Need some sensible advice and kind of a "how much?"

harvgj19

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So, the story is my boy is on loan in the UK, whilst I am now in the USA and is looking more and more unlikely that we will ever come back to the UK. When we moved I got quotes to bring Harv here, and it would cost me about 4000 quid, or 8000 dollars. When he got here I would have to find livery, which is VERY expensive here, unless I could find DIY or pasture board.

Harv will be 14 in October, and a bit sensitive, and I don't know if it is the right thing to do to put him through a transatlantic flight. So, I am really beginning to think that I should sell him, rather than leave him on loan, which is becoming more and more of a nightmare.

The other part to my problem is "How Much" do I ask for him, if selling is the route I take. Reading some of the other posts lately, I realise I could get a fair amount for him. He is rising 14, 15.3 tb, 100% box, shoe, clip, traffic. Can be a little strong in company (or hunting) but generally you could put a novice on him for hacking and schooling. Has done lots of RC, including XC, SJ and dressage.

I would sell him with all his tack and rugs as I have no use for them here.

Another moral issue I have been thinking about, is if I were to sell him to the girl who has him on loan now, should I ask full whack from her, or give her a deal as she has been putting in all the work for the past 12 months?

I'm stopping here, because I am sobbing over my keyboard. I love this horse so much, but really want to do the best for him, which I realise may be a heart-wrenching decision for me.
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B_2_B

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i have no idea about prices but i think you know what you should do really.
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just go with your heart and do what's best for him. you know him best and can judge how the flight would affect him and also, how much money you'd have to spend.
and i think if you do sell him, you should give the girl a deal, but don't knock too much off it
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good luck with whatever you decide to do!
 

carthorse

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Well I think you are making the right decision for him and if the girl is in a position to buy him that will be great and I think it will be a lot easier for you.At 14 he won't be at his peak price and a good home is probably your priority .I'm sure you have some idea how much you would be happy with and not really knowing the horse I think our views will be pointless.Good luck.
 

juliebrewer

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You could ask £2500 and say the girl who has him on loan could have him for £1500-2000. If she knows you are going to sell him she may stop loaning him and you will have to get someone to look after him and sell from the field (unriden) which will be so much lower! Perhaps you should suggest selling him to the girl and suss out if she is interested first!
Good luck, selling sounds the best obtion..
 

0ldmare

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Why not take him to the USA? Peden Transport do it (sp?) amongst others and lots of very highly strung TB racehorses etc make the trip with no ill effects. I looked into shipping one the other way a while back (my nieces horse) and it didnt seem too much of a problem (expensive I agree, but no more than buying another horse over there). Unless its the cost of livery/logistics of keeping him etc that is putting you off? Just seems such a shame as you obviously love the horse.

Also why is the loaning a nightmare? If the loaner is causing problems do you want to sell them your horse?
 

mickey

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If you really don't want to part with your horse I believe that you should consider the travel - I am sure the travel company would manage this so well that there would be little stress actually involved for him. Think of all the competition horses (some of which must be very highly strung) that travel internationally. I would pay the money (even if I had to borrow it) if I really wanted to be with my horse.
On the other hand, if you decide for him to stay here I think he will be fine in the right hands. If the person who loans him is doing a good job and getting on well with him and would be a good owner then personally I would take that over selling him to an unknown even though it may mean less money gained. I should think he would be worth more than £2,500 - Maybe £4,500 ish.....but without photos / comp records it is difficult to say. Taking the price of the tack off sounds a good idea - if she has been working on him like you say then she deserves some kind of discount.
As long as you do what you feel is best for him and best for you things will be OK
 

Tia

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I've thought about your situation a number of times now and obviously you will do what is right for both you and Harvey; however I can only say what I would do in your situation.

I wouldn't bring him over to Atlanta. He's an older horse, the climate change would be one you would have to seriously consider. No doubt he would fly well and they are very well looked after, my pony was treated like royalty when she was flown over here....however once you get him here you are going to have to pay a lot of money to keep him. There aren't any boarding barns near where you live which would mean not only would he cost you a lot in money but also in time.

The girl who loans him adores him. I know there have been issues with the loan, but you have never questioned how she feels about him. If it were me, my first choice would be to sell him to her if she wanted to buy him. The money would be secondary I'm afraid; I would just want him settled in a kind home.

If he was mine, on the open market I would be looking to ask around £1,500 plus however much your tack is worth. To her? I would sell him for £1,500 and throw in the tack.

I can't remember how long you are back in the UK for, but although we all know that 14 is not an old age....finding a buyer who is happy to purchase a 14 year old is a different matter and it could take a couple of months to find the right person. You know he is with the right person now - so she gets my vote (that's if she wants to buy him of course).

Best of luck and I hope you have a beautiful reunion with him when you return.
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harvgj19

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Oldmare, when he was first on loan, my friend had him, with no probs whatsoever. Then she bought a new horse and found a girl to loan mine. This girl is very nice and spoils him rotten, to the point that with the sign of any trouble she calls the vet and puts him on box rest!

She has had the vet out umpteen times in the last 2 months, and has each time been told he is fine. Turn him out and ride him. I have told her to heed the vets advice. She is still, 8 weeks on, turning him out for an hour a day and has not ridden him yet. She is now trying to claim on my insurance for the vets fees.

