Has anyone sold a horse because it just didn't fit their lifestyle?

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Ranyhyn

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As title really.
Have you ever sold a horse simply because your lifestyles didn't fit together? For instance, have you had a competition horse and decided you want to just hack and sold it? Or have you had a lovely hack and wanted something more flashy - so sold it and changed?
 
I've never sold a horse that didn't fit my lifestyle, but when I bought my new horse recently I certainly went for one who did fit into busy family life and isn't too bothered about whether he's ridden every day one week and then only once the next. :)
 
yes i guess i have, bought an exracer for my sharer to compete on and me maybe do fun rides on, sharer didn't suit him and i realised that while i like the idea of doing fun rides i am really just a happy plodder. So i sold horse rather than make him be another plodder which i already have 2 of:)
 
I sold a lovely, easy, sweet, sound, mare purely due to being unsafe on the road as all I now want to do is hacking and endurance. Fortunately replaced with a lovely, easy, sweet gelding who hopefully, one day, will be sound. :D
 
It's interesting. I'm not one to usually conscribe to the "wasted" term, but it's a little different if your horse simply doesn't fit your lifestyle.
 
Yes. I sold a lovely TB that I re-educated off the track, and he was competing at Pre-Novice level in eventing. However, Uni commitmentsmeant he would often go weeks without me being able to take him out for a jump, and longer between XC schoolings. He was a super talented horse, and very careful because he was a bit 'wary' of his fences, and he really needed consistent jumping and schooling to keep him on top of his game and progressing.

I was coming into a stage where I couldn't commit the time, and he was far too nice and talented to be kept at the lower leves with me. I sold him to a fabulous home and took on a lovely young horse who I am able to just take my time with and enjoy :D
 
Its a really hard decision. If you've got the horse you should have had in your late teens, early twenties that could have fulfilled all your ambitions, too late. If you don't have the time or the drive in that direction any more I think its better to sell the horse to someone who does and get yourself something right for the job you want it to do now. Saying that, if the horse does do everything you want it to, it won't mind that it isn't somewhere else achieving its full potential, so don't feel guilty about wasting her.

There's nothing wrong with wanting lower maintenance and cheaper to keep either!
 
Well this is where I am now, I cannot deny she's a very nice horse but I wonder that basically she doesn't fit into our lifestyle any longer. I don't believe truly, she can be kept, the way I need or desire to keep her any longer.
I don't think she can cope being kept minimally, with minimal facilities and without what I deem a higher level of care than your average.
With baby coming along imminently I can't help but just think that the sacrifices I'll need to put in place to keep this one horse going, are stupid, because the horse should fit MY life - rather than me shaping my life to fit the horse?
 
I think people do they just usually put it in a way that makes it sound like it is for the good of the horse rather than for their own.
I get where you are with this mare, she is a lovely horse but rather more high maintenance than you need with a young baby and busy lifestyle.

The main problem is, I feel, that since you have owned her there has been more work, time, money put in and very little pleasure, riding back, it is part of owning a horse taking the bad times but when you have had very few good times the inequality of the situation makes you feel less like continuing.

Now she is on the road to fitness it is fair enough to be considering your options, selling is one and there is no reason to feel guilty if that is the way you decide to go, life is too short and owning horses should be fun as well as expensive, hard work and stress:D:D
 
Thanks BP, it is true that it's been a harder ride than I've ever had (or would have liked) but additionally, when I purchased her she was to be kept at livery and I was working etc.
Now we've got the horses at home, which obviously is brilliant, but without a school, good hacking etc I am facing the option of putting her in livery simply in order to keep HER.
I can't help thinking the financial burden, not to mention time etc is more than I want really. After all, try as I might to fight it, I'll probably end up gaga mother for a time anyway :D and I guess rather than running round trying to make things work for the horse, I should be concerntrating on other things :D

If I bit the bullet, sold her and got something older, quieter (that's not to say she's wild - she isn't but she's untested!) hardier and more solid, I could easily keep that at home, keep at the level we can here for free, enjoy hacking quietly up the road to the local forestry and generally just potter with.

I don't feel my mare will ever be a potter-er :D I think she needs to be kept, monitored, worked etc to a high standard which I just don't know if I want to provide! Rambling now!
 
I think part of your issues are that you are just about to have a baby (first I think) and that you can't quite see how your life will be once you are a mother. If you can just keep her ticking over for a few more months then review the situation you might feel differently. I too have mine at home now and have no facilities and rubbish hacking immediately on my doorstep (although I can box to fantastic hacking). That's really why I went for something that can do the dressage for me but is essentially an overgrown pony. I also wanted something that wouldn't get hyper if it wasn't ridden for a few days and I'm lucky to have found that. Good luck with whatever you decide - you've got a lot of uncertainty/apprehension on your mind at the moment, but it will work itself out. x
 
Yes I have, to enable me to take up a share in a Dressage horse and pursue training.

