple of years to be fair to her.
 
My horse is a bit of a pain my method is to tie him up with a haynet when I do everything and that gives him something to do other than irritate me.

My other one has got better as he has got older but even now at the age of 16 he fidgets and stresses and its just him.

Sounds like you have a gem in every way try a haynet and in the summer with a bit of heat on their backs in brings out the lazy in every horse.
 
Horses need patience and consistency. Miracles don't happen overnight. I find it hard to believe that someone would expect so much of a 4 year old broken for one month, especially a Welsh Section D - known for their friskiness. If I owned a horse for a month I would not rush it through such a performance regime. I am afraid I have wasted 18 months trying to help one of my friends with her Welsh Section D - the horse wasn't the problem, the owner was. I can't really say anything more except have a good long think - have you got the skill and dedication needed to bring out the best in a horse of this calibre?
 
The Section D's I have come across have all had slight hooligan tendencies, fidgeting being the main one. The one on our yard will regularly lean on his stable door and burst the bolt and escape (even with the bottom bolt thingy on!). He just does it because he knows he can. He will be 8 this year, and is much better than he was 2 years ago when we first moved to the yard, he was forever escaping from his part of the field, simply because he COULD. This year he hasn't escaped once, much to his owners relief. We take that as a sign he's finally growing up a bit. Just to stop him kicking the door now...

Personally, I'd stick with it, she is only a baby and will chill out more as she gets older.
 
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