So to answer your question I don't know if I do want to sell him to her! As for bringing him over here, the cost is a pretty big stumbling block, which may be surmountable in the future, but by that time, would he be too old to be put through a journey like that?
 

buckybee

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I would always be worried about flying my horse, I know it's only a film but I would always be thinking of international velvet!
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I think it would be a bit mean to sell him if the girl who has him now doesn't have the funds to buy and to be fair, with his age and all you probably wouldn't get that much for him anyway. If he is happy where he is could you not ask the girl what she can afford? Maybe start at £1500 and work down. At least then you know he will be happy and you can stay in touch with him.
 

harvgj19

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Tia,

I have been thinking about this ever since you went and sold Oscar! I know the girl loves him, I just worry about him! I was thinking about the 1500 pound mark too. I think I will wait til I meet her, and if it feels right I will see if she wants to buy him. I am only going to be there for 2 weeks, so I know that finding another buyer would be difficult, and to be honest if she doesn't want to buy him, I don't know what I will do!

I have resigned myself to the fact that I'll never have him here. I didn't travel well or like the climate change much, so I think that is what puts me off doing the same to him! I just need to take that step of selling him, rather than leaving him on loan forever in the vain hope that one day I could get him back.
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Thanks for your level headed advice. It's what I needed to hear.
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harvgj19

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[ QUOTE ]
know it's only a film but I would always be thinking of international velvet!


[/ QUOTE ]

PMSL! That is always what I say to my OH whenever we talk about this! I just can't get that scene out of my head!
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Petalpoos

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I know it's hard to find a good home for a horse, but I don't think, from your description of the girl who has him on loan, that you have found a good one at the moment. A horse that stands in a box for 23 hours a day without any ridden exercise with a girl who obviously has no idea what she is doing (called the vet out many times in two months!) does not sound like a horse with a good quality of life. TBs are not the easiest of horses to own and I do not think they are suitable for beginners. That said, I don't have an easy answer as shipping him to Atlanta with the extreme weather etc. is not a great idea either.
 

Tia

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Oh has she only had him for 2 months? And she has never ridden him? Not ever since she has had him? Or am I being blonde here?
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This is the girl who wants to take him off to college with her isn't it? The one who pampers him? Sorry I hadn't realised that she was a hypo, LOL!! Maybe you shouldn't sell to her after all
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harvgj19

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You are being blonde!!
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She has had him since August last year, so about 8 months. She started off great, riding all the time, going to SJ and XC clinics with the RC, buying a trailer etc etc. Then just over 2 months ago he got a lump on his leg, just a fluid lump, which my friend the YO said looked like a bruise / kick. Well she called the vet who looked at it and said if he's not lame, ride him gently and call me if it doesn't get better, well after 2 months and another 7 vet visits, 3 weeks of box rest, another 3 weeks of box and yard wandering, and now 2 weeks of 1 hour turn out she still hasn't ridden him. He has not been lame for 1 MINUTE of all this time, and I have told her on several occasions that if the vet says he is fine I am not going to hold her responsible if he were to go lame!

My friend is going to try to give her some encouragement to stop worrying and get him back to a normal turnout and riding routine, but even she says, she is a obsessive worrier!
 

Tia

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LOL!!
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I get a bit confuddled at times - I thought she had ridden him, it was just when I saw the post to Oldmare that I thought "hang on a minute" ..... LOL!!!

Okay......so the worst she does is to molly coddle him. She sounds a bit over protective and calls the vet out for anything and everything........could be SOOO much worse! At least you aren't worrying that if anything happens that she will try to fix it - you know that he will always have the best of professional care. I agree she does sound a bit dippy BUT ........ there's far worse homes he could go to.
 

0ldmare

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I can understand why you might not want to take him to the US, but feel concerned about the current loaner. She might love the horse to pieces but its no fun at all for a horse to be cooped up 23 hours a day. (Wouldnt be so bad if she turned him out more). Think you need to do need to carefully assess the situation when you are over and if you feel its not ideal for the horse you need to harden your heart as far as the current loaner is concerned. Selling him might be the best for him (you could ask for 1st refusal if they ever need to resell)
 

filly190

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It looks to me, that you not being in the country does not give you a lot of control over the sale of Harvey. The person who loans him, may or may not have the money to buy him, and I presume it would be up to her if you advertised him to see potential buyers, which again is a difficult one because it is then down to her trust and judgement where he is placed.

If you have a good relationship with this person, I would be very tempted to offer the horse to her at a price she can afford to ensure his well-being. She may find it difficult to sell him for you as in fact she has had a free horse and is having to then sell him to strangers for you.

I think it would have been better if you had sorted all of this out before you went so that you could be in charge of the situation. But considering your options of flying him over, I understand why you have kept him in your loan home.

My heart goes out to you, because it is a difficult one and I am sure you will be able to work things through and come up with a solution that you are happy with. Try and look at the situation from all angles, and everyone's hats and lets hope your loaner will come up trumps for you.
 

TarrSteps

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I have to add my voice to the "not moving" him camp. The actual flying isn't the tough part, it's the adapting on the other end that might cause problems. VERY different climate, different food, different horse keeping arrangements . . . the list of stresses goes on. And you will have to board him so you won't have much control/time/money. If you had your own place or even somewhere very close with someone you trusted it might be a different story.

As to selling him inexpensively to his current loaner, I'd seriously look into getting that done if you can and she's amenable. I have twice "sold" horses to the people who leased them when circumstances changed and a good home trumped any sort of financial or competition requirements. In both cases the people loved the horses, didn't want to part with them, and were able to at least look after their basic needs. Sounds like your girl is a bit dippy but her heart's in the right place and she genuinely cares for the horse so you could rest easy about his future.
 
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