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Should I Sell My Horse? A Quiz to Help you Decide

Equestrian sports are unlike any other sport. Instead of partnering with a team of other people or equipment, riders partner with an animal. Over time most people develop deep emotional connections with their horses. While some view this attachment as odd, for those of us with training in both animal behavior and human mental health, it’s not surprising.

Why? Horses’ brains function with what’s called a “limbic system,” limbic features in an animal’s brain mean that they think and behave in an “emotional” way and (like dogs) are able to form attachments and bond with the humans they spend time with (learn more via this simple Wikipedia article on limbic systems).

Take my 15 question quiz to help decide if it’s time to sell your horse:

Horses and humans form bonds through emotional limbic brains, which can make it hard to sell your horse.

 

It Can be Hard to Know when it’s time to Sell a Horse

Given the strong attachments between horses and riders, it’s not surprising that it can be very difficult for a horse owner to decide to sell their horse- especially when it was someone’s first horse or what they feel was or is their “heart horse“.

In a perfect world, because of the attachments we have to our horses, we’d never sell our horse and, like our dogs, we would be committed to caring for our horse throughout their lifespan. Unfortunately, the expense of caring for horses makes it not only impractical but often impossible to afford multiple horses. For horse owners who live in a suburban area, on limited acreage, or board their horse at a riding stable, growing as a rider may inevitably mean selling their horse in order to continue enjoying horseback riding as hobby or as a sport.

Reasons people decide to sell their horse:

1. The horse was not a good fit in the first place, and riding the horse has been difficult or even dangerous to the point that you don’t enjoy your hobby.

2. The rider has outgrown the horse, either physically (as in the case of children and ponies) or in skill (like a rider working towards highly competitive competition but limited by a senior horse).

3. Choosing to stop riding for physical, financial, or personal reasons.

4. A major life change such as going off to college, moving to an urban area, or having a child.

5. For financial gain. Some horses can be worth six figures, and any horse that is healthy, safe, and fun to ride for an amateur is likely worth a few thousand dollars. Selling a horse for a profit is a legitimate reason for selling a horse.

6. Out of concern for the horse. Many people sell their horse because it’s the best thing for the horse. A horse that loves to go fast could probably be retrained to slow down, but might actually be happier with a new owner interested in speed events. A horse that’s aging and beginning to slow down might thrive in a home with their primary job was a bimonthly trail ride rather than lessons several times a week.

The decision to sell your horse is a highly personal choice. And how to know when the right time is to sell your horse or even if you should sell your horse can be an agonizing decision for many people who have a personal bond with their horse.

In the next section, we’ll talk about signs that it’s time to sell your horse.

Quiz: Should I Sell my Horse

Deciding to sell your horse often feels like a highly emotional decision, but when working with my riders I’ve found that there’s a series of simple yes or no questions that, when tallied up, actually make the decision pretty clear.

Although you can still expect to feel a lot of emotion about a horse that likes you as much as you like them, when the pros and cons of selling are clear, the decision is easier to make.

Is your horse capable of helping you achieve your near-term riding goals? (i.e. first-level dressage, rated Western pleasure shows, safe trail rides, etc.)

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do you feel safe riding your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Is your horse well-suited to the type of riding you want to do?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Would selling your horse likely be the best thing for your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do you feel bonded with your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do you feel more stress after spending your leisure time with your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do the benefits of having this particular horse outweigh the costs of keeping this particular horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do you feel that you can give your horse the attention it needs?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Can you see yourself riding your current horse regularly 1 year from now?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Are you open to leasing or half leasing your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Which of these options would be more expensive? Keeping my horse and investing in the training it needs to be the horse I want. Selling my horse and purchasing the horse I want. Could you reasonably afford to keep this horse and purchase a new one?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Do you look forward to riding your horse?

⬜Yes
⬜No

Does your horse have behavioral problems?

⬜Yes
⬜No

The answers to these questions in this mini quiz can usually highlight when it’s time to sell your horse vs keep it and invest the time, money, and effort to keep your horse and work with them.

The 3rd Option: Leasing your Horse

As the cost of keeping a horse has continued to increase in the past decades, it’s become more and more common to lease or even half lease (i.e. part-time lease on certain days of the week) your horse. Leasing a horse allows you to remain the owner while your horse is ridden, handled by, and housed by another party. Often, leasing is a good option when you’re not quite ready to sell your horse.

Every horse lease agreement is a little bit different, but generally, in a full lease, the lessee has full rights to the horse during the lease. While there are both pros and cons to leasing your horse, leasing can be an outstanding option for horse owners, horse-seeking riders, and the horse itself.

SEE ALSO: MY GUIDE TO LEASING A HORSE

Often a lease period allows the potential horse seller to get used to the idea of their horse not being theirs, which can make it easier to make the difficult decision of whether to sell the horse at the end of the lease. Similarly, a lease can give a potential new owner a chance to ride a horse as if it were theirs.  Often a successful horse lease turns into a successful sale when horse and rider are paired well!

A woman with her hands in her pocket watching a horse trot past.

Selling your heart horse

In recent years, the phrase “heart horse” has emerged as a jargon term to describe a horse that a rider is particularly closely bonded with. A rider might feel that their “heart horse” is the horse that they could never sell and will keep for their entire life. Sadly, it isn’t always possible to keep these horses through their full lifespan, and many horse owners feel guilt about eventually having to sell their heart horse. However, there is no reason to feel shame about selling any horse. Life has bumps and unexpected turns along the way; selling a beloved horse is sometimes the price we have to pay to take the next step towards our own survival, growth, or recovery.

Final thoughts on deciding to sell your horse:

When push comes to shove, only you know whether or not it’s time to sell your horse. Avoid letting others pressure you into a decision that you aren’t ready to make. Sometimes, even if this quiz on whether you should sell your horse clearly lays out how selling your horse might be the technically better choice, the better choice for you may be to keep your horse, not sell it, and invest in the horse that you love.

On the other hand, this quiz on whether you should sell your horse may make a case for keeping your horse when, on the inside, your intuition tells you that’s not the right decision. Listen to that. If you’re not enjoying your hobby, you are allowed to move on. Even if you were a horse crazy kid who begged for the chance to ride, it’s okay to grow and change. Sometimes being really into horses for a season is part of an individual’s process of growing and changing. Your interests are allowed to shift and change to accommodate the person you are becoming and the person that your horse helped you to become.

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Delores Greene

Saturday 11th of March 2023

I enjoyed taking the quiz, but it left me sad and confused. I think my horse hates me. He won't pick up his feet, the trainer at the barn says to not ride him unless she is there, and now I'm afraid of him.