arrghhhh I can't decide what to do!! any advice appreciated

[barrington]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write this all down as it is boggling my brain!

I have been part loaning a pony for a few months now. She is great for me- sensible, kind, small, cuddly, never spooks- can be a little nappy, but is bringing me on as a rider and I think she is adorable. i get up to see her twice or three times a week at the moment.She is out all the time, and stays at a yard where she will be fed morning and evening- so I don't need to e up everyday which is great. I was really enjoying part loaning her, and i had a great deal going on - £25 and i could ride any time during the week. I thought to myself 'why would anyone own a horse this is so much less stressful!' lol

But now her owners are putting her up for sale and i have been plunged into confusion!! When i think about owning her it makes me feel excited and happy. But when i think about budgets, vets fees, things going wrong, i feel sick! I think I could afford to keep her (budgeted about £350 a month) but I am freelance so everything seems so uncertain.

The yard i am at are great and I would have lots of support. they have said they could help me find someone to share her. My parents / non horsey friends say no way... My horsey friends say yes go for it....

Oh i just don't know what to do and it is making me feel so tired and sad

 

[missmatch]

Can you imagine not ever seeing her again? That's why I keep my money pit because I can't ever imagine not seeing him. I adore him
Do you feel like that? Everything else can usually be worked around x

 

[Amye]

Oh no, i do not envy your situation at all poor you I think it's really difficult to advise without knowing your situation. I would be in the 'buy her!' camp but horses can be very expensive so you need to sit down and think about the day to day cost and also the initial cost.

Insurance *should* cover vets fees but obviously that is a monthly cost, think about how often she is shod (or is she barefoot?), livery, dentist, bits and bobs like rugs etc that they might need (though you can pick things up second hand pretty cheap), any lessons you might want to have.

Have you discussed with her current owners about purchasing her? They could give you a general idea of how much she costs per month and you can sit down and see if it is workable.

I think if you love her so much and you get on with her well then don't dismiss buying her, but you need to have a serious think about the costs and time. Getting someone to share/loan her would help out definitely.

Sorry i can't be more help and I hope you sort something soon!

 

[madlady]

I'm a firm vote in the 'go for it' camp - not helpful I know.

You really need to understand what the real costs will be and then use that to help you make your decision.

 

[Shay]

Don't let your heart rule your head. It makes for very painful - if not impossible - decisions in the long run. Hard though it might be to let her go now it would be 10 times harder in a few months if having bought her on a budget you can't afford to keep her. Or if she develops an injury or illness and you can't afford the vets bills.

I know these four footed angels have a big hold on our hearts. I don't underestimate that in any way. But for me I my ultimate nightmare would be having to let one go - or worse have one PTS - because I couldn't afford them, or couldn't give them the best.

I know perhaps I'm privileged in that I have only ever bought what we could afford to keep and many of our ponies (for daughter not me) have been rides for competition purposes so have owners - and when she got out of juniors other jockeys. But this is a very expensive pastime and it is only responsible to look carefully at costs and affordability.

That said - if you have the support and can find a sharer I know where I would prefer my holiday fund went!

 

[PonyclubmumZ]

I agree with Shay, dont let your head rule your heart. At the moment you have a lovely pony but for a small cost for only half the week. You would be doubling your time commitment and increasing your monetary commitment by about 1400% (according to my dodgy maths!). There are lots of people looking for pony sharers and I think you would easily be able to find another one if the pony is sold on. It could be that the new owner might want a sharer though...

 

[barrington]

Thankyou all for answering me in my time of need! And to Shay and Ponyclubmumz for your words of caution!

I have had a look at the math, and bored everyone to death mulling it over, and I have decided to go for it!

My YO has reasurred me that she is a great wee horse, at a very reasonable price. We are progessing together and she is at just the right level for me. Because of her size and temperament, I will be able to find a sharer easily if I need to. And she is a good doer and lives out.

Moneywise, I am going to have to be careful but my partner has said that if I need backup, he will support me.

IM SO EXCITED!

here she is
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxK8686e11xSMkxNbHFxbUNZc3V2bk9IclUwOVNBNjNsZzlN/view?usp=sharing

 

[Mince Pie]

Woohoo! Enjoy!

 

[PonyclubmumZ]

Oh she is lovely. well done and congratulations. Welcome to the world of time and money poor but experience rich horse owners. ENJOY!

 

[madlady]

Congratulations 😀

 

[Amye]

Brilliant news

Glad that you have such a supportive partner and yard behind you to help you.

She's lovely and I can't imagine how excited you are now

 

[saddlesore]

She's lovely- how exciting! Welcome to the 'I have no free time or money' club lol.

 

[LadySam]

How lovely. And you know, poor but happy ain't so bad!

 

[FizzyBum]

Whatever you think it will be, double it! You pay £100 an month anyway and I put away £550 a month which covers rent, hay, bedding, feed, insurance, livery 2x week, farriery every 6 weeks, back, saddle and teeth every 6 months, Vacs once a year and worming as per the yard's programme (every 3 months) plus a contingency each month for the yearly average (worst case) for Vet bills (£300 excess) and any tack / stable stuff / rugs etc if needed. Set up a separate account with a standing order and do not touch it unless needed. And you could always get a loaner yourself?

BuY her...the worst that will happen is that you'll have to sell her as would happen if you didn't give it a go. Just remember that it is a huge commitment over loaning and after stable duties, only 30% of that commitment is riding...

 

[Auslander]

She looks like a tough sort, so relatively cheap to keep, and you say that she lives out, so you don't have much in the way of extra livery costs. Although mine live at home, I budget for him the same way as if he was at livery, factoring in the cost of his portion of my rent. He lives out 24/7, and I budget £250 per month for him, which includes hay, feed, feet (shod in front) and feed supplemnts. He's a big horse, who eats a lot, and has a few issues which require a bit of cash thrown at him.

Just make sure that she has had routine MOT stuff done regularly - teeth, physio, feet, worming, so that you don't get a nasty shock at some point. I took on a miniature shetland as a cheap companion - and it wasn't til I got the dentist out and worm counted him that I realised he hadn't been getting that stuff done, so he cost me a fortune to fix! Dentist reckoned e'd never had his teeth done, and he had hooks so long that they were digging into his lower jaw, and several loose teeth - and he was riddled with worms.