Absolutely! Edward Gal apparently show jumped until the horse he got at age 20 proved better suited to dressage. Changing disciplines seems to have worked out ok for him. 
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Comment/Questions regarding resale project as many have mentioned–sounds great but–how does this make sense to someone with no money? With cost to feed, shoe, shots/teeth, schooling fees, lesson here and there, and if everything goes RIGHT (not counting any misc expense if something goes wrong) you are looking at at least $10k a year investment, on the horse you already paid 2-3K on. Im thinking you would be lucky if you break even at the end as whats a 3-5K OTTB gonna be worth with one year of training realistically. if the horse is worth over 20-30K, thats a pretty special horse to me and I keep it, if its not, you get what, 15K if you’re lucky? Thats pretty much breaking even. If youre not lucky then you are at a loss again and I keep digging the hole deeper. I just cant take that gamble–Id rather just wait and save my money and then know Ive got that money to invest in my next ride! The question is, how long should I wait?!
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For me, I’m going to want something to ride and train regardless of if it’s going to be next year’s superstar (well, with me in the saddle, nothing is going to be a superstar) or not. So the maintenance costs of board, farrier, lessons, and typical vet are going to be there regardless of whether I pay low-$ for a horse to train up or high-$ for a horse that’s already trained. Benefit of the making-up horse is you can keep honing riding skills that you’ll be able to use on your eventual $$$ superstar-- and there is the option of resale to recoup some of those costs and fund the next horse.
I recognize this may not be your situation. If you’re not in a place to afford upkeep of any horse, then yeah absolutely the right answer is to save up and wait for horse ownership, frustrating though it may be to wait. And if we’re talking just return on investment, the wiser move is to have nothing to do with horses at all and invest all of that money instead of spending it on a hobby that not infrequently involves heartbreak and disappointment.
But if you are in a place where you can afford the upkeep but not the sticker-shock of a going competition horse, then carving out a niche in the resale market isn’t a bad place to be. Ending up “just breaking even” is a heckuva lot better than being out all of that cash, and if it improves your riding at the same time you end up better off.
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Wait as long as you need to. There is no straightforward answer.
I already had my next horse when my absolute soulmate of a horse died. (I think was waiting to make sure there was another to take care of me before he left). I rode the day after Shiver died because I had a baby horse who needed to be ridden. Of course Peanut proceeded to buck and run off with me on the trail saying, “Dad, I need you to be with me now.”
I have waited longer before. But once I knew why I ride, waiting seemed to not be important.
Peanut was a couple of thousand directly off the track at age 2. I am having a blast just going back and learning all those things I take for granted in developing a true partner while appreciating everything my trainers over the decades taught me. It’s now been 4 years building him and yesterday he clocked around a 1.10m course at home for the first time with no effort. I haven’t been happier and more content in years.
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How much work do you want to do? How long do you want a horse to run UL? Do you want to be safe or safe and competitive? Are you happy with a green horse who has done a single prelim with lots of scope or do you want an intermediate packer? Do you want a 7 year old with the possibility of a ten year career or do you want 2 years of glory and then pass them on as a LL Packer? Would you take a 15.2 chestnut mare or do you want a 16.2 chromed out imported gelding? Do you want a perfect vetting or sound with ugly xrays?
Lots of factors and none that someone else can answer on your behalf. It sounds like you’re looking at setting aside somewhere between $30-80k as a baseline depending on what you really want.
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It helps pay for your riding while you continue to ride. I don’t think anybody is suggesting this as a money-making scheme, but rather as a way of recovering from the loss of a much-loved horse in a way that doesn’t imply the same enormous commitment that lead to such sorrow in the first place. Or as a way of redirecting the focus from “high level competition” as a goal to something else that the OP may find of interest.
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Losing your partner is so hard! I have ridden for a long time and did not get to compete as high as I could have with my heart horse. We worked hard over the years and then I started a family etc and eventually she aged.
Finding a horse to replace her has been exhausting. It has taken me awhile. I did find a lovely OTTB and brought her home to the stable and now I am dealing with a whole other set of issues with some drama related to buying her. She needed some rest and rehab and that alone sparked a whole bunch of judgement and barn gossip. I paid next to nothing for my horse off track. Like the others said, a $1000 horse and a $40,000 horse are the same to pay for board and farrier/vet.
I think avoiding social media is best. You can’t focus on how easy people have it. You need to focus on yourself and your horse. I try to ignore the negativity and just focus on myself and my horse and doing the best we can.
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I agree there is definitely a huge problem with social media - we all tend to post when things are going well and not so much when things are not going well, so the impression we get when things are tough is that everything is going great for everyone else except us.
The reality is horse ownership is very challenging and is an often seemingly never ending roller coaster of highs and lows that can often feel like a lot more lows than highs. I am absolutely where the OP is right now…questioning if it’s worth it? Do the highs outweigh the lows? Do the highs justify the immense emotional, physical, and financial cost? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but maybe finding/examining your “big why” as it relates to horses will help - why did you get (and stay) involved with horses? Adrenaline? Competitive success? Connection with another being? Fitness? Personal growth? Your big why can may be help you determine if that need can be fulfilled in other ways or only through horses?
