[Rebellion]

*NOT SURE WHAT PLACE TO POST IN HOPING THIS IS THE RIGHT SPOT*


I'm looking for advice on what route to take with my mare. Some back ground information. Gracie is a 5-6 y/o 3/4 perch 1/4 QH cross. She mainly looks full perch but Ill never know for sure because shes a PMU. Heres where I need the advice. I've owned Gracie for over a year now and she is my second horse. I bought her because at the time I had a "thing" for drafts doing lower level dressage and jumping. Working with Gracie has been a chore itself. She is a very stubbern mare but I'm finally getting her to open up and am harnessing her energy in a positive way. Now that I have worked with her for a while I'm realizing shes not the horse I need. I'd like to be showing dressage this year and I don't think Gracie will ever be a "solid" low level dressage horse. It's not that she couldn't do it it's that she does not enjoy it. Her heart is in trails and jumping. So I'm at a stand still. Do I sell her? Continue training her with the help of my trainer? Or *no rude comments for this* breed her to her well bred TB stud and raise her baby to be my next show horse. IF IF IF I bred her I'd keep her and baby.

These are a few pictures to give you all an idea of who Gracie is!

 

[MacabreMikolaj]

Sell her. Buy what you need. DO NOT BREED HER. She has nothing to offer a foal, and it seems pretty ridiculous to sit around and wait for 5 years before you can even think of competeing the resulting foal. And that's if it actually turns out any better then her. Add the cost up of that breeding up with all required vet bills as well as raising the foal for 4 years after it's born before you can even show it. Now take that money and actually buy yourself something useable for NOW.

Low level Dressage is not that ambitious. You can pick up just about any nag for a couple thousand dollars and compete successfully with the right training. Breeding for a low level Dressage horse is a pointless waste of time, and breeding for an upper level Dressage horse, don't even consider THAT mare.

 

[Rebellion]

Thanks for the advice! I got the idea of breeding because my farm breeds and shows perch/tb crosses. I'm not just looking for a lower level dressage horse. I'd like to be able to show hunter/jumper also. I dont need an upper level horse yet as I have my trainer PSG dressage horse to ride and show so I'm taking advantage of that for the time being.

 

[ilovestitch]

I completely agree^^^^

 

[justsambam08]

Amateurs shouldn't breed their horses. There's so much more that goes into "well he's pretty and his papers are solid, and my horse is pretty and her papers are solid....". I also agree that breeding for something in the low-levels of something defeats the purpose for breeding for a specific discipline.

Consider this: what would happen if she passed on her inclination for trails and jumping to her foal? Then you'd be out a stud fee, five or six years of wasted time, energy, and effort of breaking and training, or the thousands of dollars you paid someone to get the foal there, and instead of having one horse who doesn't like your chosen discipline, you'd have two.

 

[Rebellion]

I wouldnt breed her to just anything. I've raised my first horse from a baby up and I loved the time and bond I shared and built with him. I worked with a trainer to train him and hes turned out great! I'm not saying its what I would do. It was just a thought because I love her and it would be cool to have something out of her as my next show horse. I really enjoyed training my own horse (with a trainers help). I'm turning to all of you for advice because I'm at a complete stand still.

 

[Rebellion]

Also, I wouldnt breed to a stallion just because it had nice papers and it was pretty. I'd breed to something that complemented her. Honestly I dont think I would ever breed her it was just a thought that had been put in my head.

 

[justsambam08]

It was an exaggeration, I think if you admitted that the only reason you wanted to breed her was for looks, you'd have more than one problem on your hands.

I've deduced from your previous posts in HAF's topics that you're going to do what you have your heart set on, and there's not much we here can do about it. I wouldn't expect too many "go for it" answers on this one, though.

 

[HorsesAreForever]

Ohh dont drag me into this lol

 

[HalfPass]

Hi there.
I think I have to agree with MacabreMikolaj.

I feel it would be best to try and sell this girl and move on to something that floats your fancy. If it were me I would continue to ride and work with her, and be actively looking for another horse.

Have fun
Halfpass
PS, Welcome to the Horse Forum!

