Can anyone help me catch & load a v timid pony near Horsham?

Pearlsasinger

Up in the clouds
Joined
20 February 2009
Messages
44,728
Location
W. Yorks
Visit site
I am nowhere near Horsham so can't help but I would take both ponies back, save yourself another journey in a few weeks' time when they have decided that they don't need/can't handle her. I am sure you will be able to find a child near to your home who would like to ride a well-schooled pony. PC/RC will probably be able to help with that.
 

MissTyc

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 June 2010
Messages
3,601
Location
South East
Visit site
Another transport recommendation "Mates Rates Horse Transport" from Brighton. Caroline does national trips all the time, fab safe and inviting Bloomfields stallion box and can load anything in my experience! It sounds like you might have enough help on the ground for catching now? Good luck!
 

maya2008

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 August 2018
Messages
2,929
Visit site
I also agree take them both. Could you find a little lead rein sharer for each at home? They could spend the summer going on lovely walks just as you imagined, but with you able to keep an eye on them and supervise care. That is our plan for when our Shetland is grown out of!
 

Errin Paddywack

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2019
Messages
6,149
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
If they can't be asked to use electric fence to make a pen to catch her in they won't be restricting grazing for the Shetland either. You will probably get a call telling you to take the pony back because it won't move. My sister once loaned her little welsh to a family who were going to keep him with the local PC woman in their village. Luckily only a few miles away. They had him for a while and all going well then we got a call, he has laminitis. Went to see him and had never seen so much weight on him. Took him home and got him sorted, they didn't get him back. Those were sensible people putting trust in a professional. In this case with them being so far away I wouldn't take the risk of leaving such a nice pony with them.

Hope all goes well picking up the other pony.
 

Jayzee

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2013
Messages
263
Visit site
Glad you have the pony being picked up. My friend owns Mates Rates (same person MissTyc mentioned), sure there would be people to help, I'd be willing to lend a hand. Sounds like you might be sorted though!
 

catembi

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2005
Messages
12,791
Location
N Beds
Visit site
Aaarrrggghhh, a massive chunk out of my new saddle fund though! Thanks to these wretched people. Or maybe I'm the stupid one for expecting anything better from them. They are both nice little ponies and I wanted them to have a lovely summer doing fun stuff. Cost of retrieval plus adding in my diesel cost for taking them but ignoring the value of my driving time (close to 6 hours) and adding in the new grooming kit & ignoring the value of all the time that I spent schooling the Shetland, we are not far off £450. An expensive lesson.
 

millikins

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 March 2011
Messages
3,895
Visit site
Aaarrrggghhh, a massive chunk out of my new saddle fund though! Thanks to these wretched people. Or maybe I'm the stupid one for expecting anything better from them. They are both nice little ponies and I wanted them to have a lovely summer doing fun stuff. Cost of retrieval plus adding in my diesel cost for taking them but ignoring the value of my driving time (close to 6 hours) and adding in the new grooming kit & ignoring the value of all the time that I spent schooling the Shetland, we are not far off £450. An expensive lesson.

Pick up the Shetland too, if they mess you about over her as well it will be more expense :)
 

TPO

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 November 2008
Messages
9,414
Location
Kinross
Visit site
Glad you have the pony being picked up. My friend owns Mates Rates (same person MissTyc mentioned), sure there would be people to help, I'd be willing to lend a hand. Sounds like you might be sorted though!

Off Topic- I saw Mates Rates on Instagram because they moved a horse belonging to the hairdresser bloke from Gogglebox ?
 

CanteringCarrot

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 April 2018
Messages
5,469
Visit site
I would absolutely pick up both of them. You also might be able to find someone more local for the Shetland and I wouldn't want to leave any of my ponies with these people since odds are you'll be back to collect the other one shortly. I'd just get them both at once and be done with it. I it would give me more peace of mind, personally.
 

cauda equina

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2014
Messages
8,851
Visit site
Would the Shetland have any equine company if you left her there?
I bet she'd rather come home with her chum
Our idea of fun stuff is probably very different from a pony's, and a summer spent loafing around flicking flies off the Dartmoor might well be preferable to whatever the family would do with/to her
 

Tiddlypom

Carries on creakily
Joined
17 July 2013
Messages
22,230
Location
In between the Midlands and the North
Visit site
Echo the call to pick up the shetland at the same time.

Doubtless you'll get the usual lies that they love her and want to keep her, blah blah, but you'll be back in a few weeks to pick her up too if you don't get her now.

They've shown their true colours, don't be fooled by crocodile tears and false assurances.
 

ElleSkywalker

As excited as Kitty about to be a bridesmaid
Joined
9 March 2011
Messages
11,988
Location
Tiny farm some where in UK
Visit site
Take the shetland back too at the same Cat or you will be picking up a crippled lami shetland in a few weeks. Find a local little girl/boy or two that will come to yours and fuss over both and ride of you want them too. Do not fall for emotional blackmail from mum and weepy kiddies, they arent your responsibility the ponies welfare is. I once took my horse back from a loaner I had throughly vetted because her dad decided 3 days before I was leaving the country for a year, that, instead of full loan, they would look after horse 3 days a week, pay £15 or so pounds as 'that's what we paid the riding school' towards its keep and I would have to pay the rest and I should be grateful as 'we are doing you a favour' needless to say I went straight to their house and picked up the yard keys. Did I feel awful seeing the girl sobbing in the living room, yes, did she learn an important lesson about her parents, also yes. Did I regret it, no. I went down the pub that night and chatting to the barmaid who knew was vaguely horsey arranged for her to have full loan and she did a fantastic job, far better than the girl would have done.

Things often work out and you've had a warning as mentioned above that if they CBA to make a pen to catch dartmoor they will not be restricting the shetland.
 

Jayzee

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2013
Messages
263
Visit site
Off Topic- I saw Mates Rates on Instagram because they moved a horse belonging to the hairdresser bloke from Gogglebox ?

You could be right, the business has grown so much she employed a second driver; Justin. I don't know if he's from Gogglebox ?
 
Top