What to do for the best with 6yr old mare

[Horsedilemma]

This is a bit of a WWYD? I'm going around in circles...

Two years ago I bought a very green 4 year old Irish mare. Her dam is a nicely bred ISH, but (long story!) I don't know who her sire was. I knew when I bought her that she was too small as she stood, but she was very much still growing and it was that point when (just after the first Covid lockdown) there was very little on the market, so I thought at least she would make a nice project.

She was sold as 15.2hh to make >16hh, but when I got the stick on her at home she was just under 15.1hh, although still very narrow in front and bum-high. Over the past two years she has grown to just over 15.2hh, and has filled out a lot. She still looks slightly bum-high, but hasn't grown at the withers in over a year now.

She's coming along nicely, lovely character, maturing into a nice allrounder, doing riding club, hacks alone or in company, pleasure rides etc, easy to handle in all ways on the ground. She's enjoying showjumping and flat schooling, but isn't that fussed about XC (which is my favourite!), she'll do it, but is a bit reluctant, needs a lot of leg on and doesn't like long gallops.

She is still too small for me. I have to ride a hole shorter than is comfortable to have my lower leg in a useful position, and it hurts my knees. I'd also prefer something more forward going across country. I'm very attached to her, and she is thriving on a big, busy livery yard, which doesn't suit all horses.

What age do ISH-type horses stop growing? I know she's unlikely to make 16hh (my usual minimum height), but I reckon 15.3hh and filled out a bit more would likely work. Also, have your youngsters become more forward/confident XC as they've matured, or is this likely to be her character now at 6.5 years old? She's on very little hard feed as is a good doer, but I could feed her to fizz her up a bit if needed

My dilemma is: Do I keep her, and if so for how long, to see whether she will grow into what I want? Or, do I sell her on (I think she would be someone's perfect horse) and buy something bigger and more forward going? I can only keep one horse, both in terms of cost and time.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

While they are not the quickest maturing breed I’d be surprised if she grew much more now.
As a 15.2ish, slightly behind the leg sensible type you’d find she’s probably worth a small fortune in this market where EVERYONE buying is nervous, and selling her might leave you with a horse more suited to you and plenty of change.

Ive got a 6 yo TB mare who flat out refused to gallop in training, so never raced and still now is not a bold or overly forward horse, polite off the leg but doesn’t “take you” into a fence, I wanted her for team chasing which she won’t do. But she’s a nice stamp and is doing well at showing (thankfully her sharer likes it as I do not!). I think I’d be surprised at any major shift in personality. XC will improve slightly with confidence but in my experience the really forward/bold ones are always a bit like that!

I suspect you're right @Lastqueenofscotland2 , she's a lovely, affectionate mare and I would be sad to see her go, but if she's not what I want to ride then there's no point keeping her. I bought her from the field, and she'd been turned away for almost a year, so it was impossible to tell at the time. She's certainly seen a lot of life in the past 2 years and I've done my best to give her good experiences.

She's too clever for a nervous/novice rider. She's very good for her age but not completely bombproof and needs firm boundaries. She would be great for a confident teen or small(er) adult wanting to do riding/pony club. She rides like an overgrown pony and is very pretty, has nice paces.

I keep making my mind up to start putting feelers out, but then I worry about where she would end up. She's never been treated harshly and is the sort of horse that would turn sour very quickly if she ever was.

If she's a bit bum high might be worth keeping for a year? 7 is a nice age, people don't see it as green but it's not old (for some reason 6 always seems greener!)

Yes that would be an option @PeloAddict. I could keep her until spring, hunter trial her through the autumn and then do indoor dressage and SJ through the winter, then sell her as a well-established 7yr old in the spring.

I just think I'll find it harder to part with her the longer I keep her, but then if I'm keeping her with a view to giving her as much experience as possible so that she moves on as 'the finished article' then maybe that's better.

The pro who had my daughter’s horse at 5 said she was the bravest horse she’d ever sat on round a XC course - she’s just turned 9 and is still
a machine XC - never looks at a fence, just ears forward, taking my daughter to the fences, and relishing every moment. I don’t think their fundamental character changes that much with age - they get more experience so for example a horse which tends to be worried about fillers will gradually become less worried the more they see but that’s more a case of exposure to something than the way they approach life iyswim

She sounds like she would be a teenager’s perfect horse so I’d sell her but vet homes carefully

If she’s got any ID in her she might be a slow maturer

Tricky one, I doubt she'll make 16hh+ now but she might grow a tiny bit more and certainly fill out more, and although I agree their fundamental personality doesn't change they can give you a much nicer feel of being 'taken' to a fence as they get stronger and more confident and lose that baby wobbliness, particularly if you are very strict in your schooling about them always being in front of the leg... but ultimately you won't get that natural boldness and sharpness I don't think if it isn't there to start with. I like a natural forward goer too and I've found with the best horses I've had they've had a bit too much of that to start with and have to be tempered down a bit which personally I find much easier than trying to fizz them up with feed or fitness or whatever, which if you aren't careful can actually send them over the top into nappiness or spookiness rather than 'productive' energy. She sounds very nice and as though she has the potential to be really useful in time, but maybe just not 'your' horse? I'm the ultimate persister with unsuitable horses so if it was me I probably would stick with her but it's brought me a lot of heartache and wasted time/money over the years, the much more sensible course would be to sell now and start the search for something more 'you', even if that means starting over again with another youngster or project rather than throwing good money and time after bad (not saying your mare is bad but as above she probably isn't going to make up into what you really want). I wouldn't worry about her not finding a good home, you can vet carefully, my worry more would be based on friends' experiences, you might be struggling to find something to buy now if she sells very quickly unless the budget is very healthy, how upset would you be to have nothing to ride through the autumn/winter? Could be a question of timing, like you say a season's competition results on her back will only increase her value but the ideal would be to have new horse ready to start in the spring so syncing it all up could be a challenge...

