Heart murmur

[foxlover47]

Hi everyone
I've had a brief chat with my own horses dentist today and also wondered if I could ask what you guys think too
I am looking for a companion to live out with my
Boy , ideally a pony for my daughter to ride and grow up with but at £630
A month diy at the mo I don't have the outlay for the 5k sort of prices around to initially buy so I looked into maybe taking on a rescue or similar.
I was shown a little one who has a suspected heart murmur but also cannot eat hay at all , can graze but app choked so isn't allowed hay.
My dentist feels as he's still quite youngish (9)he may of had neglected teeth when young and sounds like
Diastema and could possibly have help to improve its teeth bless it
I'm
Just a bit worried would you think this would be a risky take on as I know we would get
Attached and adore it , but also worried as have never had a horse or pony with a heart
Murmur before so a bit out of my depth

I’ve no experience of heart murmurs but I had a thoroughbred who couldn’t eat hay - she had knocked her front teeth out in a nasty stable accident but also had an oesophageal stricture . We had about the last 2 years of her life where she could only eat grass and she also had 3 feeds a day of soaked horse and pony cubes with sugar beet in the evening meal . I’d never fed so much hard feed and it was very expensive . I wouldn’t willingly take on a horse with this issue , it’s different if it happens to a horse that you already own and love .

It depends on the grade of the heart murmur, and if there has been any diagnosis. If it's a high grade heart murmur, and no diagnosis, I wouldn't.

I agree that if monthly cost is an issue, then not being able to eat hay will come at a massive cost.

Your livery sounds really high- is there no chance of finding a cheaper option for a bit and saving up?

Sounds like the pony has a whole host of issues and hard hearted as it is I'd walk away. Round here anyway rescue centres have virtually nothing but small, young, unbroken cob/native cross types for rehoming as companions or projects and/or you can pick something similar up from dragon driving or preloved for little more than meat money, so I would have thought you can find a much less problematic pony to give a good home too. Like PP, I have known horses with heart murmors who cope OK (can be a thing that comes and goes I think) and likewise bad teeth can be managed with dentistry and a special diet but I think there's potential for this poor little thing to be a walking vets bill and/or really tricky to manage where really for a companion you just want something chill you can pop in a field and leave to own devices as much a possible. It would be different if this was a horse you already had and loved but I'd let head rule heart in this instance...

I agree, your pony will need ad Lib forage, so not being able to eat hay is going to come at an insane expense.

@Floralnomad yes I see what you mean if it was already your own of course you want to do everything you can , they did say it was on grass pellets and pony nuts

@Postapocalypticcowgirl it's really high diy I really struggled to find somewhere local and thought with hay included I would jump but it's worked out a lot
I'm all being well moving to a paddock so it will go down so I could save from what I'm not spending

@maxelly that's exactly what's playing on my mind .. will it be a walking vet bill plus I and see anyone taking it on for me
To insure it either
I think I am being a softie when reality is showing my doubts are there for a good reason
Redwings were exactly
Full of the young projects too like you said
Thank you

@Lastqueenofscotland2 they said they feed grass pellets and pony nuts so I thought the feed will have to replace the hay so I hadn't even thought properly about that extra
Thank you I knew coming and asking here would her proper straight to the point answers not wishy-washy what the owner will
Say

Thank you all for replying , it does seem it's sad but best I don't as I can see it being a ongoing pay out and like you've mostly all
Said it's different when it's your loved and own one and even then it would be a struggle
I tend to pick up the waifs and strays that all have "issues " so time to draw a little line and either find a less problematic companion or save for a pony for daughter x

We’re getting through about 3 sacks of nuts in a week for ours iirc ( it was a long time ago ) . Fortunately she was on full livery so we didn’t have to do all the actual feeding which is something else to take into consideration

@Floralnomad ah of course the feed was part of the livery ? I'm
DIY so all feed is my responsibility so would def be a fair bit more every week

We paid for the feed as it was an extra but we didn’t have to go to the yard 3 x per day to do the actual feeding

I’d not even thought of that!

@Lastqueenofscotland2 and @Floralnomad I hadn't either !
I

I'm really shocked at how much you're paying DIY, in my area full livery isn't that much.

Also I wouldn't touch pony two barge poles taped together. Will cost an absolute fortune to feed in hay replacers if it can't have hay. Have you looked at getting a little Dartmoor Hill pony or Welsh section A? Can easily pick one up for under £1000.

@rickandmorts I have seen a lovely
Page on fb with a family who sell Dartmoor hill ponies so I will have a
Look into that thank you
It's £80 a week diy I have my two ex racers ... the mare I won't be able to share a paddock with the gelding as she's just too much of a bully to him so they are in individual grazing
All the horsey people round here I know tell me it's standard to be about 30/35 a week diy here so I think it's prob because it's new and I couldn't find anywhere nearer

Yeah these little ponies go cheap and especially this time of year as it's not a good time to sell. Oh sorry I missed that you had 2 horses on livery. If it's a good yard and you like it then fair enough, especially if all your hay is included because that's gone up a lot this year!

@rickandmorts I will def keep my eyes peeled
I do really like where it is it's on a farm but there is no school and I can't hack one of mine and the other one is more of a lawnmower so have been looking into fields as obv so much cheaper ( 40 a week for 2 paddocks )
The stable block is lovely there are only a couple of liveries there