Dressage Amateur seeking advice

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SammyDingle

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** Posting for a friend who does not have forum**

I have a very talented youngster with excellent breeding, I’ve been told she walks for a 9 and her canter is big and powerful with a lovely trot. Overall, a very great dressage prospect. She is a year behind as she was left to mature, so rather green for rising 6. She can be quite sharp and isn’t the easiest of rides at times but a very nice horse.

My situation is, I’m throwing a hell of a lot of money into her with training and I can’t say I 100% enjoy training a young horse. This isn’t something I love doing, it’s just what I could afford to buy after selling my much loved previous horse to progress further.

We’ve had a difficult rollercoaster ride since I bought her nearly 12 months ago but the feeling she gives me (when going well) is just out of this world and sometimes just exceeds all expectations.

So my dilemma is, I’m spending 80% of my wages on horses/training etc and at the moment I’m not getting a huge amount of happiness. I get very upset and frustrated and feel like I’m throwing money down the drain. She isn’t a fun horse and as an amateur I want to enjoy and have fun. I would say she is a professional’s horse. So I have thought about selling her and buying something that is 15/16 years old (so affordable) trained to Adv med and enjoy that for the next 3 or 4 years before giving it a happy retirement. I have so much to give, time/dedication/ambition and I’m paying for it all myself with no help from parents but I’m so committed to achieving my goals I don’t mind sacrificing stuff to help me fund my passion.

I keep thinking if I sell her I am 1. Failing and 2. Going to miss out on the success of a good horse. But then I think, I might not get the success I have in my head. Another rider might but I may not. I’d have to spend time and money going to arena hire and doing small unaff shows to build her confidence before going out competitive. So before my first show I’ve spent a lot of time and money where as on something older, I’d be out competing and enjoying life as an amateur rider.

I realise I’m rambling on now, but I hope you get the jist. No nasty comments please
 
Riding and training young horses isn't everyone's cup of tea. They can be hard work, mentally, physically and emotionally tiring and there are no guarantees that you'll end up with something you like in the end anyway.
I like to bring one up the levels behind a more established horse, that way if the young horse is going well it's super nice, and if it isn't, I can enjoy the established one anyway and then it doesn't feel so bleak. But not everyone wants or has the time to do this!

So it's absolutely not failing to accept that this isn't working. As an amateur doing horses for a hobby, it should be enjoyable. There will always be down days, but on the whole it should enrich your life, not make you feel upset or frustrated.

I think the idea of selling the young horse and buying something already trained sounds like a good idea. No doubt there will still be teething problems as there is with any new partnership, but it's more likely to settle into a fun relationship more swiftly.
 
milliepops said:
Riding and training young horses isn't everyone's cup of tea. They can be hard work, mentally, physically and emotionally tiring and there are no guarantees that you'll end up with something you like in the end anyway.
I like to bring one up the levels behind a more established horse, that way if the young horse is going well it's super nice, and if it isn't, I can enjoy the established one anyway and then it doesn't feel so bleak. But not everyone wants or has the time to do this!

So it's absolutely not failing to accept that this isn't working. As an amateur doing horses for a hobby, it should be enjoyable. There will always be down days, but on the whole it should enrich your life, not make you feel upset or frustrated.

I think the idea of selling the young horse and buying something already trained sounds like a good idea. No doubt there will still be teething problems as there is with any new partnership, but it's more likely to settle into a fun relationship more swiftly.
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Totally agree, your friend is to be congratulated on being so self aware, and it is absolutely not failing in any way to decide what suits you best, and then trying to achieve that.
 
I’ve kinda been on both sides of the fence to some extent, as I took on an older, schoolmaster type that was established up to AM when my youngster of a lifetime had a career ending injury.

The one thing I will say is that whilst having the more established horse has allowed me to focus on my riding more and no doubt has enabled me to progress quicker, it still hasn’t been plain sailing. Only now (more than a year into having him) are we ready to start getting out and about as there have been all manner of things we’ve had to unpick and treat along the way (ulcers, back and hock issues to mention a few). I appreciate that the same might not be said for all horses, but in my experience dressage horses of that level and age do tend to come with some baggage and a decent focus/investment on maintenance if you want them to last.
 
Just to add to the above: schoolmasters are often not exactly a walk in the park either. They can be very hard work and not "easy" to ride at all. You will need a good instructor to get the best out of one.
 
Cortez said:
Just to add to the above: schoolmasters are often not exactly a walk in the park either. They can be very hard work and not "easy" to ride at all. You will need a good instructor to get the best out of one.
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Yes I forgot to add that at a minimum I have one lesson a week and in the early days we often had many more! M is my horse of a lifetime, but having a schoolmaster has been a steep learning curve.
 
I'd definitely advocate going for what your heart is telling you you want. I've spent most of my horsey life working with babies, fixer uppers and naughty ones. I had a long break after I lost my last horse, and when I came back, I realised that I really wanted a horse with all the advanced moves, that I could hack around on, play in the school on, and not bother with competing/training. Alf came along at exactly the right time, and was everything I've ever dreamed of riding, let alone owning (except for sound - but you can't have everything!). He is not an easy horse to ride at all - and I have to be very careful with his fragile legs, but he's just so much fun!
 
