Considering another horse

[poiuytrewq]

My daughters pony has recently retired as some of you know due to severe sight loss which is a degen condition. He will be pts when its unkind to keep him. I dont know when that will be.
She has a fab little horse she rides for someone else so is getting her riding time until it retires from competitive work. She's 19 and going strong so a while off yet. This horse lives at its owners yard not ours.
My horse is 16 and has been lame on and off years. I dont ride when he's lame this can be months or weeks and quietly hack when hes sound. After our longest lame spell he's just been sound and in work 6 weeks before going lame again this weekend. Im probably facing another ridingless summer. My daughters disappointing as she had her heart set on fun rides etc since we bought a little lorry.
My yard has 3 stables and a tiny shelter in the field. I also have a shetland companion. When i had my old horse the shetland lived out with the shelter so in theory could again.
My land lady however has made it clear she's happier with just the three on the land, and too be fair the land is far happier also!.
Land lady does however do DIY from her house for £20 per week which i may be able to scrape together and is a minute down the lane from the fields i currently rent.
I thought i may look whats about to loan for the summer for me, maybe someone going travelling or pregnant sort of thing that i could give back for winter so i can stable our guys.
However and here's the spanner in the works! Ive been offered a lovely horse that sounds right for me as in hacks nicely alone (my only real stipulation) but thats able to go out and compete now, jumps amazingly and moves well for less than £1000 or too loan but long term.
This would of course be an amazing share for us both and i have all the rugs and equipment bar a saddle from my old horse that will fit so no outlay at first.
It will however mean a real stretch cash wise keeping an extra one just now but im not sure it wont be worth it in the long run? How likely am i to find such a lovely purchase at a price i can afford without breaking the bank in a year or so when we are properly looking?
Im torn between retiring my boy completely or riding him on bute maybe (something ive never really felt comfortable with for some reason) but i do think the absolute world of him. He's actually on loan but i know full well he will be pts if i send him home ever and he's never too lame to graze!

What would you do?

 

[Honey08]

Difficult and tempting one! The possible new horse sounds very very cheap for what it is, is there a reason for the cheap price? I would be very tempted. Do you know of anyone else who could take the shetland on as a companion for a while? He is the only one not ill, so the only one fair to send off to anyone else really. If not, could you afford DIY for a while, as thats your other option really?

 

[poiuytrewq]

The shetland! mm, If only! sadly just this afternoon I've been electric fencing a little paddock for him to stop him beating the others up, Its highly unfair for either of them to have this mini terror in attack mode and i cant see he'd be a brilliant companion for anyone much! Also ive recently let a family with young children start sharing him a bit, they cant afford lessons or ponies so are quite excited to have him. Id be really mean to move him on at the moment.
He's cheap being ex racer and has apparently been advertised a while with no phone calls even so they lowered the price further. I do think that there is a ceiling price for ex racers that haven't competed,but i agree maybe this is a little cheap for one out of racing a few years and in proper work (not sure why he retired, need to find that out)
He's currently owned by a teenager who has no transport and cant afford to compete from what i understand having not spoken to the actual owners yet.
I think I'd loan or LWVTB preferably just to be certain there are no issues but would get a vet check also.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My partner did contribute towards a little extra field last summer which i no longer use so he MIGHT be willing to help out....

 

[Clodagh]

Probably not a popular suggestion but I would pts your lame horse. If he is too lame to gently hack surely he is lame in the paddock also? That maybe a bit coldblooded for many people, I acknowledge.

 

[Lolo]

£1k is still very cheap for an ex-racer which is sane and friendly. I'd be vetting at that price and going with my eyes wide open... There's a reason bargains are so lauded when they work out- it's because there's usually a hidden catch somewhere!

I'd be inclined to agree with Clodagh tbh. You've got 2 field ornaments, 1 which needs to be PTS at an undetermined point. Why not determine the point?

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

I have to agree, my first thought was pts the field ornaments. If funds are tight and they are deteriorating and you are that strapped for money and it's impacting on your day to day living it's a logical decision to make! Sorry. It'll hurt for a while, but IMO it makes sense.

 

[Equi]

Personally i would just go on as you are and wait for the horse who is deteriorating to get worse. i hate that so many on here always say just shoot or get rid of the useless ones. Id have to shoot all mine in that case. Your daughter is riding, there is no reason you can't find a horse to ride and when the time comes for your blinding one to go, let it go. I would not be killing one just to make space for another.

