Should I sell My Horse?

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iiFawnieii

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I know from the title, people will probably want to respond with:"It is your own choice- Don't ask others to make it for you" But I genuinely need some advice on this as I dont want to make a decision if the situation has a solution.

To begin with, about year ago I bought a Welsh Section D Pony, I had just sold my old project to a riding school and I was looking for an unbroken pony and there he was in all his glory, perfect.
At the same time I had to move yards as I decided to move house, the only affordable yard (I say affordable as the only other option is £900 a month for DIY which for me was FAR beyond my budget ) was "XYZ yard" *I say XYZ as I dont want to throw this yard under the bus or offend anybody* When I got to XYZ yard my heart sunk, I got my friend, who is the polar opposite of me with yards, to check it out before I moved as I didn't have time with everything going on to do it myself and was just going on my friends opinion and internet pictures. I was being stupid I know.
The fields were SO deep in mud stepping near the gate made it go upto the top of my country boots though the further up the field it got less muddy, I tried to turn my pony out but couldnt even make it to the gate without me and him getting stuck and him trying to pull me back to the stables. So I decided to stable him until it got better which it only did during late summer to mid autumn.
Being a young, stabled pony his energy levels were obviously very high and he was becoming difficult to control whenever I took him into the arena as he just wanted to run about. NORMALLY In this situation I would've let him do this at the start of sessions everyday ,but understandably there is a rule against letting horses loose in there, due to a horse trying to jump the arena fence a few months before and fracturing part of its leg. So i tried to control his energy by running around with him until he stopped being as silly and excitable(I know most people would just lunge for longer than normal, but I try to train into most of my horses that running around with me is play and lunging is work so they learn to be more sensible when working. It may seem far fetched but It works for me.)
Though, this yard doesnt really have a way to reserve/book arenas so it is basically a free for all and you jump in when there is space. This means that I only get 5 mins to try and calm him down before someone comes up asking if they can share the arena, obviously the polite thing to say is yes ,as you will get dirty looks for months if you say no, though I am always asked to stop lunging and walking him in hand around the arena when they come in. With an unbroken pony at his stage you can't do much more than that.So we have been stuck at the same stage for a year as he has no way of progressing.
Ontop of this people continuously steal my things, it isn't just borrowing and forgetting or taking little things that are left out. PEOPLE ARE OPENING MY TACK CUPBOARD when I forget to lock it with a key even though I have locked it with a bolt lock and taking things like halters, Cavessons, rugs and feed buckets then selling them! making it even more difficult for me to look after my pony as I dont have any bloody items.
Of course there are also the Holier than thou ladies who constantly criticise everything I do, so due to my already bad social anxiety, I am scared to do any thing they pick apart again for fear of being criticised.
I really dont want to sell my pony as he is such a character and I love him to bits but at the same time I want what is best for him and if he is not going to make any progress with me and he is unhappy in his situation as he literally has to eat off of a feed bin lid and have a make shift head collar made out of a lead rein put on his face I think it is the best option.
If anyone has any solutions to these or I am just being an idiot and need to do something obvious feel free to point it out as I really dont want to do anything I will regret.
 
Is this literally the only yard in the area? Is there a way you can make turnout easier/safer in the mud? Can you hack him ok to get energy out? Can you keep your expensive stuff at home or in your car? I think this is a choice of move yards or sell. Don't let a yard dictate whether you can keep your horse or not. Move.
 
tankgirl1 said:
Don't let them bully you into selling, move yards
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This!

I've been in the same situation & also suffer anxiety wise. I've had the bitching, the criticising, not being able to get in the school alone & when I did people stopping to watch & pass judgement. Also had my property moved & stolen.

It may have take longer than your average but no way in hell was I giving up on my unbroken cob because of that! I learnt to padlock everything I could & take the rest home, plus over time learnt to grow a bit of rhino skin so others comments didn't get to me. Also, when the right place came up I moved.

In the process of moving again for other reasons but currently have to take all my tack home daily as if not my stirrups & leathers vanish!! What is wrong with people?!

Anyway, I think you should sit tight & stick at it until the right yard comes along, it'll be worth it in the end. Bin lid dinner bowl & rope head collar wont bother him I'm sure, but you not being there would as sounds like you have a fab bond. Those welshies are worth it :) Good luck!!
 
