Would you sell a pony who seems unhappy with a quieter life?

[BorderNF]

Hi, I’m looking for honest opinions on a pony I purchased last year. I bought a 13.3hh native pony for my daughters and I to share. He’s 17 and been there done it all, he’s was a 138cm show jumping pony (I wasn’t fully aware of his SJ record until after i purchased him) so was outgrown and sold on every couple of years. Naively I thought he would enjoy a quieter life but that doesn’t seem to be the case. He still enjoys jumping and going to shows all things I don’t do, my daughters also don’t ride anymore so he’s just doing nothing with us other than a little hacking. I feel so mean considering selling him as I wanted to offer a home for life but I’m starting to resent the time and money I spend on him as I feel like we are both not enjoying yourselves. He’s a second pony who can be cheeky and throw a buck so I worry about that which I would fully disclose and I worry about him being passed around. I just don’t know what to do for the best 😔. Thank you

You could try and find him a loan home or get a sharer for him . What exactly is he doing that indicates to you that he’s not happy with his current lifestyle ? I’ve yet to meet any horse or pony that doesn’t enjoy just being out in a field with his / her friends .

Thank you for your reply. He very much dislikes schooling, where he’ll be nappy and very unresponsive to the leg. He also hates hacking alone and will plant or spin (he’s a little better but is still very resistant) I do not have anyone to hack with so we either have to go out alone or school. If he’s at a show or jumping he's absolutely in his element and is super keen and you can just see he’s having a fab time especially with a smaller jockey. Also just to note he’s had a lameness work up, dentist, back checked and saddle fitter.

From your update it seems as though it's not really the quieter life that's the issue, it's that you need/want a horse that will hack alone and/or go well in the school. As per PP it sounds as though, like most horses, he'd be perfectly ok being essentially retired to the field or doing very light work only, but quite understandably you would prefer a horse you can enjoy riding rather than just look at as a field ornament?

The thing is, for me personally 17 is right on the cusp of being too old to safely sell on, particularly as you've only owned him about a year, it does start to form a pattern of him being moved from home to home and perhaps going downhill.

Putting him out on loan or getting a sharer with full disclosure of his issues would be fine, or I would sell only if the buyer was someone known to me personally and I was absolutely confident they would be responsible and not pass him on again (outside of totally unforeseen change of circumstances in which case I'd hope to be given first refusal to buy him back). The trouble with selling this type of pony on the open market is that small competitive riders looking for a second pony type do outgrow their ponies and/or want to move on to the next height class and/or give up, and even if selling to a mother/daughter type set up that promises a good long term home, who is to say that exactly the same thing won't happen as has happened with you, daughter gives up or gets another pony and mother finds the pony isn't suitable for her so then he's moved on yet again?

So yes obviously it's your choice and if you're 100% confident he's definitely sound and happy in work and the napping isn't a health issue, it doesn't seem unreasonable to want to find him another job but personally I would be cautious about selling.

Chuck him out over winter and bring him back into work in spring, he does though sound like he’s in pain somewhere, what was x-rayed in the lameness work up? Could you ask for them to be reviewed by another vet?

I’m no expert, but this came up in ‘active’, so feel free to ignore! I thought I read somewhere on here that horses don’t like being left in a field on their own? Maybe the quiet life is too quiet and he longs for a companion?

Oh yes, absolutely. By 'retire to the field' most horsey people 100% mean with appropriate equine companionship. Most retired horses live in a herd situation which is the closest to their natural lifestyle, or sometimes with just one or two suitable horsey companions. Very, very few horses would be ok living totally on their own or even with other horses within sight/hearing but unable to touch/groom or play with them. Even if they have all the human love and attention in the world, it's no substitute for other horses. They're very sociable animals.

You do get the odd horse that you can't safely keep in a normal turnout situation, if due to past injuries they can't keep up with a herd and get bullied say, and that gives you a big issue with how to manage their retirement but I don't understand from OP's post that her problem is that the pony doesn't have a friend/companion. If that is the case though OP needs to sort that out as a matter of urgency on welfare grounds alone, although potentially that won't solve her issue about him hacking alone...

I didn’t get the impression from either of the op’s posts that there were any other horses being kept with this one, given that the horse was intended to be shared between her and her 2 dd? I did wonder about whether
He’s a second pony who can be cheeky and throw a buck so I worry about that which I would fully disclose meant there was another pony, but then thought, given the ‘disclose’ comment, that she meant he was quite feisty, thus not suitable as someone’s first pony, rather than being a second pony in the field, iyswim?

