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Original poster

To buy our loan horse or not?

28 replies

mumontherun14 · 17/07/2020 22:49

Hi
My DD has had a Hackney gelding on loan for 6 months with another 6 months to go. He is 17 and a lovely natured beautiful horse but has his quirks. He is an experienced dressage horse been liveried at a dressage yard & competed successfully. However DD really loves to jump & he is very stressy going into jumps & over jumps everything then can tank off afterwards. Great at hacking with traffic etc. She has had loads of lessons with him with experienced teachers & has now got him going much better but he can still overjump. She absolutely loves him.

Then recently we heard of an 17yr old Irish sports horse being sold by a friend who gave her a months loan to try him out & we agreed if we bought him as he was experienced jumper/eventer the loan horse would go back. She got on well with the new horse but only been a few weeks so not bonded as much with him yet.

Now the loan horse owner has said she is going to sell the loan horse & offered us first chance. DD is going on & on about it and is adamant she could manage the 2 of them. She already has the 2 of them at the yard & will have till the loan ends. Financially we could manage it as it’s diy livery.

WWYD? Is it crazy to think about having 2 17 yr olds? (Both in good health). Also my husband will not be keen as already felt it was a huge expense getting one. The loan owner looking for 4K including jump saddle rugs boots etc.

Thanks

OP posts:
ShesMadeATwatOfMePam · 17/07/2020 22:53

I think you'd be mad. At 17 a lot of health issues start creeping in, she might get 3 or 4 good years out of them but then youre stuck with two retired field ornaments for another 10 years. If she wants a horse to develop and do things with, id look for something aged 10-12 that's been round the block but should still have plenty left in the tank. Especially at that price.

Original poster
mumontherun14 · 18/07/2020 08:18

Hi the previous owner of the new horse is going to buy him back from us in 4-5 yrs & retire him at her farm as a companion horse for hers so would just be 1 to retire, We have both got so fond of the loan horse just would be hard to give him up x

OP posts:
pinkpolo · 18/07/2020 09:04

I would not be paying 4K for a 17 year old. As pp said, you might get 3 more years, then you're stuck with a field ornament, possibly 2 if the other needs retiring. What would you do then, buy a third so your daughter can still ride?

I'd have a real think about it, and don't be ruled by your heart. Retired horses still cost a fortune and can keep going for years.

Brenna24 · 18/07/2020 09:11

Why is she well him to buy him back in a few years time? That makes no sense. I wouldn't do it. And I am all for loyalty to your animals but having 2 17 year olds, one of whom you won't realistically ever compete jumping with, is not a good plan of she wants to keep competing and advancing. The first loan horse person is likely not to but him back and then you will end up in the situation where your DD has 2 horses that are past competing just as she has grown in confidence and ability and she will need a 3rd, younger, horse to carry on with. The other 2 could easily live to 30 or more.

Brenna24 · 18/07/2020 09:12

*selling him to buy him back

Ughmaybenot · 18/07/2020 09:13

You’d be mad to do it for £4k. He’s never worth that at 17, plus he doesn’t actually do what your daughter really wants to do.
However sentimentality answers for a lot, especially with horses.

NeedingCoffee · 18/07/2020 09:18

Another thinking that you’d be much better using the money you’d use to buy 2 x 17 year olds for one younger horse.

If you do decide to buy either of them then you need to get a printout of their full veterinary history with no gaps for at least the last 10 years. At 17 health issues and arthritis will be almost inevitable and you could find yourself not covered for vets fees because of a previous injury or lameness in the same area.

Cauterize · 18/07/2020 09:27

This really isn't your DDs decision. It isn't about whether she can manage two. it's a huge financial commitment plus coughing up 4k for a quirky horse that she can't actually enjoy and do what she wants to do (jump).

I think you need to say a firm no and that you won't be buying the unsuitable loan horse. How old is your daughter?

confusednortherner · 18/07/2020 09:38

I'd really think seriously about this as it doesn't seem loan 1 is really ideal for what your daughter wants to do and I'd be very dubious owner would actually buy him back... we had a 18 yr old that developed such severe arthritis the vet recommended having her pts it was heartbreaking for daughter and we took on another 19yrold who was lovely but starting to get a bit stiff and slow down we had him a year before losing him to colic. If we get another I'd definitely look for something around 10 that had seen the world but had less chance of age related issues.

Honeyroar · 18/07/2020 09:46

They’re both at the age where they may well need regular medication for things like cushings and arthritis etc. I have a17 ye and a 22yr old and I spend a fortune every month on supplements and medicines. My elder horse was perfect at 17, but retired by 19.

Either loan both or buy something much younger.

ShesMadeATwatOfMePam · 18/07/2020 11:12

the previous owner of the new horse is going to buy him back from us in 4-5 yrs & retire him at her farm as a companion horse for hers

The chances of that are incredibly, incredibly slim. She will say that now to get her old horse sold so she doesn't have to bear the cost of retirement. If she wanted him back to retire surely she would loan him out?

ShesMadeATwatOfMePam · 18/07/2020 11:14

She will fall in love with many horses over her lifetime if she keeps riding. That's not A reason to throw £4k at a horse who is preventing her from doing the things she wants to do. Imo it would be different if your dd had had this horse for years and years, they had a great career together and really had a moral obligation to him. It sounds like her attachment to this horse is holding her back.

