Need advice - should I buy him back?

Second Farrierlover, what sort of money are we talking about?
I think it is not very nice of your dealer friend to put you under emotional blackmail like that... she wants all the benefit of trading horses with no risks attached? Are you sure there even is another dealer wanting him/prepared t buy him? Why would they?
 
a heart murmur althogh would fail a vetting wouldnt make him unfit to do most jobs under saddle, im pretty sure Over to You or something had a heart murmur

could you perhaps find him a loan home? that way you know where he is and could perhaps sell him in the future without him being such a drain on you financially and it means he can still be doing a job as well
 
I would buy him back but I am a big softy. Im sure you could find a loan home or sharer. If your dealer friend does pass him on to another dealer you can not be guaranteed that he would not be passed from pillar to post working his way down the line and ending up being bought by the meat man.
 
If you know he is up to regular work, being a schoolmaster why not buy him back & loan him to an agricultural college for their equestrian courses? You know he will be well cared for (& stabled, fed etc) & not worked into the ground.
 
Oh gosh! Awful situation for you. BUT I know what I would have to do coz my heart would totally rule my head.

You say that when he was "your" horse he was a real good 'un, sooooo, I think you know what I'm gonna say hun. Even if you can't perhaps give 100% to him, I think you owe it to him to bring him home, for now. You've got your own land around so no-one can turf you off it, so that's one worry out the way, and to be honest, your other horses will survive OK, for now. They might not be living in the Ritz, but hey, they'll survive.

If it was me, I'd be rushing over to collect my old boy PDQ to assure his future. If he's sold on from dealer to dealer, I think its obvious what's going to happen to him and you'd feel awful for ever if you let it happen, and/or didn't ever know where he'd ended up. Then, as has been suggested, it might well be that someone would have him on loan for the winter - in the current climate no-one wants to buy unless they have to and I think you'd stand a very good chance of loaning him out (but pllleeessse insist on a proper loan agreement/regular inspections etc!!!).
 
There is defo a market for him, just depends on what your asking. If he wont pass vetting, he can't be insured so I personally wouldn't pay a lot for him...

But... he would be exactly the kind of thing I would be looking to get on loan after having my broken horse put down a heart murmer wouldn't put me off like arthritus/past psd would..
 
OP you are in a very difficult situation, I do feel for you. If you can, offer the dealer a small amount of money and see if you can find him a sharer so that you can keep an eye on things. Most horses will be fine living out with a rug and shelter.

Re the heart murmur, there are many different kinds. Many are non-problematic, the horse will pass a vetting with some kinds of murmur, and not all affect performance. It all depends on the diagnosis but one of the main tests is whether the murmur changes with exercise.
 
It seems a little odd that the dealer bought the horse knowing about the murmer and is now expecting you to buy him back at the same rate she paid for him, knowing that he's hard to sell. It sounds a little unfair of her to me.

I would offer a reduced rate, and discuss paying the sum over an extended period to help reduce the payment burden. Maybe split into three or four payments, for example. Hopefully that will then ease the impact on the other two horses, who do deserve consideration.

I'd then loan him out if you can afford to, or sell him on if you can't.

Sounds like a very difficult situation, hope it gets nicely resolved.
 
It's not a massive amount of money at all, just that I am on maternity leave with no income (living off savings at the mo) and have to be careful with that money or it'll soon be gone! Going to have a word with her and see whta she'll accept as I can't bear the thought of him being passed about. Anyone want a schoolmaster to share in Kent?
 
Get him home! Then make your decisions in your own time. And don't worry about him wintering out. So long as he has really warm rugs (and different weights for different weather conditions). company, and good feeding, he should do brilliantly. I had to make the decision to keep my horses out all year round 16 years ago, though we do have stables, and have never regretted it. Thye are the healthiest bunch you could imagine.

Even if you do have to make the worst decision in the end, you'll know you gave it all you've got. DON'T let your dealer friend pass him on to someone else. Good luck
 
How much was she selling him for compared with what she gave you in the first place?

If he hasn't sold at the 'mark-up' price then why doesn't she drop the price to what she gave you and get him sold to a decent home?

It's an awful situation but he sounds good enough to find a good home as long as he's at a sensible price considering the market and that winter will be here soon.
 
I really feel for you. You posted this in your opening post

He has always been expensive to keep - a walking vet bill who eats money to keep his weight on! So brain is saying no!
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Why was he a walking vet bill??

Why did you choose to keep the other two and not let one of them go? and get a sharer then for him?

Wouldn't (your dealer friend) take him on to sell on livery?

I'm not judging you just trying to see the whole picture.
 
I would take him back, might not be ideal but I couldn't forgive myself id something were to happen to him.
 
I really feel for you. If it was me I would be getting him back from the dealer and wouldn't want him facing such an uncertain future. I'm sure if he is well rugged and fed he would be ok to live out. If he is rideable I would then be looking for a sharer to help out with the financial side of things. Keep us updated as to the outcome.
 
flowerlady said:
Why was he a walking vet bill??

Why did you choose to keep the other two and not let one of them go? and get a sharer then for him?

Wouldn't (your dealer friend) take him on to sell on livery?

I'm not judging you just trying to see the whole picture.
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When I had to sell him, I only had him. I didn't have the 2 youngsters then. Since then we have moved and now have our own grazing, so no risk of losing it again. So I bought a weanling and a 2 year old pony as a companion.

