Would you take this horse?

Antw23uk

Antw23uk

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Hi all
Im new here so firstly hello. I've really been enjoying the forum and reading the threads.

Im after a bit of advise please ... Well i am if its what i want to hear ... ok ok .. just plain advise then :o

I've recently got back into riding after many years away from the hobby. I started helping at a small yard in return for riding and just general refresher training. I was 'assigned' a lovely gelding who I adore. He is 16yrs old, a bit of a chequered past but we get on really well and is a lovely happy hacker (bit unhinged in the head but hey ho I love him for it)

Things have turned sour at the yard for details I wont go into and the owner wanted to sell him (He wouldnt pass a vetting im sure) so she can make a clean break.

She offered me first refusal but finacially I cant afford to buy AND keep a horse so I said i would be happy to loan him (obviously I can afford this) but she said no ... she wanted a clean break. I said i would continue to help her out with him so she could spend as little time at the yard as possible. Also to mention he is NOT a suitable horse for her but he was a sympathy buy.

He has been poorly for the last few days. Swollen sheath, temperature .. and is now on some pain relief and anti biotics and seems to be perking up nicely.

Last night she offered him to me for free (she would ensure his vet bills are paid up to date etc) The stress of the yard atmosphere, her time, family and finacial commitments means she knows she cannot give him the time and effort he needs.

What would you do in this situation? My heart says YES absolutley its a no brainer, i ADORE him ... but my head says no, dont take the risk.

I think I just needed to blurt it out more than anything but any advise/ similar stories welcome :o
 
Can you afford the upkeep plus any likely future vet's bills?

Can you ensure a home for life for him (bearing in mind he is likely unsellable)
 
Yes I can ensure all his needs are met. I would want to move him to a nice DIY yard though.

He is likely unsellable you are right but I couldnt imagine not being part of his life :D
 
Hello and welcome;) if the only thing holding you back from buying was money and if you are confident riding this horse and certain your able to manage financially and practically -then go for it!! (we will need pictures!!) :D
 
If you are sure you can cope financially with his current, or foreseeable, medical needs then I would say go for it as you know his character and get on well with him.

After all, anything can happen with horses and if you found another one that was completely healthy at the time, it could just as easily be on three legs the following week!
 
I would get the vet out anyway to give him the once over (not an official vetting), just so you know what conditions you may have to deal with in the future - arthritis etc.

Just as long as you are aware that you may not be able to cover him for illnesses because of his age, so if he needed any treatment for colic or anything you would have to pay.

My first horse was also given to me when he was 18. I sadly only had 2 years with him, but it was the best 2 years ever :)

I would go for it!
 
if you like him and can afford to look after him then go for it!

Sounds like you are suited to each other!

Just remember he won't be covered but a new insurance you take for what you are treating him for now but hopefully it's nothing major.
 
blucanoo1990 said:
if you like him and can afford to look after him then go for it!

Sounds like you are suited to each other!
Just remember he won't be covered but a new insurance you take for what you are treating him for now but hopefully it's nothing major.
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Lol ... Yes we are both unhinged so well suited :D
 
if you like him and can afford to look after him then go for it!

Sounds like you are suited to each other!

Just remember he won't be covered but a new insurance you take for what you are treating him for now but hopefully it's nothing major.
 
You say you cant afford to buy AND keep a horse but if he has health problems he may well be uninsurable (depends on the extent of his problems) and the vets bills may amount to as much as a horse would cost so please do bear that in mind

I recently bought a pony for £150, he has sweet itch which was very bad when I bought him, treatments, special rugs and vets bills plus the cost of buying him and kitting him out with the usual stuff a pony needs is up around the £850 mark so far plus I will have ongoing costs above normal monthly upkeep costs in the future. I could easily have bought an uncomplicated pony for that money

Luckily I had the money to do it and would do it again if I met another pony that needed a break but if I was at all strapped for cash I think I would have thought again!

There is more than one ideal equine for all of us out there, if you choose not to go for this one you WILL find another friend easily so please dont think this is your only option
 
WelshD said:
You say you cant afford to buy AND keep a horse but if he has health problems he may well be uninsurable (depends on the extent of his problems) and the vets bills may amount to as much as a horse would cost so please do bear that in mind

I recently bought a pony for £150, he has sweet itch which was very bad when I bought him, treatments, special rugs and vets bills plus the cost of buying him and kitting him out with the usual stuff a pony needs is up around the £850 mark so far plus I will have ongoing costs above normal monthly upkeep costs in the future. I could easily have bought an uncomplicated pony for that money

Luckily I had the money to do it and would do it again if I met another pony that needed a break but if I was at all strapped for cash I think I would have thought again!

