I'm really struggling with what to do. I used to eat sleep and breathe horses and barrel racing. Long story short, since I got married, bought a house, got divorced and now been living alone 5 years, my barrel racing passion is gone. I been trying to decide for years if I " want to be a barrel racer" anymore... 

I'm too the point now that I don't even care. I see people on Facebook complaining about not being able to enter up and I realize it doesn't phase me a bit that I'm not going. 

Part of what I really loved about it was the commorority of meeting up with old friends.. I'm not friends with most of the people anymore. 

I go back and forth thinking if I just start hauling it'll come back.. And it does for a short time. Then it fades. I just don't want to dedicate the time it takes anymore to riding hard every day and being gone on the weekends.. 

I wouldn't maybe mind going now and again, but not often. 

That all said I have a really nice, solid, super honest hard to come by mare that is A+ papered. She's 2d pretty consistently amongst a couple hundred horses. She's 10 this year so coming into prime age. 

I'm really struggling with whether I should list her for sale or not. I think done right I could get into double digits pricing with her. So I feel like it's stupid to let her sit here and trail ride or whatever I decided to do. 

But if I sell her and decide I do want to haul here or there, then she's gone. It'll cost $$ to replace her. 

I do have other horses to just ride and a yearling that will be ready to start next spring, so there's things to do. 

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. I thought I'd ask here where no one really knows me much and likely won't sway your answers. 

Thank you!

I would sell. It's expensive to keep a horse, they get hurt, there's always something. If you really don't care, I'd sell!!!!!

I go through phases where I live & breathe it and want no part of it, and every stop in between. I had to retire my guy a couple weeks ago from an inury last fall, so I just decided to take the year off. I don't have anything else to run at the moment. Maybe if one of the others, the yearlig maybe, could have the potential to be a barrel horse you'd like in the future just ride and then when he/she is old enough see if you want to get into it? Sell your mare or if you like her & are interested in breeding you could always breed her. Lease her out to someone you'd trust so she's not on your feed bill, but if you get the bug down the road to run again she's still there. I'd just go with the option that you're financially comforable with 

Is she your favorite to ride and just mess around with? If so, I'd keep her sell the others. She more than likely won't miss it either. It's not a waste to not use a horse, what is a waste is making one do something they don't want to do. 

She's not my favorite horse around. She's a really nice mare, I just don't feel much one way or the other for her. I'm not in love persay. 

I have a 19 year old barrel horse that trail rides wonderfully, so he's around to scratch any riding itch. The yearling will be awesome, he's Frenchman's guy/ Hollywood dunit. 

I can afford the horse bills, I'm just afraid of the financial loss of keeping the horse around for now and again when she's at prime point in life now. 

I hate selling horses. Even vetting the buyers we have had a couple go into bad hands. I don't sell anymore, I just keep them. So she sounds a like a nice mare who deserves a good home. If you sell her please vet the prospective buyers as you would if you were vetting sellers when you buy horses. Who knows, you may find her a forever home. Now that would be a true gift to the mare. 

If it were me, I'd probably sell the mare.  We've sold good horses and it's been so fun to watch others go on with them and do well.  You have a young one to focus on more, and you might enjoy it more with the pressure taken off.  I'm to that point in my life as well.  Taking a youngster to go see the sights and sounds is as much fun as competing.  You get to talk with old and new friends and it's good for the young horses to go. Plus barrel racing isn't the only thing there is to go to and do.  Just because you list your mare for sale doesn't mean you have to sell her if you change your mind :)  I hope you have peace in whatever you decide.

I'd probably sell.  No use feeding a nice horse to just have it stand there.  Plus I'm sure being single, a few extra funds in the disaster fund wouldn't hurt.  There will be many more nice horses that I'm sure you could afford in the future, especially with having less mouths to feed.  With a yearling, soon to be two, you'll have a project.  The old man can keep that one company, and you'd have something to do horse wise and not have to feel pressure to haul. 

If you feel like the horse's potential is wasting, sell it.  If you feel like you want to pick barrel racing back up again later on in your life, there will always be good horses.

Sell the mare, take the money, ride your other ones and enjoy doing what you do!

It sounds like having her just stresses you out or you feel guilty for her going to "waste" (to go, not to go, shes worth this amount, but I'm not taking her, have to take the time, etc....). It is also a risk of her getting hurt, she gets hurt then you can kiss that double digit price tag goodbye and either keep her as a pasture pet, or sell her as a broodmare. Either way looks like she's going to be gone either now or later so let her go at her prime to be someone elses number 1.

No mare and some money in your pocket might help you start messing with that young and trail riding your older one :) 

Thank you guys. I'm going to start legging her up as that's a must either way, so I will evaluate once I have her ready to either run or sell.. I'm still torn but hoping with more time I'll decide more clearly what's best

I think I would sell. Personally, I would sell high and if I wanted to barrel race again I would buy a cheaper prospect or one who has been sitting on someone's back burner. Sell her and make money off of her. She is a good mare. There are lots of nice cheaper horses that just need a good tuning

Personally, I would sell her. I went through the same thing a few years back. I sold the horse, and bought a really nice (but cheaper) mare that was mostly just ranch broke. Last year I picked up a nice prospect who just turned two to keep me occupied. I also recently started hauling my mare to some of the local ranch sortings and have really loved doing that. The people are super friendly, and I've found that comradery that I missed from my barrel racing days. Not to mention the people I meet at the penning and sorting jackpots are not NEARLY as high maintenance and ....complicated….ass some in the barrel racing world can be. lol