Would you keep horses if you couldn’t compete?

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littlen

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Question in the title really.

For a number of reasons competing is no longer an option for me, financial mainly and the situation probably won’t improve any time soon.

Would you keep a competition horse just to hack? I barely even enjoy hacking. I know horses don’t care but it feels such a waste for both of us, horse is happy doing nothing but is very good at his job and could go to the top with someone who has more money and time.

Is no competing a valid reason to sell up?
 
The problem is I can’t imagine just hacking and spending ££££ to do so.

I also am struggling to bring myself to school as it feels so pointless. I’m aware this makes me sound like a brat but what am I schooling for if I’m only hacking?

My horse could find an amazing home that could bring out his potential if I could bring myself to sell up but I am attached to the silly thing, selfishly.
 
No I get it.

I’m seriously considering loaning one of mine (rather than selling) if I can find the right person. Because I’m a soft sap, but don’t want the ongoing running costs
 
The horse doesn't care as long as he has his needs met. Some of them do prefer to work I think but I don't think they mind what the work is so much.

I don't currently compete and never really have. What little I've done I haven't enjoyed that much, don't enjoy the pressure and don't really enjoy being watched. So I keep horses with no real intention to compete. I hack a fair bit and enjoy it but I also school with the sole goal of enjoying making improvements to my horse with no intention of going and showing it to anybody. I hardly even video to share on social media. It's pretty Zen. 😂😂 I don't really feel I'm keeping a potentially amazing competition horse from its destiny though either. Maybe I would feel differently if I was.

Try it for a while (6 months? A year?). You might feel differently with a bit of time to adjust. If not you can sell up then.
 
Online dressage? Change livery/management to free up funds (e.g. going to grass livery/less amazing school)? Or sell and get a horse you love for themselves, so that having fun in the school and hacking DO become fulfilling activities.

I didn't compete for nearly 8 years - still loved having the horses though.
 
littlen said:
I also am struggling to bring myself to school as it feels so pointless. I’m aware this makes me sound like a brat but what am I schooling for if I’m only hacking?
.
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just on this, I had a dry spell with no competing for a couple of years, and I still enjoyed schooling and training - I do it for my own personal development and the satisfaction of learning to improve my horses. I personally find that enjoyable and meaningful but I quite understand that it doesn't do anything for other people.

Competing is the reason I keep horses, but I do have a little collection of retirees who I love just having around and spending time with. My current ridden horses aren't great hacks so I wouldn't particularly love to keep those individuals just for that :eek: but I keep them in a beautiful part of the world so a nice hack would be enjoyable and pressure-free. But I agree it's a lot of expense if you just aren't feeling it.
 
TO THE RIDERS THAT FEEL THEY ARE NEVER ENOUGH
there is no such thing as a wasted horse !!
yes there are talented horses
yes they could go far with the “right” rider
yes they have paces to die for
but
no they don’t care if you hack over school
no they don’t know they look better than the pony next to them in the field
no they don’t want to be sold to a competition home because you don’t think you can get them to “that level”
but
they love that you say hi every day
they love to be groomed not necessarily to ride but only to go and let them roll in the mud and ruin all your hard work
they love you to see them in the field not just to catch and ride
they love to give you love in whichever way they can (mine happens to be slobber)
THEY LOVE YOU FOR BEING YOU
This all day long
Appeared on my facebook page today
Yes I would and do keep ponies and I dont ride anymore
 
I last competed 2 years ago, I own 3 , 1 retired, 1 small companion and a big horse that was gifted to me, long story, I rode him for 2 years doing rehab but he was not an enjoyable hack, hasn't the brain or attitude to do dressage and I have no desire to jump, his only real pleasure, so I retired him to the field where he is happily keeping his herd in check.

I am moving soon, been saying that a while as it has been a long process, and thought long and hard about giving up having them at home, the old boy could be pts, the small one rehomed as a companion and the big boy sent to retirement livery somewhere but I honestly could not imagine not having any equines outside my window so I had to find a property with land so they can stay with me, if I had not been so involved for many years and had a single horse at livery it may be easier to give them up but they have been my life for so long I am not sure making a clean break would be possible, I lost my dog at the weekend and feel lost without her following me about not having the horses would be like losing a second limb.

