Pony questions

[jiterbug]

I saw an ad for a pony that is 17 years old, is this too old? I want one for a 7 and 8 year old child.

thanks,

terri

 

[Jill]

An aged pony like that could be PERFECT for little kids. She may be a mellow and been there / done that kind of girl (or guy!). Plus, ponies can be very long lived. She may have another 17 years in her

 

[Lewella]

I second Jill! The older ones are often the best kids ponies and 17 isn't old.

 

[alphahorses]

I rode a 22 year old horse until I was in High School and we did very well at local and 4H shows.

But do yourself and your child a favor and have an equine vet check it before you commit to the purchase. The $100 you spend on a vet check an save you thousands in vet bills not to mention heart aches. A vet can find things that even the owner might not know about.

If they won't let you do a vet check, walk away ....

 

[jiterbug]

This pony is in another state, how do I get in touch with a vet in their area to do a vet check?

Terri

I rode a 22 year old horse until I was in High School and we did very well at local and 4H shows.

But do yourself and your child a favor and have an equine vet check it before you commit to the purchase. The $100 you spend on a vet check an save you thousands in vet bills not to mention heart aches. A vet can find things that even the owner might not know about.

If they won't let you do a vet check, walk away ....

 

[alphahorses]

What I personally do for buyers who want a prepurchase exam is to provide the buyer with a list of the 8 equine vets in my area that I know of. I also tell them which vet I use, tell them they are most welcome to discuss the horse with my vet, but to avoid an possible conflict of interest, advise that they use a different vet.

The buyer contacts the vet, tells them what they want, answers a few questions about what the horse will be used for, and provides payment information (most vets take a credit card now)

Once the buyer has chosen and contacted a vet, either the vet calls me to set up an appointment or I call the vet.

The vet does the exam, the calls the buyer and provides the results. Usually the will provide a written copy of examination results.

If you are paying for the coggins and health papers, the vet can do all of that at the same time assuming s/he finds how problems with the pony. I've had vets call the buyer while they were still at the farm to give the buyer preliminary results and ask if they want to go ahead with the coggins.

-----

I rode the 22 year old mare that I mentioned above until she was 26. Her papers said she was 12, not 22 and we found out too late after I brought her home that she had been drugged to calm her down (my father wanted to buy me a pleasure and trail horse .. I ended up with an experienced and very hot barrel & pole horse!). She also had a skin condition that ended up costing us a fortune to control. I wouldn't have traded that mare for the world .. she was my "first love"

and I still think about her all the time ... but a good vet would have caught all of that and would have at least told us what we were getting into (not to mention we probably would have bought her for much much less!). I'm sure the person who has your pony is honest and I don't want to scare you from buying an older pony. I am a BIG believer in older horses for kids or adults who are learning to ride - but there can be things that even an owner does not know about their own pony that a vet can make you aware of .. or just give you peace of mind

 

[Basketmiss]

We go to NC every summer on vacation and at the place where we go trail ride there is a 35 year old pony. She gets ridden everyday during the summer months. Sweet thing sh eis and lot of life in her...