Trying to be realistic...but i just don't know what to do :(

LittleRooketRider

LittleRooketRider

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In short we bred kitty, have owned her all her life and she is now 9yo. About 3 years ago she finally frew up and i started competing her. since then we've never looked back and have enjoyed success at quite high levels Kitty is 13'2 ( a fact our pony club seems to have a real issue with) and i am 16 and although i am not too big for her ( i am v small for my age) my parents and i are wondering if i am ready to move on from her...

I don't want to sell her but i am trying to be sensible as kitty is worth a lot of money and i feel if i sell her now whilst still quite young she is more likely to find an appropriate home eg. a small and competativ teenager....in 2 or 3 years time (if i have a gap year) i will be going to uni anyway and will have to sell but concerned she will not go for her full value/best home as she would be 11/12 heading towards 13????

If we sold kitty i would get another horse (15'2)...but i don't know what to do for the best....

Kitty easily competes at what i want to do now and could probably go up to 110cm ...gettin a horse would mean i could progress further (higher).....

i guess i just wish mum and dad would just make the decision at leat that way i would just have to get on with it if they decided to sell her... any advice greatly appreciated
 
If you are small at 16, you could ride her forever quite happily. Do you want that or do you want to have a bigger horse instead?

I wouldn't let the PC influence me at all!
 
Firstly she will still be worth a decent amount at 12, really good ponies sell within the PC into their 20s and hold their value, get great homes as they are really appreciated for what they are.

You may benefit from selling her now, being on a 13.2 means the PC is unlikely to put you on teams if that is something you would be interested in, you may also find you end up in groups of younger riders as her stride will struggle to fit in with the bigger horses in jumping lessons.

I would suggest that you have a look through adverts and see if there is anything that you like the look of and have a good think about your ambitions for the next 2 or 3 years, will you be happy missing out on some opportunities by keeping her, can you cope with a new, possibly more testing horse, while you are doing exams or would it be easier to stick with the pony that you can rely on.
Whatever you decide it needs to be discussed with your parents, a horse will be more expensive to keep, they may need to put money into buying a bigger horse and all the equipment that you will require and you will need to spend time getting to know it when schoolwork should be getting tougher.

Not sure how helpful that is but good luck whatever way you go.
 
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You may benefit from selling her now, being on a 13.2 means the PC is unlikely to put you on teams if that is something you would be interested in, you may also find you end up in groups of younger riders as her stride will struggle to fit in with the bigger horses in jumping lessons.

They do all of this even though time and time again sh has proven that she doesn't struggle with the striding at all
 
FfionWinnie said:
If you are small at 16, you could ride her forever quite happily. Do you want that or do you want to have a bigger horse instead?

Yes i would quite happily ride her forever but i am more concerned with doing th right thing by her, plus i'm concened that i'm holding her back...i would like to go bsja with her but parents (non-horsey) tend to back off at this point and i am really struggling to figure it all out...but they go on about if i do get a horse that i can do all tis leaving me very confused....i'm not sure i'm explaining this all very well
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From personal experience, university is exhausting! Honestly, if you are not too big for her, you would be better sticking to her as she is a known quantity and you could just relax and have fun with her when you wanted to. Perhaps look into a sharer to let her get out and about more when you are busy?
 
my parents bought me a 15.3 aged 12 (i was a tall 12 year old!) and i happily rode him feeling the correct size for about 3 years.... however i felt that i wanted to 'go up' and that i needed something bigger underneath me....looked around and found a nice 17.3 which felt 'right' (shes narrow so height makes up for this)

however after 2 years the 15.3 actually feels better than the 17.3 and i feel more sensible and able when riding the 15.3..... if i ever buy another horse it wont be above 17hh....preferably around 16.1/2

it depends if you feel you have progessed as far as you think you can with your horse? will your horse go no further as it lacks the abilty....or do you feel that being the height you are you feel to big? if you still think you can work as a partnership then id stay together..... 2 years before uni isnt really that long with another horse........
 
I'm 21, 5ft1 and I ride a 14.2hh dales x cob. He feels just right. Don't get hung up on what other people say or think, do what feels right for you.
 