She doesn't say either way about whether there's another pony kept with him, but it's such a known thing amongst horsey people that you don't ever keep a horse alone/without company that I'd be surprised if that was the case. Most people have their horses on livery yards these days which pretty much guarantees some level of company for them. Mind you she'll probably get flamed if she admits to keeping the pony alone plus is thinking of selling due to behavioural issues so probably best not to say so if so 😉

As you've guessed the second pony comment means the pony is not suitable as a child's first pony, i.e. is a little more tricky to ride. Horse people sometimes refer to lead rein ponies, first riddens, second riddens when referring to kids ponies as a shorthand for how easy they are to ride. It's nothing to do with how many ponies the OP owns or how many he's kept with. It doesn't even really relate to how many ponies the person has owned before, I've owned very many (too many!) ponies over the years so I'm technically onto my 50th pony or something but I wouldn't buy an animal described as a 'second pony type' particularly in a horse big enough for an adult to ride, as it's a euphemism for quirky/feisty at best, a total basket case at worst!

Thanks for the explanation @maxelly. I don’t know much about horses, but the bit about them being happier with friends stuck in my mind!

Maybe talk to your local pony club DC? Pony sounds ideal for a competent young person who wants to compete and you might be able to loan him out and then find yourself something more suited to you.

I think you do need to find him another jockey OP. If your daughter doesn't ride anymore, how about a young sharer? My old mare waz also in her element at shows (nowhere near your lad's standard, mind!) and never took to retirement rides. I ended up fully retiring her in the end as hacking proved a nightmare with her taking any excuse to nap or take off, just for a bit of excitement. In the end, her legs would be giving out in the field and she would still be trying to get to the show jumps in the school when being walked past in hand. She was in her 30s at this time...

At 17, I bet he has a lot of go in him still. I agree it is a tricky age to sell him, but loans or shares would give him the excitement he clearly craves. Speak to your local PC or riding school and see if a talented young rider fancies taking him out regularly.

17 nowadays is often not regarded as too old - with modern management and veterinary advances horses tend to have a longer working life than they used to. If he is genuinely sound and healthy it could be he would be happier doing the activities he has been used to even at a lower level eg un affiliated competitions rather than affiliated. Competition ponies do tend to change hands regularly due to being outgrown and there is definitely a market for older, experienced ponies. If he is sound I would be tempted to sell him on to a good low level competition home and buy something that is quieter and hacks alone.

I'd sell him on. He's obviously one of those who would prefer to stay in work. We have a couple like that where I work. One is 27 and still lightly competing, gets the raging hump if he has more than 4 days a week off.

My loan horse also will work until he literally drops. He had months of box rest with an injury and he was FUMING. Any other horse he saw being ridden got bitten on the arse. And the traitors people riding them. I lose track of the amount of boards he kicked out and fences he destroyed.

He was not fun to be around. You bring out a saddle that wasn't his? Fuck you and you better get good at dodging teeth. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he was cleared for light riding.

One is technically retired but loves to jump so much, he has jumps in his pasture to play with. You can jump him totally tackless, just grab some mane and hold on tight. He's point and play 😆

But we've also sold ponies who weren't suited to life at a school for various reasons. Some just aren't happy with the constantly changing riders and people in and out, multiple different handlers etc. So they were sold to people who will be their one and only.

Whatever makes them happy is best for them.

I’d sell. You both are not a match for each other. Sharers a pain.

I just don’t think you are compatible. Sell now as a couple more years maybe no one will be interested due to age also limited by size and not a first pony - it’s quite a small pool of people that will want to buy.

Unless you are prepared for moved to another yard so you can buddy up with someone for a hack.

I suppose it depends how attached you are to the pony. You sound like you have checked out of this pony which is ok.

I think you want to let go which is fine as it wasn’t what you originally signed up for as things have changed with your daughter etc otherwise it will be a bitter money pit which you might resent if you are not enjoying the pony.

Time to find the next owner who is more suited and both parties will enjoy the outcome.

Thank you everyone for your replies. There have been a number of comments that either I wanted to hear or didn’t want to hear but all have given me food for thought. Firstly just to clarify we are on a small livery yard where he has 4 friends and is never on his own expect when we want to hack out.