 

[Rebellion]

Thanks! JustSam, You guys all got the wrong impression on me. I just like to stand by my friends that's all. I greatly take in any and all advice given to me! She really is a great mare and I had a blast with her this summer. Shes fun to have fun on. I took her swimming almost everyday this summer and would dive off her back but I need a horse that is "serious." Sure I could throw her in a pair of draw reins get a frame and call that dressage but I'm not like that. I'm all about true collection and really engaging the hind end because that ideally is the key factor in collection. I'm not like that though I won't do something unless I do it right. I've really worked with her on using her hind end and really reaching under herself but shes just not built for that strenious performance work. Sure people ride dressage and show it with drafts but I want something with better momevent and something more uphill. Something that can hold up to the performance work I ask of it. Thats the last thing I want is to have Gracie not sound because I pushed her to do something shes not made to do.

 

[Rebellion]

Not sure if you see a difference in movement between the 2nd and 3rd pic compared to the last but I'm really working on getting her to move out instead of a flat draft trot. The last pic was around when I first got her and it was at a clinic we went to and all the ones above it are more recent

 

[flamingauburnmustang]

I know it would be hard to sell your horse on to get another horse...I was in the same position with my mare Stoeka. She is old and small (26 years old, barely 15 hands) and I want to do show jumping. She used to do show jumping, but now she won't take me far anymore...

I was lucky because I got to keep her and get another horse to ride competitively.

If it is possible, try and keep her and see what you can do with her. Since you have had her for long and worked with her so long, it would be difficult to say goodbye.

If you have to sell her, or you have kept your mind to getting a smaller built horse, try and make it possible so you can maybe still see her once in a while. Like sell her to a friend, or to someone nearby to you.

Just a thought. Let us know what you have decided what to do. :wink:

 

[Rebellion]

Good Advice! Thanks I wouldnt sell her but I also have a young QH I bought when he was a baby and a year into raising him I tested him for HYPP and it came back H/N. The breeder knew the mare had HYPP but did not disclose it to me until I came to her with my horses test results. So currently I have two horses that arent what I need but I could never sell my QH Rebel. He has yet to have an HYPP attack *knock on wood* but it still needs to be monitered by diet.

Thanks for everyones advice so far!

 

[kitten_Val]

Good Advice! Thanks I wouldnt sell her but I also have a young QH I bought when he was a baby and a year into raising him I tested him for HYPP and it came back H/N. The breeder knew the mare had HYPP but did not disclose it to me until I came to her with my horses test results. So currently I have two horses that arent what I need but I could never sell my QH Rebel. He has yet to have an HYPP attack *knock on wood* but it still needs to be monitered by diet.

Thanks for everyones advice so far!

You may be lucky enough to never experience an attack!

As for your gray girl, personally I like her, and I think she's fancy enough to progress in what you want and bring you ribbons. As my old trainer says any horse can jump and does dressage (unless there are health/conformation issues). You just need to work hard. My neighbor's not nearly fancy stocky QH took prizes and beat up all fancy WBs at the dressage competitions. Granted she worked with her 7 or 8 years (since she was 3) to achieve the level. It's all about training.

 

[Rebellion]

Thanks for the advice! I'm still going to show her and train with I'm just not sure what to do. These responces have been great! It really gives me more ideas to think about!

 

[kitten_Val]

Thanks for the advice! I'm still going to show her and train with I'm just not sure what to do. These responces have been great! It really gives me more ideas to think about!

Have you ever discussed her future with the trainer? Good trainer usually can give you ideas about the approach, training program, and what could be best for your horse conformation-wise.

 

[BlueJayWay]

There are lot of options to choose from and of course you want the best for your horse. Do you have room to keep another horse for shows and just take Gracie on trails and such for days off?

any horse can jump and do dressage

Very much true, but if the horse doesn't like it, why bother? I mean my boy can jump but HATES it. So I just moved to another Discipline wheres he's happy. Perhaps do the same?
Or work out a deal with your horse, so you can both do what you want. May sound silly, but sometimes it works.

 

[flamingauburnmustang]

May I ask Rebellion a question...where does your heart lie? Jumping or dressage? If it is dressage, try and work hard to get Gracie to do dressage, but treat her often with doing something she enjoys like show jumping and trails. If you like show jumping just as much as dressage, switch. :wink:

 

[HorsesAreForever]

Matt I think you like jumping more then you do dressage honestly. Just from knowing you personally.

The 1-2 hour straight we were jumping Chance + Apollo that summer, then all the pictures and videos I've seen of you jumping. I think THATS what you really want to do but I could be wrong seeing that Im not at the same barn as u anymore. But you have a NICE jumper on your hands .. not to mention she seems to LOVE it.