Buying an older pony

[Starburst4]

Hi,

I’m looking for a 2nd pony for my daughter. We are an experienced home and have found an 18 year old mare who ticks the boxes we are looking for apart from price ?.
I know a horse is worth what someone will pay but like I say it’s 18, 13.2hh done a little of everything and has had 3 foals but they want £5k for it.
I know it had previously been on loan and I have asked about that but the owner has said she wants to sell this time and not have the worry of it coming back.
Are all prices this crazy at the moment?

 

[AmyMay]

If it ticks the boxes, then yes it’s probably be about what I’d expect to pay. It may even be cheap…

 

[SO1]

That is quite a lot of money bearing in mind that is the sort of age that they start getting age related problems. Average age for getting Cushings is 19 and 18 was when my pony started getting some age related health problems.

I would get the pony vetted if you do buy and be prepared for the possibility some age related issues.

 

[Starburst4]

Thank you both. Pony buying seems a massive headache!x

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Friend has just bought a pony , the same as your looking at, described as sj schoolmistress, only had her a month and problem with hicks, they need injecting. Hopefully not an issue and will be fine but just budget and beware the pony MAY need costly maintenance.

 

[Archangel]

When they say "a little" of everything - she could be an all round superstar or not really done much at all! Having 3 breaks for maternity leave may leave a patchy history. 5k is possibly a bit steep but if she has a sound pony club history and is solid as a rock then probably she is worth 5k. I might include a blood test for PPID at the vetting.

 

[Dasher66]

Has it done PC? If so ask which branch and get a reference from the DC.

 

[PSD]

It’s hard because prices are high at the minute. You also can’t put a price on a good safe child’s pony in my eyes but I do think 5k is a lot for the age given problems can begin. I’d probably say 3500 is more realistic

 

[Wishfilly]

I think on the face of it, it's a bit steep BUT if the pony is a nice all rounder and ready to go out and do PC tomorrow, then maybe not.

I definitely would get the pony vetted. Obviously any pony can develop problems as soon as you buy it, but the risk is higher with age. You could have the pony for 10 more years, but it might be unsound and retired in only two.

I do think there is cheaper out there, especially if you would be willing to consider something a bit green but safe- although it does depend on prices in your area!

 

[Melody Grey]

Would I pay £5k? No, but plenty will in this crazy market, therein lies the problem.

I think £3.5- 4 in more where I’d pitch it.

 

[minesadouble]

If it's the right pony for the job then the age wouldn't bother me.
We paid the same for a 16 year old 13.2 last August. When we went to try him my daughter was quite a nervous rider having had an unfortunate experience with an earlier sharp pony. Our pony has taught her so much so quickly, she is now, just less ess than a year later happily hacking out alone and. jumping 85cm. Older, experienced all rounders have always commanded good money so it's not necessarily a lockdown inflated price.
Soundness may be an issue but my daughter's friend has just had her lovely 8 year old put down due to soundness issues so any pony is a gamble.
If your pony is genuine you will easily find a good loan home for her when she is outgrown.

What our older pony has done for my daughter's riding in the space of just 11 months is quite literally priceless.

 

[pixie]

18 isn't really that old for a pony. It could have plenty of years left in it. My welshie is mid 20's and still hacking out. One of my liveries has a shetland approaching 30 that still goes out driving and pulls like a tank the whole way round.

 

[Wishfilly]

I agree that an 18yo pony could keep going for a long time, but not every single pony does, and a lot need to slow down in their early 20s. If OP has a growing child, she may not be able to keep a retired 13.2 and the next pony up, and that may be a consideration.

It's also a consideration that an 18yo pony probably won't easily be sold on.

From a quick look on preloved and horsemart, at 13.2, you could definitely get a younger pony for your money.

I know you can't put a price on safe, and I would pay £5000 if I really thought it was the perfect pony for my daughter, but I do think the pony is overpriced, even in this market.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Older ponies have higher operating costs. If you are questioning the purchase price already the you are not the right home for this pony.

At 18 you should be considering that you might be the last home for this pony. Are you prepared to keep him as a retired pony after your daughter has outgrown him?

 

[Winters100]

If it's the right pony for the job then the age wouldn't bother me.
We paid the same for a 16 year old 13.2 last August. When we went to try him my daughter was quite a nervous rider having had an unfortunate experience with an earlier sharp pony. Our pony has taught her so much so quickly, she is now, just less ess than a year later happily hacking out alone and. jumping 85cm. Older, experienced all rounders have always commanded good money so it's not necessarily a lockdown inflated price.
Soundness may be an issue but my daughter's friend has just had her lovely 8 year old put down due to soundness issues so any pony is a gamble.
If your pony is genuine you will easily find a good loan home for her when she is outgrown.

What our older pony has done for my daughter's riding in the space of just 11 months is quite literally priceless.

I totally agree with this. Now I think about it I probably overpaid when I bought my schoolmistress - knowing what I do now I would gladly pay 10 times the price. She took me from having totally lost confidence, and not even being sure if I could carry on riding, back to where I was before my accident. It took time, riding her every day for a year, but she has never put a foot wrong and is worth her weight in gold.

I bought this mare from the buyer of my previous horse, a super 8 year old, nothing wrong with him, but he was too much horse for me and needed a better and more confident rider. It was not part of the sale transaction, it took me 6 months to even consider getting on a horse again, but when I told the buyer that I was thinking about it he invited me to try this mare. He had always said that he would not sell her, but as we knew each other he let me buy her, and generously wrote into the contract that if I did not want to keep her I could return her within 2 months for any reason. Sadly the horse I sold got a kick in the paddock and had to be PTS, as you say horses are a gamble.

I know that I will be her last home, when I no longer feel the spring in her step she will move down to walking in the forest, and when she no longer wants to be ridden I will walk beside her, but even if that happened tomorrow she owes me nothing, because she has given me confidence to carry on doing what I now love again.

 

[SO1]

Does the 5K include tack and rugs as that would then seem more reasonable.

I think it also depends on if you have your own land. If you have your own land then you can retire or make suitable adjustments to management much more easily than if you are on livery.

Like others have said you could be lucky and the pony stays fit and well late into their 20''s and you can find loan or sharers when the pony is outgrown but I think at this age you need to go into this with the view that it might be the last home and that there may be some age related issues to deal with though of course young horses can get problems too so there is no.guarantee that a young horse would not have issues.