How much would you pay for...?

[SoundTheBugle]

I have been given the option to buy my share mare and asked to suggest a fair price for her. She's being sold by the non-horsey parents as she's not suitable for the horse loving but inexperienced teenage daughters. She's not the sort of horse I think should be passed on and will end her days with me, but I'm struggling to come up with an appropriate number. They paid £1300 when she was a 7yo.

10 year old ISH mare. 15.2hh but chunky, very pretty.
Hacks well in a group but struggles with confidence alone. Green in the school but improving with work. Loves her jumping and (when fit) will hack and jump for days. Loving mare but takes a little while to warm up to new people.

Can be very spooky (needs valerian and magnesium or can be borderline dangerous to handle) and definitely not suitable for a novice or nervous handler/rider. Not great to load, can be difficult to catch and needs a quiet and sympathetic farrier. Struggles with separation anxiety unless kept in a large herd. Has mild arthritis in hocks which is managed with physio and glucosamine. Can be difficult to bridle but works well bitless. Has been out of consistent work for a year whilst I was away on a placement year with university.

As much as there are far fewer pros than cons with her, Shadow completely changed my life after I moved 200 miles away from home for uni - she gave me a community and introduced me to my second family, and my lovely Duke pony. I owe her the world and, especially after the terrible time she had in a previous home, she deserves a secure future. Any ideas as to a number?

 

[Rumtytum]

No idea of value, just wanted to say what a lucky girl she is to have you ?

 

[mini_b]

As above!!
if there’s more cons than pros and she’s difficult, sounds like you’ve already improved her drastically would they understand that she’s not “saleable” as such as with her quirks, she’s not exceptionally talented either.
Would they consider a permanent loan or essentially gift her to you.

If absolutely not, and you really really want her, I’d pay max £1500 (what they paid) essentially to keep it sweet and only to ensure that she stayed in your hands. That would be money prised from clenched fists though, I’d begrudge paying it!

 

[ponynutz]

1-2000 for me, she sounds absolutely lovely and full of character!!!

 

[doodle]

I would say offer to pay what they paid. There are a huge list of negatives and I expect any increase in price would be due to you anyway so expecting you to pay for it too not really right.

 

[mini_b]

I would say offer to pay what they paid. There are a huge list of negatives and I expect any increase in price would be due to you anyway so expecting you to pay for it too not really right.

thats what I tried to say but made a bit of a word salad there with my reply ?

 

[AdorableAlice]

She would not pass a vet, is unsafe to hack alone, won't load and is difficult to handle. I think you need to sit down with the owners and have a conversation detailing the problems and how it would influence finding a new home on the open market. Pointing out that whilst a dealer would buy her without trying or vetting her, the horse would then enter a downward spiral of homes and sales.

Point out that you know how to handle the horse and how she thrives with you and will have a home for life before offering £500. As much as you love her, her soundness will become more of an issue as she ages. You are essentially buying an unsound horse now.

Without Covid pushing ridiculous prices she would be hard to move on, but at the moment a blind, lame, nutcase is fetching mega money and if the owners are aware of that they may be seeing £ signs at present and prepared to view you as a push over because you adore the horse. You are in a tricky position.

 

[Honey08]

Offer what they paid (and say it in those words). She sounds like she’s not a bad mare, the jumping is attractive, but her hocks are a worry. My mare’s hocks have been dreadful (and expensive) for the past few years. So those things balance each other out..

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I have a horse with arthritic hocks. Obviously, it only gets worse. Given her lack of soundness and other issues, I’d be expecting them to gift her to you. If they want money, I think they’re deluded. They might be un-horsey, but they surely aren’t stupid? She might get passed from pillar to post if sold elsewhere. If they don’t realise how much you love her and how well you’ll care for her, they’re mad.

I don’t think she has a jumping future, mine never went near another fence once he was diagnosed.

 

[Frumpoon]

If she’s the one 8n your pic she looks a cracker!!!

Arthritic hocks are very common and easy to treat these days, my old horse was still jumping 1m plus at the age of 25 with steroid jabs every 9 months or so

In fact I know of at least half a dozen even terms jumping at 2* plus that have hock jabs

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

She can't be competed if she needs valerian to handle, she isn't great to hack alone, is borderline dangerous on the ground, wouldn't pass a vet, is difficult to manage with the separation anxiety and isn't that young. The main pro is that she will hack and jump for days, but she certainly won't once those hocks worsen, and that's a when not an if.

I don't mean to sound harsh OP but that's the fact of the situation, I woudn't be expecting to pay any more than £500, and that's with a full wardrobe - I'd be closer to £1 for an official sale without tack etc.

