At what age is it silly to keep trying with a horse? For example, I have a 5yo Stallion that will probably get gelded if he continues racing. The jump trials say he loves it and I would switch him but he hasn’t placed better than fourth (once) in his last 10 races (which also means he hasn’t placed better than fourth since he turned 3). Is it even worth seeing if he likes chasing at 5 or do I cut my losses and retire him now?
I would sell him too if anyone is interested, but since the market is pretty diluted right now I figured no stables are. The Irish Lord (by Irish River)
I’d switch him. What do you have to lose? Give him, say, 3-5 races to show that he’s improving over fences and if he still doesn’t run then retire him. On the other hand, he might love jumping and turn into a winner for you.
I generally switch my horses at age 4 if they’ve had quite a bit of experience on dirt/turf and either 1) don’t have anything else to prove (if they’re doing well) 2) aren’t showing signs of wanting to run (and need to try something new). I have one 3yo jumper but she’s bred for jumps so I moved her timeframe for switching up a year.
I’m a bit like Shanthi, If they are racing well on turf / dirt I don’t switch but if they are struggling then I’ll put them over the fences.
That said if I have something from a jumping family I’ll try earlier or occasionally I’ll buy something from an auction or claim one as I think they may make a jumper.