Going travelling - what to do with horses?

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FinkleyAlex

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I'd really appreciate some advice from anyone has been travelling. I'm hoping to go to Australia for at least six months, most likely a year. This is the only time I can go before starting my medical degree (four years of hard work then I'll need to go straight into employment due to my age and needing to buy a house!).

I have two ponies:

one is a 14.2 20 year old gelding who is semi-retired due to arthritis but can do light schooling and hacking, though due to having sweet itch it is difficult to hack him in summer so I think I'd struggle to loan him out. He can't live out all year as recently started dropping weight over winter despite being stabled at night so I don't think he'd cope wintering out. Any practical solutions for him? Full livery around my area is £150 a week which I could not afford, would it be horrific to consider moving him to another part of the country that offers cheaper full livery (but no one to keep an eye on his care...)

The other is a 14.2 just turned 3yo gelding. Not backed or broken yet as he needs another year of growing. He'd easily live out all year with hay in winter. I'm not sure if there's a market for youngsters on loan as companions, or whether it would just be better to put him on assisted grass livery somewhere? I could stretch to that though around here that would be around £40 a week.

Any other smart ideas would be really appreciated - my family isn't horsey and I don't really have horsey friends that would take them on. Selling is absolutely not an option for the 20yo and only a total last resort for the youngster.
 
I would ask your family to 'do' the 3 year old. And I would ask EMW if they would be willing to look after the 20 year old for you whilst you are away (obviously at a price).
 
I would consider moving them up to another part of the country that is cheaper and put them both out to grass and then finding someone to check up on them for you.

Seems unfair to expect your non horsey family to look after them, what if something happened ? If you won't be around I think you need someone that knows about horses.
 
My sister used to ride and would certainly cast an eye over the youngster if I left him in my local area on grass livery. There's no way the older one could stay on grass livery and I wouldn't want to burden EMW who seem to be a charity. Looks like I'll have to separate them and keep one on fully livery in another part of the country and one on grass livery here.
 
If I were you and going to go away then come back to a medical degree I would sell the three year old as if your going dtraight into a medical degree and when you come back he will be of age to be backed and broken are you going to have time to do that? Or have time to bring him on?

The oldie I would maybe see if there is a retirement place where he could be looked after but checked on by your family at least once a month? I managed to find a lovely loan home for my older horse, he is still fully rideable though, whilst I was having bother and he's came back and is fine but if I hadn't found a loan home them PTS wqs looking likely due to his age and he's not a good doer.

Harsh reality sometimes but having horses can and does curb other dreams and ambitions and sometimes something has to give. You are wanting to go travelling and its not fair to pop the horses onto non horsey family to do this. Mine are horsey and they would object to having Kia thrust on them for 12 monthsm
 
I agree with Black Beastie - I'd find perhaps a sort of retirement livery plus for your older horse, and I'd sell the younger one.

A medical degree / university will not fit well with bringing on a youngster (I do know some people manage it but I think they must be superhuman) and the first few years out of your degree you need a bit of flexibility - you'll be doing long hours, you'll need to move to jobs for the sake of your career which could mean living somewhere it's very difficult to keep a horse.

The extra costs of keeping the youngster at livery for a year will more than outweigh the extra you'd get if you keep him, bring him on before uni and sell him then (if he sells), and it also means you'll have more free money for good care / livery for the older horse. If it's likely to be difficult to commit to the youngster for a few years (and it will be with travelling, a medical degree and then starting your career) he might also be better off somewhere where he can start his ridden career with more consistency.

I hope you find a solution that suits all three of you :)
 
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