My friend is upset but how much please?

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Ok my friend has had her horse, now 6, since he was born.

she used to work at the stud where he was born, the owners wouldnt believe his mum was pregnant, yet my friend insisted she was. (turned out a rig had got at her)

anyway out popped a foal, my friend found him, tangled up in the field, the mare had been standing on him etc and he was very cold, she had no rug for him so had to bring them in and put her wooly jacket on him (she has pics, v cute!)

Anyway, she basically saved his life and bought him when he was 6 months old.
She has been through a lot with this horse, he was a bit of a loon until he was gelded, quite a handful, he never gave up even though pepole said she was stupid.

Earlier this year, he was slow to mature, she sent him off to be broken in, he came back and has been going really well in the school, and has hacked out a few times with me on my horse. He has been nothing but a star!

all sounds like a happy ending yes?

Well no. My friend now thinks she is wasting the horse,he has never put a foot wrong and she things he has too much potential and she isnt doing him justice, as all she wants is a happy hacker.

So she is thinking of either selling him , or loaning him to someone who can bring him on and do some showing / hunting or competing on him.

She loves this horse to bits and only wants the best for him, even if its without her.

Well done if you got this far!!

So question is, how much for:

16hh unusual coloured grey/roan LW gelding
Believed to be arab x WB
6yrs old
Working well on the flat, hacked out a few times, seen traffic.
Well mannared, no vices.
jabs and teeth up to date.

Downside, he dishes with front legs.
(not a v good pic!)

DSC065991.jpg


I suggested that she loan him out for a while, rather than sell him, because once he is gone, he is gone!
She is open to this as it isnt about the money, she just wants him to get the most out of life and see and do things he wouldnt do with her.

All advice or opinions would be appreciated and I will pass them on.
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I don't think a horse is ever wasted unless actually neglected. If he's happy and she's happy (clearly she loves him!) then she should hang on to him, or at the most, as you suggest, loan him out for a while.
I don't think dishing is a problem at all, in fact, I've been told that horses that dish make fab jumpers
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If the horse is happy she should keep him. He doesn't know how much potential he has / hasn't got, he has never lived a competitive life so won't miss it. Horses do not know if they are too good to be a happy hacker or not so if he likes is job and is suitable for it and she likes him, then I really don't see why she would sell or loan (unless selling for the money his potential is worth). Don't try to fix something that isn't broken is my advice!!!!
 
My opinion? I'd encourage her to keep him!

The horse doesn't know or care whether he is not reaching his full potential....that is some silly thing that us arrogant humans (not mean't nastily BTW) place on horses I'm afraid. Horses love to be groomed, fed, watered and taken out once in a while by a familiar face - they generally don't care about much else.

Sorry I have no idea of pricing for this one, perhaps around £2,500 - £3,000.
 
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My opinion? I'd encourage her to keep him!

The horse doesn't know or care whether he is not reaching his full potential....that is some silly thing that us arrogant humans (not mean't nastily BTW) place on horses I'm afraid. Horses love to be groomed, fed, watered and taken out once in a while by a familiar face - they generally don't care about much else.

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I hope this is a case of great minds think alike and not fools never differ!!!!
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i agree she should keep him and get someone to compete him for her if she wants him to be doing more. my horse ATM is a happy hacker but i've thought about showing him, and i'd find someone who likes the idea of not much work and loads of fun to be his rider rather than me. i wouldn't do him justice.
 
There is nothing wrong with being a happy hacker- the key word is happy!
The horse wont know or care that he could do more, if they are both happy and she clearly loves him then encorage her to keep him.Maybe get a sharer or something to do some competing withhim if she thinks he would enjoy it.
 
i hate jumping and love my youngsters to do this so i pay a friend to take them to shows for me.
i also think it is good for my babies as they experience another rider,which if later the horse needs to be sold on helps.
 
As previous posters have said, there is nothing wrong with a horse being a happy hacker, in fact there is a huge market for horses that are safe and confident doing just this. If your friend wants the horse to do more maybe she could find a sharer who is experienced in some sphere like jumping or showing to help bring it on.

At the moment I would cap the price at £2000 but there is the potential for this to go up
 
Keep him, he doesn't know what he might or might not be missing out on. If she wants to see him do a bit more or compete, why not get a sharer? I used to share with someone who just did dressage and wanted their horse hacked out, thus horse then got some variety.
 
What a ridiculous notion to loan or sell the horse to as he could do more! The horse has no idea that he is capable of more, and most of the competition horses would give their eye teeth to have the lifestyle of a happy hacker. I am sure she could force herself to do a little dressage or showing if she really wanted to. The horse looks pleasant enough from the photos, but not necessarily a top show horse, particularly if he dishes as well, so she really ought to just enjoy him and think how lucky she is! There will always be people willing to take him to a show if she doesn't want to.

Nope - definitely a keeper I would say!
 
Why not advertise for a sharer who is a bit more competitive, it means your friend can continue enjoying him and he can have a go at a competion career, I'm sure someone would jump at the chance and may even make a contribution to his upkeep. This way she gets to keep control of his future, I really like the look of him - hes a lovely colour.
 
Sorry - meant to add that some horses go stale from competition work and become grumpy and unhappy. You never see that in a happy hacker who does a bit of competition work just for fun!
 
I'm with what I suspect the majority of the replies will say......Encourage her to keep him!!!! My horse did loads with her previous owner. She absolutely loved to jump. However, I don't "do" jumping and Patches variety and intensity of work have lowered. I do ride her 4 or 5 times a week but it's mostly hacking with light schooling thrown in, the odd pleasure ride too.