I get my competing fix by going with pupils to competitions, do a bit of helping at BE/ RC and plan on doing a bit more when I am not tied to the yard.
 
milliepops said:
Sorry to hear about your dog, bp :(
Click to expand...

Thanks, it feels strange to not have a dog for the first time in many years, I had planned on getting another before i lost Spring but she went rather suddenly, she was 15 but you think they will go on forever, will get another once settled in and fixed the new house which needs a lot doing.
It has not been a simple process, I cannot believe some of the things the buyers solicitor has brought up, today a question about the gas boiler, I dont have a gas boiler, have never had a gas boiler, no possibility as there is no gas, but it came up in the searches so maybe I have just not seen it in my many years here!
 
Just stumbled on this.

As a "happy hacker" and one who is unashamedly so, I do not compete!

There's a great deal of challenge and you have to pit your wits, every time you take a horse out onto the road basically. To me, that is my "competing" bit: everything we meet out hacking, every time we go past a huge tractor belching smoke, every time we meet a motorbike and get past in one piece - all of that provides my "competitive" impetus, if that makes sense.

We have done local hunt pleasure rides, and TREC, and that's a "competition" in itself too, especially on a youngster on her first fun ride.

I do not compete as I know my nerves would let me down big-time, I hate being watched and know I couldn't hack it, but admire anyone who does.
 
Thanks everyone. Sorry to hear about your dog Bp.

At the moment I feel like I’m doing everything badly. Looking after my children but rushing everywhere, not much time for after school clubs because I have to get the horse in for a certain time and can’t afford assisted. I have three dogs and a full time job and am struggling to keep up with it all.
I used to compete him every weekend, but now my weekends are taken up with children’s activities and catching up with work and squeezing in two dog walks.

We are also in the middle of renovating a house and financially it’s crippling. We had to move for husbands job so no choice in that but we went bigger than we maybe should have. I could do without spending so much on the horse. We have taken on a much larger mortgage so it means competing is off the cards for a long time as I can’t afford transport or even entry fees.

He is a rosette machine and could easily go to a very high level. He also enjoys competing. He isn’t the safest hack and is quite buzzy.

The easy option would be sell the horse, but I’m worried I will miss it, loose my few horse friends and never get back into it. Plus the risk of what happens to the horse. I could loan him but that also seems risky.
Also who’s to say when the loan is over that I will want him back? Or what if the loaner was to return him and I had no money or livery space.

I was all set to sell him, however this morning he came cantering over and snuffled my hair and I almost broke down over it. I’ve owned him since a baby, backed him myself. If I did give him a quiet few years he would be fine and maybe we would both relax but it seems like such a waste of a good horse and a lot of money.
 
Sorry to hear about your dog BP x
I have competed since I was a child, but I did have a break for a few years in my twenties, before getting back into it.
I’ve gone from showjumping, showing and now to dressage. I enjoy having something to work towards and I love that feeling of being out competing. If I’m totally honest, I find hacking boring, but I do it as it keeps my horses work varied.
I certainly wouldn’t buy a horse without the intention of it being used for competition, whether or not it makes it is a different matter, but I couldn’t see myself buying anything for just playing around at home now.
 
windand rain said:
TO THE RIDERS THAT FEEL THEY ARE NEVER ENOUGH
there is no such thing as a wasted horse !!
yes there are talented horses
yes they could go far with the “right” rider
yes they have paces to die for
but
no they don’t care if you hack over school
no they don’t know they look better than the pony next to them in the field
no they don’t want to be sold to a competition home because you don’t think you can get them to “that level”
but
they love that you say hi every day
they love to be groomed not necessarily to ride but only to go and let them roll in the mud and ruin all your hard work
they love you to see them in the field not just to catch and ride
they love to give you love in whichever way they can (mine happens to be slobber)
THEY LOVE YOU FOR BEING YOU
This all day long
Appeared on my facebook page today
Yes I would and do keep ponies and I dont ride anymore
Click to expand...
I love this :)
 