For me it was about recognising what I really wanted to prioritise. The decision actually made my life harder, and involved 400 mile round trips every other weekend, but I wanted to do it, and wouldn't have been happy settling for less. I know to some it came across as harsh and hard-nosed, but as you say, if you are paying the bills you get to decide what is right for you. No one else's business frankly.

It sounds to me as though you are being very considerate to the horse actually, not only to your needs. And anyway, with a baby on the way, you definitely have the right to make changes!
 
Your horses should be a pleasure....never a chore, and whilst I think you have done just about everything for your girl, you DO have a baby coming very shortly, and your time will be taken up by said baby.
And.....given her worth, you could free up capital by selling her, and buying something of lesser value but more suited to your needs when the time comes.
 
I think in your situation it sounds perfectly sensible to change for something which would fit in with the changes in your life. You will have enough to do with a new baby without worrying about whether your mare is getting enough work/attention. The last horse I bought is nothing like any of the others I own/ have owned. She is a sensible, slightly chunky Irish mare instead of a tb type ISH. She's perfect for hacking out with junior on his pony/ going to beach with him etc. I still have the others but she fulfills a different job role than they do.
 
The main problem is, I feel, that since you have owned her there has been more work, time, money put in and very little pleasure, riding back, it is part of owning a horse taking the bad times but when you have had very few good times the inequality of the situation makes you feel less like continuing.[/QUOTE]

I can agree with this as this is my 3rd horse with breathing problems and Ive totally lost all interest in horses now not to mention the drain on my finances every month paying off the vet bills. I also bought a green youngster which wasnt what I really wanted.
 
I'm just thinking about how logistically, I'll be able to keep pulling her off the grass here, monitoring, soaking hay, turning out etc with small baby in tow. We're also facing winter where even just bringing her into work will be a trial, let alone with small baby in tow... :rolleyes:
Imagining my life with a lovely, solid irish cob type. Something I could feasibly turn out here and enjoy, getting on and off as I please, hacking up the road (my mare might have been able to do this but TBH I've never had the chance to find out and not something I'd like to test when we have huge logging wagons back and fore!). Something to lead the baby's pony from when they're older :) something to load up and take to the beach etc. It all just sounds very lovely. And I genuinely do think my mare needs to go to a proper livery with proper facilities, where she can be someone's only thought. After all, I didn't have these problems with her care until she came home to live ;)
 
I can completely understand where you are coming from - I haven't sold a horse, but bought mine specifically as something that would fit into my lifestyle, to be kept simply at home, fit in with a young child (who was under 1 when I bought the horse), be ridden sporadically at times, and be a nice easy family horse. Sometimes I would love something sharper and more challenging, but in reality my horse is pefect for what we do together in the time I have available.
 
I think youre wise to be thinking along the 'sell and get something more fitting' lines if I'm honest. I'm lucky that my 20y/o is happy to work every day or once a week depending on how the week has gone, and If he stays in the field happily becomes a muddy bog monster! He is also safe enough that I can sit the baby up on his back for a comedy photo, just generally an accepting sort! It makes things SO much easier and I have no guilt at not doing so much with him as I probably would do with a 'higher quality' (used loosely as I see my lad as THE highest quality you can get of course!) horse.
 
Funny enough, probably the horse I sold in order to get this horse, would have fitted my life now a LOT better ;) but that's life isn't it? :)
Thinking about it makes a certain weight move off my shoulders, I must admit the alternative (get back to work pronto, earn enough to pay for a great local livery ((earn enough for baby in nursery))) was draining. If I accept it's horses for courses, not courses for horses it means I can relax a little more, keep the right horse at home for free and actually enjoy having an hour here or there just hacking up the road while baby is with her grandparents!
 
I would say yes I have. My mare had to go as I couldn't have two on loan and she was the younger or the two and I'd had her the least amount of time and my gelding went on loan as having had big changes in my life I could no longer commit long term financially to a horse anymore.

As it is my gelding has come back from his loan home this weekend, but is living with my friend and is hopefully going to be her happy hacker and I ride another pony for a friend to bring her on a bit and to keep my hand in :)

Sometimes you need to put yourself first and people will always come up with ways to try to slate you but what I kept in mind was it was the best thing for the horses and for me.

I think with everything that's going on for you OP it would be better to have a horse that fits with how you now need to keep it :)
 
BoolavogueDC said:
Well this is where I am now, I cannot deny she's a very nice horse but I wonder that basically she doesn't fit into our lifestyle any longer. I don't believe truly, she can be kept, the way I need or desire to keep her any longer.
I don't think she can cope being kept minimally, with minimal facilities and without what I deem a higher level of care than your average.
With baby coming along imminently I can't help but just think that the sacrifices I'll need to put in place to keep this one horse going, are stupid, because the horse should fit MY life - rather than me shaping my life to fit the horse?
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totally agree with you. i sold my existing horse and i bought my mare when i was 6 weeks pregnant for this very reason... i knew her already and knew she would fit into my lifestyle. I keep mine at home with no facilities either. She is a sec d, ultra easy, no faffing with feeds or even fly rugs, lives out, doesnt care if i dont ride for a week etc etc. LO is 12 weeks old and it's a doddle. Admittedly I do have someone coming to poo pick for me for the time being:o:p
 
yeh i sold my competition horse as she needed ridden every day and was just not going to be suitable when i started uni so i bought another horse who fitted exactly what i needed and 6 years down the line we still have her and she has gave me 3 wonderful foal and is back doing low level bsja she doesn't have the scope my other mare had but is just perfect for my lifestyle and i now have to of her youngsters coming up as sadly lost her yearling
 
