Following on - boyfried and horse post

C

Colline

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Thanks to all who answered my post on BF and Horse problem.

Did what most of you suggested and talked it through with him. By the end of it he was okish and says that it isn't a bad idea to get one. YIPEEE (dances with delight)

Anyway here is my next dilema. There is a horse locally who is looking for a new loan home or possible sale to right home. Have checked out the details and it all adds up. Horse is just under 16 hands and is good to hack etc (which is mainly what I want to do) I know the previous owner jumped it but I've decided over the weekend that really all I need is a happy hacker due to a previous injury - not horse related. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS HER AGE - she is nearly 18 and that is what worries me. I'm an experienced owner but as you guys know finances would be a lot tighter for me and the thought of vets bills really worry me. I thought about just loaning her but from what I know she has to stay at the current yard - facilities ok, yard a bit run down. Would you go and look and if all seemed well take the chance on an oldie?
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the age wouldnt worry me at all, try her on loan first and see how she fares up, what supplements she may or may not need, and judge it from there. my friends 20 years old (you know who you are and youre no doubt reading this) is spritely and far less maintenance than her younger mare - and goes like a rocket and far faster than my 7 year old.
 
If you are just looking for a happy hacker, an 18 year old should be fine! They don't have to cost any more in vets bills than an ordinary horse although you may have to pay a bit more attention to the diet etc to keep them in tip top condition. Any horse can go wrong & at any age. An older horse is likely to be better at keeping themselves out of trouble than a yonger horse as they have more experience of the world and tend to do less stupid things, therefore should hopefully get injured less! Ok, you may have to contend with arthritic conditions etc, but you should check that sort of thing out before you buy any horse of any age. Also, remember the horse's age should be reflected in a much lower purchase price
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Age isn't a problem I don't think! After all an 18yr old might well have 10 or so years of good work left in them. I would make sure to get her vetted to fully check that shes sound and healthy - and ask lots of questions about how she is to do, does she need much feeding to keep weight on etc. For that reason I'd probably avoid a tb for your purposes as you don't want something thats going to need loads of feed to keep condition.

The other consideration is that at some point with an oldie you'll have to make the decision to retire/put to sleep. The issue then is whether you'll be happy enough to keep a horse for several years that maybe can't be ridden, and maybe you won't be able to get another horse to ride as well. Those are all considerations to be made, but I don't see any reason you shouldn't have a great time with an older horse.
 
dont let age worry you!

Lance is coming up 19 and can give any younger horse a run for its money!

Start with a loan, that way you can get to know the horse, plus petplan insure for vets fees up to 25yrs now, so if you decide to buy you will be covered.
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I too would go for a loan just to make sure that everything you are told about her is ok. You should be able to get a good idea of how much it is going to cost to keep her before commiting yourself by buying her.

Make sure that you get a written contract between you and the owner, so everybody is clear about what costs will be bourne by each party and who is responsible for the insurance etc. I think the BHS do a very good one.

Good luck.
 
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