My dad bought me a horse that I can't ride, what do I do?

If I were you I would lease him to a very, very carefully selected rider who is experienced at jumping or some other appropriate advanced aspect of riding. It might be best to seek out not just one, but three trainers who would work together to help you find the right person to take such a lease. Also, have the lease worked out by a lawyer with experience in the area, covering all contingencies.It should allow you to ride the horse at certain times, and to terminate the lease either with notice or for cause. The lease might or might not involve payment to you, but would certainly specify the kind of care and use the horse would get. The terms of a lease do not have to follow any particular standard, and can be designed for the mutual benefit of you, of the rider, and of the horse. Another possibility, and I really cannot recommend this, is to allow a riding school to use him as a lesson horse. We've done that, and it nearly killed our horse. In such a situation the standard of care is necessarily uncontrolled, and the horse may be ridden by very poor riders who untrain him or provoke him into misbehaviour. Only the most solidly trained of schoolmasters can work under those conditions without reverting.

Give it to goodwill. * If you just got a $15,000 horse and don't want it, donate it somewhere so some one less fortunate can experience the joys of a luxurious lifestyle.

He's beautiful! You could lease him till you know more about horses, or just have lessons like 3 times a week, and it could be like intensive! x) Good luck!

Well personally I would keep him and let others ride him until you can...like you said you always wanted a horse and your currently learning how to but in the end - let your heart decide.

First off, Kudos to you to realizing the horse is too much for you at this point. I know from experience that can be hard to keep in mind for some people. I think it's awesome that you are looking out for what's best for you as a rider and him as a horse. with that said, I think it would be best for you to sell the horse at this point. having a horse that is above your comfort and skill level can really hurt you as a rider. Not necessarily physically, but more mentally. It is incredibly difficult to build up your confidence on a horse that you can't always feel comfortable on. I think it would be fantastic for you to get a different horse that is more of a schoolmaster where you can learn and gain your confidence on. Once you have a while of jumping under your belt, then you could move up to more of an "advanced" or "project" horse. Also, I teach some lessons and the worst thing I can see a lesson student go through is being pushed too hard too fast. When that happens, you get holes in your learning. Especially in jumping, you really want to build up your muscles well and work your way up even more than you would in another discipline. If you're pushed too quickly, you're muscles and mind might not be ready for the large jumps your horse is and you could end up getting hurt. There are so many different things you need to think about while you ride that are crucial that you don't want to miss out on. Somethings as basic as eyes up, heels down, toes up and in, how you use your legs, how you cue different things to how to get your horse to break at the poll or be on the bit, collect themselves, feeling their movement for different things, etc. I know it's difficult to give up a nice horse like that, but If you kept him and worked your way up to riding him, a lot of it would just simply be strictly work. Like. every time you ride him, you'll have a project to work on for either yourself or him. If you were to get more of a teaching or confidence-booster horse, there's a lot more of a chance that you could have some really fun, goofy rides on them. Like you could play games, go on trail rides, just have some more fun and learn to love riding even more than I'm sure you do. I think if you kept him and leased him out or let other people ride him, You wouldn't be getting the benefit of having such a nice horse. You probably wouldn't be able to use his ability or even ride him successfully for maybe even years. I don't think that's fair to the horse to not be used to his potential. He could do something great with a more experienced rider and you could learn and do great with a more steady-eddy for the next couple years at least.

Good on you for realizing that you can't handle him yet. So many people would blame the horse. He is a handsome one! If I were in your position, I would talk to your dad about either leasing him out (that way you still own him and can take up riding him when you feel comfortable doing so), or I would ask about working closely with a good trainer. If you don't want to lease him then I would seriously consider working with a trainer that can teach you and show you how to ride him properly. It gives you the opportunity to learn how to ride him properly while also having the chance to have someone more experienced do some schooling if needed. Good Luck.

ride more, keep the horse, learn to jump, and ride the horse too even if its only walking :) as long as someones there to help in case of issues that could arise

So, is your only complaint the height of the horse? There is nothing wrong with riding a big horse. There is no correlation between your height and the height of the horse. If he is well behaved, there is no reason you cannot ride him. I love big horses, always been my preference. How old is the horse? What type of training does he have? At this price, he should have a bit of training so there is no reason you can't take lessons on him. I presume you will board him so others will care for him. You don't have to jump him until you are more experienced. I fail to see the problem with the information given. ADD: if he is too much for you, you should not try to ride him as it would not be safe for you. I would definitely NOT lease him as this will ruin him. He will just get confused and develop all kinds of behavioral problems and that would not be fair to him..He should not have to deal with multiple lease people who don't know what they are doing. Again, it will ruin him. The only thing worse would be using him as a school horse which would further destroy him. Sell him to a responsible and hopefully gifted horse person who will give him a good life and be able to take advantage of his talent. Too bad.

If you can afford to keep him, then do!! Why let something like that get away. just learn to jump faster. Maybe your dad bought this for you to motivate you