There is more than one ideal equine for all of us out there, if you choose not to go for this one you WILL find another friend easily so please dont think this is your only option
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Thank you WelshD thats very helpfull :D Im glad you offered that help to a pony in need rather than pass him by.

I'm pretty sure I would find another friend but I'm not convinced he would too easily.
 
I love your user name Oberon :o I read a book years ago at school called The Mystery Pony and one of the horses in that was called Oberon.

I've searched for years for the book and never found it again! Im sure (although might be wrong) the authors name was Chapman!?
 
I would say,before saying yes, get an independant vet to look him over and give you an unbiased opinion of his conditions at the moment and what it might impact either ridden wise / money bill wise in the future. Then at least you have a better idea of the committment you are taking on.

Many years ago I was 'given' a vet failure who I had fallen for. I managed to ride and compete him sporadically, but he cost thousands in vets bills and has been retired since the age of 13 and is now an expensive lawnmower. I don't regret it, because I think the world of him, but in all honesty wouldn't be keen to put myself in that position again if I could help it.
 
Antw23uk said:
I love your user name Oberon :o I read a book years ago at school called The Mystery Pony and one of the horses in that was called Oberon.

I've searched for years for the book and never found it again! Im sure (although might be wrong) the authors name was Chapman!?
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Yawn. Too easy :rolleyes:

http://janebadgerbooks.co.uk/ponybooksfile2/chapman1.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B002EBWANI/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Oberon is my old boy's Sunday name. Over the last 22 years it got shortened to Obi.

If I utter his full name...he knows he's in trouble :o.

Speaking of which.....we bought Obi as a four year old and never even got him out of the stable. He could have had 3 legs and been a nutter for all we knew :eek:

But it all worked out OK :D
 
I'm pretty sure I would find another friend but I'm not convinced he would too easily.[/QUOTE]

^ This.. what a lovely caring home this horse is going to have... :)
 
Yes I can ensure all his needs are met. I would want to move him to a nice DIY yard though.

He is likely unsellable you are right but I couldnt imagine not being part of his life

Its a no brainer - go for it - we always pay someway or another for those we love.
 
if you want him, and can afford him, then go for it. BUT I would pay a nominal sum and get a reciept and any agreement between parties on paper, oh and make sure that you are in reciept of all his documentation etc etc

Good luck
 
If you can not afford to buy him then you will not have the finacial reserves to pay for vets bills.
Buying a horse is the cheap part. Keeping them going and maintaining them is whats eats the money.
Vets bills can easily escalate to many thousands of pounds i.e £20,000 when things start going wrong.
 
I think you should do It, like you say it will be difficult for him to find a home somewhere else and sometimes you just have to go for it or you might be left wondering where he is and if he's ok the rest of your life!

I don't think the 'cant afford to buy means can't afford vets bills' argument is really true. Can you afford to insure? Assuming you can find a veteran policy... Obviously some things might be excluded, but at the end of the day if he's old and in a sorry state one day (hopefully not too soon he's not that old!) You can put a limit on what you can afford to pay out and make your decision when the time comes.
 
You seem lovely, and I'm sure if you take him he'll have a lovely home :) I'd just consider future costs, but practical issues aside, I'd say yes! Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.
 
I brought my boy knowing he had a paralsed larynx, bad to shoe, load, catch and a nervous wreck but Id had him on loan and knew if I didnt buy him his future looked very bleak and he'd get hammered and Id put so much into him I couldnt bare now to have him, heart won over head and I loved every bit of it......even though I was skint!!! Horses just wanna get a happy ever after and thats all I could see.x
 
tase1965 said:
I'm pretty sure I would find another friend but I'm not convinced he would too easily.
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^ This.. what a lovely caring home this horse is going to have... :)[/QUOTE]

That is so nice! I bought, 4 weeks ago, a horse with issues. I did pay for him, but very little. I couldn't bear him to go to anyone else and if he ends up knackered he can live in my field and be a pet. so I say go for it.
 
Hello (I'm sort of new here too, been lurking for far too long) reading through above posts everyone's advice is sound, But get a receipt as Miss Bean suggests, and keep us updated as to what you do, good luck... he's a lucky boy :)
 
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