She does have some ID in her, as well as TB and warmblood on her dam's side. No idea of the sire, although apparently the elderly chap who bred her in Ireland liked to use showjumping stallions, so the chances are she's a full ISH, but not a classical ID/TB mix. She's more or less level if she stands straight, but tends to look a bit bum high when resting. I think you're right that she's unlikely to put on much more height even if she fills out a bit more, and I would need her to take up another 2-3 inches of leg to be comfortable when schooling.

She hasn't been rushed at all because she was so physically immature, we spent a long time just hacking/ schooling hacks as I didn't want her doing lots of circle work until her chest filled out, so she will definitely gain confidence with time and experience. She's quite hesitant into fences, although doesn't stop as long as your leg is on and tries her best for you. She's been a quick learner on the flat and is working in a nice outline for short periods.

@maxelly what you said about her being a very nice horse, but not 'my' horse rings true. She is very much my sort of horse on the ground, but not under saddle. It's actually putting me off wanting to school because of the knee pain (I can get away with longer stirrups when we're just hacking), and the jumping is just a little tedious.

If she were to sell quickly then I've got plenty of friends on the yard with under-exercised horses and actually, after 2 years of riding a green baby, it would do me good to ride/have lessons on some better-schooled horses. If we didn't find the right home for her then I would just keep going with her over the winter and re-advertise in the spring as a more established 7 year old.

I would certainly look for another youngster or project, but wouldn't be in any hurry. I believe in working at the horse's pace, so wouldn't be in a rush to be out competing in the spring if the horse needed a slower start. I could afford to add 2-3k on top of whatever she sells for, so would be looking at a decent 4 figures budget.

She's just had almost 3 weeks off as I've been ill, and she's getting shod/teeth checked/ imms etc in a couple of weeks, so I might wait until then, get her back to full fitness and work on the jumping a bit more, and then put the word out that she's available and see what happens.

I'd put word about in the local Pony Clubs and Riding Clubs - sounds like she would find a useful home, you need someone knowledgeable and that will continue to train her

Based on what I see at our RC, I think she would sell pretty quickly and for good money. There are at RC level a lot of riders in their 40s and beyond, who are really good thoughtful riders, plenty of experience and expertise in schooling, bringing on, etc. but not looking for the adrenalin/thrill of forward going cross country riding. They want to work with and partner with a horse like yours for a long time, and perhaps do some unaffiliated dressage and SJ, and plenty of hacking, and can absolutely work with quirks and character, but just don't want to do anything more fast and furious. Your horse sounds ideal for those people!

Thank you all, it's been very helpful to put all this is writing and to hear your objective opinions. I've decided to definitely sell on, but I'm going to take my time over it and do my best to ensure a great home for her.
I'm off work next week, so going to have a sort out (she's due imms/ teeth/shoes etc), take some nice photos, then put the word out and see who's around.

I don't think that you will have any trouble finding a good home for her. If she is as you described she is worth her weight in gold to a lot of riders! I have a retired ID warmblood cross and they tend to be quiet and sensible. The only time mine really got going was out hunting with the bloodhounds. Your girl sounds lovely.

Fwiw I am in my 50s and have just downsized to a 15.2 youngster as my hip isn't up to riding a big broad 16.2 any more.

I think she'll be worth a lot of money and enough people will be interested in her to pick a super home so I'd be tempted to sell and buy a buy more suitable horse.

I'm interested in the science behind slow/quick maturing horses? My understanding and experience is that bone matures in the same rate as it does a tb or a Shetland. I think we've been trained to think that TB bone matures quicker than normal horses bone because the racing industry wants to justify racing them early for a quicker return on investment. I have the weediest 3 year old at home half Irish half tb and he will need to be taken very slowly but I also have a 2 year old same breeding that looks like a 5 year old. I genuinely would love to know if bone matures at different rates etc.

Thanks @puddlesofmothers .
I don't see why bone maturation would be the same in every horse, as it certainly isn't in humans or other creatures. Bone grows at roughly the same rate, but the point at which final height is reached is when the epiphyses fuse, and that is subject to considerable variation.

Some people stop gaining height at 11 or 12 years old, others grow until they're in their early 20's. Small dogs generally mature much quicker than larger breeds. There's a lot of variation in genetics even within a breed of horse, and with cross-breeds all bets are off as to which traits will show up. I suspect that explains the variation between individual horses.

I've just been reading up and it seems to be down to final height but the variables are huge. I will need to keep researching but it's hard going.