Recent buying experience. All opinions welcome.

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Sarah.h_1993

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Hi. So I was just looking to get some unbiased opinions on a recent experience I have had with buying my pony. But I wanted to ask someone who didn't know either party. I will briefly explain the situation I am in but all opinions would be greatly welcomed.


At at the age of 10 I started volunteering at a local riding school. At the age of 14 that riding school had one new horse in particular arrive on the yard. She was a 14hh Skewbald mare. After about a year or so on the riding school she had to be pulled off as she was far too naughty for children to be riding!! She then was left in the field where she had laminitis on several occasions without treatment including one scenario where she was ridden with laminitis. At this time I was one of the experienced riders at the riding school and they offered her to me on a share basis in return for work to help keep her weight down.


This continued until I was about 18, in this period of time I rode her more and more frequently and completely reschooled her. So much so that when I was about 18 they returned her to the riding school to use.


I then moved to work for them full time until I was 20 in return for cash in hand. After that I left to travel for a year. But when I retuned after my years travelling I found the little Ponys health had completely detoriated. She was lame on more than one leg and was still being jumped 2ft9 with beginners. Her forward going nature and willingness to please had also been replaced with a grumpy attitude and I could tell that something just wasnt right.


i returned to sharing her for a year in the hope to help but I could see this wasn't enough. After that year I decided to buy her. By now I was 21 and she was also coming up to 20. After months of negotiation they dropped the price from £2500 to £1500 and despite me knowing her to be expensive for what I was getting I paid in order to help her out.


After having her for under 2 months on one late evening she showed signs of colic and collapsed. I called the vet and had the bloods taken. The bloods showed she had severe problems with her liver. It has cost me £2500 in vets bills and lots of medication and tests for my pony but finally she is the happy pony I remember from my childhood. I have now just begun reschooling her and hopefully she will now finish her retirement happy and healthy.


But my questions is I know I overpaid for what I got in the current market and I didn't for her sake willingly when I knew about the laminitis risks. However what I did not pay for was all of the internal problems that I was unaware of. Considering I have now been at the yard for 12 years do you think expensive what I was charged? And would you ask for a portion of your money back? All opinions on any part of the situation are welcome. Thanks in advance for your help.
 
You over paid to buy a pony you felt sorry for, the ill health that followed was bad luck, probably due to lack of care by what sounds like a very poor quality RS but you could have taken out insurance and been covered for the treatment she required so I don't think that you can expect to get any money back and would not think it worth even asking.

I hope she is no longer kept at the same yard as the symptoms sound like ragwort poisoning.
 
Unfortunately I don't think that you will get anything back from them. You did pay OTT, but look at the positive, you have secured this mare, she is safe, you're doing a good thing.
 
Ouch. That was way too expensive in my opinion. Where sentiment is involved they can charge what they want, knowing you will pay over the odds - They wasn't doing you any favours was they! Unfortuantly no proof the pony had liver issues prior to you buying (I'm presuming this) or that they knew about the ponys liver problems and you bought her sold as seen so I doubt they will give any money back... Worth an ask though, nothing to lose, If they are decent enough they may help you out but I do doubt it.
 
Thanks :) yeah they did over charge heavily but for her sake I paid. My vet is confident that the liver issues have been building over time due to lack of care, insufficient worming and possibly a few times where she has eaten ragwort and not received treatment.
 
None of us truly know what problems we might be buying when we purchase a horse.

It's all a learning curve, and this is one for you to put down to experience. I certainly wouldn't be asking for any money back.
 
I think you did over pay for the pony and it was unfortunate about the subsequent vet's bills. As hard as this sounds, it was your choice to buy the pony at the price you paid. Personally I think the riding school/yard should have let you have her for a small nominal amount considering your story.

However, I think you could ask as a good will gesture and your relationship with the yard but I very much doubt that you would be entitled to anything back as most horses are 'sold as seen'.
 
I doubt you'd get anything as you agreed on the price. However at least you know she will be under your care from now and every decision is your decision. Congratulations on getting her healthy, now just enjoy her.
 
You paid what she was worth to you, both in her sale price and subsequent vet bills. Ultimately, what anyone else would have paid is irrelevant because you made the decision both times.

For me, both the price of the pony and the vets bill (considering her age) are very high and I probably would have called it quits on both. But you didn't and that was entirely your decision. There's absolutely no comeback on it IMO.
 
Ah it is tough when you buy them as you don't really know what you are getting even with a 5 star vetting. My girl had surgery last year to remove a thickened bone in her head that caused facial paralysis. It would have been building well before I got her 3 years ago apparently. So £4.5k later I feel quite psd off but her last owner didn't know when she sold her, no one could have. It's one of the pitfalls of horses. They cost a bomb and seem to have lots of bad luck....but we love em anyway! :-)
 
When buying you normally take a gamble on the history but in saying that you had years of history on the pony so it could be argued that you had the luxury of more history than 99% of buyers do and were likely to have a rough idea of any mismanagement

You overpaid and it sounds like you didnt insure - neither of which were the sellers fault as such

A sad situation when you only wanted to help :(
 
Pony probably had minimal residual value on the open market for resale and considering the work you have done in volunteering for the RS over the years, then you have definitely overpaid. But you have done an admirable thing and learnt plenty, which is invaluable.

Plenty of riding schools made use of willing volunteers and often gave little in return, some more than others. Not sure if its so frequent now.
 
I knowingly overpaid for my mare but did it to get her out of a life of pure abuse. my mare repaid that to me and more besides in getting me through my own abusive relationship. when she was pts in August she owed me nothing . Realisticaly your horses previous owner does not need to repay you anything im afraid.x
 
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