What would you price a beginner safe horse with some arthritis at?

[Milocalwinnings]

ETA - thanks to some of you for your perspectives and no thanks to others who are trying to call me a flipper or telling me that the horse would have been better off heading through the pipeline.

I will revise my listing for her to indicate that I am looking to free lease her out. Regardless of if I have warm and fuzzies for the horse or not I do want to do my best to ensure a safe future. As said multiple times I don’t care about making money on her I simply wanted to place a rehoming fee to deter people from picking her up and immediately dropping her off at the closest auction. Having rescued seven horses from auction in the last 3 years I am more than familiar about the realities of free horses or the potential for them to end up there when they are old or no longer useable. I am not looking to rehome her because she is not useable to me. I don’t ride any of my horses at this point. So don’t try and make me out to be the bad guy that dumps a horse the minute they can’t use them anymore. By rehoming her she would have a chance to be useful and doted on my someone, both of which are things she enjoys. I think a free lease is a good compromise - if I find someone interested in doing that then great and if not then she’s not going to lose her home here.

To those who recommended therapeutic riding programs- I have looked into several but all want horses that a) are W/T/C and more sound and b) will pass a PPE. I would love to find an equine therapy place that serves veterans like myself or other people with mental illness where the focus is not on riding but on building the bond with the horse. She would love that and be perfect for that. Or a place that wants to use her for walking rides with its most handicapped riders.

A lease to a lesson barn is an interesting thought, I don’t know of any personally other than the place I used to board at which I wouldn’t send her there for any amount of money. I’ll have to talk to some people who lesson at various places to see if there are any worth contacting.

Horse is bombproof, beginner safe, sound for walk/trot, fantastic trail horse. She’s not unlikeable by any means for the normal person. I just don’t happen to enjoy her and don’t get “warm fuzzies” from her presence and thus I would love to find someone who would love her and enjoy her.

[NancyM]

Free lease a horse like this, do not sell it. A written lease, signed by both lessor and lessee, which spells out what the horse can and can not do, and basic care requirements. That way, your horse has a safety net, and you get the horse back if it does not work out like everyone thought.

[clanter]

the only way you can insure the welfare of this horse is to keep it

Our family is pretty much set on this, we have an "agreement " of sorts with our horses, you do your job and we will tke care of you…to the end. Yes we end up with several unrideable horses who eat money away, but they did their service to us

I guess I should have never read Black Beauty as the last line of the story is the one line I remember…

My ladies have promised that I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home; and often before I am quite awake, I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick, standing with my old friends under the apple-trees.

[Red_Barn]

I agree with Clanter. I’m currently spending a small fortune on my old campaigner, but he’s been my loyal friend for all his long life, and I’d rather eat Ramen in perpetuity than deprive him of the retirement he’s earned.

[Equkelly]

I agree with everyone here. I would not try to sell this horse and even if you did decide to sell you really can’t ask for very much… probably not over the slaughter price, that’s why I would not sell.

I like the idea of a lease but the other option could be leasing to a trainer that you trust and letting them use the horse for their “up-downers”. It sounds like he could do that job. But again only to a trainer you know and really really trust because it’s just too easy for someone to get greedy.

[Zu_Zu]

be her ‘forever home’ ~ please

[Milocalwinnings]

@NancyM@clanter @Red Barn

Yes, I’m familiar that the only way to ensure a safe future is to keep the horse. That wasn’t my question.

I have had the mare 11 months. Rescued her from the auction pipeline, along with 6 others over the last few years. Three have since been euthanized due to the severe neglect/injury that they arrived with or old age. I not dumping her on someone after a long career of working for me. I’ve given this mare a fabulous year to decompress, spent $$$$ on retraining, $$$$ on vet care, etc. Paid a kid to groom her four times a week because she loves people and I didn’t/don’t have time to do it. I don’t need to rehome her. But I don’t do anything with her and quite frankly don’t even like her all that much. I had the perfect home lined up in the spring and the home check bombed, so I kept her hoping maybe I would grow to enjoy her. I’ve got one fully retired early-teens gelding, a physically sound but mentally whack late teens gelding, and a late 20s Belgian who is sound to ride but starting to go senile. It has nothing to do with her soundness or ability to work or lack there of. Why keep a horse you don’t click with at all when there are plenty of people who would enjoy her?

