Options

[Chelsea Wilson]

Hi,

So I don't quite know if this is the right place to post this but if anyone had any advice or at least what you would do in my scenario I would be very grateful.

So I've recently sold my pony who I did BS pony classes on thus (pre covid) competing regularly. I changed schools in september and now have much longer days plus a high workload meaning it would be impossible to ride during the week. Since Christmas I've been exercising an ex racer who is owned by my instructor, she has now offered to sell him to me as my next horse. At the same time a close family friend has offered to let me compete her horse as she isn't a fan of competing.

I need to make a decision between the two but I'm stuck. It's between:

A) Ex racer who I've been riding for a while, he has the sweetest attitude and so much potential jumping but as green as grass. With school I can only ride on the weekends so he would be intermittently worked by a variety of people which would limit progress and ability to compete. However it would allow me to stay with my current instructor at the yard I love with all my friends.

B) A complete schoolmaster owned by a family friend. I've never ridden him (due to Covid restrictions) but I have a very similar riding style to his owner so there's a high chance I would like him. He is kept very fit and would only ever be ridden by me and the owner meaning that it would work great for balancing with school and competing. However it would also mean moving to the yard where she keeps him and using her instructor as well as lacking the freedom of schooling and hacking on my own as she would want to supervise.

 

[Dexter]

second one. Bringing on a horse that you only ride weekends with the stress of school then potentially moving away for uni etc, just isnt worth it.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

First one. Fantastic experience for you. A hand picked horse by a trusted instructor is a great way to buy. Owning to produce is more satisfying than borrowing to compete. (Well it would be for me! I guess it depends on what matters more to you). He wont be green as grass for long and it sounds like you'd have more freedom, flexibility and fun. Plus you'd add value if you needed to sell after school.

BUT Dexter is right - that option is a lot more committing. Rocking up at the weekend to take a horse out showjumpng who is being kept fit and schooled by someone else would be lots of fun without the stress! So a very good opportunity.

I think both options are great. Go with your gut.

 

[Widgeon]

I think for me it would hinge on who is going to be working your horse for you if you do option A. "intermittently worked by a variety of people" doesn't sound ideal for a green horse - however if you could manage to sort out regular work by one or two trusted people, I'd be much more confident that option A would work. Also it sounds like you know the horse well already.

So assuming you can sort out the above, I'd agree with AE and say that both sound good for different reasons. Teenage me would have been very jealous of you! Whichever one you choose don't worry about making the "right" choice, just do what you think best at the time and enjoy it.

P.S. You might want to change your profile name? Assuming it's your real name that is. It's a good idea to keep some degree of annonymity on a forum, particularly if you're still at school.

 

[Equi]

I don’t think committing to a new green horse is right at this time. It will be great during the summer when you are off and free but once school starts back up and over winter I think it will become very trying and based on your writing I’m going to assume you are close to doing important exams then thinking about uni etc. Take the offer of the school master as it will give you a great education without the stresses of managing your own horse while also trying to do your best at school. Good luck

 

[Squeak]

Both are good options and have their benefits. What are your priorities? If you'll enjoy the freedom of only riding every now and then and want to go to uni in a year or so without worrying about the commitment of a horse then option 2 is probably the way to go.

If you're wanting to do more riding in the holidays (with exams and then uni you get realllllly long summer holidays) or want to be able to ride during lockdowns etc then option 1 might suit better. You'd also be able to stay with your friends and instructor.

Ultimately it depends how important riding is at this stage. If you want to focus on exams and uni then go for option 2, if you want to make sure you can keep riding then go for option 2.

Or option 3... share or loan a horse that you can have at your normal yard or would any of your friends at the yard appreciate any help with their horses if they've also got the stress of exams?

 

[paddi22]

both have down sides. when you say your friend wouldn't let you hack or school on your own but 'would need to supervise' that sets off big alarms bells. how controlling could you see her being? if you have a bad run competing will that be a big issue?

both have flexibility and positives, but there are negatives to both. especially intermittent people riding the exracer. depending on its personality, some exracers are very sensitive and a bad rider can set them back a bit.

it depends what your biggest draw are - if you like schooling and enjoy your current yard option 1 is good. if your main passion is competing, go for two.

 

[Wishfilly]

I would at least ride horse B before committing to anything. Sometimes there can be little things that stop you from really enjoying a horse and if that's the only horse you've got time to ride, then you want it to be something you really enjoy.

Also, will you definitely want to compete and have the pressure of competing? What happens in this set up if competitions are cancelled again?

I would probably go for horse A, especially if you can find just one or two competent people to ride him in the week. You'd also have holidays to ride him, and as the evenings get lighter, you might find that you have more time to ride in the week.

How long would it be until you go off to uni? And what do your parents think?