I wouldnt hesitate to keep my horses even if I didnt compete. I love my horses, love being with them, love hacking them (if they are sane!) love training them, and most of all I love developing the partnership with them. I have non ridden retired horses, and I have competing horses, and I love them all, I would struggle without training them, as thats my favourite thing, but I'm fine with training and not competing. The first horse I trained to GP I did without competing, as she was a bit bonkers and she hated competing, so I simply didnt do it, but I still trained her, learnt a vast amount and loved every minute.
 
Well I used to compete a lot, and regarded it as necessary as it gave me an aim and something to work towards; with my present horse we didn't do much jumping or galloping but we did dressage, show classes and Trec and even some random things like mounted games, so I kept pretty busy.

But due to age, his and mine, and other commitments I haven't been in a competition for years and it is amazing what you don't need to buy any more, nor all those entry fees and affiliation and membership fees which all mount up.

However, I do like hacking and now I feel no pressure, I don't "have" to ride so sometimes I only get out once a week or not even that often.

But if it makes owning a horse and doing all the work a chore and not enjoyable, then why not try to find a new home for your horse. The only thing to remember is that horses are not ambitious, although I think they do like to do something, it doesn't have to be at a high level.
 
BP you have answered your question, you love him, you love having him around and no he wont care if he is never competed again, why not put the feelers out with your local riding club or pony club to see if someone is looking for his type and loan him for a while until you are able to make a rational decision. i competed many years ago and did miss it when i didnt have transport etc but still kept my horse, i loved having a horse in my life and competing wasnt necessary IMO..
 
I have just read your last post. Could you try the local Pony Club for a temporary loan home? So the horse would be doing something, but Pony Clubbers tend to go on to university after two or three years so you might be in a better place then. If it is nearby then you could even go and ride the horse sometimes. In your shoes that would be my first try.
 
I don’t think not competing a horse that’s capable is an issue, however the competition aspect seems irrelevant as you’re not really enjoying your time with him anyway and you can’t afford it. He sounds a nice horse who would get a nice home so I’d sell. Then you can get on with enjoying the other aspects of your life that are currently more important to you. At the moment you seem torn and are enjoying neither. If and when you want to go back to it you will, if you don’t then that’s ok too.
 
I think it is a valid reason but selling a horse on because it will be wasted is not. As others have said horses don’t measure their worth in rosettes 😊

I‘ve no transport to compete and live in an area where good hacking requires transport and am going a bit stir crazy. I can understand why you could easily get stuck in a rut, especially if you are used to being able to go out and about.
 
I'm sorry about your dog, BP :(

OP, as Bernster mentioned, would your circumstances right to possibly share your horse with a suitable rider, so you could both compete? Perhaps someone at your local riding club? Sounds like you have a lot going on in your life to manage it all, but maybe an idea worth exploring?
 
Honestly I find it bizarre that people would only keep horses to compete. What does a competition get you (speaking generic ‘you’ here, not direct to OP)? A frilly ribbon that tells you you were better than everyone else? Or that you are better than you were last week? I’m pretty certain none of us do/did it for the prize money! Why is that the only thing that would motivate you? I ride each day with my best friend, aiming to improve on what we did the day before..is he straighter, more supple, more athletic, stronger and most importantly happier in his work than he was on the last session. I do that in exactly the same way as a competition rider would, but the joy of having a beautiful happy horse working with me is the prize. The bonus to me of not competing is I get more time in the schedule for silly stuff. When I was competing, every session was aimed at improving certain things and there was a schedule of fittening, schooling and jumping that due to other pressures meant there wasn’t time for other randomness. Which is great if you can keep both you and your horse motivated that way. But now we fit in just silly fun things that I never had time for before, playing football, teaching tricks, wild foraging walks, Liberty training, it’s not all about ‘just’ hacking. And every day I have a smile on my face, there is no pressure, I just enjoy being with this daft, beautiful soul.

