sell or keep my gelding-advise?

[cathyjo76]

I have 5 yr old 37gelding that I have been using for 2 years as I investigate ADT's and CDE's. He is agile, can pivot on a time, natural headset, lovely movement that shows a hackney somewhere in his past. Problem??? He is smarter than me. Relatively new to horses, not a trainer, I can't get a consistant performance out of him. One of the schooling ADT's in the winter he was so hot, I had the judge come up to me and say I had the best moving horse out of all the horses there from VSE to Friesian. But I got low marks for lack submission, relaxation. One day on a trail drive he is happy go lucky...same trail he is chasing the cart in front of him. I took him to a trainer for 30 days with some improvement as he moved to a liverpool. Really I think it is me....when he challenges me, I don't have the tools to deal with it and get frustrated. I have seen his potential in the hands of experienced drivers-Andy Marcoux drove him and he looked awesome. Actually even at his worst he looks great.

This summer the thought has crossed my mind to move him on to someone that can take him to his potential. But I hate to give up, and I have several people including the trainer telling me to take it slow and wait for him to mature. Reading Myrna's Rhinehart chat about Alex and how she almost didn't continue with him, makes me think I am being hasty even to consider selling him.

I do have a12 yr gelding that I am using this year just because he is easier to deal with, but he doesn't have the flash. So I can continue driving while waiting.

I know you don't know me or him, but do you have any suggestions or tools for helping me make a decision.

Cathy

 

[BannerBrat]

Hi Cathy,

For what it's worth, here's my opinion.

I think you should sit down and think about it and decide whether you want to put the time into this young gelding and learn how to handle him, or if you'd rather have drive your older gelding who seems like he takes care of you.

You'll have to decide if it will be fun for you to put the work in with your talented gelding or if you'll have more fun with your other steady boy.

If you want to learn the tools to be able to deal with your talented gelding, you may want to consider taking lessons with a trainer whom you like and works well with both you and your horse.

I'll be honest with you, it will not bother your talented boy one bit if he never reaches his full potential. And I wouldn't think of it as a waste at all. But if he's not the horse for you, there is nothing wrong with selling him if you don't want him.

This 5 year old of yours will teach you a lot, but if you're not looking for a challenge there is nothing wrong with that either.

My advice, make sure all of his ground manners are in good working order. Any decisions he makes out of harness generally carry directly over to driving. You may find that he listens better if you enforce all of your rules, and make sure he knows them.

I know how tough this can be, my best wishes to you. I wish I was closer, it's so much easier to give advise if you can see what's going on!

Just a quick note,

I took him to a trainer for 30 days with some improvement as he moved to a liverpool.

Be careful reaching for a stronger bit for more control. Bit's don't stop horses, education does.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I've had some horses that were not right for me. Although I learned a lot from them, as I get older I realize there are so many challenges in life, I need to pick and choose the ones I want to deal with if possible. So, now I am down to two horses that are right for me, or at least their challenges are ones I am comfortable with.

Nothing wrong with letting your boy go if he isn't right for you. If no one ever sold a horse, I wouldn't own mine!

 

[CZP1]

Can't really tell ya what to do but,if he is too much for you at this time then go with your gut. It is not giving up it is just isn't the right "fit" for both of you. I have been in that situation and it is hard.

 

[RhineStone]

I have seen his potential in the hands of experienced drivers-Andy Marcoux drove him and he looked awesome. Actually even at his worst he looks great.

This summer the thought has crossed my mind to move him on to someone that can take him to his potential. But I hate to give up, and I have several people including the trainer telling me to take it slow and wait for him to mature. Reading Myrna's Rhinehart chat about Alex and how she almost didn't continue with him, makes me think I am being hasty even to consider selling him.

I do have a12 yr gelding that I am using this year just because he is easier to deal with, but he doesn't have the flash. So I can continue driving while waiting.

Isn't it awesome when you see your horse in the hands of someone else and they look great?

I had one of my fellow competitors drive Alax in the warm up area the 2nd yr. we were showing, and she made Alax into what I thought he could be! Then I knew it was me that had to catch up. Suzy Stafford drove our pinto at a clinic this spring, and WOW, he went from a Training/Prelim. horse to instant Advanced!

I have some thoughts/ideas about this, though. If you think eventually that you are going to be bored with a "babysitter" horse, then I would keep working with your hot one. If you are the type of person that really doesn't enjoy a "challenge", and just wants to go out and relax, then maybe this isn't the horse for you. It can actually be downright dangerous for a match like that (I'm not saying you are, just that can happen).

Is there someone in your area that does want a challenge to move up to that you can free lease him to? Or maybe a very talented 4-Her? For a number of years, I had an older youth show my big gelding at county and state-level 4-H events, and it was a great match. She didn't have a horse of her own, but was a great rider. My gelding wasn't a "babysitter", and needed to do something more than stand around, and I really didn't want to show at the snobby breed shows. (This was way prior to our ADS involvement.) She was very successful in a number of disciplines with him, including driving.