Also just to say he can be a lovely boy and has a number of good traits, he’s good as gold hacking in company, travels well, perfect for the vet/farrier/dentist, never needs sedating, pretty much perfect in all traffic, open fields and easy to deal with on the ground. It really is just his bucking that makes him a second pony and what unfortunately knocks mine and my two daughters confidence.

If he’s doing something he likes he’s fab. Like when a friends daughter took him to a show after not going to one for over a year, he was perfect the whole day. They did the 60cm class and he came 2nd out of 30+ ponies 🙈 we couldn’t believe it and that when we looked up his history and found out he had been jumping 80cm/90cm/1m competing at the national championships at Hickstead and the pony of the year show.

As I write this I feel awful for considering selling him after he’s done so much for his other owners and it wasn’t his fault his old owner wasn’t honest about his bucking. I just deep down feel that maybe as it is just me riding something a little bigger and hacks alone who be more appropriate but maybe that’s me being selfish.

There’s space at a local yard (5 minutes walk from home) that’s just come up with two other happy hackers so I’m going to enquire. I am also going to pop an honest ad on our local pc selling page and just see if anyone would be interested in him, I would only sell him to the best home. Hopefully if I can get out hacking with company more maybe both our confidence will improve. Thank you everyone

If he were a bit younger then I’d definitely sell to a PC/competition home. He is not a happy hacker and I agree that you don’t sound compatible - no blame on you or the pony. At his age, while not old for a native pony, for me he’s on the cusp of being a bit too old to be sold on unless it’s to someone who has their own land and can retire him if need be. There were several ponies like him at our pony club who had serial loan homes and then retired usually in their mid-late twenties. In your position I’d be contacting the DCs of your local pony clubs and seeing if they know a confident child in need of a bigger pony. There are some ponies who would love hacking from a quiet yard and others who would hate it. We have one horse here who would never be sold if hacking were to be her main job. She’s not a fan of hacking at the best of times, she does it but she doesn’t like the unpredictability of what she might come across. However she loves schooling, jumping and is impeccably behaved at competitions/lessons/arena hire

I would ask your vet for a few sachets of bute or danilon and put him on a bute trial for a week.

It very much sounds like there is something wrong with him that escalates when he's ridden which a lameness workup might not reveal.

He could also have ulcers so in the meantime you could try giving him chaff, the best type is Alfa at least 30 mins b4 riding as it will help to coat the stomach lining and prevent acid splash back. Lots of horses don't present as having ulcers, mine never minded the saddle being put on or girthed up but he was aggressive in the stable and mean spirited because he was in pain. Now he's had the ulcers treated you can't ever imagine him being nasty, but many times before treatment I was bitten, kicked and barged. It manifests itself in different ways.

@Pleasedontdothat has the right answer. People will bite your had off for a nice but cheeky second pony just under 14hh with a good showjumping record. So I would find him a new home where he ticks the boxes. The question is whether you want to loan him or sell him. The main differences between the 2 options are that if you sell you get money but have no say in his future. If you loan you get no cash (which is important for some if you need this to buy another horse) but will always be in a position to take him home to retire. I have a 20 yo pony who I’ve chosen to loan. The home was the right one (to my vet - couldn’t be better!) and he is really happy in his new home. I know he will not be passed around when he is ready to retire, but I am also in the lucky position of having a yard at home to bring him back to when that time comes.

Sorry OP but both of the "issues" you've described could be worked on and improved on. Do you just not want to put in the time and money to improve those aspects? It doesn't sound like he necessarily only enjoys showing and jumping but it's probably what he's used to and is comfortable with. With the right time and patience and instructor you could overcome or certainly improve the napping and hacking stuff. I know from experience (although admittedly a younger horse) who had exactly the same issues you describe. What my horse needed was slow building up into hacking alone and an instructor in the school who knew how to re-teach him responsiveness.

I don't think it's pretty unethical to sell him on again at his age. It must be so stressful and upsetting for him constantly moving yards and owners. All animals come with their own quirks and challenges and when we buy them we commit to dealing with those aspects too. You haven't described him being dangerous or unsafe in any way he's just not the perfect pony you were hoping for. If you absolutely can't commit the time and effort to improving his quirks then you should retire him to a herd.

*do think