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After some major thinking and realizing my emotional state…I officially walked away from horses about a month ago. I can’t believe I did it. I do have a sense of remorse, I feel like a bit of a failure like I gave up right when the going got tough, maybe that sponsor or perfect horse was right around the corner? But I do also feel a huge sense of relief-nicest thing is not living paycheck to paycheck and seeing my bank account grow and not be in debt the first time in my life, also having time to travel and do things I couldn’t when I had horses! I thought I wouldn’t know what to do w myself and would want to buy another horse but I actually have zero urge to own a horse or even ride one right now.
I have chosen to steer clear of horse activities as it gives me major FOMO!
I have had moments of incredible sadness, especially thinking about my boy I lost and what “would of been” if I hadn’t lost him…that’s what hurts the most.
This is the first time in my life since I was 6 without horses…they have always been a part of me, I never thought I could live without them.
BUT I know I gotta do what makes me feel good cuz who else really cares.
Maybe I’ll find my way, maybe I won’t…guess time will tell…
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Congrats and condolences on figuring out what works for you now! There are a ton of us on this forum who have taken a break from horses for months, years, or decades for various life reasons and while there are pros and cons to every decision, you gotta do what works for you.
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Good for you! I would have said that no matter the choice - I think the important thing is to make one! I have walked away from horses a few times, and so far I keep coming back stronger each time. They are heartbreaking and can consume everything you’ve got for so long that you don’t feel like you have anything left… So I understand walking away completely. Sometimes you just need to recover (mentally, emotionally, financially… Or all of the above!) Please don’t feel like a failure.
Please also realize that you’ve got a bunch of life ahead of you, and this type of decision is only permanent if you want it to be. Keep finding ways to develop and better yourself, and you’ll have a great life. Maybe you come back to horses, maybe you don’t! Either is fine. 
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I had to walk away from horses 10 years ago when I moved countries. It took 4 years until I was able to afford horses again (and I actually bought the horse I used to own and moved him from NZ to Australia). And it’s taken me another 6 years to get back into eventing (I now have a young OTTB to event with as my other horse is nearing 22!). What I’ve found now is I just love the sport and it doesn’t matter what level I compete at as long as I’m able to compete. I want to compete higher some day (I only ever went between Novice/Training)… my new goal is a 1* (it used to be a 4*!). But because I didn’t event for 10 years… I just love competing… even at Intro.
Sounds like a break is exactly what you need and good on you 
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I stopped competing in 2020 because of COVID, and, much to my surprise and delight, I had a wonderful year with my horse. No timeline, no pressure, no worries about fitness, no over analyzing a particular movement, no frustration at uncooperative weather or an untimely visit to the shop for the truck, no heartbreak over a foot abscess a week before an event. I just enjoyed the nice horse that I have, without feeling like we had to improve or nail down any particular aspect of training or go anywhere or do anything. My horse was a lot happier too, it’s like we both took a big chill pill. Why not let him cock a hip and nap for 20 minutes while standing in the pond at the water jump and listen to the birds sing? I’m repeating this year 
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Good for you! You’ve got it precisely right.
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I’m about 5 weeks into being horse-less. It was a hard choice to make, but for me, for this phase in my life, it was the right one. My situation boiled down to I could either keep the horse, keep going into debt and keep renting an apartment, or get the horse off my pay roll, dig out of CC debt, and afford a mortgage.
The first 2 weeks after my horse left were ROUGH. Add the stress of moving and packing and getting no exercise or ‘outdoor time’ and I bet I wasn’t too pleasant to be around. I was stressed and sad and my patience was razor thin at times. I knew I made the smart choice, but It was a total lifestyle change.
Now that the house is mostly unpacked, I am starting to get into a routine and yannow what? It’s kind of nice to just focus on what I WANT to do with my evenings rather than having to go to the barn. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a part of my horse’s daily care, but it is nice to not HAVE to be at the barn to feed/clean. I can focus on getting into shape, I can focus on relationships with my family. Its nice.
Its also nice to not live paycheck to paycheck or be kept awake at night be stress of “how am I going to afford this vet bill” “if my car breaks down I can’t afford to fix it again” or “how can I keep him sound?” I don’t miss gossipy boarders, backyard trainers running young horses into the ground, dusty arenas and leaky stalls.
I am so, so glad that I had my horse for 6 years. I learned so much about not just riding, but horsekeeping and where my personal “lines” are for boarding and horse care. Living in an urban/suburban area, I always felt like keeping my horse here was a compromise for him. Turnout opportunities are rare, and while some horses are fine with stall-living, I always felt like he didn’t adapt well to it. I always felt like the poor kid at the barn and did everything on a shoestring budget.
Now when I do get back into horses, I’ll be on better ground financially to do what I love and do it the way I want to. Down the road, when I have my ducks in a row, I’d like to pursue lessons on a schoolmaster or a 1/4 lease on a more experienced horse and really work on my seat and my riding so I can be a better partner for my future horse. But for now I’m not ready to ride. I think it would be a little painful, and as you have said - a little FOMO.
To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson “Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and once it has done so, he/she will have to accept that his life will be radically changed.”
Seeing a horse once a week wouldn’t be enough for me, it would just be a tease. I’d rather take time off, refill my mental, physical and financial health and dive right back in stronger and wiser than ever.
An you are correct - you have to do what makes you feel good because YOU are the only one who knows what that is and it changes all the time. There is no shame with changing your lifestyle right along with it.
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