Urgent help needed!!!

Love2ride said:
I will apologise now as this will be very long.
Ok so I need figures and fast as my favourite riding school horse is possibly going to be sold by tomorrow afternoon so some facts, answers and realistic figures much appreciated as I need to decide by the morning :o . Basically can I afford him? :confused:
Facts:
1. Horse costs £3,500 :eek:
2. DIY livery £38.00 per week
3. Hay ~£6.00 per bale
4. Straw bedding (may see if I could find other alternative if it is cheaper??)
5. Will live out all weathers
6. Doesn’t currently have hard feed (very good doer)
7. Goes 8 weeks for shoeing
8. At the riding school where I work so know owners, staff and liveries
9. Not far from home
10. Have ridden him for ~2 years so know how he behaves
11. Can handle him with ease
12. May be able to save a bit on livery if I let them use him for hacks
13. Both me and my mum can ride him
Downsides: :(
1. Only my mums income and my £25-£30 per week
2. Because of my college situation (may or may not go back depends if I can find a job over summer) may be £3k down come September
3. Nearly finished my driving lessons so would be looking for a car/sharing my mums car (huge insurance costs)
Questions
1. Worming: how much (£) and how often
2. Insurance costs for a 15.3hh cob (all-rounder)
3.Vets fees
4.Farrier
Feel free to add anything I have missed. We think it would be around £100 per week on average may be less in summer and more in winter. If you got through that have some red wine/tea and cake. :D
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Put in an offer now of £2750 if they need to sell the yard, they NEED to sell the horse, why hay and bedding if he lives out?, take shoes off and ride barefoot, I worm twice a year and worm test the other times (twice) Look at working livery, look at yards closer that are cheaper, look at renting your own field with a possible companion (probably still cheaper) I pay for hay, shavings, livery, feeding turning out/bringing in cost am, plus all the additional vets, worming, trimming, teeth etc and it costs proably about £60 a week (including the occasionals such as worming, vets, trims, teeth)
 
Armas said:
By the looks of it no you cannot afford the horse. Sorry to be blunt.
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yes but lets face it, you spend diamonds on your horse just for kicks and giggles:rolleyes:;)

my personal opinion is, if you are strapped for cash before you buy a horse, you arent going to be any worse off after you buy a horse.... you are still going to be strapped for cash lol! Plus, its amazing what we horse owners can cut back on if needed, shoes (for horses and humans!), nights out!! (no, I dont miss those!!) all told, we can afford these four legged fiends, we just have to tighten those purse strings a bit more and 'plan' things :D
 
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Love2ride said:
MrsElle - My mum would fund virtually all of it (I am aware I need to do some serious job hunting) and I would be willing to find cheaper alternatives.
LRR - I am still paying for a stable as they don't do grass livery so bedding would be limited even though its not essential, don't know if they would negotiate, and he practically lives on fresh air :)
Arrgh my heart is ruling my head :(
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personally, if he means that much to you, buy him and move yards. if my boy was on GL I would be halving my spends per month... closer to £30 PW
 
Love2ride said:
MrsElle - My mum would fund virtually all of it (I am aware I need to do some serious job hunting) and I would be willing to find cheaper alternatives.
LRR - I am still paying for a stable as they don't do grass livery so bedding would be limited even though its not essential, don't know if they would negotiate, and he practically lives on fresh air :)
Arrgh my heart is ruling my head :(
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thatsmygirl said:
But also if he's going to be sold by tomoz afternoon, that must mean they have a buyer? At that price surely a vetting would have been carried out and a deposit put down?
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or they are trying to freak out op, who they know adores him and think/hope will stump up £3.5K. Lets face it, most horses disbanded because of yard sales will end up in a local sales ring, even the best I have recently seen have made a maximum of 2k in the ring
 
Queenbee said:
Put in an offer now of £2750 if they need to sell the yard, they NEED to sell the horse, why hay and bedding if he lives out?, take shoes off and ride barefoot, I worm twice a year and worm test the other times (twice) Look at working livery, look at yards closer that are cheaper, look at renting your own field with a possible companion (probably still cheaper) I pay for hay, shavings, livery, feeding turning out/bringing in cost am, plus all the additional vets, worming, trimming, teeth etc and it costs proably about £60 a week (including the occasionals such as worming, vets, trims, teeth)
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Queenbee said:
or they are trying to freak out op, who they know adores him and think/hope will stump up £3.5K. Lets face it, most horses disbanded because of yard sales will end up in a local sales ring, even the best I have recently seen have made a maximum of 2k in the ring
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Sorry i may have missed something but where does the OP state the yard is being sold?
 
That does sound like a high price for an RS horse, but it depends what type of riding school, some of them have decent dressage schoolmasters and all kinds! An RS near me has a bunch of lovely very well schooled cobs who all compete dressage properly, although the lessons and livery cost a bomb, it's probably worth it in that case!

