Introducing new arrival (4th August) Hope

[Myma81]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to introduce Hope. She arrived yesterday after loading and travelling (1.5hrs) like an absolute dream.

I surprised my 12yo daughter by taking her to the yard (she wasn't expecting arrival until Saturday) to get her stable ready. She seemed annoyed when she saw something moving and stated "someone's put their horse in our stable".
A second after the shock hit and she realised it was our Hope. It was a priceless moment.

Hope seemed to handle the upheaval okay. She spoke to the other horses and paced a little but nothing more. Her temperament is as lovely as the first time we went to meet her.

Sadly she is being quarantined due to YO being careful not to pass any unknown illness onto other horses. So she's having to stay in her stable for now and stretch her legs in the paddock. The vet has taken bloods to check health so we will find out in approx a week.
He thinks seller may have told a porky about her age being 14yo. He feels she may be older. Bit peeved about that part! But I'll swallow it! However, I don't want any other surprises.

She's itching to meet the other horses.

I want to thank everyone for their advice over the past few weeks I couldn't have done it without you.

 

[Red-1]

Wow, she looks gorgeous!

How did you find her (without your daughter knowing as well)?

ETA - just realised this is your first post - welcome!

 

[fankino04]

She looks lovely, I do love a chestnut with white markings ?

 

[AmyMay]

Very sweet.

 

[Myma81]

Wow, she looks gorgeous!

How did you find her (without your daughter knowing as well)?

ETA - just realised this is your first post - welcome!

I found her on horsemart. I've posted a few times prior with lots of beginner type questions and people here have been really helpful.
My daughter knew about the horse and had tested her out but thought she was arriving at the weekend so was shocked to see her in the stable so soon.

 

[Myma81]

She looks lovely, I do love a chestnut with white markings ?

Thank you. I was actually looking for a skewbald but decided she was beautiful, temperament great, really responsive and fast to ride but safe for my daughter. Lots of positives.

 

[Quigleyandme]

She has a lovely eye. I hope she brings you and your daughter lots of joy.

 

[Rumtytum]

She’s beautiful! Wishing you all many happy years together ?

 

[HashRouge]

She looks like a real sweetie, I hope your daughter has lots of fun with her

Re what the vet said about her age - I wouldn't worry too much. It is quite hard to accurately tell the age of a horse by its teeth, particularly once they are a bit older (it's easier with young horses). The dentist swore blind that my then 9 yr old mare must be 3-4 years older after looking at her teeth, but I took it with a pinch of salt. There was lots of evidence to support her being the age she was described - she was AHS registered and all the details added up. I had foal photos and loads of information from her breeder and had been in contact with all her previous owners. More to the point, she was from her sire's first breeding season (he was born 1989 and she was 1993) so she couldn't have been any older without being by a different sire entirely, yet she is the spitting image of other horses I have seen by the same sire. I'm 100% the dentist was wrong - your vet may well be too.

 

[ycbm]

She looks lovely. You must be thrilled to have found her after the disappointment of the one that failed the vet last week. Some things are meant to be!
.

 

[Myma81]

She looks like a real sweetie, I hope your daughter has lots of fun with her

Re what the vet said about her age - I wouldn't worry too much. It is quite hard to accurately tell the age of a horse by its teeth, particularly once they are a bit older (it's easier with young horses). The dentist swore blind that my then 9 yr old mare must be 3-4 years older after looking at her teeth, but I took it with a pinch of salt. There was lots of evidence to support her being the age she was described - she was AHS registered and all the details added up. I had foal photos and loads of information from her breeder and had been in contact with all her previous owners. More to the point, she was from her sire's first breeding season (he was born 1989 and she was 1993) so she couldn't have been any older without being by a different sire entirely, yet she is the spitting image of other horses I have seen by the same sire. I'm 100% the dentist was wrong - your vet may well be too.

There are so many differences of opinion when it comes to the equine world sometimes it can feel quite daunting. But I'm looking on the positive side, we have her with us and we are going to give her lots of love.

How is your Mare doing now?

 

[Myma81]

She looks lovely. You must be thrilled to have found her after the disappointment of the one that failed the vet last week. Some things are meant to be!
.

