How much have your pity purchases, rehabs, project ponies cost you

[coblets]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking about buying a horse that I know isn't right. I don't know what's wrong with her but based on the advertising history there probably is something going on.

I know this sounds like a horrible idea but I loved her dam who has now sadly passed so when I saw a foal of hers (now 6 years old) for sale I starting seriously considering buying her.

I wouldn't mind owning a horse that couldn't be ridden but my worry is owning a horse that can't be ridden and costs a lot in terms of maintenance. I'm working through my finances so would like to get an estimate of what people are paying regularly for their horses with issues.

E.g. how much do people with horses with neurological issues find themselves paying regularly for medical care? Or people with horses with arthritis or a historical musculoskeletal injury? Or other physical issues that have made a horse unrideable? I'm thinking money in terms of how much do you spend on supplements, non-standard farriery, routine painkillers/medication, physio/other treatment, routine vet work ups, ulcer treatment etc.

Also how much have people paid for lameness work ups recently (done on site at your yard not at a hospital: x-rays, nerve blocks, etc.)? I wouldn't do a proper lameness workup until she'd gone on field rest for a bit but just factoring it in.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I did £8k on a lameness/navicular investigation incl MRIs/bone scans and then had to have the horse PTS anyway age 8. At one point I was paying £180 PER SHOE, plus a full set of x-rays at £80 a hoof just to get him shod every 5 weeks.

The next pity buy was another £5k before I ultimately had to PTS at age 12 as he was just simply broken, in a few places. We could have kept looking and would have found more.

Both horses were insured, not everything is covered/they will agree to. A lame horse costs just as much to keep as a sound one so not sure why you'd go for a lame one.

Supplements aren't that expensive if you're willing to mix them up yourself, my brilliant phsyio was £90 per treatment back in 2015 so is probably considerably more now (she moved out of area), having joints injected I think can easily run £300-700 a time, per area and it tends to be annual maintenance. Arthmid is around £250-300 a time and people tend to get it annually I believe. Then based on rehab required you may need to be able to get to the yard 3 x a day to do walks in hand, or restricted turnout, or pay someone to do it for you.

 

[SEL]

Well there's all the normal costs (vaccinations, teeth, feet etc) and I spent about £500 on x-rays with M then in his latter years Bute. He was worth every penny.

My Appy with her PSSM and arthritis has retired from ridden work. Again the usual costs but she needs vitamin E, CBD and a huge wardrobe of rugs. I spent a lot trying to get her sound before admitting defeat - don't dare add it up.

ETA both were gifted to me so no initial outlay.

 

[GypsGal1718]

I spent £300 pounds on little coblet I re-homed. No vets bills (god forbid) except vaccines and dectomax for her mites when she came.

 

[Abacus]

Why would you even think of it? What was your relationship with her dam?

To me it sounds as though you are taking on a bigger gamble than normal (we all know horses!) for sentimental reasons. Unless you have lots of money and land, why would you?

Sorry if this is blunt. I’m two glasses of wine down and maybe less tactful than normal but…

 

[Bellaboo18]

Similar situation with my very much loved mare.

She was abandoned in a field and by the time of purchase, I knew there was a lot wrong with her but didn't know what (I actually offered her to a fellow H&Her but at the time thought she was *just* neglected/feral).
Anyway lameness workups, fortnightly physio, psd surgery, ulcer treatment, specialist shoeing etc. etc.
I'd guess at 30k but more costly was the mental toll of having a horse you so desperately want to fix. PTS was almost constantly on the cards but she kept improving. I was always weighing up what was fair to put her through. She's now sound and happily living at home. Do I include the house we bought so she could live with us?

Honestly, she is so loved and the thing I'm most proud of but I wouldn't wish the rollercoaster on my worst enemy. Even now, given the surgery, rehab and the fact under it all her body is compromised I don't expect her to stand up to things like a boggy field as well as my other two.

I imagine my case is extreme but my advice would be, be careful, it's a lot of heartache.

Eta it quickly became obvious in our situation that field rest would have been unfair. The bleeding ulcers needed treating and therefore so did the underlying cause.

 

[suestowford]

I've got two here with arthritis and they both get Bute every day. One is small so only on half a Bute pd. That costs c.£550 per year including prescription fees. They don't get special farriery as they have no shoes on and have generally quite good feet. No extra supplements as one of them needs quite a lot of Prascend every day also, so that's where a lot of my £ goes. They have two routine vet visits per year, to make sure all is still well with them. But it's no good me looking up how much that costs as it's changing every visit. So far we've been fortunate and not had an emergency visit for a couple of years.
My two are old, and they didn't really have a lot wrong with them when they were young. I can see it could be a different story with a damaged young horse. For one thing, I know the end of these costs (for me) will not be an awfully long time away. But even if you only gave her basics and she lived for another 20 years that's a huge amount of money to be looking at.
That's without taking into account the emotional toll of worrying about a broken horse.