Thanks all.
NSN, great to hear you did something the same and had the same thought process. That's exactly what I'm looking for, something simple. I do think that paying for something to be kept at livery is crazy when we have free at home, it's just not what this horse needs/wants.
 
I see where your coming from. When I was pregnant I had my 14.2 I'd had from being 10, & my ideal horse. He wasn't an Olympic prospect or a potential to win badminton, but was a good eventer who could certainly have helped me progress a lot. And we just clicked, I'd been his groom prior to owning & wanted him from the moment I saw him, before even knowing what he could do. When pregnant I had no choice financially but to sell one, I needed the cash from a sale as well as the running costs. I kept the pony cos she was what had kept me sane growing up & I needed her as a pet. With hindsight, I could have managed the horse & a baby. But even though it wasn't a consideration when I sold, I doubt I could have managed him easily with a toddler. He wasn't a nutter, or hard to handle/ride. But I wouldn't have been sticking an 18month old on a 17.2 sports horse to walk to the field winter mornings, or letting a 3yr old lead him about like I did with the pony. Nor could I have found an abundance of teens to help keep him fit like I could for a 14.2 schoolmistress. I wouldn't have been happy to lead a toddler from him on a hack. And little stuff, like getting my daughter to help get her ready for a show, or sitting on bareback while I pulled mane, plaited etc I couldn't have done with him. If the money hadn't have been an issue, I would have loaned him. Because for the last year or two, he would have been perfect, & he was my horse of a lifetime. If you don't think yours is one that you'll ever be able to replace then could you loan her for a few years? Unlikely as it seems now, you will get your horsey freedom back. However if you think you could find another like her in 5yrs time, or can't/won't loan for whatever reason, there's no shame in selling. Good as my boy was, the fact my 14.2 is as safe as a first pony to do meant horses were pleasurable with a baby/toddler, rather than another stress.
 
It's not so much about freedom per se, it's just that this mare cannot just be whopped in a field and left. She's far too high maintenance plus our situation here doesn't suit her in any shape or form. I'll have oodles of help really so were she able to just be ignored for a bit then ridden and/or actually cope on our land grazing then I'd be very inclined to keep her.

However she can't cope with our grazing, she can't really cope with the roadwork we have here and I don't know that I can cope with the workload of having to box her out for rides and having to keep her constantly off our grazing all year round or the financial pressure of having to put her on livery.

If I had a solid, dependable, hardy type I could just hop on and go, it would really make life a lot easier. My ponies (and the ponies of the woman who keeps her horses with us on the farm) all cope brilliantly, never sick or sorry, never fat or footy due to the grass etc. I often think longingly about hopping on and trotting up to the forestry for a hack or hacking down to the local venue for club etc. But that end result is so, so far away from my mare now simply because she cannot cope with the conditions we have at home :(
 
Yes , when I was working full time away from horses I bought three year olds and took them to their first BE events and then sold them on as I just found working and completing did not work for me but I had the time for all that PRE competion and baby comp stuff once they where ready for more I sold them and started another .I sold at five or six I enjoyed them and had hunters so was never left without something to ride it just suited my lifestyle for a while.
 
That's kind of what I mean by freedom, the option of being able to keep a horse in work, plan outings & schooling etc. And I know exactly what you mean by just hopping on & going. Mines like that, it was good she was easy to find riders for, as a native x exercise is needed rather than diet & she loves to jump. But not vital like with some comp horses. And being an uncomplicated ride its easy to make the most of any facilities. Only thing I'd say is wait a few weeks after babies born to make a final decision, as your hormones will be everywhere right now.
 
I think it's a very sensible and forward thinking decision, with the best will in the world your time will be limited for a while with a new baby!
I had the best intention when i bought the TB but it didn't work out and although i'm sure he would have been fine as a field ornament it was still going to create more work for me. It was sad seeing him go but it is a relief not trying to divide my time so many ways and generally feeling like i was failing in all directions.
 
I haven't sold a horse because it doesn't fit into my lifesyle, however I am trying to decide if I should sell my horse due to not having the time to ride him (I have two tots aged 1 & 3). Luckily for me I keep my horse at home, he's an easygoing 14.2 chunky boy and isn't bothered if he isn't ridden for months on end. However like a previous posted said I have that awful feeling that i'm 'trying to divide my time so many ways and generally feeling like i was failing in all directions'.

If I was in your situation there's no way I would put a horse on livery just for her to be kept, when you have the option of keeping another horse at home for free x
 
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