I am not posting her in the 'for sale' section because, well, technically, she is not for sale; she is currently used as a therapeutic horse for girls with emotional disorders. HOWEVER, I recently interviewed at the barn where she is saying, and let me tell you, she has every single quality which I have seen present in every other hunter or jumper I have ever met who was at all successful in their chosen fields. She is intelligent, bossy without being a jerk about it, deep and wide in front, short-backed, muscular-bodied with Tennessee Walker [or potentially, with Saddlebred] long, nimble legs. She has 'star quality' written all over her, plus the obvious scope and musculature to carry her over 4'6" fences easily, as well as to have potentially fabulous successes in the hunters ring. 

why don't you buy her?

Not a single horse has ever spent its time in a pasture fretting over the loss of its potential. Horses do not tell you they're grateful and love you b/c you "saved their lives" so they can "show the world what they can do". For all you know, she might LIKE working as a therapy horse. What you call boredom might be calmness due to the lack of expectations put on the mare. From your post I'd say that you are used to seeing hot, high-headed competition horses: those horses are not hot b/c they're so excited about "meeting their potential", they're hot b/c they're frantic due to the pressure put on them to win. I suspect that the life of a therapy horse would be a much easier life than that of a high-stakes performance horse.

Aurora79854:

Tennessee Walker [or potentially, with Saddlebred] long, nimble legs. She has 'star quality' written all over her, plus the obvious scope and musculature to carry her over 4'6" fences easily, as well as to have potentially fabulous successes in the hunters ring. 

Um. A Tennessee Walker or Saddlebred capable of jumping 4'6"? Or able to do exceptionally well in (rated) hunter competitions? I would like to see that. 

 

Is this mare being abused or neglected?  If not she doesn't need saving.

 Go back and read what 48northfarm had to say again - it's worth reading over and over. Horses do not have ambition (at least not to be atheletes, maybe to get the most food, lol). Many would love to "languish" away with enough food and water (and some woud want attention).

 Any horse able to do "walk-trot-canter as rank beginners bounce on her back" and then also work as a therapy horse is WA-A-A-AY harder to find than a horse capable of jumping. I volunteer at a therapy barn as well as teach beginners. Those horses are the most patient, kind teachers in existence. Worth their weight in gold and then some.

Her "real needs" are dependent on personality - she may just wish to be left alone. Yes, there are some horses that need a job.  But usually the "job" of therapy horse (or teaching beginners) is enough to keep a horse happy.

Her relationship w/ her owners may be a legitimate complaint, but other than labelling her stubborn, you don't say much about what they do or don't do for/with her.

 I agree. The problem could be ulcers for all we know.