Possum
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
For the past year or so I've toyed with the idea of selling my Section D. The issue I have though is that I don't know whether I even want to sell him, and with the current market I've really no idea how I could ever find someone to take him on.
I can write an advert that makes him sound brilliant - he's a nicely put together Sec D, schools beautifully, has perfect brakes, a cracking jump and is a real cuddly 'people' horse that loves being worked.
But on the other hand, I can write an advert that would make people not touch him with a barge pole - he has sarcoids (including a scar on his shoulder where one was removed that means he'd be no good for the show ring), is massively spooky and won't hack alone, won't load onto a trailer, terrible with the vet/farrier/dentist, hates being stabled and weaves like a lunatic...you get my drift.
So with the current market, really he's only worth meat money. I can't talk about 'potential' because he's 11, and although the one and only time I've managed to get him out to Patchetts he won a class of 20+, that hardly counts as a competition record. But despite all of this, he's a lovely horse and with consistent work all the above issues become SO much better. My problem is that I bought him when I was a student with enough time to work him 6 days a week, every week and now I have a very full-time job in the city that means that I can only work him on weekends which has made him far worse.
I love him to bits so would never just give him to a dealer, and can't afford to pay someone good to work him on the days I can't manage. I always end up just deciding to keep him, but I am so very tired of trying at the weekends to work with a 'wired' section D who spends his entire time tense and jumping at nothing. I've tried sharers, but he's so sensitive that it seems to just make him confused. I had a brilliant girl a few years ago but she emigrated .
Has anyone else ever been in this situation? Any words of advice or insight on a way forwards - I'm properly down in the dumps having had yet another atrocious ride on a horse that stands around, costs me loads of money and gives me very little in return other than looking gorgeous!
For the past year or so I've toyed with the idea of selling my Section D. The issue I have though is that I don't know whether I even want to sell him, and with the current market I've really no idea how I could ever find someone to take him on.
I can write an advert that makes him sound brilliant - he's a nicely put together Sec D, schools beautifully, has perfect brakes, a cracking jump and is a real cuddly 'people' horse that loves being worked.
But on the other hand, I can write an advert that would make people not touch him with a barge pole - he has sarcoids (including a scar on his shoulder where one was removed that means he'd be no good for the show ring), is massively spooky and won't hack alone, won't load onto a trailer, terrible with the vet/farrier/dentist, hates being stabled and weaves like a lunatic...you get my drift.
So with the current market, really he's only worth meat money. I can't talk about 'potential' because he's 11, and although the one and only time I've managed to get him out to Patchetts he won a class of 20+, that hardly counts as a competition record. But despite all of this, he's a lovely horse and with consistent work all the above issues become SO much better. My problem is that I bought him when I was a student with enough time to work him 6 days a week, every week and now I have a very full-time job in the city that means that I can only work him on weekends which has made him far worse.
I love him to bits so would never just give him to a dealer, and can't afford to pay someone good to work him on the days I can't manage. I always end up just deciding to keep him, but I am so very tired of trying at the weekends to work with a 'wired' section D who spends his entire time tense and jumping at nothing. I've tried sharers, but he's so sensitive that it seems to just make him confused. I had a brilliant girl a few years ago but she emigrated .
Has anyone else ever been in this situation? Any words of advice or insight on a way forwards - I'm properly down in the dumps having had yet another atrocious ride on a horse that stands around, costs me loads of money and gives me very little in return other than looking gorgeous!
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