Guilty about wasting horses talent?!

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pinkypug1

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are there many of u out there who feel guilty that they are wasting their horses talents ie well bred horse that 'could' go on to great things but you keep it for pleasure/low level riding club shows?? I have a homebred who someone has approached me to buy & I'm feeling torn between wanting to keep & wanting to give her a great future where she could go on to great things!!
 
Thanks ladies think I would regret letting her go... then again I'd love to see a horse id bred do well. If I win the lotto I can keep her and pay a pro to compete her :)
 
Hmmm nope not really. If anything having a capable horse has made me push myself further and harder to become better and more competitive. He couldn't care less as long as he is worked most days (Irish .. he cant help himself, he loves to work)

Keep the horse, as long as its well cared for it really wont care, lol!
 
I don't worry about what my horse *could* do. He does not read Horse and Hound and get jealous of the other horses.

If you would like to be an "owner" and your horse is close to ready to compete then it may be worth pricing a pro up. If you keep the horse and keep him fit it is less expensive than you may think.
 
yes and no; i have a currently year old that was only broke at nearly 8. Only because I still had so much fun with my oldies (who now died at 29 and 26- latter 6wks ago) owning horses for more than 30 yrs I have never sold one, same goes for any animal I rescue or take in- they have a home for life.

My 9yr old is very talented in dressage, I myself have no talent whats o ever ! maybe in in bringing them up from foal (every horse i've owned which is 6) they are all basically bombproof and easy to handle. But I have no technical talent in dressage, jumping or anything really. Only know how not to hinder a horse.

Even for me, i know if I would enter a dressage competition she would get high scores even though she has a sack of patatoes on her back ( me !)

Unfortunately for her, she will have to deal with me the rest of her life, no glory or ribbons, just everyday turnout and the best taken care of....I don't sell horses :-)
 
I have owned one horse who just needed to do want we did that horse I would not have kept if I had been doing stuff, she just lived for competing and jumping anything under 1.20 on her was not a pleasant experience.
But most don't really mind IMO .
 
I was once "told" to sell my warmblood if I didn't want to compete - and just get myself a gypsy cob.

I figure if I want to keep a Ferrari in the garage and just do a bit of Sunday driving that's my choice.

I rather like my Ferrari. ;-) I don't think they have any ambition - but I'm sure they enjoy a good pipe-opener from time to time.
 
Horses aren't ambitious, they just like to be looked after. I know for a fact that Jazz has got the potential to do much more jumping-wise than he'll ever do with me, but I'm ok with that :)
 
I see this from both sides, being a happy horse owner of four, I show my youngster in hand (4yr old cob) do the odd pleasure ride and just hack about, but, while my lot are content in the field, tack them up or get the trailer out and they get energised, knowing they are going out, even my 20yr old WB mare has ears pricked and strides out, two of my four can jump, haven't tried the young cob yet, but mine have a varied life they seem to enjoy, so no, I wouldn't feel guilty about wasting talent as long as the horse was happy
 
No, horses don't know if they have the ability to go further. Certainly some horses seem to thrive on work but that doesn't mean they have competitive ambitions
 
I have a TB mare with no job, this is a horse bred and born to race, which she was no good at, we couldn't get a tune out of her as a riding animal, though she was a talented jumper and had nice paces, shame she didn't meet the right person at the right time, but what's done is done, so now she is a companion to my friend's horse. She doesn't seem like she is riddled with regret about anything
 
My horse is definitely more talented than I am, but luckily he's very un ambitious - really quite lazy to be honest. He does enjoy watching other horses compete, but hes very happy mooching around with me, and I don't feel bad for wasting his talent.
Kx
 
I sold my horse of a lifetime after having a child as I felt his talents would be wasted with me. I have regretted this very day since :( but on the plus side he is happy now competing BSJA but think he would of been equally happy staying with me. You live and learn hey
 
I don't think you should feel guilty at all, horses don't have ambition. No horse stands in their field thinking "ah, if only I belonged to Mary King I could be going around Badminton but instead I'm stuck here, being wasted".

Mine loves to work and loves to learn. He also loves to jump and go fast, and he needs to have variety in his work. He does enjoy going out competing, not because it's competing per se, but because at some point it usually involves some sort of XC/ going fast (eventing and team chasing this year) and he enjoys that. But I'm pretty sure he doesn't sit at home wishing he was out eventing every weekend. He will go TC one day, have a couple of days off then is quite happy to be schooled in the arena at home. I really don't believe he enjoys it as much as whizzing about, but he I am pretty sure he doesn't feel hard done to the weekends we aren't out competing. Equally he is just as happy being at home doing a mix of flat schooling and hacking. He will have a holiday soon (2 - 2.5 months chucked out shoeless and hopefully rugless) and I've no doubt he will be just as happy stuffing his face and not having to talk to me every day! ;)
 
My mare is a burnt out SJ with masses of talent and boy, is she pleased with just being my happy hack my life and my Friend?...........you bet she is and so am I!
 
Thanks everyone... I'm feeling a little guilty as I've just had a baby and have a toddler and work fulltime so know for sure we will never compete it will be totally pleasure mayb the odd riding club show. She be treated like a princess like all my horses have been as as she my only link to my darling old mare I would miss her terribly. Only bonus is the people interested in her are local to me & I know them well so would see her often. & I suppse for my own gratification it would be nice to have a horse I had bred hopefully competing at the top of her game... if I did sell :)
 
I had a TB that I felt should be doing far more then I was ever going to do on him. I found myself saying he needed a job to do etc etc.
Eventually I convinced myself of this and gave him up so someone who tried to event him. Turns out he wasn't suitable due to an old racing injury (that I genuinely didn't know about) It flared up and he was in a lot of pain and on box rest for months.
I had him back and we happily continued hacking for a time. So no I don't believe in horses being wasted at all, you never know whats round the corner and what they are actually capable of. If the horse is happy and the owners happy that's what matters.
 
As long as the horse is happy doing what you do with it, then I think it would rather stay where it's loved and cared for than have to move and get to know a new person again. You don't know the person who wanted to buy her will do anything more than you do in the end..
 
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