Have you ever regretted selling a horse?

[tempo]

im worried that i will regret selling my horse. i have a good bond with him but i dont really trust him. experiences please??

 

[Spring Feather]

What, specifically, are the problems you have with him and why do you not trust him?

 

[tempo]

he is very unpredictable. he also is very threatening on the ground e.g in both stable and field he will turn his bum at you as a warning , try bite ect

 

[Coblover63]

Yes, I regretted selling two and fate intervened and they both came back to me within a month of each other. However, mine went off for different reasons for yours. I feel SO lucky to have been given a second chance with them - they won't be leaving me again....

Could you loan your boy out for 6 months and see how you feel then?

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I would not regret selling this horse, he may be unhappy, you certainly are ..... so let him go.............

 

[Spring Feather]

he is very unpredictable. he also is very threatening on the ground e.g in both stable and field he will turn his bum at you as a warning , try bite ect

You and he sound like you are in an unsuitable partnership. Find a nice easier horse for you to handle and find him a good suitable home with someone who knows how to handle this behaviour.

 

[BethanT]

Yes and no

I think I mainly regret selling my first pony because I know I will never see her again after she passed away last year. But at the same time she gave so much happieness to her next owner I'm glad someone else got to enjoy her before she left us.

However, as SF, it doesn't sound like a true partnership if there is trust issues. How long have you had this horse? You and he may not be suited, after all not every horse will suit every person, I think some people forget that in a way its no different to choosing and having our human friends, we don't get one with everyone we meet even if at first it seems like we do.

 

[rara007]

Nope I've only sold a handful over the years but even though I did really like them all, one a month down the line I see it was a positive move.

 

[Pigeon]

No, growing up it was never really an option, unless your feet started to drag along the ground, you put up with what you got! That has carried through really, but I have been lucky to always have horses I have liked 'as people' even if everything else (soundness/rideability etc) was questionable

You say you have a bond, that makes me think there are things you really like about this horse.

It sounds like some basic lessons in ground-work and manners would really help your situation. I would try that before making any decisions.

 

[oldie48]

No, there has always been a reason that they have been sold and I've always tried to ensure they have gone to the right home and generally been lucky that new owners have kept in touch. Yesterday owners of a pony we sold 10 years ago rang me to tell me that he'd suffered a really bad episode of laminitis and was going to be PTS. We were very sad but grateful that they had taken the trouble to let us know. I'm just about to sell a horse I've had for 5 years because he doesn't want to do dressage at the level I want, it's a really reluctant sale as he's such a lovely safe comfortable hack but i know he'd be much happier as a riding club allrounder and i don't jump!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Bought a lovely little Welsh D ride & drive a few years back. He'd spend most of his life (he was 9) doing driving and had only recently been backed just before I had him, so very green.

He was a dear little man, ever so willing to please...... BUT because he was so green, I wasn't able to deal with him at that time which was a huge pity. I am confident that he would be a lovely little horse for me NOW, but he wasn't then, so (using an agent) I sold him to a chap who wanted to do some driving and didn't want a horse to ride at all.

Do I regret selling him? Yes and no. Yes because he was such a lovely boy, no vice in him at all and always wanting to please. No - because he was feisty and needed more work than I could give him at the time, and I wasn't experienced enough then to be able to deal with a green horse who basically needed bringing on and he was becoming a little more than I could deal with, so selling him on was the only sensible option really.

But heck, it WOULD have been such fun to have had a ride & drive.................

 

[Silmarillion]

I've only ever sold one (had another PTS, gave one loan back, and have so far kept the other three!) and though it was an absolute wrench at the time, I'm glad we parted ways as we scared eachother silly and neither of us could get on with enjoying our lives as we battled to stay together though we were so unsuitable.
It's hard to see the positive in wanting to move a horse on, until you've actually done it and can put the guilt and hesitation behind you. I agree that it sounds like you don't get on with him, OP, and you're supposed to enjoy it don't forget! How can you enjoy something when you have a partner you don't fully trust?

 

[kerrieberry2]

I've never sold any! but if I was going to, I would probably be the most annoying person in the world, making sure their new owners and yards where perfect and wanting to go and visit them monthly!

 

[Lynsey&Smartie]

I've not regretted it where I have sold in a situation where the horse and I were unsuited or I didn't really like riding them as I think in these situations after the horse is gone you feel a sense of relief and can then look for something more suitable. I did sell a lovely made about 10 years ago though not because I didn't like her but due to life changes and lack of time and I do regret that as she was brilliant and I've never had anything since that I trust as much.

 

[Gloi]

I was very fond of my first pony but I wanted to move on to something I could show. I sold him to what I thought was a good home but a few months later the owner got a none horse related injury and he got left out in a field. He got enormously fat and then got laminitis and the owner sent him for meat . I didn't know and someone told when I was at a show with my new pony and I was really upset.

 

[flirtygerty]

Big style, didn't think I was a good enough rider for my 17hh TB, who was very responsive to the leg, he didn't get worked enough with us, so was bored and turning nappy, thought I'd found him the perfect home with a young student (wrong) the day he left, he refused to load for the first time ever.
Fast forward two years, he was gifted back to me, (I found a rider for him) turns out he had stood in a field for most of the two years, not competing most weekends as I was told, he came back with horrendous feet and teeth, he's also in his final home and he puts up with my riding

 

[Girlracer]

I've just sold my best friend. He leaves on Saturday morning. For me it was selfish, I sold him because I felt he was holding me back ridden wise. It is a decision that has taken me nearly 2 years to make.

I don't feel regret yet, as it was the right choice. But I really hope I do t regret it after he's gone. But I think if you're not happy it's a decision you have to make.

