What to offer for this pony?

[Scarlet1]

We are full loaning a lovely 14.1 dutch riding pony with a view to buy. He is 15/16, was a showjumper and is extremely easy to manage/ride etc. My daughter lacks confidence and he is ideal for taking things very slowly.

He had his hocks injected a couple of years ago. Our instructor thinks it is likely he'll need this done again.

Despite being an experienced home, and having several horses I have limited experience with this type of maintenance. We would like to buy him but I am unsure what to offer? Temperament wise he is probably worth his weight in gold but physically I think the wear and tear of being a showjumper is probably showing now.

 

[ycbm]

The starting point for this is to ask the seller to name a price. You shouldn't let them put you in the position where you name the first figure. Presumably a figure was mentioned when you took on the loan? If so, and if you knew about the hocks then, then you should expect to pay close to that if he's turned out to be all they said he was.

If no figure has been mentioned yet, I wouldn't have a clue how to value him because peace of mind as a parent and the happiness of a child are beyond value.

Unless you are unlucky, if he passes the vet as he is now, you should be able to keep him going for a few years at least with drugs like arthramid every year or two, which you'd need to budget for as insurance won't cover them, of course.
.

 

[cauda equina]

As ycbm says, ask the owner what they have in mind
I think it also depends what you want to do with him - if you're not doing much to increase the wear and tear that's probably more favourable than if your daughter wants to do serious jumping or loads of schooling
It would be worth speaking to your vet too and get their opinion of likely ongoing costs

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Agree with above ask what they want for him and go from there.

 

[GypsGal1718]

Definitely keep in mind what you will be doing with him, if only lighter stuff he should do fine for a while but if she starts competing a lot he may start to deteriorate. The price is what you are willing to pay for him.

 

[Scarlet1]

Thanks all, just to be clear (as I don't think I was). We did ask ask sale price at the beginning of the loan for obvious reasons (£5k ono). I am not adverse to paying this for him, as ultimately if he gives years of happiness then he is worth that and more. I am also happy for some ongoing maintenance.
She isn't the type of child to want to compete, or race around or jump much at all. We have known the pony for 3 years, though not well and I was never aware of any issues but, previous owner let us know she had had the hocks injected.

 

[splashgirl45]

I would say that is a reasonable price for a safe pony, your child’s safety is priceless , he may need the hocks medicated in future I would ask your vet how much that is likely to be and also get vets advice on whether the pony is likely to last a while with light workPersonally I would get him vetted first and talk to your vet, if he was deemed to be ok for the level of work you want to do , I would offer about £4500 taking into account he may need ongoing medication .good luck

 

[gallopingby]

I would say that is a reasonable price for a safe pony, your child’s safety is priceless , he may need the hocks medicated in future I would ask your vet how much that is likely to be and also get vets advice on whether the pony is likely to last a while with light workPersonally I would get him vetted first and talk to your vet, if he was deemed to be ok for the level of work you want to do , I would offer about £4500 taking into account he may need ongoing medication .good luck

I agree, maybe a good idea to get him vetted in case anything comes up but be open minded / sensible and discuss any findings with your vet.
It’s almost impossible to find a safe schoolmaster pony these days other than by word of mouth and as you’ve had him on trial there shouldn’t be any surprises. Good luck - hope it works out for you. £5000 seems a fair price, doubtless people will come along and say you could find a pony for less but in my experience that’s unlikely if he’s genuine. You could spend ££££s trailing round the country looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I think because your daughter is happy riding him and is safe his well worth it, you could be searching for ages looking for something else and even then your taking a chance as you won't know how the partnership will be.

 

[SantaVera]

at least 5k

 

[Cortez]

That is the price that popped into my mind when reading your first post. If he is sound, grab him with both hands, and, as with any horse, keep fingers crossed he stays that way.

 

[Afon_34]

at least 5k

Agree with this, I personally wouldn't haggle on the original 5k they've asked for tbh..

 

[w1bbler]

Get a vetting, possibly including hock xrays so you know what you are dealing with, explain to the vet what you already know about injections.If your vet thinks he's OK for your workload then pay the money.
Many of us have paid good money for horses that have proven to be mis sold/ already broken without knowing. You know at the moment he copes with your lifestyle,.
Being the right temperament for your daughter is priceless & you could spend hundreds in travel & failed vetting without finding something that makes her feel safe & happy.

 

[ester]

Id think that pretty reasonable and would be expecting a pony of that age/history to need some maintenance anyway. If you’ve got a good match keep it!

 

[Palindrome]

I was going to say at least 5k too after reading your first post.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I'd pay the 5k and be delighted I'd found a pony that is such a good fit for his rider and that you got to try before buying. I wouldn't even get in to haggling.
Eta you could negotiate with a few of his belongings though.

 

[Lois Lame]

I don't get making an offer of $4,500. Does that mean that if they'd originally stated a figure of $6000, you'd offer $5500? (I can't make a pound sign.)

Also, I wouldn't respect someone who made an offer on something that suited them well. It's like it's playing games.

(OP, I know you didn't suggest you'd do this.)

This pony sounds delightful, btw. If I get back into horse/pony owership, I'd love to be able to feel this confident about the behaviour of a horse I wanted to purchase.

