Horses given away/received have you?

charliesarmy

charliesarmy

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Ever gave one away or aquired one for free?? I've noticed a fair few ad's giving there horses away (good home ect ect) various reasons overstocked,personal circumstance ect, just don't understand why you would give a horse away, so any experiance of this (giving away or receiving) please tell me your reasons. :D
 
I gained one, a neighbour didn't get on with it and was considering PTS as she didn't know what to do with it. I stepped in and told her it was cheaper to put her in my field than PTS, so that's what happened.

p.s. she's a lovely mare, just needed someone to understand her.
 
Andalucian said:
I gained one, a neighbour didn't get on with it and was considering PTS as she didn't know what to do with it. I stepped in and told her it was cheaper to put her in my field than PTS, so that's what happened.

p.s. she's a lovely mare, just needed someone to understand her.
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Brilliant :)
 
We took one on for 'free' (well may have been £1) as otherwise he was going to be PTS as his owner had nowhere to put him. We'd had him stay with us previously on sort of rehab following failed loans (he was too much to handle). He had been a hat rack. We then heard he had been through yet another failed loan and, as his owner had nowhere to keep him and he was 19 by this time, my mum offered to take him permanently as it coincided with us losing two of our oldies leaving one oldie who could do with a companion nearer his age.

That was 7 years ago and he is still full of himself, he's an ex NH horse so his legs show the scars from when he broke down racing. heis rideable and isn't a loon at all, he's just keen. We don't really ride him though as don't have time with the others but he gest out on occasion and loves it. for the rest of the time he wanders around in 12 acres with his pals which now include his new 'best bud' my 20 mth old youngster!

I do wonder how people give horses away but then some people's personal circumstances often dictate what they do. i think it can be dangerous giving a horse away for free though.
 
Yes - a few years ago I was given a coloured horse who had behavioural and health issues. I sorted them out, but we didn't really gel, so I sold him, to a lady I'm still in contact with.

In my field at the moment I have an anglo arab who was given to me in September last year. He rears when ridden. He's had a complete health check and the winter off, and I'll bring him back into work in the spring, treat him like an unbroken horse, and see how we go.
 
A couple years back we gave a pony to a local sanctuary as couldnt find another home for him (Very fast and spooky!). Had to do it as had horses on competition livery at the time and couldnt afford a third who wasent needing all that (Yard was over an hour away so couldnt keep him on DIY). Im happy in giving him away as its a home for life and he's having fun :)
 
I got my mare for free (well, technically paid £1 for her).

I was friends with her previous owners (a livery YO and her OH, who had loaned me a pony as a kid) who had rescued her and her companion from a livery who was going to have them shot. They hadn't really planned to get another two horses, and I'd looked after/ridden the now companion horse when I was younger so offered to help out when I was home from University. I soon got bored with just mucking out/grooming and so -with a lot of help from a local instructor - started to ride the other horse (who at 13 had not been broken in!). I did this for the remaining 3.5 years of my undergraduate degree and then was accepted to do a PhD - which meant no more long holidays to go home during - and around the same time YO's OH was diagnosed with cancer, which meant the extra horses were somewhat more of a burden.

Having the horse on a Phd stipend is tricky, but it would have broken my heart to see her go somewhere else, and YO knew she would have a home for life with me, so although her OH had grown attached to said mare (he learnt to ride on her), they gave her to me.

If I could afford it (and we could get him on the horsebox), I'd take - and old YO would give - the other horse too. I don't think they'd have been as happy giving her away if they hadn't already known me for years.
 
I sold a mare for £1 in the summer. We weren't clicking and I had a nasty fall and was off injured for months so sent her on selling livery. While there she went lame and was diagnosed with something that would need continual treatment. So I decided just to find a good home for her. The lady who had had her on livery adored her and asked if she could have her. Job done!! Couldn't be happier. The mare adored the lady as much as the lady loved her! It was meant to be!! :)
 
One friend of mine was given a lovely filly foal as the owner was bankrupt and the livery costs were stacking up. Another friend was given a difficult mare which the owner couldn't cope with. The mare is now a star hunter and team chaser! I have had to buy or breed all of mine though!
 
my first proper horse i bought off my boss for £1, we had a contract done that stated if i ever had financial difficulties ect and had to get rid then he would get first refusal.
 
Iv actually been given ( £1 sell) 3 horses, one tb who I had to sell on as owner didn't get on with him and just wanted a home, he has a super local home to me.
The 2nd was a pony who again owners just wanted rid and he is super and will stay with me forever.
And a 14.1hh cob who is a stunning chap. Very laid back and I love him to bits.

I think a lot off owners are finding that they can't sell but really need to get their horses homed. Free to good home can work well but is open to the dealers and could get in the wrong hands but there are so many good homes that are willing to take on horses.
The cob iv got is so good I will never quite understand why he wasn't sold as he's worth quite a bit.
 
