Old horse 23 do I buy her as a first pony?

[Gem30]

Hi, I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone who’s been there done it.

Im looking to buy a pony, it would be my first owned pony. I have really taken a likng to an older pony aged 23, she has mild Sweetich which I’ve been told is being managed well. She also went lame last year at a loan home due to excessive weight gain.
Everyone ‘horsey’ I’ve spoken to has said don’t go there but she is so ideal for my riding ability and safe!
My question is what do I do? Do I forget about her and move on or take a risk? I’d have a vetting done but I guess that won’t help answer will she go lame again etc? Shes In good shape and the owners say she’s fit to carry on happy hacking etc which is all I really want to do.
many advice greatly appreciated thank you

 

[EllenJay]

Personally, no. Could you ask the owners if you can have her on lian?

 

[ycbm]

Don't buy her (and in my view the owners should not be selling her, but loaning her). Any day, she could need to be retired. Whilst that can be the case with any horse it's far more likely with a 23 year old.

 

[Gem30]

Can I ask why the no? The age or issues i mentioned? There’s definitely no harm asking I could try re loan her. They want her to go to her forever home now but the more I look into it it’s so unlikely anyone would take her on now.

 

[twiggy2]

Can you offer a home for life, are you happy to continue light hacking, f so and you like her then if the price was right then I possibly would.
They may be reluctant to loan as they can't have her back, I would offer £100 if I could afford her and I liked her enough that if in a years time she couldn't be ridden I would be happy ro have her around and care for her.

 

[Gem30]

Personally, no. Could you ask the owners if you can have her on lian?

Personally, no. Could you ask the owners if you can have her on lian?

Personally, no. Could you ask the owners if you can have her on lian?

Sorry I replied below and not to your answer

 

[ycbm]

Can I ask why the no? The age or issues i mentioned? There’s definitely no harm asking I could try re loan her. They want her to go to her forever home now but the more I look into it it’s so unlikely anyone would take her on now.

Both. The lameness sounds like laminitis and that can be a nightmare to manage in an old horse and can get worse as they get older. And the age is likely to give you only a short time to enjoy her before she is too old to work. If the lameness wasn't laminitis, run a mile.

 

[Gem30]

Can you offer a home for life, are you happy to continue light hacking, f so and you like her then if the price was right then I possibly would.
They may be reluctant to loan as they can't have her back, I would offer £100 if I could afford her and I liked her enough that if in a years time she couldn't be ridden I would be happy ro have her around and care for her.

All I want to do is light hacks couple of times a week and some light schooling, I’m a novice so I just want a safe ride, no thrashing around for the forseable…. She’s £1500 no tack, cheaper than most but if I were to decide is this too much??
Ye that’s true, just £100 to offer? You’d have her?

 

[Gem30]

Both. The lameness sounds like laminitis and that can be a nightmare to manage in an old horse and can get worse as they get older. And the age is likely to give you only a short time to enjoy her before she is too old to work. If the lameness wasn't laminitis, run a mile.

They said last year she put on weight and suffered with EMS and laminitis….. she’s on a strict diet now…. Is that likely to happen again then?

 

[ycbm]

EMS? That's effectively type 2 diabetes, usually a lifetime condition, and often a devil to manage. Please don't buy her, uncontrollable laminitis would break your heart.

I really hate people selling on old ponies with problems like this.
.

 

[TGM]

Personally I wouldn't want to loan her or buy her, partly because of her age but also because of the EMS and laminitis. It can actually be very hard to manage EMS ponies correctly and as a first time pony owner it could make life really difficult for you. They may be selling her at this time of year because it is easier to keep her lami-free before the grass starts shooting up. It may even be the reason that she is 'safe' is because she has chronic pain due to low grade laminitis. I've had laminitic/EMS ponies before and I wouldn't knowingly take on another one!

 

[Gem30]

EMS? That's effectively type 2 diabetes, usually a lifetime condition, and often a devil to manage. Please don't buy her, uncontrollable laminitis would break your heart.
.

Ohh not what I wanted to hear perhaps I should go down the if she’d loan her to me route?

 

[TGM]

Do you have your own stable/fields or are you intending to put this pony at livery? It is hard enough to manage EMS ponies if you have your own place, but generally even more difficult at livery, where you can't control how the grazing is managed etc.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Don’t even loan..please heed the advice above..genuinely it will save you heartache and money.

 

[Goldenstar]

No please don’t go there , you are setting yourselves up for heartache and expense.
Shame on the ponies owners .