 

[flaxen]

Yes, my homebred pride and joy. I had no choice due a unhelpful controling bully of a husband and a high maintenance child. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and what should of been and everything that we should of been doing together instead of doing it with his new owner. My heart broke the day he left and my life isn't the same without him and certainly not a happy one and don't think i ever will be again.

 

[MileAMinute]

Yes. Stupidly to what I thought was a loving family. He went out on LWVTB and they seemed so well suited. I got reports on his progress and they purchased him and I was positive he'd really landed on his feet. Instead they abandoned him at a livery yard and the YO sold him on to reclaim some debt. He was such an honest, loving pony.
Still trying to trace him now. Had a couple of lookalikes but nothing yet. I'm guessing he's more than likely gone through Beeston.

To be fair I don't regret selling him per se as he was wasted with me, but I do regret who I sold him to. Guess that's the risk you take. And one I won't be taking again!

 

[misskk88]

Yes and No....

I still see my horse everyday as a friend purchased him, but I still would feel regret and guilt should he be sold on. He is a smashing horse, but wasn't the all rounder that I wanted. I cried many tears before I decided to move on. I had to let him go for a lot less than he was worth, because I would rather see him stay close by than somewhere else. He is quirky and I don't think many would understand that his sillyness is from needing someone to be his leader and best friend- not naughtiness.

I currently have to loan/share my horse- I feel guilty about that, even though I have found a potentially great short term loan home!

 

[MagicMelon]

I think it depends on your reasons for selling OP and in your case it sounds like the right thing to do. While I miss all of the ones I've sold, they all went for what I felt where good reasons. I regret selling one though, a big Welsh D who I had for about 5 years from a 3yo. He was an opinionated ****** who taught me so much and I just loved him to pieces. Even though he was incredibly difficult to begin with and was full of attitude, he was also the funniest character who gave the most amazing moments of cuddles! I sold him as I didn't have the time to compete two horses anymore and I chose my other horse over him as he was competing at a higher level. I still miss him years later but I speak to his owner regularly and she adores him and he looks really happy so I can't complain!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ive never sold a horse but i did have one on loan for 6 months with a view to buy. At first i loved him even though he was grumpy and often tried to kick and bite. A few days before the loan was up he threw me off and a combination of that and the fact i couldn't trust him enough for my daughter to go in the field and catch her own pony was enough to send him back. I felt like i should have been sad but in all honesty he did me a favour chucking me as it gave me that push to say no and prevent my daughter getting injured.

 

[Peanot]

Yes. I sold a mare I had years ago as I fell pregnant and couldn't afford 2 horses. I used to cry myself to sleep worrying about her. I won loads on her and she gave me loads of confidence, and we had a special bond. I sold her as a hack due to NA ringbone. They didn't get on with her and they stopped answering their phone to me with advice I had. So I lost touch and I still feel really guilty that I let her down and it gives me a pain in my stomach as I'm writing this. She's definitely gone to rainbow bridge now but I said that if I ever saw her for sale, I'd fetch her back in a heartbeat. I have sold 3 others and not felt the same so it depends on why you sell. Hope this helps x

 

[SteadyOnEthel]

yes i regretted selling my boy when my husband got made redundant. when i found him for sale 2 years later i took out a bank loan and bought him back

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

yes i regretted selling my boy when my husband got made redundant. when i found him for sale 2 years later i took out a bank loan and bought him back

Nope never as I have never sold one of mine, as once they are in my family they sat there until mother nature wants them back.

 

[Lynsey&Smartie]

Yes, my homebred pride and joy. I had no choice due a unhelpful controling bully of a husband and a high maintenance child. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and what should of been and everything that we should of been doing together instead of doing it with his new owner. My heart broke the day he left and my life isn't the same without him and certainly not a happy one and don't think i ever will be again.

Oh that's so sad, have you ever tried to buy him back if your circumstances have changed?

 

[Baggage]

Yes I regret one massively. She was the most genuine 4yo TB, beautiful, lovely to ride and endless potential. Had her for a year before my circumstances suddenly changed massively and I had no option but to sell her.
She went to a lovely home but I still now 2 years later trawl the adverts to see if she is being sold as would have her back in a heartbeat.

 

[*Nik*]

Not selling as such but my last horse i was going to have pts but hios bredder, who i bought him off, said she would have him back and offer him a forever home out in the field with his mum. Within 6 months i found out she had sold him on. I owed him everything and i wish i had stuck with my gut and had him pts rather than him going from pillar to post and losing contact completely

 

[hannahandteddy]

I had a great 14.2 coloured who I will always regret selling. She was my perfect horse. We had a great bond. I sold her to 'have a break from horses' which only lasted 3 months . I then bought another horse who ended up kicking me in the face. I have never regretted anything more in my life than selling her! I sold the horse that kicked me (don't regret that!!!) and I now have a very lovely warmblood, he's nick named mr perfect and I will never sell him. I've learnt my lesson now, any horse that I like and form a bond with will stay with me forever, even if they don't 'do' what I want, I will work round it rather than sell! I think I'm a bit soft though

 

[budley95]

I miss my 4 old ponies, but I dont regret selling 3 and full loaning one out. I'd outgrown all of them, they were good ponies that as my grandparents told me at the time "had other little girls to teach and make happy". I would regret selling Budley though as he's my horse of a lifetime I trust him implicitly and he just keeps everything in perspective for me. If you dont trust your horse he may be better finding an owner he's more suited for, someone that can help teach him, and you may be better having a mild mannered equine friend to help you trust horses again. There's no shame in admitting your horse would be better with someone more suited for them. That isnt a reason to regret selling as you'll be doing whats best for your horse. But if you really want to keep him, get some professional help and work on the issues so you can trust him. Good luck whatever you decide!