Yes, two of mine were given to me. One because of behaviour problems that were going to end up with him pts. The other because someone had rescued her, and they wanted to find her a forever home.
 
an elderly family friend gave me our NF when she was 2 years old due to ill health. She is still intouch and I send her photographs and letters and my exboss takes her to shows in our area so we take Star so she can see her in person as well.
 
Thank for your replies so many lovely stories,

My reason for asking I have seen a lovely looking horse who is "free/£1" am really tempted,but the old saying "too good to be true=probably is" keeps coming back to me!
 
howengold said:
all you can do is have a look. xx
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Very true but I wanted to try and understand why somebody would give the horse away, as it has no obvious problems just owners lack of time so surely you would stick a low price to reflect lack of time/work in the last year!!

Anyhow have just emailed them :D:D
 
About 10 years ago i was given an 6yr old 16.3 irish thoughbred mare, as a friend was emigrating to Australia and she knew she would be well looked after. I have also been given a 15.1hh dun anglo arab mare, as she had a few issues and owner couldnt keep her any longer, but didnt want her to fall into the wrong hands. My 2nd pony Cindy a 14.3 strawberry roan heinz 57 was also given to me as her owner thought she was useless... i had her for 18yrs, before losing her aged 30... and we had so much fun and achieved loads in the jumping world ! I have also been offered a 15.3 liver chestnut mare whose owner could no longer afford her... she had big health probs and was 19, so have to be honest and say, i thought for the horses sake it would be better for her to be pts. Which is what the owner did. People give horses away for all sorts of reason... unfortunatley there are some people who offer life long homes then sell the horses on.... I personally would never give a horse away.... but thats through personal experience. I gave a dog away to a supposedly life long home, within 6mths they had sold her on and ive not got a clue where she is... its heartbreaking and i couldnt go through that again !
 
I was given my boy, 14.1 riding pony by a very good friend. SHe had owned him since he was 4, he's now 21. I had him on loan and she was worried that she wouldn't have anywhere to keep him if he went back to her and she was also considering RDA.
Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately lol) that day he had bucked me off, so the RDA wouldn't have wanted him.
But i love him to bits, he does everything drives, jumps, hunted, did pc with friends daughter and i always wanted him, never dreamt that he would belong to me.
 
had 3 that way now (£1 sales) my welsh A gelding SWA who is a darling & currently learing to drive, a welsh A mare who was not suitible for the kids & was passed onto a nice loving companion home (they paid fuel costs for us to transport her there) & a shettie who i passed on as he was a bully to someone else for the cost of his vets fees (& they sold on less than a month later) but he now with a friend & very well loved so worked out ok in the end.
 
charliesarmy said:
Thank for your replies so many lovely stories,

My reason for asking I have seen a lovely looking horse who is "free/£1" am really tempted,but the old saying "too good to be true=probably is" keeps coming back to me!
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I had a lovely WB mare, very well bred and the kindest thing to ever look through a bridle but didn't really enjoy hard work and had a height limit when jumping of 2'9". Totally not the right sort of horse for me as I wanted to hunt, event etc.

I had however become very fond of her over the 3 years I had her and she was part of the family because she was such a character and although I probably could have sold her as a happy hacker for reasonable money I felt the home she got was way more important than any financial gain. I found a friend who was a bit nervous but desperately wanted a horse and she went to her on loan last year and at Christmas she bought her for £1.

She wasn't too good to be true, she was a fantastic mare for the right person, just not for me but she has looked after her new owner brilliantly, given her lots of confidence and because the mare is completely in charge goes hunting and jumps very small things perfectly happily!
 
I have been given a 16 2HH ISH,by my best friend.She is lovely mare,has SJI points and has hunted hounds ,she is just sooooooo strong!!!!
I love the mare dearly,and cant believe i have her.
Although i have been given her,i would always give her back to my friend if she ever wanted her,although it would break my heart.
I feel so honoured:D
I have also done similar with my old boy.A close,capable friend has him.He is a quirky horse,so would never sell him,but she gets on well with him,so its an ideal situation at the moment.If things ever changed i would have him back and decide his future.
 
I had a 'spare' horse when we moved (we moved out of a rented property with land into a purchased house with none and I couldn't afford livery on all of them, she did the least work and was last in 1st out, she was not a good hack but sensible in the school) which I gave to the girl who had her on loan. She adored her and was really keen for her, it was a home for life.

I've been told she has since sold her at a profit (any money was a profit as she didn't pay for her) and didn't even tell me when I saw her a while ago, though she was a bit uncomfortable! She has moved yards and no sign of my old mare. I'd have tried to buy her back had I known and found another loan for her as a companion or in a riding school so she would get the attention.

Horse went with a saddle I was meant to get back once a replacement was bought, have asked for it but met silence, assume that was sold too.

Thing is she's a really nice girl so I am thoroughly confused and hope I may have been told wrong.
 
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