WWYD? To sell or not to sell?

ImmyS

ImmyS

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Hi HHOers,

Looking for some friendly advice ☺️

I bought an unhandled 3y/o filly from Ireland last year. She spent around 6 months on grass livery and then moved home in May.

She came quite feral, but I have tinkered with her over the summer.

She is still a bit nervous/quirky however she is sweet and quick to learn. We have achieved general handling, grooming, leading, roller and saddle on with no issues, been lent over, lightly lunged and long reined. Feet are a work in progress, but she has been trimmed a few times now with a bit of patience.

She seems pretty bold and generally isn’t a spooky or flappy type, just possibly not has the best start with people.

My issue is I have worked with young/tricky horses in the passed, but I am just feeling like I have lost my love for it.

Having changed jobs and a new house which is a large renovation project I think I seriously underestimated the time and energy that would take up.

I feel part of me would prefer something that I can just get on and go, my main joy is hacking and just want to plod out a few times a week really.

But I can only also afford to have one ‘main’ horse at a time and I do feel bad at the thought of moving the mare on.

I feel my options are keep until next spring, send her away as planned for backing and riding on and see what horse I have, if I still feel the same about wanting something more established then sell on.

Sell now from the field for someone else to produce.

I do not have the funds currently to send her away now for training.

She will be 5 next year so also worry that this may put people off, her being backed late.

Any thoughts? ☺️

Thank you
 
I wouldn't feel bad about selling a healthy young horse that will very probably find a good home. It does sound as though she isn't the horse you currently want, that the work needed to get her there will take too long or be too expensive, and that you aren't enjoying that part anyway.

Perhaps do a cost analysis of keeping her over winter + backing and producing + sales (probably on livery if you don't want to do this bit) and the % they will take (probably about 10%). Try to work out what she will be worth at this point.
Compare with what she is worth now.

If you have her on livery the winter costs are likely to be substantial and will erode what she will then be worth. Plus the risk, always there, that she gets injured or needs an unexpected extra over winter. Consider also the work you will still have to do in regularly handling her.
 
I would keep her through the winter and carry on installing the basics such as being happy to have her feet handled etc. Park any more long lining etc, just do the handling basics. Then send her away to be backed and ridden away next year, see what you have, and keep or sell.

IIRC she’s already a big girl so more time to grow into her frame is a good shout.
 
I'd also keep over winter and just do a little with her as time allows. Then you can back her (or get her backed) in the spring and see what you have. I like big horses and when I was last looking, I would have loved to find a 5yo who had just been backed and ridden away.
 
Don’t think five is old to not have been ridden. I actively looked for something started late as I thought it would help with longevity. (😳) it didn’t. For your girl if you don’t have time or don’t want to do the starting find her someone who wants to continue her training isn’t wrong either.
 
I would not back a 5yo mare for all the tea in China. You’re asking them to accept lots of new things, including rather crucially a lot more control by a person for longer periods of time - just as their adolescent hormones are at their highest.

6 year olds are lovely to back. 4 year olds are pretty nice too - but then you hit the 5yo year without enough ingrained training and that again makes it a slightly less entertaining ride.

Do you like her as a ‘person’? Is she your friend? Would you be willing to wait or to sit the 5yo antics? If she’s not your cup of tea, sell and find something you can ride now. If you like her, back late next summer. Then you get to get on as the hormones wane and she turns into a more adult horse.

Our 5yo was quite something last winter. She’s fast becoming an absolute poppet as winter approaches this year. Even a month ago she was utterly annoying to lead out as she could not restrain herself from annoying the other ponies on the ride, me, herself (by doing mad things like sticking her head in the bushes where the bees were). Now she’s cantering next to me on a loose rein like a proper grown up pony and actively looking after her rider.

(I say this having talked myself into selling to reduce numbers for this winter and then back out of it…🤣)
 
What is her breed? I ask because if there is significant ID in there then they are slow to mature and I do not think that backing at 5/6 is "too late" for them - the later the better in my book. I think the key is to keep on with lots of different groundwork to keep her brain engaged while her body matures.

She has had a major change to her life within a year already and moving her on to someone else will introduce both a new settling in period together (presumably) with being backed and brought on. Personally I think that is a lot for a youngster to handle.

You might have a gem there so I would keep, groundwork through the winter, send away for backing if you need to next year and then see what you have. If she is still not right for you, then you have a more valuable horse to sell.
 
Personally I would keep her through winter, send her away to be backed, ride her on a bit when she comes home and go from there. At the moment she could be an absolute diamond in the rough who just needs a little more time :) If you still feel like this next year, you can always sell her on. It'll also help make her more appealing to prospective buyers too x
 
I guess I am thinking that inevitably, even if she is backed and goes well will a 5 years old be right for me where I am in life now.. with house renovation, work and lack of facilities? As they will inevitably need some hand holding and there will be more ups and downs.

However she might be ace and although there will always be some bumps she may be relatively easy once going under saddle. She’s got spark, but generally seems grounded and sensible.

I like her, she’s clever and has personality. But I wouldn’t say I’m huuugely attached at present.

She is big - she is half Irish Draught and the rest is cob/friesian mix. She still has a lot more of filling out to do.

If I had the fund/time I would probably keep her and leave riding until her 6th year and have something older alongside but sadly that is not financially feasible.
 
I'm sensing that this question is not so much about this particular horse but more about whether you can fit any horse into your life just now with everything else that is going on. I'm not sure that that is a question that anyone can answer for you - it's a bummer when life gets in the way of horse ownership!!!

It's even worse when you realise that you are just too old ever to have another one again.......................... sighs heavily. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
If what you want is easy, trained, can hack out alone at weekends for a stress relieving break, then that answers your question. It will cost a fair bit of time and money to swap the young one for an established horse, but not the years your youngster needs to become what you need.
 
As a buyer, I’d be a little nervous/suspicious of a 4yo that had started but not completed the backing process.

As an owner I’d be concerned that a nice but sensitive chunky type might prove to be dealer bait and whether that is in her best interests or not.

In all honesty I’d want to get her to the stage she is reliably hacking out, whether you do the work or you send her away.
 
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