 

[Gem30]

Do you have your own stable/fields or are you intending to put this pony at livery? It is hard enough to manage EMS ponies if you have your own place, but generally even more difficult at livery, where you can't control how the grazing is managed etc.

No I don’t shed have to be a stables/ livery x

 

[Gem30]

Don’t even loan..please heed the advice above..genuinely it will save you heartache and money.

 

[Gem30]

No please don’t go there , you are setting yourselves up for heartache and expense.
Shame on the ponies owners .

Not what I want to hear

 

[Gloi]

Besides the EMS has she been tested recently for PPID (Cushing's) ? That is common at that age and also can cause laminitis but can be controlled to some extent with daily drugs.
Certainly don't pay £1500 for her. She will probably cost you a fair bit in vet bills.
If you can come to an arrangement where you care for her and ride her, but loan and don't have long term responsibility for her, that may work, but be prepared for ler to go lame again.

 

[Gem30]

Hi not that I know of, I can ask, I had read about cushings and being common in older horses
Ok thank you for the advice, so once they’ve gone lame it’s very certain it’ll happen again?

 

[Gloi]

Hi not that I know of, I can ask, I had read about cushings and being common in older horses
Ok thank you for the advice, so once they’ve gone lame it’s very certain it’ll happen again?

Not 100% if it's carefully managed, but still extremely likely and it is hard work keeping diet and conditions perfect.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

What a cheek the owners have asking you to pay £1500 without tack! I feel very sorry for the pony that the owners are irresponsible enough to keep passing her round. If you know the pony and the owners well and are absolutely sure that she is what you are looking for to ride, I would ask them if you can loan her but under no circumstances should you buy her. I would want her tested for Cushings asap and you should be aware that we have had 2 who only lived for a year on Prascend after testing positive for Cushings.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Put it this way I have a 18 year old Arab with cushings his on the medication for it his still ridden but there is no way on earth I would be selling him to anyone.

It also sounds like the pony definitely has cushings but they are not medicating, which means it's a ticking time bomb for laminitis.

My advice would be run away fast and don't look back.

The owners of the pony should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[nagblagger]

I think they should be paying you the £1500, that is not a cheap horse. You will have steep learning curve on corrective farriering, special diet, paranoia with any change in weight or gait and how large vets bills can be on an uninsured horse. With heartache at the end (yes I have been there). Please keep looking, I don't think I would even take her on loan.

 

[Hepsibah]

The owners are selling to you as a novice and first time owner because you are less likely to recognise the many, many red flags. If it were one of the issues, maybe I'd consider it but all of them together makes it a big fat no.

 

[twiggy2]

All I want to do is light hacks couple of times a week and some light schooling, I’m a novice so I just want a safe ride, no thrashing around for the forseable…. She’s £1500 no tack, cheaper than most but if I were to decide is this too much??
Ye that’s true, just £100 to offer? You’d have her?

The EMS makes it a no from me as well, a healthy older pony of that age I would still only offer £100 for.
You need to get someone who has your best interests at heart to help you look the current owners do sounds like they are trying to take advantage of you.
Treating EMS and cushions can be very expensive and require a lot of management and knowledge, you won't be able to insure for it either.
Sorry

 

[luckyoldme]

With the issues she has and at her age it's a shame her owner is taking the risk of selling her and doesn't want to fund her retirement.
In effect you are buying someone else's vet bills when you don't need to.

 

[maya2008]

One that age that is healthy, yes if you are willing to pts or retire when that is eventually needed. As a novice owner though, the sweetitch and ems will be endless stress and you may struggle to manage them in a livery situation. So a no from me too.

 

[Dasher66]

You would still have to pay livery and keep if the horse is unridable due to lameness or other illhealth.
my advice would be to start saving now what you’d be paying monthly for a place at livery plus a bit for vet’s bills. You’ll soon have enough to buy a healthy horse.

 

[Surbie]

They said last year she put on weight and suffered with EMS and laminitis….. she’s on a strict diet now…. Is that likely to happen again then?

Please don't. Not even on loan.

You are looking for a first pony and this one is not simple in terms of management. As a novice you will likely have a very hard time managing this on a livery yard (sweetitch + EMS + lami) and you will put yourself on a miserable and very steep learning curve about something that will probably bring you a lot of heartache. I have one with sweetitch and it has reduced my local livery options significantly to find a place that suits his needs.

I think it's very mean of the horse's owners to be asking this much for a veteran horse that will be difficult to keep.