I may have the chance to buy my horse...

AShetlandBitMeOnce

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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Long post, sorry!! So I may have the chance to buy Jake who I have full loaned since Jan 2nd, I will be having the crucial conversation tomorrow, so I would appreciate your help re: what you think would be an acceptable price. I understand it's subjective, but I am rubbish at this sort of things, he's worth millions to me :D

- He is an 8yo, 17.3hh British Warmblood Gelding.
- Has done all sorts of things but nothing competitively, eg: XC Schooling, hacking, bit of schooling although very green, showjumping. Never hunted.
- Diagnosed with Wobblers as a 2yo, x-rayed compression at C3, never had a sign or symptom since, second vet assessment marked improvement 6 months later, could he have just grown too fast? Who knows. Has added several insurance exclusions.
- 100% to clip, farrier, load etc 95% with dentist just puts his head up sometimes. Soppy gentleman on the ground, impeccable manners.
- Ok to hack, not fantastic, spooky and can rush through gates. Not novice but doesn't bother me.
- Has apparently had lameness issues (told by a third party), apart from an abscess he has always been fine with me.

When I got him he had been in the field for a long time, and had no muscle to speak of. However now he has muscled up somewhat, we have been out to two local shows and have qualified for the Sunshine Tour. I have also put a lot of schooling work into him and he is coming along really well, holds himself and much more balanced etc.

I don't know whether you would price him as he is now, or as he was when I got him, if it would even make a difference so I have added photos from then, now and one that would help you see any horrific confirmation flaws.
Thank you so much for reading! Pimms and scones for getting this far!





 
he looks super in the ridden pics, shame you couldnt buy him before you had put the work in. he is probably worth more now and its down to you....i dont know much about wobblers but i thought it was a permanent condition which can be improved with the correct work and muscle but not completely eradicated. i may be wrong but if this is the case his value shouldnt be too high..although his owners may not see it like that. i would say £1500 knowing his history and looking at the first pic..
 
£1200 tops. His conformation is not great plus he has a medical history that would have many running for the hills.

But, whatever you do, don't make them an offer. See what price you are offered him at and negotiate from there.
 
amymay said:
£1200 tops. His conformation is not great plus he has a medical history that would have many running for the hills.

But, whatever you do, don't make them an offer. See what price you are offered him at and negotiate from there.
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I agree with AM, except I thought £1500. He is not a very valuable animal with his history - and for goodness sake don't let the owner know that he is worth millions to you!
 
I think the owners should be delighted to have found someone who is obviously looking after their horse very well and is considering committing long term to what is essentially a not very sellable horse.

If he were mine you would be getting him for £1
 
ihatework said:
I think the owners should be delighted to have found someone who is obviously looking after their horse very well and is considering committing long term to what is essentially a not very sellable horse.

If he were mine you would be getting him for £1
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I agree I would just let you have him, I ended up paying well over the odds for a horse I shared for 5 years and looked after like my own just because I loved her.
 
I've learned alot over the last year or so on horse prices and I'd say 1500 tops. He looks like a nice lad and you clearly adore him but don't let that cloud your judgement.
 
What an incredible transformation!! Hats off to you for all the hard work you have put in to him! I bet you're so proud!

I agree RE others, if he was mine I would give him to you.

Best of luck x
 
What an incredible transformation!! Hats off to you for all the hard work you have put in to him! I bet you're so proud!

I agree RE others, if he was mine I would give him to you.

Best of luck x
 
I've bought some real crackers with no long term potential issues hanging over their heads, for £1500 or less. So I wouldn't pay any more than that and probably a lot less as wobblers is not something to be sniffed at.

I would be looking at this with the mindset that you are offering a horse with issues and insurance exclusions a very nice home, not that you are getting the opportunity to buy him!
 
MS123 said:
What an incredible transformation!! Hats off to you for all the hard work you have put in to him! I bet you're so proud!

I agree RE others, if he was mine I would give him to you.

Best of luck x
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Thank you so much, I am very proud of him! And thank you to all those who are saying you would give him to me, it's lovely to see that it comes across just how much I do love him.