Training young horses can be very daunting when you think about it all in one lump, and reading between the lines, that is what is happening with your friend.

But I would say that having a schoolmaster and feeling like you should be doing great now with a well trained horse brings its own set of pressures.

Honestly, as an amateur who wants to compete and enjoy their horse without the oppressive burden of (self) expectation, she's better just buying a nice horse. A bit older, a bit less hot, with a cracking temperament that she enjoys riding.
 
DabDab said:
Training young horses can be very daunting when you think about it all in one lump, and reading between the lines, that is what is happening with your friend.

But I would say that having a schoolmaster and feeling like you should be doing great now with a well trained horse brings its own set of pressures.

Honestly, as an amateur who wants to compete and enjoy their horse without the oppressive burden of (self) expectation, she's better just buying a nice horse. A bit older, a bit less hot, with a cracking temperament that she enjoys riding.
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I think this hits the spot, ultimately it boils down to having a horse you really enjoy riding and working with. When I had a schoolmistress she was awesome, but cost me a small mortgage in training costs!
 
Thanks everyone for your comments - I was the friend but I now have a log in :)

I totally see where people are coming from regarding having a schoolmaster and it not being easy. I am not expecting it to be easy, nor do I want/expect a walk in the park. I love having lessons and learning so that’s fine, but doing it with a young horse isn’t the most enjoyable for me. Hence why I wanted peoples opinions.

It’s nice to hear people have gone on to buy older and be happy.
 
Welcome E92. I posted not so long ago in here, asking about buy it or train it. Got some v interesting replies which raise similar points to what you’ve posted about here.

Ultimately, either option works but it depends on your talent and interest. Both require an element of work effort and expense.

However it’s supposed to be fun whatever route you go down and if that’s not the case then I’d certainly be re thinking. There isn’t only one horse that would suit, there are loads out there (although I realise it often doesn’t feel like that when you’re looking!). And there will be plenty of people who I’m sure would get on really well with your horse.

ETA I also think that even though a horse may be slightly less talented or capable, there is a lot to be said for getting something more straightforward or better suited. It’s amazing how much you can do with those types, they should never be underestimated!
 
Welcome! I think ultimately you just need to do what makes you happy. I loved bringing on my youngster, however sadly that wasn't meant to be and I've equally enjoyed working with M, but for very different reasons.

With M even though he's older and very much established I've had the joy of tweaking his way of going (he was largely kept ticking over by a pro in his last home) and have gotten immense satisfaction in suppling him up and getting him to soften in a snaffle. I also feel my experiences with him will be invaluable when I do get another youngster as my feel has improved tenfold, as has my position and about a million other things!

The one thing that has been a struggle is the self-imposed expectation that comes with an established schoolmaster, as whereas with my previous horses I've been happy to just go out to comps for experience alone, with him I've been more cautious as I don't want to ruin his record. Although the silver lining of this is that I have spent a lot of time going out to arena hires and working with our trainer and now feel super prepared for our first outing so it's not all bad :)
 
Hi E92!

I don't compete any more but i love going to the large dressage shows where I can spend hours watching the warm up arena - its fascinating to watch, but there is what appears to me to be a widening divide between a "professional's horse" and one that would be suitable for a true amateur. It's not just the riding bit but the handling on the ground, and long term soundness - and very importantly imho, a horse with which you can have fun!

Your mare sounds really lovely - if she was started late then you may just have a year or so to go before you have a far more grown up and established horse that you can get out on and compete properly, so you can enjoy your investment of all the time and money!

Also, when you say you are not loving the riding and schooling at the moment, is it because she is very sharp? Can you check back on her breeding and see how similarly bred horses become when they are a little older than yours? It might be that the dam or sire lines have a reputation for being highly strung as youngsters but them calm down a bit?

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
 
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I know exactly how you feel. Got a similar horse, when he's going right (and isn't broken because of his kissing spine) he's the best horse I could ever ask for. He's got amazing paces, he does everything naturally and he is the cheekiest horse ever. On his bad days, I threaten to sell him to the first person who agrees to take him.

At the end of the day, in theory he would be much better off with a professional rider, probably in showjumping as he prefers that, who can use him to his full potential. Only problem is the horse doesn't really like anyone but me riding him, and has tried to kill several professionals. So he's stuck with me attempting to ride him (very badly).

I'll never get rid of him as no one else would put up with him and his vet bills, rug bills, tack bills, feed bills etc. But it doesn't stop me dreaming about how nice it would be to have a well trained horse to just have fun on, one that will go for a hack without thinking trees are going to kill it. Totally see why you would want to get a better trained horse, and if you don't have much of a bond with the mare, then yeah sell her and get something you really love. I have too much of a bond with my lad, but if I had the money, I'd buy the well trained cob I originally wanted, not the skinny under muscled, barely trained warmblood I ended up with.
 
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