Blimey - where on earth are you I've never heard of a yard that charges £900 a month for DIY, or an area that stays muddy til late summer.
I wouldn't be getting my knickers in a twist. I'd just move to somewhere more suitable. If you tell us where you are, there's a strong possibility that someone will be able to recommend somewhere
 
Auslander said:
Blimey - where on earth are you I've never heard of a yard that charges £900 a month for DIY, or an area that stays muddy til late summer.
I wouldn't be getting my knickers in a twist. I'd just move to somewhere more suitable. If you tell us where you are, there's a strong possibility that someone will be able to recommend somewhere
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This.
 
Like Auslander, I've not heard of anywhere doing DIY for £900pcm - and I'm prob slap in the middle of THE most expensive area for livery in the UK.
Std full livery round here is approx £800 pcm, plus extras. Complete DIY is around £25 - £45pw, dependant on facilities.

Let us know roughly where you are and we can help point you in a better direction.
 
You're the most entertaining troll we've had in a while! I've just read your post about the advert that you saw on preloved and 'screen shotted' before it was removed. Good one :)

DIY at £900 a month :D

I think you should probably shoot the pony :)
 
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Auslander said:
Blimey - where on earth are you I've never heard of a yard that charges £900 a month for DIY, or an area that stays muddy til late summer.
I wouldn't be getting my knickers in a twist. I'd just move to somewhere more suitable. If you tell us where you are, there's a strong possibility that someone will be able to recommend somewhere
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Another who cannot imagine where you are, I thought my fields got muddy but they are nothing like you describe and by spring they are dry, at the moment they are extremely dry even the gateways, if the only other yard is so expensive and not an option I cannot believe there is no middle ground as someone in your area could have a good business opportunity to set up a decent yard at a reasonable price.
 
Lol sorry I wrote this after fully 2 all nighters, it isn't 900pcm for DIY duh xD I just re-inquired this morning as I thought that sounded a bit wrong as it was all I had heard from my friend who used to go to that yard as it is private. Turns out THAT IS HOW MUCH IT IS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR - guess who's checking out that yard tomorrow. (;
Also the fields are so muddy as for some reason it is where people throw water when they are cleaning out their buckets so it never really clears up as 30+ people a day throwing buckets doesnt really let it. Also the entrance to the gate is downhill so whenever it rains the water just drains down into it. Do you want pictures?

I dont get why people are saying I'm a troll though, If you would like I could post screenshots of that preloved post, if it isn't against the rules that is because it contains the persons personal info.I dont think I can fit back into this forum ):

I am under huge amounts of stress at the moment with other things going on and wasn't really looking for hate, just genuine advice ):
 
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Another vote for moving yards. Honestly it will be a weight off your mind. You need to be with supportive people not a bunch of feral stuff-nicking monsters!
 
Well you either move to a yard that is a suitable environment for a young horse, and pay the associated cost (£900 per annum sounds suspiciously cheap) or you sell your horse.
 
I have to be honest OP this all sounds a little farfetched! Am I right in understanding that you are currently fashioning a headcollar out of a lead rope because someone has taken your headcollar? Why not just buy a new headcollar and keep it in your car if you're that concerned about someone taking it? Same goes for buckets, these items aren't exactly expensive so I don't really understand why you haven't just replaced them? Yes it's annoying when others take things that don't belong to them, but I can't imagine ever being in a situation where I'd rather try to lead an unbroken youngster in a lead rope than just replace the missing item.

As for the yards, it all sounds rather extreme...knee deep mud until mid-summer whilst not impossible, does sound a bit much, as does emptying water buckets in an already muddy field. Most horsey people are usually looking for ways to avoid making their fields more boggy not actively encouraging it!

All that said, £75 per month for DIY livery sounds an absolute bargain (admittedly I'm in the rather expensive SE!) so I'd be looking to move there sharpish in your shoes.
 
FestiveFuzz said:
... Am I right in understanding that you are currently fashioning a headcollar out of a lead rope because someone has taken your headcollar? Why not just buy a new headcollar and keep it in your car if you're that concerned about someone taking it? ...
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From my understanding you should always have a head collar handy in case of an emergency. My YO is very particular about head collars/ropes being left near the horse when in the stable/turned out in case they need them quickly... so I would've thought replacing it would be a matter of health and safety?

OP: if you're struggling maybe get on Facebook BUY/SELL groups - they have a lot of goodies going for relatively cheap. Also just a note, maybe put an AD for a yard on there if you're desperate to move?
 
I dont get why people are saying I'm a troll though,
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I sincerely hope that you are a troll, because you really wouldn't want to know what I think about someone who keeps a young unbroken pony in almost 24/7 until 'late summer/autumn' because of muddy fields and then leaves it at that yard for the winter after, still unbroken and unable to be properly exercised.
 
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