How long to stick with horse I don't enjoy riding

[Fourbeats]

I agree with everyone else, I don’t care how old he is, sell him and find one that you do enjoy riding. I spent more than a year trying to love a homebred once and while she was a great horse, our personalities just didn’t mesh well. I got to the point that I would cry as I was saddling her up. One day hubby asked me why the hell was I riding her if she made me that unhappy? I thought because I had bred her that I had to like her and it was actually a relief to realize that it was ok if we didn’t get along. I found the perfect trail riding home for her with a lady that just adored her and I moved on.

Life is too short, sell him and find your perfect partner.

[Quelah]

If you’re truly not a match, I’d say as little time as possible.

I had a lovely beastie, buckskin Andalusian dream horse. Bought him, had him started, tried for two years to make it work. Sat on husband’s black Andy cross one day (we don’t usually ride each other’s horses or drive each other’s trucks, it’s better that way), thought holy crap this is the brand of jeans I should have been buying all along, this fits! Sold the buckskin to the PERFECT home. She loves him, he loves her, he was always meant to be hers. I was just keeping him for her I’ve realized. Happily moving onwards with husband’s horse (he doesn’t have enough time to ride anyway), it’s all good.

[trubandloki]

A hobby that costs this much time and money should not be torture.

There is nothing wrong with you or this pony, you are just not a good fit for each other. Find someone who he is a good fit for and sell him and find yourself a pony just as perfect in all the other ways this pony is perfect with the bonus of being fun for you to ride.

[JBD]

He sounds like a great pony, just not for you. Food for thought, I’ve found that the higher level I want to show, the more I need to ride every step and a partner who is right there with me.

[NO-CTRL]

I know this is a super old post, and i just stumbled back upon it myself. An update for anyone who ever wondered what i did.

I listed the pony for sale last August, after the last show of the season. 1 week later he put his hing leg through a fence and was on stable rest for 3 months. Bought him back in to work in mid November, got 2 weeks work in and he put his butt through the rails in his stable and got it stuck (i kid you not). Cue another 2 months stable rest with a torn glut.
The day he was due to start having some paddock time again on Valentines Day, i walked him out of his stall, took half a dozen steps and knew he hds Laminitis. This pony REALLY didn’t want to be sold.

That day we decided to retire him, rehab him from the Laminitis and providing we could keep him sound, we would keep him as a stable ornament. So we ARE stuck with him forever now. (Which i honestly do not mind, he is a tonne of fun on the ground and is always a bag of laughs) But no riding.

Back in May I purchased a lovely GRP X, green broke and turned out to have babies for 2 years. The moment i sat on her (after basically 2 years off… no lunging before hopping on etc) i knew we would be a good match. She is relaxed, chilled out and super super honest.

So i believe i HAVE found THE pony for me, but my old guy is still here, and will be forever, and we are cool with that

[keysfins]

Great update! Sorry about the pony’s misadventures, but good on ya to keep him and give him his early retirement.

I’ll look forwars to more updates with your mare.

[Foxtrot_s]

You have my respect for not getting rid of him and retiring him instead. Not many would have, or could have.