The imperfect horses are the ones we fall for the most, my boy has a list as long as your arm why I shouldn't have bought him so please don't take my post personally. I hope it all goes well and you have a new friend for life!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would offer what they paid for her, so that they have some money to put towards another horse for their daughter but an alternative would be for them to ask e.g. the farrier for his honest opinion.

 

[ihatework]

In my experience people buying a horse will naturally focus on the bad to bring the price down, those selling will focus on the good to bring the price up.

You know the horse, you presumably are confident she will do your job despite the issues - for you there has to be some value in that - you could go out with 1-2k in your pocket and be right royally shafted with something completely unsuitable.

I think I’d aim to be paying them what they initially paid, £1300. But I’d probably feel them out first and see if they were likely to accept less.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I paid closer to £1 than £1000 for mine. Cost was in the 100's, don't want to say exactly how much in case people I know can identify me as they also brought horses off YO at the time.

I'd been Full loaning mine when he had to be removed from my old boss riding school and id been loaning him at the time as he couldn't cope with the environment.

I had him vetted as I was interested in buying him (hindsight heart ruled head as I've missed out on getting to do so many things with him due to his issues) he failed as the vet said while his legs etc were fine, he was so mentally challenged they couldn't recommend i buy him as he wouldn't cope with any change of environment in their opinion.

Old YO then moved away so offered him to me for the above amounts. I accepted her offer and bought him.

-must make clear he has absolutely no vices he's never bucked or kicked or reared, wouldn't have touched him if he had.
-on the ground i trust him implicitly, he doesn't have a bad bone in his body
-he picks up schooling moves easy, while not "polished" he can do shoulder in, leg yield, great at adding and removing strides, can do a flying change when everything goes right, counter canter when asked for. If I'd put more effort in as when I first got him i was a teenager so more interested in jumping, and he travelled could probably do an elementary test. Again this is me working with him rather than coming ready made

Now the not so good!

-he is nervous, I think before old YO got him I suspect he's been smacked round the head, probably by a man as he's scared of men
-i haven't even tried to box him, even if.i try to put him in a stable that is too narrow or dark, he isn't going in there
-he's been at this yard a long time and being blunt will die there, I don't think he'd cope with a yard change
-he would not cope with vet admissions, if he gets something that requires surgery or an admission, I will have him put down
YO actually has a signed letter from me, in case she ever needs to act if she can't get hold of me, that if he gets colic I'm happy to try non surgical intervention but if he needs surgery my wish is for him to be pts. He wouldn't cope.
-he wouldn't hack alone when I got him, I think this was partly due to only going out as a group with the rs. I have fixed this, working at the beginning with willng foot soldiers. He is now mostly a buckle hack but is spooky. The spooking also tends to be at random things eg mud or poo on the road.
-he needs to be in a fairly barren field or you can forget catching him
-if he was a person I'd say he was autistic, and very much clings to a routine
-due to him not boxing (yes I perhaps should have tried but I didn't want to set him back into the almost mental breakdown he seemed to be in when I first took him on) I can't participate in activities such as beach rides or hunting. I think hed have loved hunting however I never dared take him because he was irratic to jump and combined with the catching issues the thought of coming off him in all those open spaces didn't bare thinking about, plus at the time I didn't know you didn't have to jump.
-he could easily jump a 90cm track, probably even a 1m track. He was scopey but if the jump changed and he considered it too spooky he'd stop. While I was probably adding to the problem by riding defensively so I was anchored if he stopped, i did eventually lose my nerve jumping so we don't jump any more. I'd probably not solely blame it on him as the "what ifs" suddenly hit. This was after I purchased him though so can't factor it into the price

-he is unsellable as I'd be constantly wondering where he was and what someone could be doing to him due to him being so neurotic.

 

[SO1]

If you are at uni it sounds like you might possibly be quite young. The horse is only 10 and sounds like it might not pass a vetting or be that saleable if they advertise her honestly. However I expect if she is pretty and jumps well then someone make take a punt on her without a vetting or a dealer would take her and try and iron out the behavioural issues to sell on at a profit hoping someone would buy without vetting.

Sharing and owning are very different in terms of financial commitment and time, unless you have independent means, family support or a decent income she could become expensive and time consuming at a time when you are young and might want to do other things or not be on the greatest income. If she is not easy to handle it may be hard to find a sharer for her if you needed one. If you have not already done so I would speak to a vet about the hock arthritis and her prognosis and possible treatments and costs of those treatments. You can then go back to the owners and explain that due to her arthritis which will get worse her value will have gone down from the original purchase price as she is no longer in top health and there will be cost in future due to a disease that is progressive.

