How much would you pay for a 28yr old horse?

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_basil_

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Sounds odd, but just wanted some of your thoughts on this. The horse in question is well known to me and she does not look (or act) her age She is still rideable and has plenty of life in her - the only draw back is that she has sidebone - but that does not bother her too much. Any comments will be appreciated.
 
I wouldn't pay anything for a 28 year old horse(except £2 to change ownership), although we were offered one over here (same age 28) who was still competing and winning buckles and money for the bargain price of 4K......we thanked them and went home without said pony. It did sell and is still winning everything under the sun LOL!! I believe the year we met it, it had already won $35,000 or something wacky like that.
 
bearing in mind you;re looking at a max of 5 years use.

It would depend on the horse TBH. If it was a top schoolmaster then obiously we're talking thousands, if not then hundreds.
 
My mental calculations would start with meat money, and then work in anything else that adds value, ie, fabulous schoolmaster for example..but I think my absolute limit would be £750..there are years of potential expense ahead with a horse of this age
 
erm
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nothing,
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I would take her for free and offer her a good home for her remaining days.
 
How long have the owners had the 28year old pony? I assume they have had it a while ( in my opinion not many people buy this age of pony - NOT saying they wont ) If they have had it a while i would like to think they would rather it go to a good home and be thankful that someone is willing to take it on than charge someone for it. Dont get me wrong i love the older ponies ( mine was 25years when he was PTS and was priceless ) but you will be linited on what you can do. To be honest i cant believe that someone would even consider making money on something so old.
 
My friend recently bought a 25yr old from the sales for a few hundred quid, and he is fab. He thinks he's a 5 yr old, like she said, if she only gets a year out of him, they are having great fun.
 
I just would not buy a 28 yr old horse. Loan her by all means and pay for her keep, vet bills etc but I wouldnt buy her. Mind you I have a 29 and 31 yr old and I would not sell them or loan them but if someone wanted to ride them and they were fit I would allow it. But they will remain my responsibility now until the end. I could not sell them.
 
The cost of it's tack and transport to me.
It will cost you to dispose of it if it suddenly dies which it may at that age, so it should be free..
Plus I have to say moving a 28 year old isn't really fair, they are definitely less able to cope with integrating with new horses the older they get, and if something was that old it's a big thing to start again for them. They get a bit like old people, prefer familiar friends and places. If however it is staying put that's a different matter.
All the same I think I would look for something in it's teens if I were you instead, you will get longer use from it and less problems.
 
Agree with you, my 31 year old will remain with us until the end. We have decided that she will not have to cope with another winter, but we will make this a good summer for her.
 
I doubt I would pay anything or at least very little.

Jubilee (who was PTS today) was 23 when I took her on loan and she could outstrip any other horse that I rode out with. We retired her at 26 as when I stopped riding her she developed Cushings. She died today aged 29
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She was an absolute babe but in reality if I had bought her then I would have had approx 3yrs use out of her and then only keep and vet bills to pay.

As for moving them I would agree that they often don't settle very well, however my friend very recently moved her 46 yr old
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and she has settled better than the other five horses that left to various yards at the same time.
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sorry but unless i had a big vets budget and didnt get upset at loseing horses i would have an old horse given to much heart ache for me
 
A friend recently bought a 29yr old pony for her son (11 yr old) who had just decided he wanted to learn to ride. Pony has plenty of go in her still. She came with really nice tack and rugs and so they paid £250.

As she put it - she bought the saddle and the pony came free!
 
I bought Breeze at 23 for £200 - best £200 I have ever spent and she gave me 6 years of tremendous fun and only terminated by an unlucky kick in the field.

Personally I would not pay a great deal, if anything for a horse of this age, but would pay for the tack and rugs if available.

Not all old horses run up huge vets bills, Breeze was never ill or sorry until the accident, but they can do and this is something you have to allow for as you will only be able to get a small amount of external damage cover.

With Cairo I don't bother with any vets fees and he is insured for the grand value of £50 as he is worthless to anyone apart from us - and to us he is priceless.
 
I put my 22 yr old tb x Han out on loan to a really nice family After bout 6 Months they asked to buy him, I just asked them for £250 for his tack & rugs, his saddle was a made to measure one so it wouldnt have been much use to me. at least i knew that he would still have a good fitting saddle even though it cost me a fortune. But his welfare meant more to me than cash. If anything i would just pay for its tack.
 
I would not pay a penny but guarantee the horse has the best life until his dying day.

I had a pony who was winning everything in her late twenties. Including Pony Races. She was a super star.

When we bought her the deal was when she had finished her life with us that she will go back to her old owner to retire. And that is exactly what she did. She also died exactly as we expected her too. M went out in to the field and there she was. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone.

If you really want this horse, perhaps just offer a token amount and/or buy the tack etc?

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As everyone else seems to say - I wouldn't pay anything for a 28 yr old. And if I was the owner I would be extremely grateful to find someone willing to take it on full (or permanent) loan. Also, as it is quite difficult to age any horse over 12 years how can they be sure that she is 28...she could be older!
 
I paid £350 for a clyde x irish draft 17hh advertised at 30 !! He is just what I need for light hacking a few times a week. His owner had to move with her husband who was in the forces but I still keep in touch as promised. The first thing I did was have his teeth checked and he was aged at 23ish so that made me feel less guilty for riding him! He seems to be in excellent health and I viewed the £350 as payment for his tack, rugs and everything else he came with. I even managed to arrange a basic insurance for him to cover accident and liability, also £200 towards disposal when that day comes. I must admit I was was a bit hesitant about taking on such an elderly horse mainly because our mare had just died suddenly and thought of going through that again possibly soon was scary. However I will treasure each day as there are no guarantees even with a young horse.
 
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