Would you keep a horse if you did not want to compete?

How about turning him away for 6 months? Or loaning him out (prehaps someone could loan him from where he is now)?

I know where you're coming from, albeit slightly differently. I had never competed. I had ponies/horses since I was 10 but always just hacked, hunted, fun rides and the odd show. Then I got my horse of a lifetime, my Welsh D. Did a few unaff dressage shows, then went BD and we're now at Elementary and he can easily go up the levels, not GP, but probably PSG one day. However, I don't enjoy it :( I would LOVE someone to compete him for me though, I love being an 'owner'.

I love the training, and I love hacking, fun rides, hunting, but I'm really not one for competing.

I think you probably do need a break so I would consider what I said turn away or loan. If you like it, then sell.
 
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Maybe a break would make all the difference? I know I love doing the Horse chores so I can't imagine not having one! But I'm not a competitive person on any level- I have an intermediate eventer whom I am not that interested in eventing and will happily give the ride on him to someone next season. Maybe it's the fact that despite having horses for most of my life I never really competed instead preferring hunting and fun rides and hacking. I agree with the other posters who say to try hunting- it really shows a whole different side to riding. I have to admit the pressure that comes with competing and having "all the gear" bores me. Hunting is so far removed from this I can't describe the joy it gives me!
 
I'm one of lifes weird ones. Love the training, love the feeling of improving a horse/myself, and am fiercely competitive - in that I challenge myself constantly, set myself goals and beat myself up if I don't achieve them, and will work as hard as someone who competes regularly, to have my horses going as well as humanly possible. I feel like I should want to be out competing, as its in my nature to want to improve, and test my progress - but I have never, ever been remotely interested. I've broken and trained a very nice youngster to a decent AM level, with a few extra party tricks, but he never went to a competition in his life. The motivator for me is the feeling I get when we've worked an worked to achieve something, and suddenly, we've cracked it. I love the buzz of success, but I just don't need a number on my arm to get the buzz.
 
Of course I'd still have my horses if i didnt compete! I love my horses, they mean the world to me, and as Auslander said i absolutely adore the training, I find the training endlessly fascinating and absorbing and it means far more to me than competing. Having said that, i do also enjoy competing, its fun! I do compete reasonably often, and as i teach i find it useful to have a record of my training achievements for the sake of my clients, and it also means i can teach test riding clinics etc. So i view my competing as fun on a personal level, but also important professionally.
But on a purely personal level, if i had to choose, i would choose training over competing every time. I bought an eventer who had jacked it and was considered dangerous, i trained her to GP, and riding through both the GP test and the Special at home gave me the greatest pleasure, she was unable to compete as it stressed her hugely and i wasnt prepared to put her through that, but i loved training her so much, and i wouldnt have swopped that experience for a horse that i could have competed. My competition horse at the moment is competing at Inter 1, but its still the work at home i love best. So Firewall, please dont put pressure on yourself to compete, just enjoy your wonderful horse and do whatever makes you happy!

Apologises for this being a rather long winded answer.
 
It sounds maybe that you need a break from competing, maybe the stress and pressure has taken away from the enjoyment of it all, only you will know if when not doing this you still actually enjoy owning a horse. Go and do something different, xc farm rides, pub rides with friends etc, it doesn't have to be all about competing and you & your horse will prob enjoy a break from it. I didn't have a horse to ride for a few years in my early 20's, was doing my nurse training & my mare was in foal & had to wait until I broke the foal in & begin sj again on her years later, I used to drive past horse-shows & wish it was me competing. The foal is now my old retired horse but I still love just looking after her! Only you will know what you want by taking a step back from it all, give it a break, see what you want to do & if you miss it, good luck :)
 
Count yourself lucky you have the opportunity to compete ;) I've lost my motivation for riding because I can't compete as I don't have the transport anymore :( if I was you and (apologies if I'm wrong just think I remember being v jealous of your life from previous post :D ) didn't have to work so had the time, the horse and the transport to ride and compete then I can't imagine not being keen. Maybe have a good break and see if you miss it :)
 
I stopped competing in 2002 and haven't looked back. Never once contemplated giving up the horse, even as I vowed to never show my face at another dressage show again. As a teenager, I loved it, and went to shows every other weekend with a good group of pals, but it was more laid back in Colorado. Then I went to the East Coast for uni and it was cutthroat, competitive, the riders actually quite good (I wasn't), and I gradually developed an increasingly strong aversion to shows. I lasted for two years and then called it quits. I can't imagine going back. All the expense, all the faff, all the early mornings, all for a five minute dressage test? Yuck. I don't think so.

However, I love dressage. I love schooling it in my barn's arena for my own edification (and, of course, that of my horse). I love the way the horse feels when she really comes together. I love it when we get a half-pass right, even if no one else on the planet knows about it.

Why would you give up the horse just because you decided showing was pants? Horses have so much more to offer.
 
Just scan read the other posts. But in my experience it often comes with age I'm afraid - though I'm older than you! And sometimes I would rather spend the weekend in the garden, or being a domestic goddess, or meeting friends for a boozy lunch. I refuse to beat myself up about it now though! That said, I'm beginning to feel the itch again.

I'd think about turning him away for a good long break, or even loaning him, and giving yourself time to do fun non-horsey things. Maybe, if it's a possibility at all, do a bit of travelling or something. Or am I projecting here :p. Whatever you decide, Jae won't care if he competes. And you definitely don't need to care what anyone else thinks!

Best of luck with whatever you decide.
 
I was lucky enough to grow up with horses, my first BS competition was at the age of 6!
When I was 21 I decided to give up to study and go travelling, at the time I put myself under alot of pressure to keep winning/being successful on horses and wanted a break. To make the change easier I bought a 6mo foal so that i would never feel like I had completely stopped with horses.

