Loan pony

[chaps89]

I have had a companion on loan since March.
I'm fond enough of him but there's no great emotional attachment dare I say.
The pony he is a companion for is tricky to find livery for due to a combination of metabolic issues and fence hopping/separation anxiety, and it just so happens I found a yard close to home where those issues can be managed well and it's cheap enough to afford the companion for her.
I don't know that I would keep another horse at this yard in the future, as much as I like it, as there is no school and the roads are very busy.
My pony has had a lot of soundness issues, and I'm not sure that she will see the year out tbh. Financially I should take a break from horses after her, though I wouldn't really want to.
Anyway, I've had a message from the owner asking if I'd like to purchase him for a small amount, as she may be moving away from the area, knows he is well looked after and won't be in a position to have him back. She always said from me taking him on that if I couldn't keep him he would probably be pts anyway.
Wwyd.

 

[Polos Mum]

Why is the companion PTS on return - not that it really matters.

If yours and the companion get on well and you're happy to PTS them both together at the appropriate time then maybe pay £1 for him so he's yours but ask the seller for the £150 to PTS at the end of the summer (or whenever it is). Then she has clarity over the situation, you have control but you're not paying out for her PTS costs.

 

[ihatework]

I’m not sure I would buy him. Your situation might change and then at least you can fall back on the owner.

I’ve got one I own and is out on loan. The likelihood is he would be PTS if his current loaner didn’t want him any more, but equally I wouldn’t expect them to buy him under that kind of emotional blackmail!

 

[Equi]

I’m not sure I would buy him. Your situation might change and then at least you can fall back on the owner.

I’ve got one I own and is out on loan. The likelihood is he would be PTS if his current loaner didn’t want him any more, but equally I wouldn’t expect them to buy him under that kind of emotional blackmail!

If owner already says they can’t take it back then falling back on the owner isn’t an option.

Buy the pony for a quid, it’s doing a job for you. When your mare goes I’m sure he will be a great companion for someone else too.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I wouldnt buy, but either send back or ask for ring fenced sum for pts as and when.
That's emotional blackmail.

 

[chaps89]

I haven't taken it as emotional blackmail tbh, she was upfront when I took him on that she couldn't really have him back and so if I ever needed to send him back, unless we could find him another home, he'd need to be pts. Her circumstances are now changing so I guess she is being sensible if she can't have him back?

He's very good as a companion but there's no shortage of companions so there's no guarantee he'd find another home easily.
If mine wasn't on her last legs (almost literally) I'd pay a quid and be done with it, but it's just thinking the likelihood is in a few months time I may not have a use for him anymore, as awful as that sounds, then I have 2 to pay for to be pts.
I know I could pay a quid and she could have an accident tomorrow anyway but given as it's quite likely to not be overly far off, seems silly to set us up that way.

Think I will chat to her, suggest she signs him over for a nominal amount but we split the cost of pts (and I get that money from her upfront) for as and when the time comes?

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Is there anything actually wrong with him? I'm failing to see why a healthy companion pony would have to be PTS just because the animal it was company for had passed away. Genuinely good companions aren't easy to find!

 

[chaps89]

Nothing wrong with him per se.
He's in his early 20s, though pretty healthy, sometimes a bit stiff if he's been lying down but that's it.
Her main concern is he's about 12hh/12.2hh, so child pony size and he is NOT a child's pony (he's a cantankerous old man! And by all accounts fairly dangerous ridden) and you hear all sorts of horror stories about horses being passed on or the worry of someone trying to put a kiddiwink on him.
Hence, given his age and character she would rather not take the chance of anything going wrong.
He was uncle to a couple of youngsters prior to me and companion to just mine and is ok with being left on his own for short periods so long as other horses are about so he is good for that job.

 

[ester]

I think if he had done the job I needed him for well I wouldn't mind paying PTS costs once I didn't (and being to time that absolutely to fitting in to the one who needs him) but obviously that does depend a bit on financials.

 

[milliepops]

what is the owner thinking of doing if you don't want to buy him?
is she thinking of trying to sell to someone else?
or pts now so there's no uncertainty?

Dependent on the above I personally echo ester's feelings but there's no harm in asking for the pts cost up front (don't ask, don't get & all that).

 

[chaps89]

So I have had another of the owners ponies with me for the last 8 week's and had a bit of a struggle sending her back/getting livery money from her!

The plan was she would always be here short term whilst mine box rested after an accident/did a gradual return to work and turnout, but when it came back to sending her back she had nowhere for her to go (hence she stayed longer than agreed and the owner had to pay livery)

Thankfully she found somewhere, but I'm hazarding a guess it's made her think about what would happen if I needed to send him back.
So based on that and the fact she previously said she would pts, I doubt she wants him back/can have him back now nor wants the hassle of finding him somewhere else to go. But obviously I don't know for sure!
That said, I would be a bit stuffed if she took him back now and I suppose pts costs aren't horrendous so maybe her signing him over for a quid is a middle ground.