I will update you all this evening with how it goes, but will have your comments in mind! I had a similar price range in my head, but will see what the lady says first.

I am also very aware of how his issues could affect him and did sit down and have a good heart vs head think about it, especially re: the Wobblers, but he makes me happy now, and he is happy with me too, however short or long term that may be.
 
You sound very sensible about it but do go in to this conversation knowing that he will not sell quickly for any higher than people have suggested. In your shoes, I'd pay £1500 but £1000 is far more realistic.

Imagine if you read all of that in an advert and you didn't know him, would you even enquire about the horse? Doubtful.
 
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Hiya, she said she would be silly not to sell him to me, but that as she hadn't ever thought she would have to sell him she didn't have any idea on what price.. She came in a 2.5k, and I said that to be honest I wouldn't be prepared to invest anymore that 1.5k. So she's gone away to have a think about it and speak to her OH.

I could have gone in and offered less but I didn't want to haggle and have any chance of making it messy, she wasn't offended by my offer which was a good start :D But other than that she was thrilled with how big he has got, and how happy he is so.. Will have to wait and see now.
 
Wow he looks amazing. Well done you !!

I think his owner is crazy, that's the type of money you would pay for a youngster with no health issues. My experience with wobblers was one day ridden ,next day retired. You could buy him and never ride him again. I hope that's not the case but she has to be realistic if she were to advertise him.

Is there a reason he's being sold and that you can't continue to loan him. Did the owner pay a lot for him ?
 
Thank you!

The owner bred him from her mare to keep but doesn't have enough time for him, and he isn't her sort of horse I don't think. And because I think we would both like the comfort of knowing that he has a home forever, and neither of the other is going to ask/give him back. This could be done via loan agreement etc but I am happy to buy him, for a relatively small amount.

I am being realistic about his medical history and understand what could be, but would appreciate kinder wording in future, I have enough everyday anxiety about that as it is :D
 
I gave one of mine away to his loaner. I actually would have preferred to keep ownership of him to ensure his future, but his loaner, now owner, is amazing and she wanted to know she actually owned him. I decided on balance that she was a fab loaner and looked after him better than I did, and if I didn't trust her to do right by him in the end, then I shouldn't trust her with his day to day care.

My concerns were that while he was very sellable if you didnt tell the truth, he really did need someone to look after him, the way yours does. I'd be tempted to tell her to advertise him truthfully and see what interest she has. In her shoes I would be overjoyed he had landed in a good home and if you pushed I would let him go the same way I did for mine.

Not sure I have really answered your question, but IMHO she is taking the pss a bit trying to sell him at all!
 
I acquired my first horse in a similar way. He had different issues but similarly significant. His owner wanted a ridden horse for herself and her daughter and he wasn't suitable for that job. I'd had him on full loan for several months and she sold him to me for £1 because she knew he had a secure future with me.

He was with me for the rest of his days and was treated like a king. He cost me (and the insurance company) a fortune in vet bills etc, but I don't regret a penny and I loved every day with him.

I think your horse's owner should do the same. The price she mentioned is ridiculous and I hope she gives it some thought and sees reason. She is very lucky indeed to have someone willing to take full permanent responsibility for a horse that I am sure is a lovely chap and will give you as much joy as my boy gave me. But horses like that are pretty much unsellable and she should know that.
 
Wow, £2.5k? That's a crazy price! I hope the owner has a really good think about that and realises that anyone who knows anything would run for the hills rather than pay that for him!

That being said, he's gorgeous, OP, and you've done an amazing job! I hope you can come to an agreement. I agree with others that, if I were the owner, I'd be giving him to you - otherwise I'd say no more than £1k, purely based on the huge unknown of the wobblers, which is a horrible condition.
 