And I’ll fully admit that I am slipping further and further from the competition world, and when I do go to events I see so many horses where their happiness does not appear to be the riders main concern.

However, and all my hippy-ness aside because not everyone’s brain works like mine, some people like the competition side because it gives them an easier to follow structure to follow for their training, it’s a testing ground to see if they are getting it right. Or they enjoy the fact that it takes them to different places to ride, or has a network of friends they enjoy. Whatever the reason, there is nothing wrong with not wanting to keep a horse if you can’t compete, but it sounds like you love him and I wonder if you took the pressure off and just messed around with him for a year you might find a whole world of extra fun that you haven’t yet discovered with horses?
 
littlen said:
The problem is I can’t imagine just hacking and spending ££££ to do so.

I also am struggling to bring myself to school as it feels so pointless. I’m aware this makes me sound like a brat but what am I schooling for if I’m only hacking?

My horse could find an amazing home that could bring out his potential if I could bring myself to sell up but I am attached to the silly thing, selfishly.
Click to expand...

Your middle paragraph stands out, ‘what am I schooling for if I am only hacking?’ And later you describe him as quite buzzy and not the safest hack, surely that would be a reason to keep schooling? A horse that hacks beautifully is a joy (not to mention pretty valuable if sold!), it can still collect and extend, lateral work is really important, you still want it to feel athletic and supple in its body, if you treat it with the right mindset hacking is a sport all of its own.

Just trying to add some different perspectives if you do decide to keep him :)
 
At one time I would not have kept a non competing horse, but that changed when I was injured, then my horse became a wobbler and I loved the bones of that particular horse, so for 2 years we just enjoyed each other's company.

I had a year with no horse, but hated it.

Then I got my current one, the idea is to compete, but that is secondary. I love my lessons as an end in themselves. Then, last October, mum became ill and over the winter I just pulled the horse's shoes as, although she was fit for work, I was not, nor did I have time.

We worked then competed through spring and summer, but it was just for a social jolly, not to any particular end. As she is getting 70%plus (78% last time out) I guess many people would say she is wasted, but I am again stressed with mum, considering pulling her shoes again and giving myself a break.

Is she worth it then? YES! Even when she is shoeless and on a break I take her out in-hand, like a dog, and we enjoy the stroll in the countryside. I enjoy having to haul ass out of bed in the morning. I enjoy her whinnying at evening stables (9pm) for her banana.

Maybe next year we will do more. My trainer keeps muttering about regionals and festivals, but at the moment I am simply not interested. I just got a freestyle test sorted, it was fun to ride in a lesson but I have no immediate plans with it. The plan is to event, but maybe, maybe not.

I have sold a horse in the past because he could not compete at the level I wanted, gifted one who could dressage but not event through injury. But now? Nah, my priorities have changed.
 
This is an odd one as although I dont ride I prep them to show which I love. They are my reason for getting out of bed or from in front of the telly or on here. I get fresh air exercise and pleasure from them. Why do I keep 4 well the naughty one should be PTS, the old girl I have had since she was 18 months old and is 23 now, the two young ones are the ones we mostly show Welshy will be a sit on pony rides for my grandkids should they wish and Kitten is my last hurrah as I am 65 I may be tempted again if my health stays good but as I an currently recovering from pneumonia there are no guarantees
 
i once stopped riding one of the horses for two years, but now ten years later i ride him all the time, and others, im rather over horses at the mo, could do with another rider.

if you love something like a horse, dont hurt yourself more by parting from them, i have had hard times too, how i came out the other side i really dont know, it was perhaps because the horses were my anchor and motivation that got me through the tough going

horses are the center of my world, competing means nothing to me, although i would love to do working equitation just because i have the right horse for that make it easy, but i can do that at home.

like you i have had multiple things going on, including renovation of property and i know how deranging that is, pressures from all directions, perhaps you need to sit down and think what is best for you in the long run, think long term, you have put a lot of yourself into the horse, a few short years may see a big turn around.
 
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