And actually, this does sound a bit like my situation. I had a couple of "babysitter" mini horses at my disposal that I was showing until Alax was ready to go. While I was already quite experienced in horsemanship, they gave me safe experience in ADS events before moving on to my "powerhouse". In the big scheme of things, those babysitters are safe, but not competitive. I knew that, and that is why I kept going with Alax. There were times that he scared the ---- out of me, but I created situations that both he and I could handle (like Alax' first show, I made my driver husband drive him, because I knew my nerves would be so high, that Alax would be ballistic!

It worked out great, because Chad doesn't get nervous like I do and Alax was wonderful!) If I was "stuck" with my "babysitters" to show now, I would be totally frustrated. I know I need a better horse than that to be competitive in the ADS arena. BTW, it took about three years for Alax (and Spider) to really "get it" enough to be fully competitive.

It also sounds like you are also lacking trust between you and the horse. Once you have that trust, and the experience/confidence to drive a hotter horse, the feeling is wonderful!

Myrna

 

[MiniHGal]

Hi Cathy,

If he is the boy in your avatar...I can see the flashiness! But, also, those flashy ones can be very difficult. It's really up to you--and how hard you want to work for a nice driving horse. I will tell you that there are very nice ones that DON'T have the issues but are still pretty and forward. So you might be better off looking for one that fits that bill instead of continually working with one that will take a very long time.

I really enjoy the difficult challenge of the super hot and sensitive (and sometimes not-so-smart ), and honestly, that is what I prefer to drive. Fascination still, STILL, has issues with standing on occasion, sometimes with walking, and often with relaxation and submission...and I have had her for nearly 10 years, most of which she has been competing. And if you know me, you know that one of my biggest pet peeves is a horse that won't stand or doesn't know whoa. We've had this discussion many, many times (she came to me already trained to drive, but not really with some of the basics) over the years. I don't think she will ever be perfect, but we all make little concessions for each other, and now I trust her as much as I would ever trust a horse.

So, bottom line, it's really up to you. But, understand that no matter how much work you put into him, he may not ever 'turn over' a new leaf and become an uncomplicated horse to drive. He might...I've had a couple that did....but more often not.

Good luck!

 

[cathyjo76]

Yes, he is the horse in the avatar. We were traveling pretty fast through those cones...he loves that! You have all given me some things to think about. I am entering my first CDE in 2 weeks and I am taking the sensible one....I don't want to have to think about the horse as much as what I need to do. But the point about wanting to move forward in terms of challenges is also another good point. Harley gave me some good drives in AMHR but it got a little boring and Rogan was ready to start driving. Myrna is correct about trust....I definitely have voiced that about him...he doesn't see me as the leader and I don't trust him. We did have some scary moments but I learned to be the boss and those are pretty much over. The lease with someone might also be a good idea. We have a HUGE 4-h mini program .I participate with in our county with almost 100 minis at the fair.

I really appreciate all your comments!!!! I mean that. I was hoping to hear different points of view to help. And I am in no hurry to make that decision.

Thanks again I really have learned alot from these forums for mini and driving.

Cathy

 

[RebelsHope]

Everyone else has pretty much said it all. You have to drive the horse that is best for you. It is great that you have a talented boy on your hands but if what you really want is a nice steady eddy then you will never really be happy with such a hot boy.

I know that it is hard to send a horse along to a different home. I recently went through this with some bigger riding horses. I finally realized that the horses I had were all wrong for me. I sold them on to homes where they were better appreciated. Then I bought a nice haffie mare that rides and drives single and double. She meets my needs so much better than those other horses and I am having a blast learning from her.

Just my 2 cents

 

[RhineStone]

Myrna is correct about trust....I definitely have voiced that about him...he doesn't see me as the leader and I don't trust him. We did have some scary moments but I learned to be the boss and those are pretty much over.

Yea!

That's the first step!!! You will be amazed at his progress once you are the leader! That was the exact turning point in Alax and my relationship!

BTW, one thing I think that makes a world of difference in horses and their trust is if you can physically pick them up off the ground when they are just a few hours old. They figure out really fast that you are "the boss" and also their "caretaker". I wish that I could have done that with some I have now.

Myrna

 

[Sue_C.]

BTW, one thing I think that makes a world of difference in horses and their trust is if you can physically pick them up off the ground when they are just a few hours old.

A very good horseman, friend and mentor told me something similar to that years ago. He picked up every one of his foals as soon as they were born. He said he could tell exactly what that foal would grow up to be like, and if they had "it". His favourites were the ones who would struggle, then sigh and lay still. "They were thinking horses", he said... He must of had a point, because he kept a lot of those favourites and turned them into Quarterhose and Appaloosa Champions.