I don't believe for one moment that she stands in her stable at night complaining to my other horses (or her best horsey friend in the mirror lol) that I'm a muppet who's wasting her talent! She's cared for extremely well, is groomed, loved and ridden regularly. They have no concept of their own abilities or whether they should be jumping around Hickstead instead of plodding along the lanes.

If horse and owner are happy...that's enough! If she REALLY wants to improve his education she could have lessons on him or advertise a sharer to school him on a couple of times a week. Best of both worlds. I'm of the philosophy that the less they do, the less risk of injury! Having said that, I reckon most injuries happen in the field!
 
horses dont have ambition, only their owners do.
he doesnt care whether he hacks round the block 3 days a week or goes to wembly (infact he'd probably perfer the former option - much less work!!)

IMHO she should keep him, enjoy him and if she really want him out and about find someone who wants to do a bit of competing and let them take him.
 
hells bells if he is well mannered and has no vices then she should keep him! does it really matter if he is a happy hacker? there are loads of horses out there unloved and uncared for, he is obviously in a lovely home with a mummy who loves him. Pidge adores his jumping, so much so that if there are jumps up he gets excited if I even look at it, I call him my cruise missile. However if we just do flat work or hacking he really doesn't get annoyed that we aren't jumping. As far as he is concerned he is living a life of luxury and is spoilt rotten care wise and gets lots of tlc what more could he want? Please tell her to reconsider her decision and to keep him, who knows he is only 6 in a couple of years she may decide to do some competing of some sort with him but if not he's not suffering is he?
 
Also everyone I know who has sold on a horse that think is too good for them has lived to utterly regret it as the replacements never seem to be as nice.

She's mad to even think about selling him.
 
Think your friend should keep him, are you not willing to take him to a few shows, I'm sure he would be much happier staying with your friend and doing a bit of everything, she could enjoy the hacking and somebody else could enjoy the showing side.......
 
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KEEP HIM!!! IF she really wants to see him doing more then I agree, advertise for a sharer that wants to compete!

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Exactly. She can afford to take time to find the right person too. This sort of arrangement can work really well and as an owner it is really satisfying to have a good rider do well in competitions on your horse.
 
wasted?!how can he be wasted if hes happy, got a loving owner..?he is better off than a lot of horses!
if its not about money especially then why sell?
horses really dont care about being wasted.in fact they would be happier being pasture ornimants than competition horses!
if she really wants somone to compete him why not just get s a sharer?!
if she sold him i imagine she would worry about him so much, esp if she saw him at a show or something being ridden badly.
 
Thank you everyone!

I agree with you all.

Ive told her if she doesnt feel she can cope at the mo (she is having a few personal problems and I think she feels like she is neglecting him) then i will take over looking after him, no problem.

I said the same, he cant miss what he hasnt done, and he is a happy horse.

She recently fractured her foot so couldnt ride for 6 weeks, and is now moving house so I think she just feels like a bad mum.

Also i think its confidence, she has come so far with this horse and is scared of ruining him she said, she just loves him so much and doesnt want him bored in the field and he is so clever, soaks up new things like a sponge!

I will suggest she gets a sharer I think as I know she does want him to go to a few shows etc. I suggested she come with me to some shows but I dont think she feels she is good enough to take him (needs some confidence!), and also its money, she cant afford to hire trailers and show entry fees, so a sharer might be a good option, at least then he can see a bit of the world and she can watch and be a proud mum.

Its definitely not the money, she just thinks he is the type of horse who will get bored just hacking.
Im hoping its just a phase due to her current personal problems, I will def show her all your responses though so she can see Im not the only one who thinks she should keep him!
 
Why doesn’t she offer the ride to someone?

I know a lady with two event horses. She only hacks out – which is good for them and her, and she offered the ride to a young and keen event rider who rides them 2 or 3 times a week and competes through the season.

Suits them both down to the ground, the owner pays the entries, the owner grooms for the rider, and in return the rider adds value to her horses, schools them, whilst getting the valuable competition experience and schooling experience that she needs.

They have a really good deal – if I didn’t compete anymore I would offer the ride of Bruce to someone else too.
 
Do you think it would be easy to find someone who can produce him to show standard, he has only hacked out 3 times and done walk and a bit of trot in the school?

she cant afford to pay anyone you see which is why I suggested loaning.

If he was already ready to go it would be easy and she could prob find someone to pay her a contriution, but my friend has realised she isnt experienced enough to do more than she has.

He hasnt done any jumping yet and really has just been doing the same walking around the school for 15mins for the last 5 months, he is getting bored.
 
Could it be that she is scared of him? That is not much experience for a 6 year old horse. If she is slightly frightened of him (he is quick to learn etc) then that is a different kettle of fish altogether!
 
I think she is to be honest FMM.

Because he was such a demon as a youngster, most people who know him wont even catch him from the field, but he has totally changed and chilled out.

He used to spend most of his time on his back legs and I think in the back of her mind she thinks he wil do this under saddle, but he has never put a foot wrong!
Also he is bonkers in the filed, always galloping about, broncing etc, she has said what if he does that with me on him!

Im always encouraging her to hack out so he can see a bit of the world but have only got her out 3 times, he has been an angel though, had a look but never tried to nap or anything, just nosey ! my babysitter horse, the warmblood was being more of an idiot, spooking and being a general silly bugger!

I dont know what to suggest, it would be a shame for her to lose him and sell him, but he does need to be doing more than he is, he is bored in the school now and thats when the naughtiness will start, he isnt learning anything new.

And because of her foot she cant ride for another 3 weeks, so he hasnt been ridden for about 8 weeks now...not good.
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