Finally decided to sell my mare...

[southdowns01]

I just wanted to post on here to see if anyone can offer me words of comfort and advice?

I have finally decided to sell my mare after 5 years of battlling with my confidence...and its breaking my heart

In a nutshell, she is a lovely horse, nice paces, nice manner, good on the road with company or on own...her only downfall is that she gets daft if other horses come past her in the dressage warm up (resulting in her leaping a bit\) and this has gradually knocked my confidence over the last few years.

I did dressage with her last summer and avoided the situation by going for the first class so i could go early...but this isn't always possible and the thought of taking her to a show now fills me with fear.

The last few weeks she has decided to put a few leaps (big leaps) in while i have had a lesson, and today was the final straw when she spun and lept around when she decided she didn't like the look of a jump in the school.

Now this might sound ok to most of you but to me with zero confidence it just made me jump off and burst into tears...all i want is to feel confident on her but after 5 years of trying i have decided she is not the horse for me.

I want to enjoy taking a horse to shows/lessons, not dread it to the point where i cry before i even get on her.
At home she is great, schools beautifully and is lovely to hack out...that is why my decison is so hard but i want a horse i can enjoy and not dread every time i compete or have to warm up with other horses.

I have decided to send her to my instructors for 2 weeks and in the mean time advertise her...i just want her to find someone who is confident and can enjoy her.

Has anyone been in this position before?

Do you think a horse like this will sell (with a confident person she is fine)?

 

[WestCoast]

The only thing I would say is that most horses play up at times, especially when they move to a new environment, so getting another horse may not turn out to be the simple solution.

Could you not get some lessons on another horse to improve your confidence while she is having some schooling?

Paula

 

[BeepaStar]

Sending you big hugs...
Your horse sounds lovely, but if you've lost your confidence with her when out competing and you've tried everything to regain it without suceeding, then perhaps selling her is the right thing to do. 5 years is a long time, especially if you're not really happy.... riding & competing is supposed to be fun and challenging, not something that you dread.
Perhaps you could try riding a variety of other horses / school masters at a reputable riding school or privately owned horses, this would give you a good idea of how confident you feel riding different horses and might help you make a decision about how you feel about your own horse.
Sometimes as much as you love them the partnership isn't always the right pairing; I feel for you having been there myself. X