Has anyone sold a horse they loved for there competition dreams?

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Sammy1983

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I'm in a real quandary at the moment. I currently have two horses, my mare is fabulous very reliable easy to handle and do anything with. Does an average dressage test, will jump a 2'9-3ft show jump course but isn't I really keen on fillers, hunts and cross country's ok and has turned out to be a super star in showing. Unfortunately I feel this is her limit. My gelding has a lot more ability but has been given me problems with his soundness and I feel that he might struggle working at a higher level.
Ideally I want to event again, it's been a while but that is what I would like to get back to.
My husband believes I should sell the two I have now and buy and concentrate on one horse that will definitely do the job I want.
Now don't get me wrong I think my mate could do a be90 and with work possibly even a be100 but I feel that would be her absolute limit.
My problem is my head agrees with me husband that I think i would do better just having one horse to concentrate on but my heart says the complete opposite. I know my mare is a little star and probably most people's ideal horse and I appreciate and love her dearly, the same with my big boy he is not an easy horse and I know in the wrong hands could end up in a bad situation and I couldn't do that to him. I just wondered if anyone has any similar experiences or views on this? Have you sold a much loved horse to follow your ambitions or did you change your goals to fit a horse you had
 
Keep them both: get hubby promoted, you can retire and spend his extra salary on entry fees. You save by not having to buy work clothing, and eating a packed lunch.
Put hubby on a 5/2 diet, so he does not eat at work.
If you are not a great cook cook up a packet of pasta on Monday and add a different sauce every day.
Don't sell your lovely lady. Maybe you cn find someone who wants to compete and share her and pay for her expenses.
 
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Depends how much you want to event really and how far you want to go.

I would say stick with your mare if you are happy to just get to 100's - sometimes they can surprise you and inch their way up.
 
If you want to event to a higher level than your horses are capable of, then of course you should sell them and purchase a horse which will be able to perform at that level. Seems like an obvious course of action to me.
 
Your mare sounds lovely and I think you will end up regretting you sold her if the new horse doesn't match up to your expectations. Give your gelding a chance, if he is strugglimg with soundness, could you not turn him away for the winter and give him a chance to mend and relax?
Knowing he could end up in the wrong hands, you would have to be quite stoney hearted to part with him.
 
Your mare will find a lovely home horses like that are always sought after .
Your gelding is more problematic selling a horse with soundness issues is always difficult .
However why not get started eventing doing some 80T classes with your mare and see how you go.
 
Your mare sounds lovely and not the sort that you would struggle to sell if that's what you decided. I'm not sure if I could sell on your gelding given your concerns.

One question though if you don't mind me asking, what level have you competed at before?

It would be daft to buy a horse with bags of scope if your limit of talent/finances/time doesn't go much above what the mare you have is capable of? If that makes sense?

I'd be tempted to keep the two you have and see exactly how far you could get with the mare and look for another once you've reached her capabilities...but I suppose the time and effort you spend doing that could be better invested in another horse that could go further? And then the mare could be more easily sold as she would be that bit younger?

It's a really hard decision and I don't envy you!

(All this is with the caveat that I don't know a great deal about eventing and what would be required post BE100!!)
 
I am literally in the exact same position and advertised him today. Someone asked to come see him today, had anxiety attacks all morning, a nose bleed and I cried when the man text to ask if he could rearrange and I felt such instant relief that I've decided I can't do it. Asked if he would be interested in loaning him with the potential view to buy and he has said yes and I feel SO much better about it. So we'll see how it goes when he comes to see him this week and a loan may be on the cards.

So I'm hoping to save to buy a project over winter and hopefully that will give me the push to let him go. It is so hard. And I can't believe how much it affected me but I can't do it!!
 
This is a funny coincidence. My yard owner has suggested that my perfect little cob has taken me as far as he can go. We do BD Novice and unaffiliated elementary. I'm not sure I 100% agree (I think we could do BD elementary) but it's fair to say we aren't going to win nationals. However, unlike you I lack any real ambition! I bought my horse as a pet. I'm going to hold off buying a more complicated horse (mine can do everything...BD one day, fun ride the next, jump, hack...you name it!) until I have the funds to keep them both. I couldn't bear to part with my horse...he's a pet and a family member above all else :D
 
I think you should examine what about progressing up the levels appeals to you and go from there. Is there a career in it for you? Most likely not (I mean, it's rare that this is the case!)... Is it the thrill? If so, in what way are the lower levels unable to fulfill that for you? Is it a social thing like it is for most? You want to be able to say "I did it" or "I've been there"... If it's this, then I think you'll have to sell. You'll never be happy otherwise and may even come to resent the two you have. If it's just a case of wanting to compete for the thrill, I'm not sure the challenge is really any less if you're on a less capable horse! For me the fun in spending time with horses is actually the training process - so a slightly incompetent horse would be just my thing and more of an interesting challenge than riding a very capable horse at the level it finds comfortable :p So have a think I guess. It sounds like you haven't actually evented in a while - why don't you start again first and then decide?
 
