If you were in my situation.. Would you?

ReadySaltedPeanuts said:
Thats what I keep telling myself, but then I think to myself, He wont do anything for 2-3years.. so he would be living out.. and he would look very cute with the donkeys!

I'm not sure, I haven't spoken to the seller, might drop them an email, it says he is also well bred. so am wondering why he is free! :)
Click to expand...

'Looking very cute with the donkeys' is the bit that worried me. Cuteness is definitely not a good reason to acquire any animal IMO.
'Won't do anything for 2-3 years' - maybe, but even if those 2-3 years are uneventful and don't involve a major vets bill, at the end of that period there is a small pony and that's a heck of a responsibility. What happens next? Backing/starting - is the expertise there? Or will someone else need to be employed to take care of this, and might that need to come at a cost?

Why is he free even though he is well bred? That's simple. Just look around, there are dozens and dozens of ponies going for either a few quid or being given away. Some of them may have decent breeding but it doesn't mean very much. I know someone who has taken on a 'well bred' Section B recently, but it is a real handful and I can't see much of a future for it as a child's pony.

Something else that puzzles me is that posts about costs and money have been met with the response that money isn't really an issue (and even that there is a fund from savings) - so why was money mentioned in the first posting?

I know very little about donkeys but have been led to believe that they do feel the wet. The donkeys in the New Forest are very unlikely to die but that doesn't necessarily mean they are comfortable.

As for the whole breeding thing, don't even go there...I think anyone has to have a very good reason for breeding anything these days.
 
Well the OP has stated that she won't be getting the pony and will be separating the jenny and jack, so it's all a bit irrelevant going on about it now.
 
Fair enough - if the filly is not yet in foal, then no harm done.

The whole cuteness/breeding thing worries me as it is part of a wider agenda but perhaps this is not the arena to discuss it.

I am not saying that this is the case with this particular thread, but I do feel that whenever people post along the lines of 'stop me acquiring another animal' what some of them really want is the wholesale approval of others.
 
touchstone said:
Well the OP has stated that she won't be getting the pony and will be separating the jenny and jack, so it's all a bit irrelevant going on about it now.
Click to expand...


Thankyou. And thankyou to all who offered advice, and not just jumped on my like a pack of wolves.. Wont be using this forum for advice again!!!
 
Don't be daft. We're a great bunch. And whilst you wont agree with everyone - you want some good, no nonsense advice? There's only one place to get it. HHO.

And whilst you weren't keen on the direction the thread took - look how much you learnt from it....
 
amymay said:
You cant afford the animals you do have. Please dont get any more.
Click to expand...

amymay said:
How can you possibly keep those animals on £350 a month (which is not a salary and about to end)?? But of course if your parents are happy to fund your little collection - collect away.
Click to expand...

amymay said:
You'll need to let us know the secret of how you can afford 3, (poss 4 if filly is in utero), for so little. I struggle to pay for 1.
Click to expand...

amymay said:
Fair enough. All credit to you for keeping them cheap as chips (helped by a cracking rate for your grazing, and subsidised hay).
Click to expand...

amymay said:
Don't be daft. We're a great bunch. And whilst you wont agree with everyone - you want some good, no nonsense advice? There's only one place to get it. HHO.

And whilst you weren't keen on the direction the thread took - look how much you learnt from it....
Click to expand...


I'm sorry, but how are your comments 'nononsense advice?' accussing me of not being able to afford my animals, when I clearly can.
Accussing me of living off my parents, when I clearly do not.


Yes. Such great advice from you. I have learn't nothing from your rude comments, I have learnt from the comments of other posters who have not accussed me of things, not been rude, but have been helpful (Like Touchstone.)
 
ReadySaltedPeanuts said:
I'm sorry, but how are your comments 'nononsense advice?' accussing me of not being able to afford my animals, when I clearly can.
Accussing me of living off my parents, when I clearly do not.


Yes. Such great advice from you. I have learn't nothing from your rude comments, I have learnt from the comments of other posters who have not accussed me of things, not been rude, but have been helpful (Like Touchstone.)
Click to expand...


I might be wrong but i read Amymays comments as putting forwards the financial perspective of it, especially as although the lovely chap was free in the end will rally up a cost...:)
 
Thanks Tessy.

Well apart from my less than helpfull comments, I'd say you'll have learnt a lot from this thread.

You've had a financial check, a reality check and a management check. All good things in my book.
 
tessybear said:
I might be wrong but i read Amymays comments as putting forwards the financial perspective of it, especially as although the lovely chap was free in the end will rally up a cost...:)
Click to expand...

Yes, that's how I saw it too.
But as I mentioned myself, if money wasn't an issue, why mention it in the first post?
The advice that seemed to make the most sense to the OP was the one about 'if it was £500 would you want it' - so basically the appeal was that it was free?
Although if that's the learning that's come from this, fair enough.
 
You mentioned the donkeys were living on 5 acres, I thought donkeys were very susceptible to laminitus? Unless it's fairly sparse grazing?

Also donkeys aren't waterproof, there's one where I keep my horse and he has a rug if it's raining and if he does get wet he gets very cold and miserable

They are designed to live in hot dry places with sparse grazing so not designed to cope with cold wet weather.
 
me&Harvey said:
You mentioned the donkeys were living on 5 acres, I thought donkeys were very susceptible to laminitus? Unless it's fairly sparse grazing?

Also donkeys aren't waterproof, there's one where I keep my horse and he has a rug if it's raining and if he does get wet he gets very cold and miserable

They are designed to live in hot dry places with sparse grazing so not designed to cope with cold wet weather.
Click to expand...


Yes, the grazing is not fantastic at the moment, but IF it ever gets any better they will be restricted or in suring the day/night.

I think you'll find we've cleared the the rugging issue. My donkeys are not cold or miserable, they have access to a barn if it is bad weather. .

Please read all the replies before commenting the same thing as about 10 other people..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top