Wow! What a difference :O
I am also a "loaned and was given" person. Although I technically never actually loaned, she simply asked me to make sure I was the one looking after him when she went away for a very long holiday. She came back and told me she wanted to sell Ned to me for £600, which is what she paid. I saved up and when I eventually had enough money (I was pretty poor lol!) she gave him to me for Christmas!
She really wanted me to start saving for vets bills and anything else that might come my way :)

I think the owner should do the same for you! You've transformed that horse and £2.5k is crazy! Though I suppose, just like my Ned, he's priceless in your eyes :) But well done for offering a lower price, I hope she accepts it!
 
As someone facing an unknown future with a horse I bought for an awful lot more (and with a 5 stage vetting & x-rays) almost two months ago. I would not willingly and knowingly put myself through the heartbreak and anguish again. I appreciate there are no guarantees with horses but buying a horse with wobblers is opening yourself up to a whole load of upset later on down the line, particularly as from what I've seen of it they can quickly go from fine to completely unsafe. Pay a nominal fee if you wish to transfer ownership, say £1. But with his medical history and exclusions I would want a reasonable amount of money set aside for if he started going downhill.

In the owner's shoes I'm another that would thank their lucky stars he'd found such a great home and gift him to you.
 
My last horse had some medical issues, and I sold him for £1 to friend where he has lived a life of luxury ever since (5 years and counting!). He was not a write off by any means, and is currently doing very well BD for him, as well as daily hacking and popping the odd fence. It was about finding the "right" home.

Having said that, the purchase price of a horse is but a drop in the ocean, and if he is worth a million to you, then if you can comfortably afford £2,500 then why not? You have had him since Jan, so know hoe he fits in, have had a chance to assess his soundness. At least you know the history, unlike when you buy "new."

Having said that, I hope she comes to her senses and agrees the £1,500 if that is what you are happy with.

As for the wobblers, if he had it at 2 yo, and X-rayed a lot better just 6 months later, to me this is a very different prospect to one that gets it later on as the spine deteriorates.

What a wonderful transformation OP, fantastic.
 
You look like you have put a lot of work in to this chap and love him dearly.

If he were mine I would let you have him for a tiny amount as he obviously would have a fabulous home.

Realistically he's probably worth no more than £1000-£1200. But saying that, if he's worth more to you and you have the money, go for it.
 
You've done an amazing job! I agree, if I was the owner you would be having him for free! Certainly <1k.

Please do be careful with a wobbler! I expect that if a lot of these larger horses were x-rayed they would show compression, and most of them live perfectly useful lives - I would also think by 8 years old he is probably stable. However, I'm not sure I would take him XC/hunting - too much risk if he got in a tight spot.
 
Bloody brass neck to say 2.5k after you've done all the work OP. What a cheek.

As others have said I'd be giving him to you and feeling chuffed that he's found you. His confo looks VV odd in the first pic.
 
Thank you everyone for such kind words, it's easy with a horse that is as sensitive to things as he is, to feel like a bad mum at times when he knocks himself, or you find his saddle doesn't quite fit correctly but everyone's words have made me feel 100x better.


I don't think that his owner was pushing it with me, I honestly think that she never thought she would have to sell him, she loves him and it's easy to forget the severity of his medical issues when he is not currently presenting any signs. Although I won't go over £1500, I can't afford it and I just wouldn't be comfortable investing that much in him, however much I hate to say it.

SpringArising said:
His confo looks VV odd in the first pic.
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He appeared all sorts of bizarre when he first came confo wise!! His legs have straightened up and there is actually space between them :D He looked ewe necked, somewhat swaybacked with a horrendously pointy croup.

He also looks odd on the side on pic I put up, his head isn't actually that huge, although he is slightly cow-hocked and his shoulder does need to catch up with the rest of his muscling up! He may also be over at the knee but Jake doesn't EVER stand straight or like any other horse does (nothing to do with his Wobblers, he is just bizarre!) He always seems to hold himself weirdly when he is standing still, no pattern to it as though he is compensating for anything though, I think it's just a quirk. If you look at the following photo of him in motion then he isn't actually a horrendously put together horse:

 
Nothing more to add as others have already said it. Just hope you get him for the right money, you clearly adore him and have done wonders with him. Hope it works out for you x
 
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