7 year old TB Gelding

Hi everyone,

My name is Sarah and I am from Ithaca, New York. I am a senior in high school, and trying to figure out what to do with my horse that I have had over 2 years now. I really want to keep him (obviously), but I don't know if I will have the money/time during college.

Charlie is a 2000 chestnut Thoroughbred gelding, 15.3hh. I bought him in October of 2005 as an off-the-track greenie and have been retraining him ever since. I have a feeling he had some bad treatment during the years before I bought him because he has always been extra nervous around new things. The first few months he was living at my barn he would freak out about everything, didn't like people around him at all, and was very headshy.

After 2 years of training, he has relaxed a lot. He has really begun to trust people a lot more than he used to, is no longer headshy, is usually very calm to ride, loves to jump (though still needs work), and is becoming much more friendly towards people.

He has a great personality, gets along great other horses, has great large feet for a TB, very big and I usually keep him barefoot and he's been great like that most of the time. He is very sound- the only problems he's ever had are a couple of abscesses in his feet early on when I owned him. He's a stocky TB, very muscular. He loads very well and has been to a couple of local shows, and showed in his first flat classes this past summer. He's good for the farrier and vet, just nervous sometimes.

My main worry is that he needs a very patient person and an experienced rider and I don't know if I'll be able to find the "perfect" person for him. He will be a great horse for someone who is looking for a fun project. This horse is so much fun to ride, I fell in love with him the first time I rode him and he's only gotten better as he's calmed down.

I am not officially putting him up for sale, but please let me know if there is any interest at all because this will help me determine what my next move should be. I love him to death!

Thanks for the input! I will include links to his pedigree and a few pictures.

http://www.pedigreequery.com/loafer2
http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...andCharlie.jpg
http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...t=IMG_0328.jpg
http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...llycharlie.jpg
http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...scan001001.jpg

How much were you expecting for him?

And also, are you willing to sell to other states? Or would you like him nearby?

I haven't totally set my mind on a price yet- I was sort of thinking $3,500-4,000, definitely negotiable though. I would be willing to sell to other states as long as I thought the home was definitely right for him.

Alright. Then I've got some questions;;

How much potential does he have with jumping? I'm looking for a horse that I could possibly use in eventing somewhere down the line.

And also, how is he with other horses?

I think he would make a great eventing horse- I have always wanted to do that and I think he would be good at it. I'm not an expert, so I can't say for sure, but I think he has a lot of jumping potential. He really loves to jump, but he's never been cross-country or anything so he'd probably need some work in that area. He's very athletic though and I don't think he would have any trouble!

Right now he likes to rush a lot while we jump, so I mostly just take it very slow and try to keep him calm over the small jumps and combinations. He's come a long way. I have jumped him over a couple of 3ft jumps, and he's done well. It's been hard for me because I haven't had the space or time needed to really work with him on this aspect.

He's great with other horses, very playful and gets along fine with all of the horses at my trainer's barn right now (I think there are 16 there now).

He sounds great, and it seems like you're doing really well with him.

I'm still working things out with my parents.. we've got a horse that we're looking into here, but I would love if you could keep me posted on this situation. My email is marianne_nastold@yahoo.com if that would be easier for you.