how much is your horse worth?

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parsley

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My boy has been at the vets since the beginning of March and is coming home on Friday. The vets bill is £3200 - nearly as much as I paid for him - and the whole complaint has cost about £4000 - more than I paid for him.

I was just wondering how do other people decide how much of a bill to pay? I reasoned that I would only buy another unknown horse for that money - I couldn't replace the confidence he gives me - so its worth it.
 
Mine werent that expensive, but i would do anything to pay vet bills as i love each one so much.

Ozzy the tb is so accident prone, ive spent a small fortune on him.
 
It is difficult to make a reasoned judgment isn't it! Even OH thinks hes worth it and he isn't that keen on horses generally!
 
We bought Murphy for £1500. Overall, his vets bills came to over £7000, and that excludes all the extra bedding, toys, etc. needed during box rest, and the farriery that the insurance wouldn't pay (£95 every 4 weeks)!! And he was STILL put to sleep. Would do it all again though - and more.
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Lou. x
 
I hope he is on the mend and fully recovers.
I would spend what it costs if it was necessary and they were going to be ok.
My friend had a great horse called supersonic soz who my daughter jumped,he got injured and although she struggled to keep him she told the vet she didn't care what it cost just save his life but nothing could be done.She would have sold her house but there are some things money can't buy
 
I bought mine for £3000 but she's worth way more than that to me! She's a friend as well which is priceless. But I'm far too soppy anyway, it took me 18 months to decide to sell my last pony as I was too attached to her even though I would hardly ride her as she was scaring me to death. But Maiden is so fantabulous, such a sweetie and a real confidence giver. Considering going round a 2' PC ODE feels like Badminton to me at the mo, she's worth to me whatever those Badders horses are worth!
I think she's going to be my one in a million... totally irreplacable... priceless!
ETS: I didn't actually answer the question lol! I would pay everything I could to keep Maiden. Anything I could afford, beg borrow or steal.
 
Pretty much priceless, would hate to be in the position of having to decide if I could afford the bill, fortunately the girls have never had expensive illnessess. We did have one mare who cost a lot in vets bills and had to be pts anyway which was horrendous.
 
I hope your horse is recovering.. .money... ummm... my last horse I bought for £7,000.. he was only 4 just backed.... well he had been sat on 4 times!! I loved him to bits and he was soooo gentle for a 17.2... £25,000 later... he had to be put down(fortunately most of this was paid by the insurance company!) but I would have kept on paying if there was a light at the end of the tunnel... but there does unfortunately come a time when you have to think about money.....thank goodness for insurance companies.

My new horse. Mister OKA Freestyler .. well to me I dont care what he is worth because I will never sell him! Once you click with a horse they are priceless and most of us will do anything to keep them healthy!!
 
Patches has cost me far more than I paid for her in vets bills. Wouldn't hestitate to pay them though, so long as there is a good chance for recovery. I'm the same as you, I can't possibly begin to imagine riding without thinking it's Patches I'll be riding.

She's given me so much more than I will ever be able to give her. If I could help her, I'd do it. I'm pretty sure I'd pay even if the odds of recovery were very slim. I just feel I owe her that commitment.

Hope Bomber is ok again soon. I forget what his problem has been.
 
For Storm or Allie I'd happily pay anything. For Olympic I'm not too sure how far I would go. He's helped me so much in the short time I've had him so he'd get a bloody good fighting chance. As for Missy, much as I adore her (when she's behaving) if it would end up costing alot (and I mean upwards of about 8-9k) with a long road to recovery and no gurantee of being anything but a grass muncher or a light hack then I couldn't justify it and I'd let her go.
 
Its really nice to see how much everyone loves their horses and so sad that so many have had to be PTS anyway. Sadly I don't think that my insurance company will be paying this one. He is looking MUCH better than when he went though (he had to have his sinuses done) and is much slimmer and fitter looking as well (a bit like he has been to an expensive health spa with some plastic surgery thrown in!)
 
Neither of mine are insured and there's a definite limit to how much I could spend on them in vets fees.
Anything major that couldnt be alternatively fixed with box rest would not be possible so they would be PTS.

I'm also not a believer in doing something beacuse you love them, if it's going to be painful over a relatively long course of time, I'd rather PTS
 
I bought Simon for £550 in 1987!!! Last year i paid over £8000 in vets bills for two conditions that my insurance wouldnt pay because he was 25years old. Two months after his recovery he had to be pts due to unrelated colic. He meant the world to me and was my best friend. Would have spent more if i had to. It was a small price to pay to help save my solemate.
 
I bought mine as a baby so not that much. If I were to sell her now, the realistic value I would want for her is between 15 and 20k. She is however priceless to me and will never ever be sold for any amount!
There is no limit to the vets bills I would spend on her - where there is any hope, I (well, my parents) would keep spending. I do not insure horses so all vets bills are paid 100% by us and we get no money back if they die / LOU.

I think the market value though is irrelevant on how much you'd spend, it's what they mean to you.

I had a horse who had months and thousands and thousands of pounds spent on her and ended up being pts with a vet bill larger than her value. She was only pts when she was because the vet said there was no more hope - if there was then there is no doubt we would have carried on.
Others, I would be more realistic about - if they could still be ridden as a competition horse then I'd spend the money. if they're only going to be lawn mowers then no. Whereas the two I have mentioned above I would spend / would have spent anything just to keep them!!
 
For some owners, who make their living through horses, wether dealing, riding etc it may enter into things. Most of us are owners who are really attached to our horses so we are the people who will spend a fortune to keep our horses going. A pro will invariably make a decison for business reasons & this understandable. When it's your livlihood you can't afford to be sentimental
 
Apart from routine things I've not had any vet bills from Chex in 9 years so far, so I think he's storing them up! He's technically worth next to nothing in market value terms, but I can't put a value on what he's given me over the years. I would pay anything as long as there was a chance of recovery. Luckily I think my parents would chip in, because his insurance doesn't cover much
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Well, all of our 3 are insured, so hopefully insurance would cover most things. Had about £5k out of them over the years for my WB, she is now at 16 just a happy hacker, can do the odd dressage test but nothing too strenuous. But to be honest, my 2 I would sell everything and live in the horsebox rather than lose them unnecessarily, and I am increasingly feeling like that about my OH's new girl, even more so because she has def had a bad time from people at some point (not who we bought her from, but before that) and it is so nice seeing her strart to trust us, had a breakthrough moment last night when I went out to feed them all, she actually stayed after finishing her feed and let me rub her forehead. Usually she is gone like a shot! Was really nice that she actually wanted to be in my company.
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But yes, really my answer to the question is that they are all priceless.
 
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after yesterday I reckon 50p would be too much

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh dear
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Are you going to post a report ?
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
after yesterday I reckon 50p would be too much

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh dear
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Are you going to post a report ?

[/ QUOTE ]

You gotta be kidding
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The shame just leaving the areana was enough for this month
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Amy May was bought for peanuts 13 years ago. Have claimed, and paid more out on vets fees than she was ever worth. But I'm not sure that's the point is it? We treat our animals for injury or illness as appropriate.

However, at 18 I don't plan on making any further claims on her in the future, and if another crises ever arises will most likely have her put down. At the moment she is obviously in foal, but in essence is also retired. Providing she can live the remainder of her days happily in the field I am happy. Economically I think many reach a point where enough is enough (for specific purpsoses). And it simply is not worth me spending any more money on Amy in terms of vet fees. Of course I am not talking about routine things here, that's not an issue obviously.
 
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