Advice please I'm emigrating and have 6 Companion Shetlands

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beesouthwest

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Hello, I wonder if anyone can offer and advice. I am having to emigrate to the USA and have checked out price of shipping my 'old girls' with me, and it's silly, £8,000 per pony! I am desperate to know what to do, I have 6 Shetlands, non-riding. They were all ex brood mares we rehomed 3 years ago. All so lovely and easy to care for, they are not nasty or difficult. But I dont want to split up some pairings... how do I find good caring homes for them? I have looked at retirement livery too, but this would cost me nearly £2,000 per month for all of them. Can anyone suggest a safe way of find homes for them as companions? I really appreciate any help.
 
This will probably sound harsh but if I was emigrating and had 6 old non-riding ponies that had lived together for 3yrs I'd have them all PTS at home. Unless you can leave them with trusted family and friends there is no way of guaranteeing them a safe future, especially if you will no longer be in the country to check on them.
 
You could try an advert in the Shetland Breed Society (or is it the Stud Book Society) and see, or at least contact them and ask for advice. A lot of people keep shetlands for fun, but I think if you are rehoming oldies, it is only fair to put aside a fund for them in case they need vet/PTS in the near future.
 
How old are they? I took on two minature shetlands about 8 years ago from a woman who was emigrating to Australia. I still have them now and adore them so there are good homes out there. I just got them through and advert in Adtrader when I was looking for a companion for my TB.
 
I think you need to do a bit more research on retirement livery. 2,000 per month seems incredibly excessive. That's around 166 GBP per week per pony. I did a very quick Google search and most were only around 40 GBP per week per horse (would likely be discounted for all 3 living together and as they're only little ponies). I'd think you should be able to easily find retirement livery for them all for around 500 GBP per month.
 
Spring Feather said:
I think you need to do a bit more research on retirement livery. 2,000 per month seems incredibly excessive. That's around 166 GBP per week per pony. I did a very quick Google search and most were only around 40 GBP per week per horse (would likely be discounted for all 3 living together and as they're only little ponies). I'd think you should be able to easily find retirement livery for them all for around 500 GBP per month.
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It seems a lot yes, but not by much to be honest. My friend has a horse on retirement and its £150 (however this may be a month, don't quote me!)
 
beesouthwest said:
I have looked at retirement livery too, but this would cost me nearly £2,000 per month for all of them.
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Are you in the South West? Google something like horse retirement Cornwall, Devon etc Gorgeous Grazing starts at £20 pw so way less than the £2k you think it will cost. There are others round about the same price.
 
I just want to bring up though, realistically how would you be able to keep up with hem and how they are doing if you are not even in the same country? End of the day they would be able to sell them on and you wouldn't even know..
 
equi said:
It seems a lot yes, but not by much to be honest. My friend has a horse on retirement and its £150 (however this may be a month, don't quote me!)
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I reckon that's per month. I looked at a place that is £22 pw with adlib haylage, regular foot trimming and a dentist visit included.
 
equi said:
I just want to bring up though, realistically how would you be able to keep up with hem and how they are doing if you are not even in the same country? End of the day they would be able to sell them on and you wouldn't even know..
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You would choose an established business with a good reputation. Search threads on here and there are at least three which are recommended - at least one of which of which uses FB to update owners.
 
equi said:
I just want to bring up though, realistically how would you be able to keep up with hem and how they are doing if you are not even in the same country? End of the day they would be able to sell them on and you wouldn't even know..
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I do retirement full care board over here. I have a number of owners who live overseas, some I've never met, most are thousands of miles away. Some live on the west coast of Canada, others in Florida, and another lives in Australia. I don't sell their horses :wink3:
 
The way I see it is you have 3 options!!!!!

Take them with you
Professional retirement livery
Let them go to Rainbow Bridge-hard for you but doing the right thing for them if you cannot consider the first two options

You need to contact the MAIN shipping agents that charter planes the whole time

BBA Shipping
IRT
LG Bloodstock

These main 3 are chartering flights weekly. Depending upon the size of the shetlands you may be able to share a stall depending upon size. And no there are no discounts for multiple numbers as its just the same as bottoms on seats on a plane!

Others have posed the same questions here

If you put out on loan what happens when the loan home says they cannot have them anymore??? So they give you a months notice and you are in the USA. Realistically you need to think about this as I doubt you will be able to jump on a plane and then come back and sort out new references and checks for a new loan home and thats if you can find one!!!

Retirement livery! Do your homework carefully! Some are not always that great. I can only recommend Monshall Retirement Livery! You can keep upto date with their facebook page and they really do check on the horses 3 times a day

http://www.horseretirementlivery.co.uk/index.html

Good luck
 
There's a retirement livery yard near my yard. £30 a week for horses with weekly emails and photo's. They may do video's as well, they're nice people.

Why are you emigrating OP ?
 
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