Do I really need to own a horse??

Flibble

Flibble

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I am a bit muddled up in my head at the moment and before you ask its not a Money crisis.

So here we are I have a beautiful big horse he is 6 and a sweetie he should be a Competition horse but all we do is school and have a few hacks out.

Trouble is he is not my old horse and as he can be quite excitable I dont feel that I really want to take him out to competitions as I dont want the hassle.

I owned my old lad for 14 years and he was a poppet to take out and never ever excitable but very stubborn.

I have had the new boy for 15 months now and he is a very willing soul and eager to please not at all stubborn like Gully was but just not as level headed.

I feel that if I sold him I wouldnt really want to get another horse but I enjoy mucking out and feeding him everyday and I enjoy playing in the school and teaching him new stuff and watching his muscle structure build and develop.

So what do we all think ??
 
if you're enjoying it then keep him - sod potential in a horse - all that really matters is that you and him are happy - and if that means pottering about schooling and hacking then so be it

if you feel really guilty about wasted potential (which you shouldn't
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) then how about finding a competition rider for him?! ie someone who just does the comps? theres a few horses/owners at our yard who have arrangements like that
 
As above, if you want him out competing then find a rider for him. This is the situation I have with owner of current horse. She loves the looking after him, getting him ready for comps and watching him compete but doesn't want to do it herself.
I'm the opposite, I ride to compete. Mucking out, bathing etc are just a pain in butt to me so pretty much a match made in heaven.
Worth thinking about
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See now you have hit my stubborn streak.
If he is going to compete it will have to be me.

My other issue is I have come to realise that he is quite a complicated chap and he likes routine so I dont want him messed about.
 
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See now you have hit my stubborn streak.
If he is going to compete it will have to be me.


[/ QUOTE ]
Ah but sometimes getting another rider to take the horse to a few comps will allow the horse to settle enough for you to then get out and compete.

Its something else I've done in the past for owners. Only difference is that as I know its short term and just to get a horse experience I expect owner to pay entry fees etc.
 
There is nothing at all wrong in enjoying your horse for what he is. If you don't want the hassle of comps then don't go to them. simples
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I'm the same tbh. I enjoy my horses but that doesn't necessarily include riding
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I get as much enjoyment from looking after mine as I do from riding him tbh, I suppose he is a bit wasted with me as I think he would be quite a good riding club allrounder type with a more confident rider. However, I dont think he cares about all that, as long as he gets fed and pampered he is very happy. Like you, I hack out and do a bit of schooling with him. I would say that as long as you enjoy looking after him, and by that I also mean that you like him because he's him so to speak, then carry on and dont worry about what you don't do. After all, as far as he's concerned, he has everything he needs and could be an awful lot worse off, not going out to shows won't hurt him will it!
 
He's a horse, at the end of the day he doesn't know his potential, he knows food, field and horse stuff. He won't be dreaming about going round Badminton and then resent you.

Well I bloody hope not or my horse will be left pretty disappointed!

Just enjoy him, there is no rule that states you must compete a horse.
 
Ditto what everyone else has said, why stress yourself like this?!

If you enjoy looking after and riding him, then keep on doing it. If you think that you want to progress to competing that's a good thing to aim for, but getting help so that both of you can learn together and get to competitions is just part of training a horse. You are not giving in, or being a failure or in any way not good enough for your horse if you get your instructor to help you out.

I found it very helpful with my youngster to limit his first outings to lessons in another place with my instructor. She was at hand to help with loading, travelling, getting tacked up, having the lesson, etc. and I didn't have the pressure of the competition. The first couple of times we had to lunge him before I got on, but so what? He then progressed to group lessons with a nice, sensible group that were willing to put up with a youngster, again no pressure, they did their lesson and we pottered about doing what we could. It was only a year later that he went to his first competition, again not to compete as such but to have a positive experience.

Take you time and enjoy your horse!
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At the risk of being shot down in flames I'm just not part of the 'horse must be doing something competitive' to be happy brigade. I don't think any foal is born with a driving ambition to compete. Absolutely accepted that a horse could get bored and need some brain stimulus but seems what you are doing in re schooling would more than fulfill that need.

If you enjoy what you are doing and get satisfaction out of that then don't see why you should stop. Could be your boy is excitable because he's only 6 and still quite young - this may iron itself out in time.

Judging by what limited info you've said I think your boy sounds very lucky to be where he is.
 
It makes very little difference to him what you do BUT it makes a difference to you so I think I'd be looking for something that ticked all the boxes and letting current lad to someone else who will love and appreciate him as you do - regardless of whether they take him out competing.
 
Do you want to go out competing? Is he well behaved hacking and schooling?

If his behaviour is stopping you doing things you want (like getting out and about) or if he is too much of a handful doing the things that you do - then I can understand why you would want to get rid of him. But if you're happy not competing, and he's happy hacking and schooling, and you'd miss him if he wasn't there then why change?

I don't think anyone should feel guilty for having a "competition horse" and then not competing it - it's a horse for flipping heck's sake, not a person sat at morrisons checkout dreaming about being the next olympic star with unfullfilled potential!

If, however, he is stopping you enjoying your (very expensive) hobby then consider a change.
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Horses do not have aspirations, so as long as you are happy in what you are doing, be it nothing more than caring for him, or heading for the top, if you are both happy, so what? That is what horse ownership is about, being happy together,
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[ QUOTE ]
if you're enjoying it then keep him - sod potential in a horse - all that really matters is that you and him are happy - and if that means pottering about schooling and hacking then so be it

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this
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My old pony was a cracking PC and hunting pony... jumped anything out hunting and jumped up to 3ft3 in competitions (he was only 13.2hh) and i recently sold him to a family for their little girl to ride. She is only 9 and quite a nervous rider but he is quiet as a lamb for her. He is only pottering around with her despite being a great competition pony but as long as he is happy i don't care
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