 

[scats]

I dread to think how much I have spent on Polly. I got her as a failed vetting project, took a punt and it seemed to be paying off and then the wheels fell off later that year.
7 years later and I dread to think how many thousands and thousands of pounds I have spent. The first couple of years alone she cost me several thousands in vet fees, chiro, physio.

She has PSD, SI joint dysfunction and hock arthritis. Recently diagnosed with PSSM and the px variant. For want of a better word, she is the most autistic horse I have ever met.
She is extremely high maintenance in some ways, but easy in others. She box walks at turnout time and when her ‘switch’ goes, so mulches her bed. Winter she costs me a fortune in bedding. She doesn’t do change so changes in routine mean inevitably I have to remove the whole bed and start again, so that’s an added expense.

But she is a happy soul who has found her safe place and is completely thriving. I’ve never seen a pony look so grateful for everything. I can’t really explain it but I get the impression she knows what I have done for her, in a way that maybe other horses don’t. She is genuinely the sweetest person to have around, though you need the patience of a saint to deal with her.

Would I do it again? Not with something like her. Do I regret it? No, not at all. I have learnt so, so much from her and that’s always a positive. Plus, I know I have changed her life for the better.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I’ve never seen a pony look so grateful for everything. I can’t really explain it but I get the impression she knows what I have done for her, in a way that maybe other horses don’t. She is genuinely the sweetest person to have around, though you need the patience of a saint to deal with her.

This is exactly how I feel

 

[dorsetladette]

I have a pity purchase and a project that didn't work out.

Pity purchase - nominal fee to buy at 9 months old. Various vet bills for injuries from being an idiot in the field. About £1800 when his gelding went wrong. God knows how much on wormers. He's 3 now and if he manages to not injure himself into adulthood he's destined to be a ride and drive pony.

Project - free to a good home advert. Spent thousands on pain investigations which found nothing. Another few thousand on professional help to try and get him past his anxiety problems with various different techniques. Gave up and decided he wouldn't be a ridden horse. He's now a nanny to my baby ponies. He has regular physio visits and we follow her exercises to the letter. He's walked out in hand and lunged twice a week. Keeping his weight down is hard without being able to ride him.

The above all is on top of the usual running costs of horse ownership.

I wouldn't mind owning a horse that couldn't be ridden but my worry is owning a horse that can't be ridden and costs a lot in terms of maintenance. I'm working through my finances so would like to get an estimate of what people are paying regularly for their horses with issues.

E.g. how much do people with horses with neurological issues find themselves paying regularly for medical treatment?

OP - your above comment worries me. What kind of neurological issue do you think this mare has?

 

[LadyGascoyne]

An absolute living fortune. At least twice as much as the well one.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

I can sympathise. Not the same but was in a similar scenario excluding the vets bills. I bought a horse on impulse as I had another by the stallion. My original horse was an absolute superstar. I bought this 6 year old without knowing much about it, just that I had a half brother at home. Anyway he was totally different in manners and frame and we just didn't gel so I sold him on quite quickly. I think I'm saying just becuase you know one half of the family it doesn't make the whole horse

 

[Caol Ila]

I bought a 'project,' an ex-feral Highland who had been barely backed, with the view of selling him on once my youngster came into full work.

Well, the youngster is now in full work, but who could sell this face? Not me.



Knock on wood, he's got some weird quirks but health-wise, low-maintenance. Knocking on all the wood.

 

[scruffyponies]

Hardly anything. Much of what was wrong with any of them could be put down to the situation they found themselves in or the confidence or otherwise of their owner.

 

[Glitter's fun]

I'd be more worried about the emotional price, which is incalculable but huge.
If you are still detached enough to say you are thinking about it and adding things up then you are not too far in to walk away.
There are more horses in the world than there are good homes like yours. Please put all that money and love into one that at least might be comfortable and long lived.

 

[Gloi]

My pity purchases have come from bad situations and haven't had health issues a bit of food and removing parasites couldn't cure. All got sold on once they were fit and going okay. Some actually made money.

 

[Kirstd33]

Honestly I would say don’t do it, money aside which, in the absence of insurance could easily run into the thousands what about the emotional ans physical toil it takes. I’m on the roller coaster of being 4 weeks post my coblet having had annular ligament surgery and he’s on box rest which is requiring 3 x daily muck out, walking out in hand for 5 mins x 2 daily and it’s been a roller coaster so far with post surgery colic, cellulitis, scouring etc and some days he’s still lame as a dog and I’ve been warned by the vet and other HHers that I have about a year to go before he’ll be able to do any meaningful work that’s if infact he comes right.
I’m just not sure why anyone would go into it knowingly. Or maybe I’m just a bit hard hearted but this hobby is financially draining and we make so many other sacrifices so it should be fun and enjoyable?