When I returned the mare was ready for breaking. I found the time to break her in but my heart wasn't in it to keep riding so I sold her as a 5yo (she is now novice eventing!)

I gave up for 5 years and moved to Scotland. Went to watch my sis one day competing and was suddenly hit with the bug and desire to ride again (I'd done a bit of riding other peoples horses in that time but not much).

Within a week I'd got a horse on loan to bring on for BS (we used to ride horses for the owner) and that was it I was back out competing. I must admit I loved it - but not actually going out BS as I still put the pressure on and wasn't good enough to do as well as I expected myself to. After being introduced to eventing however, I haven't looked back - I love eventing, I don't put myself under the mass of pressure and I'm chuffed when my horse goes well. Its a challenge for me as the xc fences are getting bigger and dressage is not my strongest point!

Maybe a break will be what you need, you should def think about loaning your horse for a season then reassess the situation.

good luck with whatever you decide.

ETA: in answer to your thread title - I would keep a horse if I didn't compete, I love my grey boy and his quirks but then I'd probably continue to do local shows - RC dressage, jumping and local agri show workers etc.
 
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Owning and enjoying horses is not just about competing, perhaps you could channel your "planning" instinct into some new non competitive activities for a while. Set yourself a time frame of 6 or 12 months or so and if you really need something to plan for look for funrides, new hacking routes, anything you can find thats not competitive. Stick to your time frame of not competing and dont put any pressure on yourself for the whole period and see how you feel then.
 
Firewell - you do seem terribly concerned about what you 'should' do. Horse owning and riding is supposed to be fun! Instead of worrying about what other people think, why not just do what you want to do.

If you want to compete, then do - if you want to just hack about and have the odd lesson, then do - if you want to sell, loan or turn away Jae for a year and have a proper break, then do! There is nothing wrong with any of those options - there is no waste in it.

Would I keep a horse if I could not compete? Perhaps not, no. I'm not a happy hacker by nature and I enjoy having something to aim at. But if I lost interest in competing but still enjoyed owning and riding my horse, then I wouldn't give it up because I felt I ought to.
 
Thanks everyone for your kind responses and your perspectives on things. I think I have just burnt myself out a bit tbh. I have been a bit full on with things! I must have been out 20/30 odd times this year doing various bits and pieces. I am happy as I feel I have given him lots of experience with different things and he's so lovely at a show, just goes to sleep! (probably knackered lol).

I think I just need to stop worrying about going out, have some fun at home. I'm going to carry on having a lesson a month, I like the idea of hiring out a sj course everynow and again to jump without the pressure. I'd like to go XC again, schooling or a course as we do love that and the odd test maybe when I feel an itch. I'll just see how it goes :). I do have the time to look after him and enjoy him and he's an easy horse, doesn't matter if he has a week off or two or whatever, he's the same to ride. He's not a stressy type that is hard to keep if they aren't doing competitions.

Maybe I will try hunting. I'm worried as I had a bad experience out with my old horse who was not a good hunter and it put me off a bit. However my friend and I are going to take some hirilings out this winter and if I enjoy it i'll take Jae and just go to a local one and spend an hr at the back, take it slow and see how it goes :). When I hack J and I love jumping the hunt jumps between the fields!

I'm not too fussed about what other people do, I am a bit competitive but more with myself in a way that makes me pile unneccessary pressure on myself and thats what i am sick of. I love the day out aspects of shows, enjoying my horse and chatting to people. I'm starting to hate the pressure of the competition. The fact i'm not even happy when I do well, I just feel relief it's over and I can finally relax and have a bacon sandwhich ha h.
 
I have not competed in the last 15yrs but have worked with horses all that time, have only had my own again over the last 7yrs. I dont understandwhy you think you have to compete in order to have a horse-for me i just like being with them in fact I still have not got on my 5yr old:eek: and i have had her for 3yrs
 
Yes, I do. I had to sell my comp horse, plus give up my horsey job that gave me opportunities to compete when I was pregnant. Since then, I haven't had the finances to compete, & daughter now 7. I've still got my 14.2, but tbh I'd outgrown her ability wise before I was pregnant. I have done stuff since pregnancy, either on her, project ponies or other peoples. But nothing that requires much effort or pushing. Although I like bringing horses on, when it comes to riding my own, we've already done it. Age & injury now limit her, so I certainly don't keep her for the joy of doing the odd unaffiliated hc. And tbh, I wouldn't want another horse like her to ride, its too easy now. The big 'but' though is that after having her for 21yrs, & her being there through rough patches, I'd rather have her than anything else, even if I had the money to compete properly. Tbh, its unlikely I'll have the money to compete properly again till daughters independent, but I'll still have horses no matter what. I just get my thrills, or challenges, from the effort required to bring a young or difficult horse on well to a lower level of competing. It's not that I don't like competing, far from it, just that money dictates I can only do so at a level that doesn't challenge me anymore. So it makes no odds if I jump a 3' course at home or at a venue. The venues only the challenging option if its a challenge for the actual horse.
 
I agree with those that say go hunting and forget about competing for a bit :)

This was such a rubbish summer weather wise it felt like nothing really got started and by August I was totally fed up with competing and all the early morning/late evenings prep that goes with it (I have 2 horses and a long train commute to London each day).

Autumn hunting started and I fell in love with my horses all over again, this renewed enthusiasm somehow encouraged me to pop along to some dressage (unplaited and unbathed grey pony :eek: ), she was amazing and so I affiliated her. I've now been to 2 affiliated comps and got four plus 60% scores in novice tests, combined with autumn hunting once a week.

It works, honest :D

Even if you don't get the competition buzz back I'd still keep my horses for hunting if nothing else.
 
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