Went to look at pony, :( sad though

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mulledwhine

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The pony was great, daughter rode him for a good long time, and they both seemed rerally happy with each other.

Pony though is 16, and has suffered with lamintitis, not a problem for me as I can manage laminitis.

However, the amount the owner wanted seemed really high to me, £1000!!!

My partner seems to think that the price proposed is because they do not really want to sell him ( of course I understand that), but why advertise him for sale at all if they do not want him to move homes, I would be interested if they wanted to put him on loan, but I dont think that would even be an option.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that this price is too high?
 
How big is the pony? What experience has it had?

At 17 I still had my 14hh NF schoomaster insured for £3000, and the insurance company paid out without even questioning it when he died...
 
What they want - and what they will sell it for may be very different - could always try putting a sensible offer in, and say you are happy to manage his health issues, good home etc - will keep in touch and then leave them to think about it?

A horse is only worth what someone will pay for it - regardless of how highly the seller rates their horse!
 
Depends on size, his abilities, if he is a schoolmaster type etc.

I don't think £1000 is much at all for a 16 yr old if he is a good type - my friend always reckons on losing £1000 per year of owning a horse as a rough guide, so if he lasts two years you are quids in!
 
He is 12hh, adverstised as first lead reign pony, has started to do a bit of pony club.

I have said they are more than welcome to come visit anytime they like, which I do mean as I know how difficult it is to part with a love ' pet'
 
Perhaps they are asking £1000 to ensure he goes to a decent home?

Agree with above, put in an offer - I would pay £1k for a bigger pony at that age, or an absolute saint, but a lead rein pony at 16 in this climate is perhaps a little optimistic.

As for the laminitis, I suspect many 16 yr old native types have had laminitis at some stage and it shouldn't be a problem if you can keep the weight off him.
 
I recently paid double that for a 17 yr old 13'2" for my son. You may think I am mad, but he is everything he was promised to be and more. I have even regained my enjoyment of hacking as I exercise him mid-week! I know you wouldn't necessarily be able to do this with a 12hh but well behaved ponies are like gold dust.

ETA Did you know he was £1k before you went to see him? If so, why are you sad about the price?
 
16 isnt old for a pony. if he is a really good lead rein/first ridden and is safe, with good brakes and steering then £1000 is a good price. what price do you put on your childs safety? has he got references? these types of ponies usually sell by word of mouth if they behave like saints.
 
i dont think thats an unreasonable amount either,reliable first ridden/lead rein ponies are hard to come by,i'm sure if you dont buy then someone else will !my daughters horse is 18y but doesnt act his age at all & insured for £3000.he is worth his weight in gold for all that experience he has clocked up over the years.
if you like the pony then go for it.:)
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
16 isnt old for a pony. if he is a really good lead rein/first ridden and is safe, with good brakes and steering then £1000 is a good price. what price do you put on your childs safety? has he got references? these types of ponies usually sell by word of mouth if they behave like saints.
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Exactly. This pony would probably have been a lot more without the laminitus issue, which can be managed. I halved the price of a good pony to £850 with all tack and rugs this year because it had previously had laminitus. It sold very quickly to a good home, and has had not had lami since... Most of these ponies go on and on, so he is no age. If you like it, buy it!
 
My worry with a 16yo pony that had had laminitis before is that it is possible that the laminitis may have been caused by Cushings (which is common in older animals) and therefore future bouts of laminitis cannot be always be easily prevented without recourse to medication and strict dietary management.
 
I dont think his price is unreasonable if the pony is safe sound a sensible, even at 16.
Yeah you may get a pony at 700/800 elsewhere, but will the slightly cheaper pony be just as right?

You can't put a price on your childs safety, and I presume you knew he was 16 and 1k prior to going to see him? Did you think he was overly expensive then?
If so why did you go to see him?

If they are the right pony for your child, make them an offer but be prepared to pay nearly the full money, if not then just keep looking.

I paid 350 more than I wanted to for my daughters pony, but thought oh what the hell, they clicked perfectly, what's 350 quid to several years happiness for my daughter.
Looking back now, I'd have paid 1000 more they are such a perfect match x
 
TGM said:
My worry with a 16yo pony that had had laminitis before is that it is possible that the laminitis may have been caused by Cushings (which is common in older animals) and therefore future bouts of laminitis cannot be always be easily prevented without recourse to medication and strict dietary management.
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I think that would be a little bit of a stretch - I don't dispute that laminitis can be caused by Cushings but with a pony its more likely to come from the more everyday causes.
 
I think if it is only a lead rein pony then 1000 might be a bit much, otherwise agree with everyone else.
Bought son a 20 yr old pony this spring for 2k and it has been fantastic, yes its "dead money" in that Im never going to be able to sell him on but on the other hand I look at it as almost a rental type thing, getting a ready made pony that he can go out and win on and have fun is imho worth it!
even if the little swine did chuck me off out hacking last week :D
 
Luci07 said:
I think that would be a little bit of a stretch - I don't dispute that laminitis can be caused by Cushings but with a pony its more likely to come from the more everyday causes.
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I don't think it is a stretch at all! OH is a farrier and I would say quite a significant percentage of the older laminitic ponies he sees eventually turn out to have Cushings. I myself have taken on a laminitic Sec A that eventually turned out to have Cushings. So I feel the possibility needs to be considered and the OP should perhaps investigate whether the pony shows any Cushing's type characteristics (many of which are rather more subtle than the well-publicised curly coat). They should also ask whether the pony has had just one attack of laminitis, or has had several. Plus the dates of the attacks and the type of management the pony was on at the time.
 