It really depends what your mum can afford OP, although I am sure you would be able to make some cut backs on your daughterly demands of her for a horse :-) especially if you buy clothes a lot and go out and all that.

My horse costs me about £100 a month spread out through the year including vaccs and farrier etc, maybe 150 at a push. She lives out, I'm a student, I could put her on a yard but would need more income which would mean more work and less time, and then as you know bedding and hay would be a large cost on top. I have a companion pony on loan too so it's probably closer to £150 including the littlun (bonus of renting land, more horses - same rent!)

Unfortunately I think this is all a bit rushed, but you can use it as an opportunity to find out the real costs and discover whether you are ready, then you can find the right horse for you - perhaps advertise for a loan and you can see how it goes?
 
RS horses usually fetch a high price. They're an asset to the school, and they earn their keep. Having said that, one thing to bear in mind is how they can change one they're not in a school setting. Majority of them are very fit, and there's no way the average home can supply them with 6hrs of work a day, 5 days a week.

I also wouldn't be looking to spend your parent's money on a horse. Horses are expensive, and even more expensive when they go wrong.
 
Armas said:
By the looks of it no you cannot afford the horse. Sorry to be blunt.
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I actually agree with this too. Sorry OP. You can't - especially if you stay at this yard.. If you're really seriously interested, get looking for other yards. We used to do DIY including haylage for £30 for a big horse..

I also think the school is milking you - getting a good price, chance to keep using the horse and top dollar for livery too.. And only giving you one day to decide so that the pressure is on and you don't think it all through properly..
 
Sorry you have not allowed for the ##ck factor in your sums, you have worked out what you earn each week, But what if you , your mum are ill or injured or she looses here job and there is a break in the money flow. You need a reserve if you want to own a horse, buying is easy try selling when you have no money coming in , you end up taking very little just to get out the bills.
You have had a nice time ridding this horse, there will be others and let someone else have the worries.Nice dream wait till you can really afford to buy and finished collage and have a steady income.
 
If he is going to be sold by tomorrow afternoon I'd be mightily peed if I was that buyer.

OP I don't think it's a good idea right now, you are going to have an awful lot of other things that you need/want to spend your money on.
 
Keep a credit card handy for the unlikely vet bill. Insurance you only need public liability if you have the credit card for vet bills. Hay is cheaper and only necessary in winter, go for haylage much much cheaper over 10 bales of hay in a bale of haylage which costs £30.

Feel 3,5k is too much for a RS pony, try to negotiate reduction in price. If you can find cheaper livery or grass livery and your mom will enjoy riding him too go for it. If he is used in the school you will need to replace shoes more often. If he is up todate with his wormers and you poo pick you should only have to worm in spring and autumn which will cover tapeworms anyway.
 
I would also say pass on this one too - it is just too much money all round really.

The price is too high, the vetting is going to set you back another £200+. Also riding school horses are great in their environment, but you might find a huge change in him when you try to take him out on his own or he suddenly gets less work.

I would be interested to know if he has sold today as threatened. I'll eat my riding hat if he has.

*prepares hat for eating* :D:cool:
 
You already know that you can't afford him. Were you looking to buy a horse anyway? If so, what was your budget? £3500 sounds a lot to me for an ex riding school horse. I think you just really love this horse and can't bear the thought of him being sold on to someone else. Why are they selling him?
I would try to see if you can have him on a loan scheme, but if not, you'll have to get used to riding a different horse if you stay at the same yard...
 
Well only you and your mum know how much money you bring in each month so only you can know whether you can afford the horse or not.

Interesting that people are saying riding school horses don't make much money, it's totally the opposite over here, when RS horses are put up for sale they usually make far in excess of the market value. Around my area RS horses command a premium price, usually because so many people know the horses and are prepared to pay over the odds for them.
 
If the horse is "probably" going to be sold by tomorrow afternoon, well I assume a deal is already in the process. Dont see why the school would necessarily stop that deal so you could buy instead. Usually its first come, first served (unless the owner really values where the horse goes and thinks you could offer it a better home).
 
There is a lot of good advice here but I think most have missed the most important point.

You say, "Because of my college situation (may or may not go back depends if I can find a job over summer) may be £3k down come September".

Forget the horse for the moment, as others have said, there will be more at that price and you are being rushed into something you might live to regret.

Go and get an education. That will teach you to think, then you won't need to come on here for advice as you will know the answers.:) You will also have a good job and more money and will have a bigger budget to buy whatever horse you like!;)
 
ShadowFlame said:
RS horses usually fetch a high price. They're an asset to the school, and they earn their keep. Having said that, one thing to bear in mind is how they can change one they're not in a school setting. Majority of them are very fit, and there's no way the average home can supply them with 6hrs of work a day, 5 days a week.