As I am on maternity leave with no income I can't afford sales livery, so selling him (for a small amount; like I said it wasn't the money that was an issue, but moving him quickly and finding him a nice home) was the only option. Situation has now changed in that I am able to keep horses again as we have been lucky enough to find somewhere with its own land. But still on maternity leave, so no lump sum available to buy him back.

As for the vets bills - nothing to do with his heart. Just one of those horses who always came in with a lump or a scratch or a kick etc. Never actually had a day lame or colic, so could be worse, think maybe I was being a little dramatic!
 
Might be cheeky but couldn't you ask the dealer/friend to have him back for free? takes him out her hands.
 
I would personally buy him back, because I would worry about him passing from pillar to post, but then I am very sentimental. If I thought the murmur would interfere with his health, and I couldn't afford to keep him, I would buy him back and have him put to sleep, just because I couldn't bear to not know where he was. Could you not buy him back and send him out on loan? You shouldn't have any trouble finding a loan home... There's a woman up our yard who has several people share her horse, and she actually makes a profit in the summer...
 
LaurenM said:
Have you thought about getting him back but loaning him? That way he'll have a home for life and won't be as much as a drain on finances.
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I think this is a good idea; insuring a nice future but not a drain on money!, possibly I win win situation if you could find a loving person to loan him? but if he is as lovely as you say you'll have no problem with this.. :)

Personally I think you should see this horse through til the end if he's been good to you return the favour and get him back home!

This is a really hard thing to decide so I wish you and the horse all the best :)
 
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A tricky one, no doubt about it, but I know what'd I do; I'd have to have him back 100%. Then at least his future would be entirely in your hands. I personally wouldn't like that niggling concern that he'd been sold on to someone less discerning. Couldn't your dealer friend help you out a bit and reduce the amount she wants for him? Surely he/she can understand your predicament?? I know it wouldn't necessarily help you with future costs etc., but I believe that a special horse deserves special TLC in times of need and it sounds like your horse is one of those! Just my opinion, and I am a total sap so I'm in no way preaching! ;) Good luck in whatever decision you make ......
 
If you can afford to buy him back I would and resale or loan him yourself over a period of time.
There is a market out there for schoolmasters as long as not too overpriced certainly up here any way as anything cheap, and useful is sold days after advertising even if it is aged, I know as I have been looking.

If not then good schoolmasters usually find good homes where they are not abused, as if they are well behaved then they are less liable to be abused. Your dealer friend sounds like she is being very self centred and quite honestly I am not sure another dealer would want the horse at the same price if she really can't sell, although I suspect she has not tried very hard.
 
Well, she won't drop the price and is insisting she has a dealer who will take him. I have the money, but it is going to mean I can't get my fencing fixed and will have to order less haylage. Not sure if I believe her about dealer, but can I risk calling her bluff?
 
If I were you i'd buy him back. But then i've just had a similar sort of experience. I sold my horse to a friend as I couldn't afford him when I finished uni, I really thougt he had a home for life but she sold him on without telling me. Earlier this year I decided to find out how he was and managed to find his new owners. She seemed really lovely and let me go and see him. I was so excited and it sounded like he was doing really well but when I got there he was emaciated and crippled (he had fractured a bone in his knee and they had failed to notice). Luckily she agreed to sell him back to me and he's now on the mend but it just shows these things really do happen. I was like you, i had the cash but it was meant for something else but i could never have left him there. This may never happen to your horse but theres always a chance and at least now you can make sure he is ok. I don't think i'll ever be confident in selling a horse again now, i'll never forget seeing him in that state.
 
zoon said:
Well, she won't drop the price and is insisting she has a dealer who will take him. I have the money, but it is going to mean I can't get my fencing fixed and will have to order less haylage. Not sure if I believe her about dealer, but can I risk calling her bluff?
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Poor you! Your so called friend has put you in a terrible position:(.. like i said in my earlier post; you said this horse has been so good to you so return the favor and keep him til the end. times might get hard but your horses will survive and atleast his future is bright and full off love unlike the possible future being pased from dealer to dealer:( xx
 
Well, now you have the facilities for him I'd buy him back then put him straight on the market again. Even say that you would offer loan with view to buy. It sounds like you can't manage to keep him but is it worth calling her bluff? I'd say no if it were me. Poor you :(
 
I agree I would probably buy him back but not for a penny more than you sold him to her for.

If he was for sale here in the northwest and was marketed at under 1k was relatively quiet to ride with no issues but the heart murmour he would be snapped up, as I said before I know because I am looking for one and they have all sold within days of being advertised.

I suspect the dealer has slapped a premium on the price she/he gave you and that is the reason they are not able to sell. Dosn't sound like my kind of friend. Either that or they may be being a true friend and think you really are missing your horse and they should be giving you a push to help you realise this.
 
Is there a reason you can't sell the weanling and/or the pony?

I would definitely buy him back, and either advertise him yourself for the same or maybe even slightly less than you sold him to your friend for - or sell one or both of the others and keep him.

He really sounds lovely, and for the right price the type I would have in a shot if I was actually in a position to own a horse at the moment, so I am sure he is sellable.

I do sympathise with your position though.
 
Would the dealer take one of the youngsters in part exchange? This could ease the situation. Also look into loaning the horse out,maybe toone of the equine colleges?
 
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