dreamer334
New User
I have found myself in a dilemma. About 2 years ago I bought a green ottb. He was 10 when I got him and still hadn't been restarted off the track, he had just been sitting. The seller sold him for super cheap as she didn't really see upper level potential. I do hunters and was showing 2'9-3 foot on my lesson horse before I bought him. I got a trainer and we restarted him and started him over jumps. He is very forward with bounds of confidence issues. Spooks at everything all the time. He was treated for ulcers when we got him so that's not the problem, he's just a spooky horse. At the barn we were at we didn't have standards, we only had jump blocks that went up to 2 foot. So for the first year we just schooled 2 foot and showed twice over 18 inch.
When we moved barns we had access to standards which meant we could move up. However anytime the jumps raise to 2'6 plus he gets nervous. He starts getting really fast, knocking rails, over jumping by A LOT, stopping, or just jumping super hollow. We got a vet check to see if it was anything physical but we found nothing off with him. He has a custom fit saddle that's checked as he gains muscle in his top line. Trainer and I decided it was confidence issues and moved jumps back down and went back to basics to help him gain confidence. We started moving the jumps back up and the same thing happened. So we tried another approach of schooling higher fences more consistently to get him used to them. He started just running through courses with no response to aids asking him to slow down and when we moved back down to 2 foot jumps he kept this habit of rushing jumps and not using his body properly. So instead of focusing on courses we just started working on trot poles, and gymnastic lines of cross rails and 2 foot verticals. This is where we have been for months. I don't need advice on training, I am surrounded by good trainers and resources to help.
On my part of this I started feeling guilt on the fact that it was something I was doing to attribute to this behavior. Longterm goal with me is that I want to move up to derbies, A rated shows, possibly switch to jumpers and do Grand Prixs, etc. etc. etc. Its hard for me as a rider to look at the fact I have overall made no progress with my riding in the past 2 years. I took a lesson a show barn in my area just to focus on my own riding the other day and I was able to school 3- 3'6 courses on a horse I had never ridden before. This only reminded my how much I want my goals to play out.
Is it morally wrong for me to "give up" on my personal horse? I would still ride him multiple times a week, just take away the goals and expectations and do random stuff with him. Occasional schooling shows, hacks, hunter paces, and just random events, and then pursue showing on one of the horses at the show barn so I could move up and expand my riding on a horse that's a little easier and has more potential? I feel awful and like I'm betraying my own horse but I genuinely do not see him as a successful show horse and he is now 12 years old and can't school over 2 foot. I feel like a brat giving up when its hard but we aren't making any progress and I don't want to push him to do something he doesn't enjoy.
Just to add, no I will not sell him. I got him intending to give him a forever home and I don't determine his place in my family or heart based on how high I can show him
When we moved barns we had access to standards which meant we could move up. However anytime the jumps raise to 2'6 plus he gets nervous. He starts getting really fast, knocking rails, over jumping by A LOT, stopping, or just jumping super hollow. We got a vet check to see if it was anything physical but we found nothing off with him. He has a custom fit saddle that's checked as he gains muscle in his top line. Trainer and I decided it was confidence issues and moved jumps back down and went back to basics to help him gain confidence. We started moving the jumps back up and the same thing happened. So we tried another approach of schooling higher fences more consistently to get him used to them. He started just running through courses with no response to aids asking him to slow down and when we moved back down to 2 foot jumps he kept this habit of rushing jumps and not using his body properly. So instead of focusing on courses we just started working on trot poles, and gymnastic lines of cross rails and 2 foot verticals. This is where we have been for months. I don't need advice on training, I am surrounded by good trainers and resources to help.
On my part of this I started feeling guilt on the fact that it was something I was doing to attribute to this behavior. Longterm goal with me is that I want to move up to derbies, A rated shows, possibly switch to jumpers and do Grand Prixs, etc. etc. etc. Its hard for me as a rider to look at the fact I have overall made no progress with my riding in the past 2 years. I took a lesson a show barn in my area just to focus on my own riding the other day and I was able to school 3- 3'6 courses on a horse I had never ridden before. This only reminded my how much I want my goals to play out.
Is it morally wrong for me to "give up" on my personal horse? I would still ride him multiple times a week, just take away the goals and expectations and do random stuff with him. Occasional schooling shows, hacks, hunter paces, and just random events, and then pursue showing on one of the horses at the show barn so I could move up and expand my riding on a horse that's a little easier and has more potential? I feel awful and like I'm betraying my own horse but I genuinely do not see him as a successful show horse and he is now 12 years old and can't school over 2 foot. I feel like a brat giving up when its hard but we aren't making any progress and I don't want to push him to do something he doesn't enjoy.
Just to add, no I will not sell him. I got him intending to give him a forever home and I don't determine his place in my family or heart based on how high I can show him