 

[Equi]

Probably not a popular suggestion but I would pts your lame horse. If he is too lame to gently hack surely he is lame in the paddock also? That maybe a bit coldblooded for many people, I acknowledge.

Not always. My horse is not lame in walk or when grazing, would walk on the road all day long if i asked, but is not able to trot for long or go over very dodgy ground.

 

[Honey08]

I've just re read this and am thinking don't do it if you are worrying about being able to afford it. A TB could eat you out of house and home in winter...

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I've just re read this and am thinking don't do it if you are worrying about being able to afford it. A TB could eat you out of house and home in winter...

This. It's a shame because the horse you've been offered sounds lovely but if you're going to make life harder and more expensive for yourself, I'd say get the easiest to keep horse you can.

I wouldn't PTS the sick two to make way for another, you don't sound as if riding is that important to you and you obviously have an attatchment to the ones you currently own. I do understand your situation, if you enjoy riding the hard work of winter is a little too hard without the reward of summer riding.

I took an extra horse for that reason. So far I'm finding that I don't want to ride any of them over winter as the yard workload is too much now, so its more work for less riding in winter, although in terms of time spent at the yard its the same. In spring I'm riding sporadically and really don't need the new one. When summer arrives and only the new one is still sound on the hard ground, I think I will be glad I did it.

In your situation I would look for a share horse, possibly ask at your land owners yard? It's unlikely you're going to want to ride every day, with all your others to look after and your daughter competing. The only reason I decided to buy rather than share is that I didn't want the new horse on a different yard, but that is what you'd be doing anyway so I don't see the benefit to you of owning or full loaning.

 

[undergroundoli]

The horse sounds perfect and you implied the horse with the sight impediment will probably not be happy for more than a couple of years. I'd risk taking the TB on long term loan. You can sell the van if you run into financial difficulties before then. Logicically if I was in your position I'd discuss it with my daughter, hoping we'd agree to her horse is on borrowed time and its possible finances would determine when that would run out although obviously its easier to be cold blooded in the abstract.

FWIW I think you sound lovely not wanting to disappoint the family riding the Shetland. Wish I'd known someone like you when I was a pony mad kid.

 

[Tobiano]

Difficult dilemma OP. Just re not riding on bute - our Harry has been on a bute a day for a couple of years due to his arthritis - keeps him comfy, allows him to be ridden (which actually helps with the arthritis and helps keep laminitis at bay) - and being of the - ahem - slightly older generation myself I've got a much more liberal attitude to the use of pain relief to allow normal functioning. So perhaps you could discuss with your vet what the options are for giving bute to your current horse to allow him to have a more active ridden life? You might both find that very enjoyable.

Plus, if its competing you are keen on, I recently saw a post on here asking for someone to compete a horse due to pregnancy - if you are a decent rider this may be an option open to you and might be worth investigating as it probably doesnt entail the same cost as loaning another horse.

 

[jessjc]

£1k is still very cheap for an ex-racer which is sane and friendly. I'd be vetting at that price and going with my eyes wide open... There's a reason bargains are so lauded when they work out- it's because there's usually a hidden catch somewhere!

I'd be inclined to agree with Clodagh tbh. You've got 2 field ornaments, 1 which needs to be PTS at an undetermined point. Why not determine the point?

People are giving away ex-racers, not because they are mad or unfriendly, but because they are no good for racing, or have come to the end of their racing careers and they would be pts otherwise...

 

[merlin12]

£1k is not cheap for an x racer. As previously said people are giving them a way when they come out of racing. I f you can find a nice one that has hacked and done a little bit and is sane and sensible £1K is very reasonable. Especialy if you can LWVTB. If two of yours are to be retired could you save money on their care, eg go barefoot. It sounds like a good opportunity, if you can afford it.

 

[niagaraduval]

I've just re read this and am thinking don't do it if you are worrying about being able to afford it. A TB could eat you out of house and home in winter...

Totally agree !

If money is tight now, please don't go and get the TB.

I would have the lame horse PTS as others suggested, hard decision but the right one in my eyes.

Sorry, not what you wanted to hear.

 

[Sukistokes2]

There is nothing wrong with using painkillers to keep horses sound. My horse is on a danalon everyday. Means he can keep going., with drugs and proper management you could maybe ride your own horse more. However if you do want to sell on your pony that's up to you you are not a charity.