 

[Winters100]

To me the right pony is what makes this a fun hobby, and the wrong one can make it a misery. You need to think about how you would feel if the pony was suggenly sold to someone else, and I imagine that you would be pretty upset! You have had the opportunity of trying him on loan and still like him, and the seller appears to be honest, so I would pay the asking price, which to me seems reasonable. In terms of vetting I would be inclined to let the vet have a look, but would make sure that they understood the horse's proposed job. There are always people who say that you are overpaying, but remember that if you have to go and look for a replacement you have all the costs of travelling to try ponies, plus the cost of transporting the one you buy, and it is unlikely that you will be able to have them on loan to test them, so there is additional risk. The pony sounds lovely, so my advice would be to snap him up and then enjoy watching your daughter have heaps of fun.

 

[ycbm]

Thanks all, just to be clear (as I don't think I was). We did ask ask sale price at the beginning of the loan for obvious reasons (£5k ono). I am not adverse to paying this for him, as ultimately if he gives years of happiness then he is worth that and more. I am also happy for some ongoing maintenance.
She isn't the type of child to want to compete, or race around or jump much at all. We have known the pony for 3 years, though not well and I was never aware of any issues but, previous owner let us know she had had the hocks injected.

He sounds worth every penny of that.

I can see you would be wary if you found out he had previously been injected after the loan started, but if he passes a 5 stage vetting years after they were done, then he's as good a bet as any other pony.

If the vet recommends the hocks are done again immediately then I might think again and at the very least ask for it to be paid for by the seller.
.

 

[meesha]

Tbh I had 5k in my head after reading your first post. Think it's a fair price for both seller and buyer, they could get double if pony passed a vetting and they didn't care if someone hammered him over big jumps (assuming he passed vetting) but you already have him he is presumably well cared for and its a no hassle sale.

Sounds perfect !!

 

[splashgirl45]

I don't get making an offer of $4,500. Does that mean that if they'd originally stated a figure of $6000, you'd offer $5500? (I can't make a pound sign.)

Also, I wouldn't respect someone who made an offer on something that suited them well. It's like it's playing games.

(OP, I know you didn't suggest you'd do this.)

This pony sounds delightful, btw. If I get back into horse/pony owership, I'd love to be able to feel this confident about the behaviour of a horse I wanted to purchase.

The price was £5000 o.n.o. before being told about the hock injections, I would have thought that was reasonable considering ..

 

[AmyMay]

I’d just offer the agreed £5k. Why wouldn’t you?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I agree, maybe a good idea to get him vetted in case anything comes up but be open minded / sensible and discuss any findings with your vet.
It’s almost impossible to find a safe schoolmaster pony these days other than by word of mouth and as you’ve had him on trial there shouldn’t be any surprises. Good luck - hope it works out for you. £5000 seems a fair price, doubtless people will come along and say you could find a pony for less but in my experience that’s unlikely if he’s genuine. You could spend ££££s trailing round the country looking for a needle in a haystack.

Our RDA group paid a very similar amount for a pony who was actually smaller than advertised/we really wanted because the right temperament is priceless. We were right to do so, he has done extremely well in his first season with us and his riders love him, as do the volunteers who handle him. You really should have agreed the price before you loaned him.

 

[Cortez]

I don't get making an offer of $4,500. Does that mean that if they'd originally stated a figure of $6000, you'd offer $5500? (I can't make a pound sign.)

Also, I wouldn't respect someone who made an offer on something that suited them well. It's like it's playing games.

(OP, I know you didn't suggest you'd do this.)

This pony sounds delightful, btw. If I get back into horse/pony owership, I'd love to be able to feel this confident about the behaviour of a horse I wanted to purchase.

Ha ha! You’re obviously not Irish; it’s considered rude not to haggle, and is something of a national sport here. However in this case I’d just grab the pony at this very reasonable price (if sound) and run.

 

[eahotson]

You could get the advice of an experienced vet as to his likelihood of staying sound for what you want to do.No one of course can guarantee anything.He sounds lovely.

 

[minesadouble]

I bought a 15 year.old Connemara mare 18 months ago,.for my youngest daughter who didn't lack confidence but had only been riding for 2 years.
The mare had evented BE80 and been on all PC and RC teams. She had also had her hocks medicated with steroid.
I paid 9k for her.
She passed a 5 stage vetting with her stated purpose as 'all round PC schoolmistress'.
I initially thought she was pretty expensive but having had her for 18months and my daughter having gained so much experience competing, but also safely hacking alone and in Company, including in heavy traffic I can honestly say she was worth every penny and more!

Your child's safety is priceless and if she enjoys riding this pony, particularly if she lacks confidence, I would vet and assuming all is well I'd be happy to pay the asking price.

Our mare is booked in for Arthramid next week and I don't begrudge a penny I spend on her. Even if she was to go permanently lame tomorrow and be nothing more than a field ornament she has more than earned her keep.

 

[ycbm]

Ha ha! You’re obviously not Irish; it’s considered rude not to haggle, and is something of a national sport here.

- I'll give you 40 shekels for the guord.

- 40 shekels, its worth at least 100!

- here, have a 100

- no, no, you're supposed to haggle!

(as the Romans approach ever closer to Brian) ..