To up grade or not????

[Marigold43]

So, a bit of a dilemma that is actually loosing me sleep!!!

I have wonderful mare - rising 6. Had her 18 months and we have been learning together! We are the worst combination, green rider (getting back in the saddle after a 25 year break!!) and green horse. She is a really good girl, no badness, has a very even temper. I can read her moods so know if she is going to be a bit lively, but then it's nothing to write home about! She never bucks or tries to get one over me. Fab stable manners - can clean and sweep up around her. Will move to back of stable when it comes to feeding by listening to voice command. Great to catch, shoe and even brilliant for the dentist! So what's my problem then??? I think I am the problem! We are doing great with our flatwork, which is a great achievement as she is part pacer so lots of work has had to be done on getting her to trot in the traditional sense of the word. Sometimes when she gets over excited, she reverts back to pacing, which can throw off my balance. Her canter is also a strange 4 beat thing - she kind of canters with her front legs but trots with her back! I am very used to this and actually find it odd to ride a "regular" horse. We've started to move onto jumping, which is also going back to basics for me! She was doing great, just little cross poles etc. I then got nervous and stupidly pulled her back before heading over the jump which gave her no choice but to balloon to get over it!! I stayed on, but only just and I'd come off her some months previous! Again, my fault and nothing serious but did make me feel my age and realise that falling off is actually pretty painful!!!! Anyway, I've since had some jumping lessons on a beautiful school master of a horse and he's really helped my confidence, to the point where my instructor feels that I need to trade my horse up for one that knows it's job and can bring me along. This is probably because I don't have the experience to bring my own mare on myself. My instructor also feels that with my mare's breeding, riding her is not as easy as it could be on a non-gaited horse and as such, she'll never be a great jumper. A young girl I know has since jumped my mare and she flew over the jumps, no ballooning and no bother at all. This again shows that the problem lies with me!!! Can pacers make ok jumpers? I am not going to be looking at doing any major competitions but would like to be able to complete a course of jumps in little local shows at some stage. Do I get my instructor to spend some time on my mare and bring her on so that she has a better idea of what she is doing and that way, I will be less anxious? I want to be able to jump and enjoy it and feel safe. I feel safe on and around my mare in every respect but this. I can't help thinking that my mare's temperment and the bond we have makes up for the lack of jumping ability. Gosh, sorry for the novel!!!! Any thoughts????

 

[dixie]

No, I think you should keep her and work together.
It takes a while to get that bond and it sounds like you got a great partnership.
It also sounds like she is capable of jumping courses eventually, so that's great news.

If I were you I would continue with jumping lessons on a school master and get someone to school your mare so that she's taught with confidence and then gradually start doing stuff with her yourself.

I would say that yours instructor is right in saying that her breed is not the easiest (but I'm not an expert in pacers & I'm sure someone will say otherwise) but it sounds like she is more than capable. If you saw that she could actually do what you want easily it will make it easier for you to jump her yourself without fretting that you are ruining her.

She sounds like a lovely mare, so stick with her for the moment - oh and don't forget to have fun.

 

[Marigold43]

Thank you Dixie - I have to say, we do have a great bond. I have spent a lot of time on the ground with her. She was in my back garden for a time (imagine!!) and whenever I opened the back door, she would nicker to me. When I went round clearing up after her, she would follow me round like a dog!!! She was just 4 then. I suppose if I have to look at it in terms of pros and cons, the pros win out!! My instructor saw how much I enjoyed jumping on a horse that knew it's job as against one that is still learning and figured that I would get more out of a horse that didn't need bringing on - especially as I lack the necessary experience to do so. She is a brilliant instructor and I think she also sees that I can be a little tense on my mare and wants me to enjoy riding and not get anxious about it!!

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Find yourself a good instructor - someone you trust and enjoy lessons from - and go from there. If you find a horse you ave a good bond/understanding with and one with a good temperment, this is half the battle!!

Stick together and work through it as the other posted suggested, just make sure you get help so you don't end up knocking your (or her) confidence. 6 months of regular lessons can work wonders! Good luck and enjoy

 

[Bede]

Have a read of some of the threads on here about problems with new horses, or trying to find a horse that's suitable! A different horse is not always a better horse.
You know your mare inside out. She is a nice person, and sound. Everything else you can work on. Have fun and good luck x