I am thrilled. I'm just a bit miffed at the fibs people tell to sell horses. It's a really hard task finding something healthy, friendly and suitable for your requirements. You have to read between the lines sometimes.

 

[Buster2020]

Congrats she is very pretty. Unfortunately a lot of the time vets are correct when it comes to age I now a woman who bought a 4 year old the horse turned out to be 2 years old . I wouldn’t be put off by a horse being a bit older once they are healthy and have no underline Heath conditions .

 

[Odyssey]

She's lovely, I do love a chestnut. Your daughter must be over the moon. I hope you have many happy years with her. Please keep us updated on how they're getting on, photos are also required! ?

 

[ycbm]

I am thrilled. I'm just a bit miffed at the fibs people tell to sell horses. It's a really hard task finding something healthy, friendly and suitable for your requirements. You have to read between the lines sometimes.

Yes it is, you were very lucky to find a nice horse so quickly after the vet fail. It's very difficult to age a14 year old, is her passport recently replaced? She could easily be 14 but if your vet is adamant she is a lot older and will swear to it against another vet, and the passport is newish, then you might have a claim for a loss of value with the vet that did the pre purchase vetting.

Personally I think I'd just be glad I found a lovely horse.
.

 

[Myma81]

The passport is a replacement. No DOB. The seller told me the vet had aged at 14yo but I know they can't be precise.
We didn't vet this one because we loved her so much it wouldn't really have mattered as my daughter wanted her. We took the chance. We shall see how it works out. Eeekk.

 

[Buster2020]

The passport is a replacement. No DOB. The seller told me the vet had aged at 14yo but I know they can't be precise.
We didn't vet this one because we loved her so much it wouldn't really have mattered as my daughter wanted her. We took the chance. We shall see how it works out. Eeekk.

Not trying to be rude but it very important for first time owners to do a vetting. A more experienced person could spot health issue and lameness . It better to know what you’re getting into a horse could turn into a walking vet bill very quickly. Her being a older horse they can have lameness issues . To be honest I would actually agree with you vet I say she looks about 17 - 20 years old. She is definitely not 15 anyway.

 

[Upthecreek]

I’m confused........ why would you not have a pre-purchase vetting but get a vet to take bloods to check health after you’ve bought her? What will you do if anything is wrong?

If she is nearer 20 than 14 that would have a big impact on value, so hope you haven’t paid too much. It would also affect re-sale if you need to sell her in a few years because your daughter outgrows her. Hope she settles in well and your daughter has lots of fun with her though.

Have you taken out insurance to cover vet fees in the event of illness or injury?

 

[TPO]

I didn't see your other posts but what a lovely looking pony Hope is. Your daughter is very lucky and I wish them many happy years together.

None of my ponies growing up were ever vetted and they rarely saw a vet beyond getting vaccinated and a colic when one fatty escaped into the feed room. Everything lived to a ripe old age.

The horses that I've had the vets to when purchasing have all been pts prematurely and had issues of one kind or another crop up. Sometimes it's just of those things but in one instance the vet massively screwed up. Then the horses that a punt has been taken on and no vet involvement have all <touching wood frantically> been the healthiest and lasted the longest!

I would imagine that the current bloods are to check for viruses as OP said horse was to be in quarantined on the yard.

No one can go back in time; OP is happy and must have been ok with the price to have paid whateve they did, daughter is happy and there is already a relationship being built with the vet.

Please keep us updated as Hope settles in and your daughter starts to do more with her.

 

[Upthecreek]

I see what you’re saying TPO, but generally people make the decision to vet any potential purchase or not. The OP had a vetting on a previous potential purchase and pulled out of the sale based on the vet’s findings yet didn’t get this one vetted. I just hope for the OP and her daughter’s sake that the age of the pony isn’t the only porky the seller has told.

I never had my ponies vetted growing up either, but the world was different then and ponies seemed to pass around locally and their history was known and probably their owners too. The horse market these days is lucrative and cutthroat so in my opinion you have to do what you can to safeguard your finances, and more importantly your emotions. I know a pre-purchase vetting isn’t a guarantee, but for a first time purchaser it’s one of those safeguards.

There has been a large volume of posts on this forum recently from first time owners buying horses that start behaving dangerously after a couple of weeks in a new home and the cause is often an undisclosed health issue.