Horsey decision - thoughts?

[foreversunshine]

Just after a bit of advice regarding future horsey plans!

We are moving to France in the next 2 - 3 years if not sooner. I only want to take one horse ( plan is to get a companion pony out there) we have the house already and spend a tonne of time out there every year for the past 15 years or so! Done all our research etc and ready to take the plunge

My situation is i am 42 and have primary school age children. We are fortunate to live in a lovely village and have stables and our own 3 acres. I have 3 horses - a 16yr cob who is out on long term loan at a lovely place, a 14yr old who is trained up to medium dressage (been having regular lessons for past 2 years for a trainer) and a 2 year old both at home.

The hacking has never been amazing despite living in the countryside a lot of the bridleways are few and very far between, the lanes are getting busier all the time and drivers less patient. My main riding horse is very sharp and spooky - not with traffic as such but silly things like bags etc...he will spin quickly but never bolted and never nappy - just needs encouragement past scary things!
They have recently taken away 3 permissive bridleways meaning the cut through connection to the other routes has been lost all these routes where really good canter open fields. Now there are no suitable places for a canter as the other 2 bridleways are very short If you want a canter you either have to hack about 7 mile or go along a really fast busy B road with all sorts of lorries etc with blind corners!
I used to enjoy a hack and blow some cobwebs away but now its lane hacking only This has contributed to me feeling like i have lost my riding mojo big time.
Hacks are now boring and just all road work on a spooky horse round the same block day in day out, the schooling is okay and i do enjoy my lesson but it takes me ages to motivate myself to tack up and go!
I do not have a trailer to visit places to hack too and not in the position to get one right now.

Truth is now if i can find an excuse NOT to ride i will. Not sure if its just been the wet winter (another story!) or what but i just can't be bothered anymore.
I am however excited for the 2 year old and still like messing about with him its just the riding part i am not feeling - the spooky hacks or even the training at home i am not enjoying as much as i did.
I lost my hacking buddy last year when her horses retired and she said she felt the same way as me - just not feeling it anymore.

I am excited for and don't want to sell the 2yr old (planning on taking him to France ) - i know horses do not care if ridden or not but the 14yr old i have put a tonne of work into to get him where he is at. Regular weekly lessons, saddle checks, physio, hock injections, wedge shoes (£180 a time) etc i think he's too good to just leave in a field as he could be giving someone else a great ride ( i am not overly bothered about competiting - he's the type of horse that needs to go out all the time to get used to stuff or he goes backwards at new venues very tense and spooky - i don't have the energy or time/money needed to get him out all the time so we stopped competiting after some very low scores and stressful/fustrating competitions so took the pressure off completly

I don't know - with the lost bridleways now its just not the same. nowhere to have a canter or jump a log etc just miles of long not very exciting lanes (on our own!) which are getting busier all the time!
I know it will be better riding in France for sure and this is why i want to take the younger horse with me.

I feel we have lots going on with the up coming move, the house to finish off and lots of stuff to sort out and decisions to make!

I was having a talk with my sister and we came up with the following -
1. loaning out or perhaps selling the 14yr old for now and keeping the 2 yr old on grass livery - this way the 14yr old keeps his fitness and i don't have the expense
2. Putting both horses on grass/holiday livery for the whole of summer where they are taken care of by the yard - then weigh it up?
3. Now the weather (should) be improving maybe just seeing how it goes and then weigh up options again in the summer? they will be going on a 6 week holiday grass livery in july anyway

I really don't want to do anything rash and end up regretting it but i kind of need to make a decision!
Apologies for the long post but needed to get it down in a post!
Thank you muchly

 

[SEL]

I'd sell the 14yo in your position. If you at least put him up for sale now you'd get feedback as to whether or not he is sellable or whether you'd have to find a loan home - not ideal if he came off loan after you'd moved to France.

That would give you time and head space to sort out the move.

 

[Abacus]

Easier to sell the 14 year old now than in 2 or 3 years time, and it would mean less to worry about in the meantime - unless you find you miss riding once he's gone.* And if he is currently in work, better to sell now than give him time off and have to get him going again.

* if you do, you could find a share until you move to France.

Only hesitation here is if the 2 year old doesn't turn out as you hoped or doesn't suit you, then you'd have to change that plan, but you won't know that for a couple of years or more.

 

[dorsetladette]

I'd be inclined to agree with SEL. I'd sell the 14 year old before he gets to an age where you won't get anything back financially from him, if your not planning on taking him to France it's another job ticked off the list.

Then I'd turn the youngster away for the summer - you then have that time to sort house etc.

 

[Equi]

You only plan to take the 2yo anyway so sell now when you’re feeling done, it will make it easier.

 

[kerrieberry2]

sell the 14 year old now, while he's still young enough that people won't be put off by his age! if you're not enjoying riding out, which I feel your pain about, then there is no point in carrying on for another year or two. Selling a 14 year old will be easier than selling a 16 year old....

 

[DressageCob]

I agree with the others that you should sell the 14 year old sooner rather than later, if you've already decided he's not going to France. If he's only 14 and already in wedge shoes and having his hocks injected then I'm not sure he will have much of a market value in a couple of years time, particularly if his competition record isn't great (judging by your saying he can be backwards away from home and has some low scores) and he isn't straightforward to ride. I don't think there's a massive market for horses that are spooky to hack and too tense to compete successfully, but there are some people that just want to school at home; it will be easier to sell a 14 year old to those people than a 17 year old.

In the meantime I'm sure there will be a part loan you could find to hack out on, or a nice riding school in your area for lessons.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Sell the ridden one now.
Pop the 2yr old on grass livery.
Sort out the 16yr old one on loan - you don't want that one to suddenly need to be returned due to 'life events' the week before or after you leave the UK. Can you gift to current home, in perpetuity?