 

[catembi]

Not quite a pity purchase, but I bought a 3 yo Dartmoor for £200 from a lovely lady who runs a rescue. Said pony developed a severe hay allergy with heaves so I had to move all mine to haylage, which involved building work on my hay barn to the tune of £700 so that I could get round bales in. She now also has EMS & the repeated blood testing & Ertugliflozine prescriptions are now totalling £1,100-£1,200... I did back her & get her riding away quite nicely but the wheels came off & she was found to have type 2 PSSM/MIM. So much for a cheap, easy to keep companion!

 

[SEL]

In addition to the 2 above there's also the microcob - she's my happy hacker. Lockdown project who I planned to bring into work after weaning her yearling and sell on as she's only 13h.

Fortunately insured! About £4k on her breathing investigations and surgery (£2.5k insured). A year later a similar amount on lameness investigations of which I had to pay around £1k. She needs specialist shoes about every 6 weeks, bozmerix and bodywork

I even became a trained massage therapist I had so many wonky projects!!

In all honesty the financial cost is nowhere near as bad as the emotional cost. I was in pieces earlier this year when baby cob hurt himself in the field - huge overreaction but understandable if you knew my journey over the past 10 years with horses. I don't think I could have coped with another one broken.

 

[I'm Dun]

I used to budget about £1000 to get them right, but only got those I thought would be a quick easy fix. The one I still have has nearly finished me off more than once, quite honestly he's cost me everything and more emotionally. I have no doubt the daft sod will live to be 40 and outlive me, causing me stress and worry constantly till then!

 

[southerncomfort]

I wouldn't even class a horse with neurological symptoms as a project. They have very likely got something very bad indeed going on, and aren't likely to be fixable.

Perhaps read through some threads on here about what some owners of neuro horses have been through/are going through. I wouldn't wish that heartache on anyone.

 

[Snowfilly]

Anywhere between ‘nothing’ outside of normal costs, and just plenty of food, rest, time and schooling to £100 for PTS and removal to scary figures that still ended in PTS because they were too broken.

I doubt this one would be able to be insured at all because it’s pre-existing? I would budget probably £10k for workups and diagnostics and some initial treatment but tbh I wouldn’t touch one with neurological symptoms with a barge pole.

I also, as a warning, once rode a mare who I really didn’t like. I’d loved her sire and ridden him for a few years, and loved the bones of her half brother by the same sire - he was ‘my’ pony for years at a riding school as a teenager. I was so excited to meet her and get to know her - and she was horrible. None of their character at all. So just because you have a family attachment here, it doesn’t mean you’ll like this one.

 

[NoodlesHalloween]

I viewed a youngster on monday that I was very keen on but having considered the heartache and time I have already gone through rehabbing and the missing the enjoyment of just being able to get onboard I had to let the dream go for now.

 

[Peglo]

My first pony was supposed to have navicular when I got her. I rode her for 2 years before she was retired and I assumed she would deteriorate further but after being retired her lameness issues disappeared and she went on to live a long life, on no medication. She died of old age at 32.

 

[I'm Dun]

My first pony was supposed to have navicular when I got her. I rode her for 2 years before she was retired and I assumed she would deteriorate further but after being retired her lameness issues disappeared and she went on to live a long life, on no medication. She died of old age at 32.

I happiy take on "navicular" horses because the first thing I do is take the shoes off everything. And a barefoot rehab fixes most of them. I wouldn't take on a neuro horse if someone paid me. Its not a project, its a take on and PTS job sadly.

 

[Tarragon]

You could take her on, give her a summer of love, then either decide she is either fixable, or manageable within acceptable costs, or PTS.

 

[maya2008]

Well…most of them have been great, inexpensive and just cost time and feed/space in the field.

Two did cost a fair bit - one for a field accident that led to discovery of other issues and ultimately to pts; and one colicked badly and had to be pts. Out of hours call-outs are now over £200 for coming and examining pony, so cost mounts up fast if they go downhill out of office hours.

Every horse deserves a loving home, or at least kind and timely pts if in incurable pain. When I take anything on, I always know pts if a possibility. It is still worth taking the pony/horse at a low price, that possibility included, if it is in a poor situation.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Not to be dramatic, but my last 3 projects have had problems (that were impossible to pick up without further diagnostics), and despite costing me ££ in vets bills, I fear it may also have cost me my love of riding...!

 

[rabatsa]

A donkey cost me in the region of £15,000 in the 18 months before I had him pts.

 

[Xmasha]

One i paid £10 for , she was a beautiful mare well bred ISH. She cost me several thousands, but worse she cost me my confidence. Ive never really got back to where i was before i bought her.

The other i bought a broodmare in foal. Real pity buy, she was in a terrible state, and my dad had not long passed away so i wasnt thinking straight. She lost the foal at some point , and had the worst dental issues ive ever come across. Cost me £2000 just fix her teeth. Got her backed and in good nick, sold her on at a massive loss. But i felt good for helping her.

You need deep pockets and to be able to cope with the roller coaster

But theres no way id touch a project with neuro issues