I also wouldn't be looking to spend your parent's money on a horse. Horses are expensive, and even more expensive when they go wrong.
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Echo this - we bought a (used once a day for an hour max) exRS 6yo mare (been in 18 months). In that time I'd ridden her plenty as a RS horse, but by George, we got her home and everything panicked her and she turned into a bolter. 9 years later, she's brilliant but still has tantrums where she threatens to bolt, but mostly doesn't.
 
Love2ride said:
I will apologise now as this will be very long.
Ok so I need figures and fast as my favourite riding school horse is possibly going to be sold by tomorrow afternoon so some facts, answers and realistic figures much appreciated as I need to decide by the morning :o . Basically can I afford him? :confused:
Facts:
1. Horse costs £3,500 :eek:
2. DIY livery £38.00 per week Look around £38pw is a lot unless the facilities are bordering on amazing
3. Hay ~£6.00 per bale Where the hell are you buying it from? Buy big rounds, far cheaper!
4. Straw bedding (may see if I could find other alternative if it is cheaper??) Wont need if he is out 24/7
5. Will live out all weathers
6. Doesn’t currently have hard feed (very good doer)
7. Goes 8 weeks for shoeing
8. At the riding school where I work so know owners, staff and liveries
9. Not far from home
10. Have ridden him for ~2 years so know how he behaves
11. Can handle him with ease
12. May be able to save a bit on livery if I let them use him for hacks
13. Both me and my mum can ride him
Downsides: :(
1. Only my mums income and my £25-£30 per week Sorry Not enough :(
2. Because of my college situation (may or may not go back depends if I can find a job over summer) may be £3k down come September
3. Nearly finished my driving lessons so would be looking for a car/sharing my mums car (huge insurance costs)
Questions
1. Worming: how much (£) and how often Varies upon time of year.
2. Insurance costs for a 15.3hh cob (all-rounder)
3.Vets fees
4.Farrier
Feel free to add anything I have missed. We think it would be around £100 per week on average may be less in summer and more in winter. If you got through that have some red wine/tea and cake. :D
Click to expand...

Everything could be halved cost wise if you got a sharer, which may make things a little more affordable
 
Love2ride said:
I will apologise now as this will be very long.
Ok so I need figures and fast as my favourite riding school horse is possibly going to be sold by tomorrow afternoon so some facts, answers and realistic figures much appreciated as I need to decide by the morning :o . Basically can I afford him? :confused:
Facts:
1. Horse costs £3,500 :eek:
2. DIY livery £38.00 per week
3. Hay ~£6.00 per bale
4. Straw bedding (may see if I could find other alternative if it is cheaper??)
5. Will live out all weathers
6. Doesn’t currently have hard feed (very good doer)
7. Goes 8 weeks for shoeing
8. At the riding school where I work so know owners, staff and liveries
9. Not far from home
10. Have ridden him for ~2 years so know how he behaves
11. Can handle him with ease
12. May be able to save a bit on livery if I let them use him for hacks
13. Both me and my mum can ride him
Downsides: :(
1. Only my mums income and my £25-£30 per week
2. Because of my college situation (may or may not go back depends if I can find a job over summer) may be £3k down come September
3. Nearly finished my driving lessons so would be looking for a car/sharing my mums car (huge insurance costs)
Questions
1. Worming: how much (£) and how often
2. Insurance costs for a 15.3hh cob (all-rounder)
3.Vets fees
4.Farrier
Feel free to add anything I have missed. We think it would be around £100 per week on average may be less in summer and more in winter. If you got through that have some red wine/tea and cake. :D
Click to expand...

unfortunatly if you need to ask you know deep down you can't afford him x
 
IME there is always something that hits you out of the blue financially & you need to have an emergency fund. It can be anything from a Vet bill not covered by insurance to losing your job.
I know this sounds pessimistic but the best piece of advice I heard was from a senior guy at Redwings - when you buy a horse put enough money to have it pts & disposed of in the most expensive manner in a separate account & leave it there. If the worst happens & you are in an immediate pts situation you will have enough to deal with emotionally without having to worry about finding the money (which could be £ several hundred) for injection & cremation. Although you may prefer the Hunt it may not be a practical or timely option in an unplanned pts.
 
£100 p/week! I don't spend anything like on mine!

These are my costs, to give you an idea, for two horses who live out. I will give winter costs as these are higher...

£120 p/ month grass DIY livery
£20 p/ month 3rd party insurance
£60 p/ month hay (winter only)
£15 p/ month feed? As an average? This is for a little chaff, bran, sea weed, devils root...

Extras:
Trimming - £100 x 4 times annually (I do in between whiles)
Saddle check every 6 months(ish) - £40
Backs checked every 6 months - £80
Dentist annually - £45
Vaccs - annually £60
Worming - around £100 p/ year

Then there are the bits of tack, etc, fly spray and other incidentals that you need as and when.

I worked out this averages around £250 p/ month (not including the extra tack, etc) but that is for two horses, who, as you can see, don't want for anything.
 
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