If you will have to sell Kitty when you go to Uni, by the same token you will have to sell whatever horse you replace her with when that time comes. Don't see the point of selling a real cracker like her, who you get on so well with. Don't listen to what other people say. Tell them to remember Marion Coakes and Stroller at the Mexico Olympics (Google it if you don't know who they are). They were the pride of GB, and Stroller was 14.1 or 14.2. Stick with your Kitty!
 
If the pony is a true PC pony you may be able to lease her out and loan something bigger, this would give you space to think
 
Rose Folly said:
If you will have to sell Kitty when you go to Uni, by the same token you will have to sell whatever horse you replace her with when that time comes. Don't see the point of selling a real cracker like her, who you get on so well with. Don't listen to what other people say. Tell them to remember Marion Coakes and Stroller at the Mexico Olympics (Google it if you don't know who they are). They were the pride of GB, and Stroller was 14.1 or 14.2. Stick with your Kitty!
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I was just going to say exactly this. Another 3 years competing her will only increase her value, 13 isn't considered old anymore with so many horses competing well into their 20s
 
I'd ignore your PC. I think you feel its the right time to move on if it is. I was on a 14.2hh until I was 20! But I felt I'd outgrown him not so much in height but ability. I just needed more so I moved onto horses then.
 
I would keep her. She would probably be passed from teenager to teenager if you don't. Not all of them are considerate riders!
 
your worried about doing the right thing by kitty?

then keep her it is the only way to be sure of her future, loan her if you WANT to compete something bigger but she is a known quantity and you seem to like her
 
There is a lot of snobbery about ponies height at PC, as soon as you are 12-13 they think you should be on a horse. My daughter did PC on the 14hander till she was sixteen,I used to get so cross about it, I felt like shaming in them telling them we couldn't afford a horse.
Unless you need the money keep her, our NF gave us more fun than any horse, we could have sold her for good money but both my daughters rode her until they were too big and then we loaned her, she is now back home at 24. Just look at the posts on here, horses tend to be expensive to keep and have more health problems, when you go to uni you can come home and ride over the summer knowing that you do not have any problems. A lot of universities have riding clubs where you can compete and have the opportunity to ride different horses.
Then the trialling round looking or the right horse, a job in its self, as well as finder the right buyer for your gem. I am sure if you asked your parents the thought of months of aggravation fills them with dread.
 
Thank you everybody.....all of what you have said has helped me organise my thoughts and it is quite clear that keeping kitty is the best option. i think its what i wanted all along...i can't imgaine that field without my two girlies in


soon to be followd by: Can anyone explain bsja to me?? thread ;)
 
Rose Folly said:
If you will have to sell Kitty when you go to Uni, by the same token you will have to sell whatever horse you replace her with when that time comes. Don't see the point of selling a real cracker like her, who you get on so well with. Don't listen to what other people say. Tell them to remember Marion Coakes and Stroller at the Mexico Olympics (Google it if you don't know who they are). They were the pride of GB, and Stroller was 14.1 or 14.2. Stick with your Kitty!
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ironically last year at area sj they put me in 'Team Stroller' but still questioned whether she was capable of 1 metre this year!
 
A 13.2hh pony won at the intermediate sj at the pony club champs this year! Her height shouldn't hold U back and U should speak to the dc about moving up a group especially if U R out competing at a higher level. U can now BE in the 80 class on a 13.2 also :) im in my late twenties and ride a 13.2hh NF coz she is a total star. We do BE 80s and sj at 90cm and open whp. I know if I sold her to buy a horse it would b unlikely to be as talented and genuine as my pony. And as others have said ur pony will hold get value and stil b worth her weight in gold as a teenager :)
 
When I was 16 I rode my 13.1hh pony who I'd had all his life, I was a little too long in the leg for him but he was my best mate and I had the best time on him and didn't care what some people said. My parents were keen for me to sell when I went to Uni, but I resisted and put him on loan, to me it was the only way I could guarantee his future. 16 years later I still have him (although I'm a fair bit heavier these days so don't ride him). I know not everyone can afford to loan, and it meant I had to wait until I'd finished uni and was working before I could afford my big horse but he's had a fantastic life in some fantastic loan homes. My dad still asks what has happened to his 'investment' though ;)
 
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