You've had some good advice on this thread. I would echo others and ask have you actually competed above BE100 and what is your motivation to do so.

I would definitely keep the mare and improve you both to the best you can be with lessons and clinics. I'm afraid I would ditch the gelding if he's never going to be reliably sound. Too expensive ploughing money into entry fees for him then not to be able to go!
 
I have done exactly that earlier this year.
I sold my horse of 9 years whom I had since a 4 year old. He was never the most forward going and lacked the bravery to fully succeed at showjumping. We got up to BN and that was a real struggle, and took many years of confidence building to do it. It was a heartbraking thing to do and I think about it everyday, but I was getting to the point where we were starting to resent each other.
Life is too short to be constantly watching other people be sucessful and sitting back to jump 2'6.
I then went out looking at horses with only 2 requirements. Fast and brave. The complete opposite of what I had and I now have a stunning mare who jumps everything.
Don't get me wrong, there are compromises. Sometimes we go a little too fast and we sometimes knock fences, something my old boy would never have done, but I can now at least compete at the level I want to. We're already jumping 90cms confidently.
I would have to ignore the responses questioning why you want to compete at a level you never have. That's easy to say if you have already done it and how do we get further if we don't try?
Overall, I made the decision, I don't regret it and everything is so much easier now.
 
I had a pony that was a diamond in the rough from being 14-16, I then sold her to buy a competition horse who I still own, she is fab but very quirky, all the talent you need but not consistent or reliable. Last year I bought an untouched 3yo bred to jump. She is 4 now and jumping BNs and a fab horse. I sold another ex racehorse I had and loved earlier this year, nice horse but not talented enough to do what I wanted which is pure showjumping upto as good a level I can go. I then bought a untouched 3yo I am currently in the process (long one,at that) of backing. So yes I sold horses I loved to fund horses that have talent, although young. It depends how far you want to go, I am hoping these youngsters will be top level horses, and the quirky mare still jumps 1.20s so It is nice to be sat with a nice string of horses than a horse I like but doesn't really do the job, it gave me a whole new drive and push with the horses.
 
helenalbert said:
This is a funny coincidence. My yard owner has suggested that my perfect little cob has taken me as far as he can go. We do BD Novice and unaffiliated elementary. I'm not sure I 100% agree (I think we could do BD elementary) but it's fair to say we aren't going to win nationals. However, unlike you I lack any real ambition! I bought my horse as a pet. I'm going to hold off buying a more complicated horse (mine can do everything...BD one day, fun ride the next, jump, hack...you name it!) until I have the funds to keep them both. I couldn't bear to part with my horse...he's a pet and a family member above all else :D
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That's lovely to read .
And you know it's not it's all it cooked up to be the ownership of the all singing and dancing competition horse reading the threads on here show all the difficulties of finding a sound athletic well adjusted horse .
I am not saying you should always keep a horse when you outgrow his abilities but it's lovely you appreciate his qualities it shines from your post .
 
Hey guys thanks for the advice. I have previously competed at Novice level and was looking at moving up when my horse damaged his suspensory tendon and had to retire. I then started riding my husband horse who was at that point a Showjumper at that time it made more sense financially to ride the horse we had rather than buy another one. Unfortunately due to previous injuries he couldnt maintain the fitness level required for eventing so I bought myself a green 6 year old who turned out to be a fantastic dressage horse but not the best jumper during this time I had an injury that damaged a lot of nerves in my shoulder and the doctors weren't sure if I would ever get full movement back in my shoulder. It was after this I bought the mare as she was so safe and reliable I was happy riding her even with the shoulder injury and I desperately didn't want to give up riding this was about 18 months ago and I'm lucky to say my shoulder is at 85% in its range of control and movement and lucky the other 15% is when my arm is above my head so doesn't really effect my riding 😀 I'm now at the point where I would like to be riding back at that level or at least working towards it.
My struggle is now the fact I am so emotionally attached to my two I can't imagine letting them go, I know it would be heart breaking.
I really would like to be riding at the highest level I can manage as a rider but at the same time part of me thinks I would be stupid to do this at the cost of a horse I trust and love so much.
 
It totally depends on what gives you the most pleasure? riding at a higher level with a different horse or sticking with what you have and knowing what you will be doing?

I could never sell my horses to go up a level unless they seriously couldn't do a little of everything purely because they are usually horses that I have spent a lot of time on working out issues etc that's enough for me.

Everyone is different....!!!
 
I'd be selling the gelding if thats feasable, depending on issues. Enjoy having one horse over winter, and see where you get with her! If it then wasnt working out, i'd be looking at selling her in the spring/summer next year, maybe after you have bought your "ideal" horse. That way if the ideal horse doesnt turn out to be so perfect, you still have a nice horse to ride!
 
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