Feeling rather down and disheartened

[Waxwing]

Apologies in advance; I just needed a safe space to vent slightly as I feeling very negative about all things horse related.

I currently have my horse on sales livery; she was sold subject to vetting but has now developed some health issues, that are relatively minor and entirely treatable, but have led to the prospective purchaser pulling out. The issue isn’t anything that should affect her in the long term, its skin related, but until it clears up she can’t be sold.

I have been very happy with the care she has received while on sales livery and they had found a buyer for her within a few weeks of advertising. They had done some schooling with her prior to advertising her and she was progressing well. However due to the current situation what I had hoped would be a short amount of time on sales livery now could be some months. In overall terms it isn’t costing a lot more to have her there than when we had her livery at home, the weekly livery cost is higher but that includes riding her whereas at home I was paying for her to be schooled two or three times a week, but its to far away to go and see her on a regular basis. I feel I have gone from being a horse owner to a bill payer as I have little or no contact with her.

I am sill clear I want to sell her but I miss having a horse in my life. I am also aware we are now going into winter when it is more difficult to sell. I am also aware she is pretty settled and happy where she; I think the smaller yard set up suits her better than the larger yard I kept her on. If I bring her back it will unsettle her and I will need to pay someone to ride and keep her schooling going so it isn’t really a sensible option.

As we thought she was more or less sold I had started looking at adverts for a prospective new horse. In doing so I found an advert for the horse I returned to a dealer earlier in the year due to issues that became apparently immediately after purchase, despite the fact he had passed a 5 Stage vetting. I shared the findings of my vet with the dealer, who didn’t take him back to her yard but sent him straight from me to a dealer in Scotland. They had him up sale until very recently for 6k and he is now on Horsequest with a different dealer for 11.5k. According to his new advert he has come from a private home and is suitable for all levels of rider , no mention being made of the three dealer who have owned him in the last six months and the fact he isn't the most straightforward horse to ride.

This horse obviously has nothing to do with me anymore but seeing this advert and the current complications with selling my current horse have made my question if I want anything do with horses anymore. The plan was for my daughter to go to pony club this summer; this didn’t happen and I was looking forward to spending time on the yard and hacking out. At the moment I feel I am spending a lot of money for zero benefit. Our current horse will of course get everything she needs her welfare is my responsibility, but I would also like to derive some enjoyment from horse ownership.

Sorry for the moan!

 

[AmyMay]

Would the prospective buyers be interested in the horse at a reduced price?

Bery sad about the other horse ?

 

[sunnyone]

I feel your pain, it's a bummer when you think you've sold the horse to a good home and then you find 3;weeks later they are a dealer and selling it on at a lot higher price. Nothing much you can do except maybe take the current horse back for the winter and try again when the skin condition has cleared.

 

[Goldenstar]

If it’s at all possible offer her to the buyer at a reduced price .

 

[Waxwing]

Hi according to the sales livery the prospective buyers yard will only accept horses that have passed a 5 stage vetting and are insured. Due to where the skin issues are she cant be ridden at present so can't be vetted. If they had wanted to purchase her at a reduced price I would have been happy to do this; I have been clear from the outset that the price can flexible.

 

[Lady Tinseltime]

Apologies in advance; I just needed a safe space to vent slightly as I feeling very negative about all things horse related.

I currently have my horse on sales livery; she was sold subject to vetting but has now developed some health issues, that are relatively minor and entirely treatable, but have led to the prospective purchaser pulling out. The issue isn’t anything that should affect her in the long term, its skin related, but until it clears up she can’t be sold.

I have been very happy with the care she has received while on sales livery and they had found a buyer for her within a few weeks of advertising. They had done some schooling with her prior to advertising her and she was progressing well. However due to the current situation what I had hoped would be a short amount of time on sales livery now could be some months. In overall terms it isn’t costing a lot more to have her there than when we had her livery at home, the weekly livery cost is higher but that includes riding her whereas at home I was paying for her to be schooled two or three times a week, but its to far away to go and see her on a regular basis. I feel I have gone from being a horse owner to a bill payer as I have little or no contact with her.