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TGM said:
I don't think it is a stretch at all! OH is a farrier and I would say quite a significant percentage of the older laminitic ponies he sees, eventually turn out to have Cushings. I myself have taken on a laminitic Sec A that eventually turned out to have Cushings. So I feel the possibility needs to be considered and the OP should perhaps investigate whether the pony shows any Cushing's type characteristics (many of which are rather more subtle than the well-publicised curly coat). They should also ask whether the pony has had just one attack of laminitis, or has had several. Plus the dates of the attacks and the type of management the pony was on at the time.
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Great advice. I once bought a horse for £750. What a bargain I thought, until it had several bouts of Laminitis and I had a huge vet bill.

When I got Jamin she was 18 and I paid just under £1k for her, I asked the owners for a loan period and I had jamin vetted. There was no signs of lami and she only failed the vetting based on the flexion test. After the months loan, I knew she was the perfect pony for me. 8 years on, she is still perfect in every way and I know that I will never find another like her.
 
Why did you waste their time by going to see the pony if you thought £1000 was to much to pay?

If the pony suits buy it. £1,000 is bugger all.
 
It's a hard one to answer really, as we'll all have varied oppinions on prices when it comes to age, small lead rein type ponies and of course a pony that can suffer from laminitis.

£1000 is a fair price for a well bred childrens lead rein pony/schoolmaster that's been round the show circuit, after all people are willing to pay that little bit more for safety when it comes to finding a good pony for their children to learn to ride on but without actually seeing the pony and knowing exactly what you want for your money (age and laminitis aside) your going to get that many mixed views.

If you are willing to spend that sort of money, personally I'd hold fire and find something a little younger and something that has not had lami before, the fact that the pony has had lami wouldn't really put me off, we'd had ponies in the past that we've rescued and had lami when we bought them, never recured again but I do beleive you can find a good little lead rein type of pony for much less, but define lead rein pony? are you wanting a sensible pony you can lead about or an actual 'lead rein pony' to show etc?
 
ThoroughbredStar said:
I agree, think a little over priced at that age with laminitis. I was only going to try and sell and competition nf pony at 5yrs for £1500!! Is that too low??
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I'd be a bit wary of a 5yr old being described as a competition pony - its still a baby and I wouldn't want it to have done too much.. Otherwise £1500 is fine.

If you look at the ads, especially in summer, a good pc small pony was well over £2000. When we sold outs for £800, people were asking why it was so cheap immediately.
 
Well I have a 14.2 ex FEI eventing pony that will be 21 next year and i wouldnt sell him for less than £3k - not that he will ever be for sale, but he is safe, experienced, still sound and still capable of jumping 1.10m tracks if cared for properly
 
Honey08 said:
I'd be a bit wary of a 5yr old being described as a competition pony - its still a baby and I wouldn't want it to have done too much.. Otherwise £1500 is fine.

If you look at the ads, especially in summer, a good pc small pony was well over £2000. When we sold outs for £800, people were asking why it was so cheap immediately.
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The pony in her first year under saddle qualified for all M&M champs and was never unplaced in the show ring. This year she has been show jumped at pc club competiton level and has won. She is a very very very sensible, quick learning pony and can be classed as competition pony as she has competed at affiliated show level and unaffliated sj level (also qualified for low level sj comps such as sunshine tour). I would put her at £1500 as she has had mild laminits and people dont want to pay much for ponies with this......or I thought??

Old ponies are not going to last like young ones and it is dead money, imo anyway. But I like youngsters so I am biased :D
 
It sounds a reasonable price.

The reason many of us prefer older ponies for kids is that they're often more sensible and slower. That one we sold was 8, and had finally matured, but was a bit wild for a kid as a 4yr old on the lead rein at its first show (did win the gynkhana races and lead rein jump off by miles though, and I was a lot slimmer when I was trying to keep up with them in those days!)
 
£1000 for a pony who is safe, will give your daughter experience and keep her safe is a very good price IMO.
Yes it has suffered from lami in the past but as you say you can manage it....
This pony has been there, done that and knows what they`re doing, Your daughter gets on well with the pony....£1000 is a small price to pay for a childs happiness and safety :) 16 is not old either....i`ve known poines that are working past the age of 25 and older :)
I had my first pony at the age of 11 he was £1000, he was as fit as a fiddle, 4 years old and put me through hell for 4 years, I would have killed for a safe, reliable pony who could give me years of fun!
 
amymay said:
Why did you waste their time by going to see the pony if you thought £1000 was to much to pay?

If the pony suits buy it. £1,000 is bugger all.
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I wondered this too - surely you knew the price before the viewing?

It does not seem a lot of money for a safe pony to me. Even if it only lasts a couple of years that is £500 a year which is not much. I always think if you cannot afford a basic price like that then you probably cannot afford the running costs of a pony. If you do have the money then I would definitely go for it. Good ponies are hard to find.
 
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