ok i have a huge dilemma! so my horse that i have now is my first horse and i got him for christmas. i love him with ALL my heart! well my trainer said that within the next year, if i wanna win my races, i will need a better horse. the one i have now is pretty good. if i worked i could get him down to 17 secs but to win i would need to be in the 16 second range or lower. i dont want to sell him! he is such a sweetie! i want my future boyfriend/husband to be just like him! haha jk but hes really sweet. i dont wanna sell him but i also want to actually win! maybe some input??

P.S. buying a new horse and keeping the old isnt really an option! maybe i can talk my parents into it but i doubt it!

lease out the old one and buy a new one
that way when you try to convince your parents he wont just be sitting there, he'll be bringing in money.

leasing out your old horse would be a good idea but its also not something you can rely on if the person leasing him just backs out of the lease then what are you going to do until u can find someone else to lease him my suggestion would be to try and find someone you know or someone that lives near you to buy your horse so you can get the other one that way you could still stay in touch with your old one trust me i know its not easy selling a horse especially your first horse i went through this last year my old horse and i didnt get along jumping but on the flat we were unbeatin but i rely want to go to maclay so i had to find her a new home and on the ground her personality was a once in a life time horse i could walk under her stomach she would give me hugs it was so cute

You're in the same position I was in over the winter.

I had just moved to Ohio and started working with a new trainer. I had had my gelding for about 6 months, he was my first horse. We moved and he turned into a monster. Every lesson I was fighting to stay on, he lost interest in his job, etc. etc. etc. We decided to put him in training for a few months with a pro [my trainer] to see if he just needed a butt kicking. That was a no go. If I wanted to seriously compete at the upper levels I needed something willing to work WITH me not AGAINST me.

In the end I sold him and bought something whom I'll move up on/learn on and then in a year or so purchase a Big Eq. mount.

I had also been in the same situation, the horse i had last year was a sweetheart and he always took care of me, but we didnt think he was capable of jumping 3' well enough... I finally decided to sell him and now i have a new horse. I feel like im going in the right direction again, a feeling i havent had in years.

you have to decide what is more important to you, loving the horse you have now and not really advancing in riding, or selling your horse to move up. Theres no wrong answer here, its just what you want.

if you decide to sell your horse, first start with seeing if anyone you know is looking for one. Selling him to someone else in the barn is an excellent thing to do if it is possible.

i wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

i've been in the same situation many times...but fortunately some of mine have been just passed within the fam!! lol
i know its a very hard decision!!! it took me awhile to gte over my first horse i sold...but eventually its worth it once ur moving up!! it is very handy...fi someone gets them that goes to ur barn...or u consider a leasee =]

-hope u figure it out =]

Thanks guys! i still have a while until i have to decide so i dont know. i think im just jumping the gun and worrying about it before i have to! i'll let you know what i decide but it will probably be a while! oh but another problem is that my horse is very emotionally attached to our other horse. i cant even take him out of the barn without them going crazy! its even worse when we go to rodeos! i cant imagine if we seperated them!