I am sill clear I want to sell her but I miss having a horse in my life. I am also aware we are now going into winter when it is more difficult to sell. I am also aware she is pretty settled and happy where she; I think the smaller yard set up suits her better than the larger yard I kept her on. If I bring her back it will unsettle her and I will need to pay someone to ride and keep her schooling going so it isn’t really a sensible option.

As we thought she was more or less sold I had started looking at adverts for a prospective new horse. In doing so I found an advert for the horse I returned to a dealer earlier in the year due to issues that became apparently immediately after purchase, despite the fact he had passed a 5 Stage vetting. I shared the findings of my vet with the dealer, who didn’t take him back to her yard but sent him straight from me to a dealer in Scotland. They had him up sale until very recently for 6k and he is now on Horsequest with a different dealer for 11.5k. According to his new advert he has come from a private home and is suitable for all levels of rider , no mention being made of the three dealer who have owned him in the last six months and the fact he isn't the most straightforward horse to ride.

This horse obviously has nothing to do with me anymore but seeing this advert and the current complications with selling my current horse have made my question if I want anything do with horses anymore. The plan was for my daughter to go to pony club this summer; this didn’t happen and I was looking forward to spending time on the yard and hacking out. At the moment I feel I am spending a lot of money for zero benefit. Our current horse will of course get everything she needs her welfare is my responsibility, but I would also like to derive some enjoyment from horse ownership.

Sorry for the moan!

I think you deserve a good moan - life hasn't been kind to you this year

 

[Chuffy99]

You’ve had a really tough time, I do hope your next horse is a success

 

[ollierdog]

Sounds like it really hasn’t gone your way!
How bad are the skin related issues? Surely if the sales livery yard were schooling her and sold her the skin issues are minor and should clear up within a week or two and they can just re advertise? Has she caught the skin condition from the yard?
Maybe you could bring her home and let her have until after Xmas off work then send her back after Xmas, if they know her well shouldn’t have any problems selling again?
I think if your not careful you could end up with a very big livery bill for a horse that can’t be ridden and they will keep taking your money and really your not getting anymore for her being there!

 

[Waxwing]

Thank you; I've have felt ok over the summer, since the dealer took the other horse back as I always felt I was working towards something; we initially advertised the horse ourselves and then decided on sales livery, which necessitated researching different yards etc. Once she was placed on sales livery I was aware there would be a few weeks delay before they advertised her as was fine as I wanted them to get know her, school her further if necessary and get to know so they could advertise her honestly which they did. There was a very positive response when she was advertised and the fourth or fifth person to view did want to buy her, subject to vetting. Due to the current situation, which is nobody's fault, I don't know when she can be advertised again and what the response will be as it will be October rather than August. The sales livery is not cheap, my husband is paying half the costs for her, which is greatly appreciated, but we saw this as being something we would do for a couple of months. Its just very frustrating when I've tried to do everything right and be open and honest. It doesn't help that riding is what I do to relax, I have a very stressful job and a teenager with mental health issues. I have supportive friends and family and I am doing some work on top of my additional job which is helping towards the horse expense so at least finances aren't a stress but I would like to get sorted and be sold. I'll happily reduce the price for a good home.

 

[ollierdog]

Horses there’s always something!I think you’ve just got to take logical steps to work out the best plan which sometimes is easier said then done!
Has the vet given you a time scale? If the dealer has had a good response and see she’s very saleable buy her at a reduced rate?

 

[Waxwing]

Thank you again for your messages; I have considered bringing her home for a bit but to be honest she was on full livery when we had her at home and although the weekly livery was less than I am paying now if I add it what I paid before for someone to school a couple of times a week, it works out about the same. The only difference would be that we could then ride her as well. She isn't on sales livery with a dealer; its a professional rider who has their own yard and as well as their own horses has a few liveries and some on sales livery. I am going to see her later this week so will get a better idea of how she is doing. I will leave where she is for next few weeks and and then reconsider. The yard she was on locally have said they will always make space for her if she needs to come back.

