Should i sell my first horse?

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horseluver4eva

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ive had my beautiful mare about a year now and in that time ive come from barely being able to canter to jumping over 3 feet! however now i feel i cant progress anymore as a rider, because i now want something that i have to bring on more in some respect. i also want to compete in xc and sj, while my horse loves going round a course of jumps now and again she is not a jumper at heart, she is a pleasure horse and enjoys nothing more than a good gallop! i love my girl with all my heart and im in tears just writing this! but i feel that if i keep her then i cant progress as a rider and eventually i want to bring on a youngster when i have more experience! please help me choose what to do! i have such a close bond with her and i dont want her to feel that indont
 
I wouldn't rush to sell. I'd give it at least another year before considering.

There are lots you can do with your horse that will improve you as a rider, and her way of going - and moving on isn't necessarily the best move, yet.
 
Well done on such a quick progression and she sounds a star.

I have been in this postion before and it is really tough - to sell a horse like yours is a big decision as they are not easily replaceable.

When I sold my bombproof, take anywhere and do anything, cob, I replaced him with a 5 yrs old ISH, with the plan to do some low level eventing. But he quickly became a nightmare and I was obviously over horsed. Fortunately I sold him on quite quickly before he completely ruined my confidence.

When you have an 'easy' horse it is very easy to think you are a better rider than you are, and to feel you have out grown their abilities, but if you end up with a more advanced horse it can be a huge reality check!

I now have another cob, and although a bit more 'souped' up than the original model, feel a lot happier. I focus on what he enjoys doing such as hacking, fun rides and hunting, and would not swap him for the world.

So in essence be very careful what you decide - maybe ask your instructor or an experinced friend to see what they think. If you do sell, be very careful what you get as would hate for you to regret your decision.
 
You need to know the buttons yourself before you bring on a youngster. They dont know what your asking and unless you can show them yourself then I would say stick with your mare.

Im bringing on a youngster and its frustrating as my older horse KNOWS what I want but baby just didnt and I spent months showing her what I wanted before I could actually get it on command. Didnt progress my riding at all, it just progressed her education. So getting a youngster WONT progress your riding, you would be better with something that knows its job.
 
Be careful, I used to know a teenager who had a lovely, safe, willing 14.2hh cob-type pony. Some of her friends were getting horses and she began to feel 'left behind'. Her parents decided that she had outgrown the pony and bought her a TBx 15.1hh. She struggled with this horse, got a local experienced competitor/instructor to teach her and school the horse. The horse's behaviour (ridden and on the ground) got worse and she was eventually sold on at a loss. The horse was not replaced and the teenager stopped riding, her confidence shot. The cob was sold to an adult who had many years of fun with him.
The moral of this story is - don't be in a rush to sell on.
 
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thanks everyone!! i dont mean getting a youngster now i mean in the future when ive had more experience with other horses! i want one now thats pretty young but is something that i can go out competiting on! and my horse is not a competing horse when she goes to shows she hates it and therefore i dont want to put her through something that she isnt comfortable with for the sake of me. hence why i feel that i should sell her for her benefit also to have a happy hacking life where thats all the rider desires to do.
 
If you have a good instructor discuss your issues with him/her and listen to the reply.If you do decide to sell you want one that is, at most, 1 step up from this one and not a youngster.I don't think there is anything wrong with selling though if you don't suit each other.Be sure she goes to a good home though, you owe her that.
 
If you haven't a lot of experience competing, then a youngster probably will set back your riding and could knock your confidence. You would be better getting a youngish schoolmaster, who competes easily over the size you want already.

What does your instructor think?
 
Your horse should find a good home to the job she has done for you again.
However chose the next horse with great care it's very easy to get it wrong second time around when your first horse has been saintly take time , tAke professional help and make a very careful choice.
 
Thank you for your answers! ive decided that i will be selling my horse, but i will be waiting until around august time! or i will wait for the right horse comes along thats perfect for what im wanting!
 
A year isn't a long time to build up a partnership, though it sounds like your pony is a bit of a star. I'd be tempted to keep her but see if you can get rides on some others, maybe to compete for owners who don't want to themselves. This would give you loads more experience and a chance to think about what would suit you best as a next step. That way you still have your pony to come back to confidence wise if you meet a less forgiving horse, rather than ending up owning something unsuitable and being put off. I'm sure there are lots of owners out there who would let you ride their ponies in local classes :)
 
horseluver4eva said:
Thank you for your answers! ive decided that i will be selling my horse, but i will be waiting until around august time! or i will wait for the right horse comes along thats perfect for what im wanting!
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Out of interest, OP, what is it about competing that your horse doesn't like?

Have you done things like fun rides etc. or hunted at all?
 
I am a bit of a woose and you may be a lot braver and younger than me, so for you a year may be long enough......

I has my first horse for 3 years and it was about after 2 years I started to think about selling her, I had reached her potential dressage and but not jumping.

I spent 6 months having lessons on lots of different horses so I new what I liked and what I was capable of riding.

After 3 years, I was hardly riding my horse prefered to ride others and my RI said he would help me look for my next horse as I had now reached her potential jumping as well.

It was a real eye opener when I started looking for my second horse and I am well aware of my capabilites and how easily I could loose all confidence, so I ended up buying a older eventer.

He has taught me so much in the last year that I was never aware of with my first horse, he rides so differently, jumps so differently and isnt so forgiving of my bad riding.

Friends have said he wont be my last horse and maybe next time I will get something younger, but as a second horse he is perfect.

This was my tale as I said I was a novice nervous rider and confidence is hard to gain and easy to lose, so my best advice is to get others around you who know you and have your best interest at heart to advise you :)
 
Despite me being completely in love with her there have been a very few fleeting moments when I have wondered if I should have bought something 'more'. As I am having a break from riding she is being schooled by an advanced dressage rider and boy am I being proved wrong. When I start back I can only hope that I am able to progress to the level that the horse is now at. I feel very ashamed for ever thinking she was 'just' a safe hack!
 
Could you not loan her out and look for another on loan for yourself. That way you have a way back if things don't work out. Someone may have a horse that is too much for them that they want to rehome and would maybe want a happy hacker instead. Put an ad up on advertising sites stating what you require and say you have a mare for loan looking for a quieter home and see what happens. You might just solve both problems without losing control of your mare completely or rushing into the next horse.
 
Don't rush.
You may feel you have come along way with your mare but it is very easy to loose it all and go backwards.
Have another year.
Have fun.
Work on her jumping.
You may find you are great together.
 
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