My concern is if you are indeed young you may be are making a decision because you are vulnerable as you have been away from home and this horse and situation has helped you in a difficult time, however if you return to your normal home you may find you want to spend more time with your family and friends or have a different lifestyle, a career that requires flexibility of hours, a partner that wants you to spend more time with them etc and that owning a horse is going to be restrictive for you when you are 100% responsible for its care rather than being a sharer.

 

[Cob Life]

My concern is if you are indeed young you may be are making a decision because you are vulnerable as you have been away from home and this horse and situation has helped you in a difficult time, however if you return to your normal home you may find you want to spend more time with your family and friends or have a different lifestyle, a career that requires flexibility of hours, a partner that wants you to spend more time with them etc and that owning a horse is going to be restrictive for you when you are 100% responsible for its care rather than being a sharer.

can I just say, yes you make fair points but i am also uni age (If I’d ever gone) and definitely something OP needs to consider but if my share horse was sold I would find a way to afford to keep and buy him (I could just about on my current wage with a little left over) Young doesn’t always = Unreliable Or even that we underestimate how much we’re taking on.

OP Id likely be looking to pay what they did for her (unless the horse has gone downhill since they’ve had her) with a full wardrobe.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wouldn't pay very much at all and I have a 15 year old horse with hock arthritis, if it were me I would gift him to you I wouldn't expect you to pay for a 10 year old horse with hock arthritis, they should be happy for you to want to take him.

Decided to not rant

 

[Lois Lame]

I would offer what they paid.

If they told me (after hearing my offer) that they were willing to sell her for less, or throw in some tack, I'd accept graciously.

I don't get the feeling they are after lots of loot. It's just much easier for them to get you to make an offer than to have to come up with a figure.

Having a talk with them face to face would be good. I wouldn't play up her weak points, I would explain that I like her very much, that I plan to keep her forever, give her what she needs and all that, and then take it from there.

Perhaps then I'd say, "I don't know what to offer, but I am happy to give you what you paid for her."

On the off chance that these people would then come back with something I wasn't happy about, I wouldn't play their game. I'm not into games with horse buying and selling. I'd be straight.

Anyhow, good luck.

 

[Red-1]

I don't think there is a 'correct' amount. It is between the two of you.

I think I would tell them that I loved the horse very much, but didn't have much money, especially as the horse has ongoing medical issues. I would say how settled the horse was with me. Then I would ask what they were thinking.

In comparison, I paid a similar amount for my recent purchase, with good saddle and rugs. But then, he is 15, was just finishing box rest for lami, EMS, was not in work and no guarantee he would return to work. Also doesn't load and not great in traffic (oh, and his passport said he was a rig ). Some people thought he was a bargain, others thought they should have paid me, not me them!

All that mattered was that I thought it was a good deal, and they thought it was a good deal. When it comes down to it, that is all that matters. He is a good looking horse and I'm sure that someone would have paid more. But, the previous owners wanted the best for him, wanted to avoid the downward dealer spiral, or someone galloping his legs off as he was sound, but needed a rehab program.

Prices at the moment are silly. You know the horse and I think that counts for a lot, but it is just what you and they would be happy with when it comes down to it.

 

[scats]

I sort of get the impression she’s worth more to you than she would be on paper, and that’s absolutely fine. I get the feeling they probably would want to get at least what they paid for her, so I would offer that initially.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

When they bought her as a 7yo am I right in thinking the non horsey folk had no idea about all her 'issues'? So they probably thought what they paid was fair. However 3 years later you have a unsellable horse. If she was my horse I'd give her to you - but I know exactly what it is like to own a horse with hock arthritis (and how expensive it is) plus I know what it is like to own a nervous spooky horse who hates loading & being caught! So I'd simply be delighted to hand her over. In your case however I'd offer £500 and make sure they understood why and what is likely to happen should they sell her onto a dealer / novice.

 

[Polos Mum]

I often think the cost of livery / maintenance is more than the outright purchase price.
So if they have her on some sort of part livery (presumably not full DIY if non-horsey) plus lots of supplements, physio, shoes, insurance etc etc. then she's probably costing them the best part of £500 a month.

If you take her now for a nominal sum then they will recover "what they paid" by the end of February. A quirky horse in winter could easily take three months to sell.

I would have a good chat with them and see what they are thinking - if she is their precious baby they will want more than market if they understand her issues and want a good home they might be very happy with £1.

 

[Xmasha]

I’d offer £500 , but be prepared to go up to £1k .