Advice needed - buying a retired horse

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Connemara244

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I currently loan a older horse from a riding school who i have offered to buy. However horse has been seen by a physio which i’ve paid for myself and have been advised pony is retired. This horse would be my 1st horse and feel we have a very close bond so would like to buy and retire. However stables still want thousands for horse even though i will be retiring.

I would find it very difficult to walk away, knowing what I have been advised in regards to horses health. Having this horse would also mean giving up riding completely as i could not easily afford 2 horses. Any advice appreciated.
 
I know this will be hard as you obviously feel you have a bond with this horse, but taking it on would be madness. You could end up paying out a high amount for vet fees etc., which you would be unlikely to get insurance cover for, plus the regular costs for livery and feed, shoes etc etc, so even if it the horse was free you should not consider it.

Sorry, but walk away.
 
Honestly I wouldn't. Harsh as it sounds, despite your bond with him, he isn't your responsibility. Personally I wouldn't give up riding for a horse that isn't mine and has to be retired. The attitude of the stables is poor (but has the pony seen a vet as well as a physio? As the owner I would prefer a vet opinion if whatever is wrong is that bad).
 
I was in much the same situation. It does happen that a horse is no longer young enough or fit enough for a working life as an RS pony but might continue as privately owned or shared. I did not go through with the purchase as the mare failed the vetting and the RS paid for her retirement.
It is common for regular riders to become very attached to the RS horses they ride and, in some cases, have ridden for years. I usually make sure that, if my share horse is to be sold, I will have the first refusal.
But the hard factis that most humans outlive their favourite dogs and horses and a good relationship with one animal is a foundation for a good relationship with the next.
 
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I feel for you - what a difficult position to be in. I also agree with others that it would be madness to buy this horse, unless you had unlimited funds for high vet bills for investigations and potential ways of easing any issues found. We’re talking many more thousands than the purchase price, which come on top of (retirement) livery costs.

It sounds as though you must be worried about riding this horse, as you paid for a physio. If the owner of the horse agrees, you could get a vet to assess - perhaps a 5-stage vetting (just as you would if buying any horse), or a lameness investigation.

The difficulty with sharing or loaning is that the horse belongs to someone else and they have control over the management of the horse. You have to like it or lump it, if the owner disagrees with advice you’ve been given by a professional.

I shared a horse once and was told by the instructor who was giving me a lesson, that the saddle was far too narrow, should not have a polypad under it at the withers as that made it even more narrow, and was not good for the horse. I also knew that the owner considered herself very knowledgeable about saddle fit and had told me the polypad was to make the horse feel more uphill. It’s really difficult but in the end it’s their horse and you can’t save them all. They also saw I had become attached to the horse and offered the horse to me at a very inflated price.
 
I think you know that you should walk away. It would be financially insane to do this.

If you take on the horse, the RS will need to replace them. So if they don't ask you for what the horse is worth to them, they will be taking a loss that would be hard to justify. There is little ethical excuse for an RS to continue using a horse that isn't physically fit for it, but its not uncommon. You could rescind the offer to buy at the minute but ask that you be considered as a home when the horse is retired by the RS? I assume since you said you offered to buy, the RS isn't actually looking to sell.
 
The harsh fact is that the RS KNOW the bond the you have with the horse, and are taking advantage of that.

They are being very unfair to you and the horse ( and that is putting it nicely). Not only are they tring to off-load a crippled horse on to a novice owner, they want you to PAY , and pay lots by the sound of it, for the privilage!

ETA what is your current loan set up? Do you pay and have sole use? Or do you pay and the RS still use the horse?
 
Realistically a vet needs to have seen the horse to know whether the horse needs retiring or if it’s manageable/treatable

the fact you want to retire it after purchase is irrelevant to the riding school as it seems its not their decision to retire

Unless you have oodles of money which isn’t the case I would not be buying this horse.
 
Cragrat said:
The harsh fact is that the RS KNOW the bond the you have with the horse, and are taking advantage of that.

They are being very unfair to you and the horse ( and that is putting it nicely). Not only are they tring to off-load a crippled horse on to a novice owner, they want you to PAY , and pay lots by the sound of it, for the privilage!

ETA what is your current loan set up? Do you pay and have sole use? Or do you pay and the RS still use the horse?
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Pay and they still use but horse is hardly used due to not being suitable for inexperienced riders and is very sharp.
 
Many years ago I was interested in buying an older horse (mid 20s) that I had been riding at a residential riding centre. Yes, they were prepared to sell her to me but for a lot more money than I was expecting - their reason being that they had spent a lot of money getting her right and that it would cost them a good amount of money and time to replace her. In the end I didn't buy her.

This horse sounds like it will be a walking vet bill so I would step away.
 
I would happily take a horse in similar circumstances if I loved it and it was free. I would accept the fact I will have to spend money on livery and management if I really loved the horse, because I'd be willing to have it as a pet. However, that's not your situation. They are wanting money for it. You're paying them to take a problem off their hands. The horse isn't really used in the school because of the lameness and being sharp (query whether actually he's reacting to discomfort), so they don't really have a use for him. I'm afraid it seems they are taking advantage of the love you have for the horse.

I would offer to take him for free and if that's refused I'd have to walk away
 
I have spent good money buying rescues which I knew would need a fair amount spending on them to be right. I'm a soft touch, but in all except one case I was certain the horse would come right, in the other the poor bag of bones just needed to get out of there.

As far as the RS are concerned they're currently receiving an income from this horse, so as a minimum they'd want enough money to cover their losses until they would expect him to retire or to replace him. That's not unreasonable, and it may be thousands if they don't agree he needs retiring.

Its a sad situation but you'd be well advised to walk away. Even to stop your part loan although you could offer to help care for him for free if you've time. If you have the money to own a horse abd want one think longer term and find one you can enjoy for many years.
 
The riding school where I go loan out the ones that are to old or not up for the lessons for a quieter life. Everything else is retired and turned away. You shouldn't be paying money for what you are describing unless it is a symbolic pound. Riding schools will sell good horses if they are not suited to customers but they should still pass a vetting.
 
If you need more support, then no don't buy it. The riding school should sell for a pound if you take on but you will just be taking on a vet bill and as someone said heartache when he has to be out down and the shall I / shan't I emotional till on the way to that decision. He's worn out and in pain, riding school should get a vet out to assess and work out what next course of action is.
 
who advised that the horse should be retired from work? The physio? That is not something they should be saying, and instead you need a vet to have a look.

It may be as simple as the horse needs a fair old bit of bodywork as its sore. Or it may not.

Also sounds like your loaning the horse on a “working livery” type agreement. So unless the contract says that all vets bills are covered by the RS, id be expecting you to be paying for physio, teeth etc
 
fredflop said:
who advised that the horse should be retired from work? The physio? That is not something they should be saying, and instead you need a vet to have a look.

It may be as simple as the horse needs a fair old bit of bodywork as its sore. Or it may not.

Also sounds like your loaning the horse on a “working livery” type agreement. So unless the contract says that all vets bills are covered by the RS, id be expecting you to be paying for physio, teeth
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That's potentially jumping to a few conclusions. Hopefully there is a contract in place and honestly if you need to pay for vets etc id just terminate the agreement and hand the horse back. It's ultimately the RS who owns it and their responsibility
 
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