ShesMadeATwatOfMePam · 18/07/2020 11:15

Hang on she's only had him 6 months - how much in love can she be after 6 months!?

Pleasedontdothat · 18/07/2020 18:18

We bought DD’s loan horse after 6 months but he was 9 and loves jumping ... there’s no way I’d be considering doing what you’re thinking of - too much potential for frustration, heartbreak and huge amounts of expense for not much return

Megabitch · 18/07/2020 18:21

Definitely not for reasons I thought would be obvious. And there’s no chance in hell of that horse being bought back imo

Megabitch · 18/07/2020 18:23

@ShesMadeATwatOfMePam exactly. If she wanted it back she’d loan it. She’s selling it now while she has the chance and the horse haas a little bit of value left, as it’s all downhill from here

Elieza · 18/07/2020 18:53

Is it just me or is it highly unlikely a 17 year old horse would sell for as much as £4K?

If the owner wants to have the horse back as a companion later she should just loan him out now. Somethings not ringing true with this scenario. You will be left with an expensive field ornament as others have said.

I’d suggest saying you will loan the horse for six months or a year but not buy it.

ImFree2doasiwant · 18/07/2020 21:28

Is it the first loan horse, the Hackney, that is 4k? Seems an awful lot. Not necessarily due to age, but due to ability.

In all honestly the age wouldn't put me off, especially if it was the right horse. I'm not sure I'd pay 4k for a 17 yr old that couldn't do what I wanted.

Objectively, Id but the sports horse, with the option then to buy a younger horse in few years time. However, i am the perrson that keeps all mine forever, which has resulted in me having nothing to ride on occasions.

teaflake · 18/07/2020 21:37

Mad to buy either, imo. But to buy both...?!

BakewellGin1 · 18/07/2020 21:49

At 17 I wouldn't be buying a 4k horse (who almost certainly won't be worth that)...
We have had seven between us all of which by age 17 had some form of ailment (arthritis, navicular, cushings, copd) so you may well pay that price and in a couple of years have problems which mean your daughter has nothing to ride or a horse that needs to slow down.
I personally would maybe keep one on loan and look out for one to buy ideally age 9ish so you get something that is educated but has in theory years left to do things.
Also I honestly cannot see someone buying back a horse when it is 22 x

Original poster
mumontherun14 · 20/07/2020 18:25

Thanks for all the advice. Let’s call the horses Jack the loan hackney & Jim the Irish spirts horse.

Jim I have already bought for 3k. He has only had 3 homes & came originally for Ireland to a highly reputable trainer/producer here in Scotland. One of his previous owners is at his yard & she originally bought him for 10k as a professionally schooled 6yr old from the trainer & had him 8yrs. He has had 5 stage vetting on each sale & passed with flying colours. Never been lame or any issues. His old owner let’s call her Pat lives eventing but she is in her 50s & no longer events but buys horses & a local competition rider(rides at Badminton & that type of eventing) events them for her. He is a fantastic wee jumper but wasn’t getting ridden as much as the competition rider has 5 of her own horses. My daughter gets lessons from the competition rider hence why we got the sale & they are now both looking for a younger horse to produce & event. Pat has an older horse on her farm she just likes to hack on so she has written it into the sale contract if we look to sell Jim she would buy him back at reduced price.

Jacks owner is young just 22 & had him for 8 yrs with a 3 stage vetting completed before he came to us. She is looking to sell him for 4K (originally was talking about 6k?) inclusive of a Bates jumping saddle (£1200) plus 11 rugs & multiple pairs of boots. My DD has had him on loan for 6 months & has been with him every day he is on DIY livery & can’t bear the thought of him being sold to someone else. There are a few people on the yard interested. He would make a great dressage horse I think he had previously been stables at a dressage yard & has competed at decent level & done well and has some fancy moves ( excuse my inexperience but he can do flying changes , half pass, passage (?) moves etc. More than my DD is currently capable of. She is competing him at Novice level in August. His jump is huge like a flying stag and sometimes can be more controlled than others.

DD is nearly 14 been riding for 6 years 7 days a week. DIY livery with loan horses for past year totally dedicated never misses a day & would love to compete but nothing much been on this year to go to.

Xxx

OP posts:
Original poster
mumontherun14 · 20/07/2020 18:30

Ps the vet said for Jim judging buy his teeth legs etc he could be younger than 17. He aged him 15-17. He said when they come from Ireland they can sometimes give a few of them the same year if birth but not always accurate x

OP posts:
Original poster
mumontherun14 · 20/07/2020 18:31

And he is a lightly used 17yr old not an overworked one so vet & competition rider/teacher both feel plenty of life in him yet x

OP posts:
SunbathingDragon · 20/07/2020 18:37

I wouldn’t buy Jack but if you really do want to seriously consider it, why don’t you get a full five stage vetting done now to see what his health is like.

I’d expect many 17 year old horses who have done decent competition work to be more likely to have arthritis and problems younger than those used for gentle hacking.

HogDogKetchup · 20/07/2020 18:39

He’s not right for you. Don’t buy him.