 

[GreyDot]

It may well be worth considering bringing her back and selling her privately. As a potential buyer, unless I knew the professional who has the sales livery (either personally or word of mouth) I would definitely prefer to buy a horse from the owner privately. Despite all good intentions, I would be wondering what issues the horse had if it had been put to sales livery rather than offered privately. I know there are always loads of genuine reasons, but that's just my personal opinion (far too wary of pseudo dealers)

 

[eahotson]

Just a thought but if your horse can't be ridden for a few weeks/months why not put her on grass livery?She will be happy and you will save a load of money.

 

[eahotson]

It may well be worth considering bringing her back and selling her privately. As a potential buyer, unless I knew the professional who has the sales livery (either personally or word of mouth) I would definitely prefer to buy a horse from the owner privately. Despite all good intentions, I would be wondering what issues the horse had if it had been put to sales livery rather than offered privately. I know there are always loads of genuine reasons, but that's just my personal opinion (far too wary of pseudo dealers)

I sold a horse through a selling livery.He was too much for me and I was very honest with the livery about any issues I had.Apart from anything else I could not have shown him to potential buyers.
It worked out very well. He was sold within a month and went to a much more suitable home for him.

 

[Waxwing]

Hi thank for all you responses it is useful to have different perspectives. I did try advertising her privately with the person who has been schooling her for me riding her in any viewings; however there were so many viewings cancelled at short notice or lengthy phone calls where people advised they would be calling back to arrange to view and didn't that sales livery is for me a much better option. I shared everything I knew about her and offered to speak directly to anyone who was interested. I would bring her home for a short period if necessary but in terms of selling her that will be through this or a different sales liver. Thank you again for everyone who has taken the time to respond.

 

[Waxwing]

I went to see my horse earlier this week; she appears very well in herself but has has a large area on her back, behind where the saddle would usually sit from where the hair is missing, several smaller areas near this and a couple of smaller bare patches lower down her body. The areas aren't increasing in size, the skin isn't inflamed and the scabs have cleared. The vet was rather unsure about what has caused it; she appeared very slightly off colour last week, so possibly had a slight infection of some sort or a bad reaction to some inset bites ; but hasn't required antibiotics. None oft the other horses on the yard have presented with the same symptoms and she hasn't been anywhere recently. The horses are all on individual turnout and saddle pads etc are washed regularly. She is out each day from about 8.30 to later afternoon and is eating he bodyweight in hay and haylage when she is in at night.

Following the vet's recommendation the she has been clipped and the areas washed with antibacterial wash prescribed by the vet. Its now a case of waiting the hair to regrow I've done the maths and although the sales livery more expensive each week than her previous livery it includes schooling, clipping and other things which previously I had would have paid extra for. I think the current difference would be less than a £100 a month. The sales livery are confident she will sell relatively easily once her hair grows back; there was a lot of interest previously. Although its a shame she's not closer to home I am happy with the care being provided for her and I like how the sales livery owner rides her which will be important when she comes back into work

I am going to leave her where she is at least for now; hopefully it won't take to long for her coat to regrow.

Thank you again for your responses I needed to vent earlier in the week.

 

[nagblagger]

More positive update, sounds like it is the right decision and it won't take long to sell her. I was wondering whether she could be sensitive to their washing powder?

 

[Waxwing]

Can anyone please advise out of interest how long it typically takes for a horses coat to regrow at this time of year; she is an ISH. Her winter coat has been coming through for the last month

 

[Fieldlife]

Can anyone please advise out of interest how long it typically takes for a horses coat to regrow at this time of year; she is an ISH. Her winter coat has been coming through for the last month

It might be worth full clipping the rest of her to match and should encourage the hair to grow back.

 

[Waxwing]

Her body neck and face have all been clipped; they left her legs as she has minimal hair on them.

 

[eahotson]

Hi thank for all you responses it is useful to have different perspectives. I did try advertising her privately with the person who has been schooling her for me riding her in any viewings; however there were so many viewings cancelled at short notice or lengthy phone calls where people advised they would be calling back to arrange to view and didn't that sales livery is for me a much better option. I shared everything I knew about her and offered to speak directly to anyone who was interested. I would bring her home for a short period if necessary but in terms of selling her that will be through this or a different sales liver. Thank you again for everyone who has taken the time to respond.

Sounds like a sensible decision.