need help re loan pony please

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Have wanted pony all life- i am seeking a cob for me.Saw the most lovely one which i could buy after loaning if wish. seems to be dropping food and i think that has that tooth issue were they have to have them done each year so food does not get stuck.the trouble is pony is right size and safe with sound legs.plus i just want thispony really do but bills could be up to 500 pa.what to do if you love a pony but know problems but i feel she wd be safe!!!!pony will be cheap to buy - under 1000 but long term at£ 5oo pa on top keep costs =expensive.trouble is i really have fallen for this pony.feel teary.......i never thought heart wd rule head..i keep thinking thisis not sensible and i dare not tell dh.

We have a 22 year old loan pony. In the first six months of having her she had a nose bleed (that lasted for a week), needed intensive dental work which required her being sedated, and has had constant itchiness. Her owners have said that we can send her back in a day (they have their own land) but we love her, regardless of any problems that she has. If you love her, have her .... but there will always be costs that you haven't planned for just round the corner !!! And even the safest pony can have naughty days.

Ok - all horses need their teeth doing every year! When were they last done? Have you had a vet look at its teeth? It's really not that expensive to get them done you know. I think i paid about £150 last time but i'm sure i had sedation & jabs in that bill as well. An equine dentist at last count charges what £50 ish? Only used the vet for the last few years so i'm really not sure
You need to be really practical if you can't afford the vet bills/ cost of the horse it's no good keeping it.

amieesmum -am advised that i wd involive not just normal dental work but sedation to pack the teeth together with a substtance to fill the holes were hay gets stuck....or file to make bigger holes whichever the best at the time.its 250 x 2 p anumn aprox.Evie - i do adore her !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aimeesmum- i can afford cost of keepimng its just that i paniked when i thought i was loaning with view to buy a cheapie- i guess there is no such thing - sorry new to all this ..but kno w i must do it before too late as 50 in years but not in heart ha ha !!!i know that i must get addit hours at work to cover stuff like this - i guess i paniked ??Maybe better forewarned!!

Did they not tell you when you tried the horse out?
Sorry i didn't mean to sound nasty but, i loaned a horse last year, who's owner couldn't afford the up keep, thus i had to pay out alot in vet bills for things she'd never done (like teeth)
Horses do cost alot of money, and there will always be unexpected costs. Just today i have had the vet out for my welshie (that only cost me £70 and virtually nothing to keep) because she has a swollen cheek, turns out she'd bitten the inside of her mouth when she was being a little sprite for the farrier the other week, and it's infected. 2 sedations & anti biotics later i should imagine i'll be £300 down when i get the bill. All it takes is them pratting about in the field or being kicked by another horse and you're landed with a big bill. Just part of having a horse.

We paid approx £200 for dental work and sedation. But even the fittest pony/horse can land with you huge vets bills. My friend had a pony pass a 5 star vetting , it then fell ill, and after £3000 of vets bills she had to give him away. You just never know. But I think if you can (just about) afford the unexpected, then let your heart rule your head (but I am a soft touch !!!)

£500 per year seems rather a lot for teeth, although you may have to pay out quite a lot initially if the teeth have been neglected, if might not be an ongoing problem. When my sister got dpony the seller told her the teeth had been done recently which was a blatant lie as his teeth were in a terrible state and he'd developed what the vet called a 'wave mouth'. He did have a few sessions to get him sorted out but since then he's only needed his annual check up and has been fine. He has it done at the same time as his jabs so there is no extra call out fee and it's not really a big deal, just one of those things you have to accept when you have a pony. You have to look at it as proper dental care saving you money in the long run. Apart from the obvious welfare issues if your pony isn't chewing his food properly he won't be able to digest it and you will be wasting money you spend on feed. Also a sore mouth could get infected and cost you a lot more money in the end. These principles will apply to any pony you get, not just this one in particular.

Last August I got given 2 "free" cobs - they came from people we knew. £2,800 later, after sorting out their chronic mite/lice infestation, worm burden, poor feet, rotten teeth, and untreated back problems, & a new vaccination course (they'd had no jabs), we now (12 months later) have 2 very nice ex-treking cobs that are fun to ride.

That was on top of the on-going costs of feet, wormer, rug & tack repair (the tack they came with was shocking) and feed.

Horses are money pits - you put the money in one end and they shit it out the other. You need to make sure you can afford all the costs before you take them on. "Cheap" is never cheap.

As well as the issues around the mouth with poor teeth you also need to bear in mind that poor dental health significantly increases the risk of collic. Also bear in mind that until her dental issues are sorted you can't ride heI paid £2,50 for my lovely little cob mare, 18 months ago, which is about what you should expect for a really nice, sound cob with no health issues.

I had to have her teeth done when I got her as they were neglected but after two visits from the dentist (£35 a time) she was fine. The only time she's seen the vet is for her jabs and annual check. She lives out all year, only needs rugging when it's way below freezing so she is about as cheap to keep as it's possible for them to be (although if she was barefoot she'd be even cheaper).

BUT I'm certain that the reason she's so cheap to keep is because she's so nicely put together and healthy, and that meant that she wasn't cheap. I do think that you get what you pay for with horses and if you buy cheap you have to be sure that you can deal with the issues.

Sorry, should have been £2,500 not £2,50. Even in the current climate good safe cobs are fetching good prices.

My pony drops feed when she eats. I just do her teeth every 9 months rather than 12 easy enough. Costs 40 a time