I am very open to a free lease situation but frankly I’ve never understood the appeal of paying all of the costs for a horse that you don’t own. The option is there if someone wanted it though.

While impossible to keep a horse safe when they leave your control, someone who pays $1,000 for a horse is going to be less likely to turn around and flip them at an auction - they wouldn’t even get their money back. But a free horse or a $300 horse could make a profit at auction, hence why I was wanting to charge a fair but secure rehoming fee. I’ll rethink the free lease option and see if I get any bites on that.

[eightpondfarm]

If you’re looking for a price to put on her, 500 is about all she’s worth. Her future as a riding companion is diminishing. Before long, she’ll be forsale again, and probably to a salebarn. If you can live with your horse ending up on the slaughter-mobile trip across America, then go ahead, sell her. Me, i would never ever let an old arthritic horse leave my farm.

[jherold]

Donate her to a handicapped riding facility. Euthanasia is also an option. Both would at least get her off the payroll. Anyone willing to pay much more than meat price doesn’t know much about horses.

[Red_Barn]

What is it about her you don’t like? I’m a bit confused, since you also said she was “beginner safe” and “worth her weight in gold,” which aren’t things people generally say about unlikable animals.

If she’s really that unpleasant I’d simply put her down. Better a peaceful death at home than being sold, resold and finally sent to a brutal slaughter.

[four2farm]

Long term lease to a local whom you can keep an eye out. Handicapped riding program lease maybe. As an owner with 5 of these on my tab, I understand. Horses like this are in grave danger in this world. Selling this horse is putting it’s future on the roulette wheel and hoping for a good outcome. I applaud your effort to get this horse out of the auction pipeline. I just know that for me when a horse places a foot on this farm he is not going to be sold again. He might CAREFULLY lent, never sold.

[vxf111]

@clanter

the only way you can insure the welfare of this horse is to keep it

Our family is pretty much set on this, we have an "agreement " of sorts with our horses, you do your job and we will tke care of you…to the end. Yes we end up with several unrideable horses who eat money away, but they did their service to us

I guess I should have never read Black Beauty as the last line of the story is the one line I remember…

I feel the same. I don’t mind selling a younger horse that didn’t work out but if you were MINE and you CARTED ME AROUND and DID FOR ME… you won’t worry anymore. You’ll always have a spot with me.

Free leasing would be a good idea if you can find a suitable home. Plenty of people are looking for a very basic/beginner horse.

[MissIntent]

I had a horse like this. I free leased him to a lesson program with the agreement that he was to be used only for walk/trot lessons. Honestly I “listed” him as available and had several requests within a day.

He did this for 4 years, and then he told us that was too much, so he retired to a pasture for the rest of his life.

[Casey09]

My first thought is to find a lesson program where this horse would be appreciated. It seems like the right person or program would want the horse. I don’t think it’s so much about how much you charge for the horse. I have a horse that I got as a companion from a family that took him in and but never intended to keep him. They gave him to me. Honestly I wasn’t looking to pay to take in a companion horse. I’ve had him for years now and he of course gets the same feed, vet care, farrier care, etc as my retiree that I rode for years, but I wouldn’t have paid $1000 for him. Of course he isn’t a riding horse, but you may be looking at the same issue. There might be people that will take good care of him, but they’re not going to want to pay much for an aged horse with arthritis. That being said you have to be super careful about who takes her, and you have to be willing to accept the risk that they’ve conned you.

[Equkelly]

The thing about “rescuing” from auction is that you have to be willing to take the hit if it doesn’t work out… otherwise you’re just horse flipping and calling it rescuing. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that but if you’re willing to dump all this money into a horse for training, vet bills, feed, etc, but you have zero intent on keeping the horse you are not rescuing. It is better to let the horse go to slaughter and donate the money to an actual horse rescue. Because now, you’ve spent all this money on this horse and it will most likely still go to slaughter because you’re set on selling it. I mean sure you gave the horse an extra year, but all that money you spent would’ve gone WAY further at a reputable non profit.

Like I said, horse flipping from auction is fine, and if the horse is lucky enough to be sound and healthy it’s a win for the horse too, but don’t call it a rescuing if that’s not actually what you’re doing.

[Small_Change]

Sometimes these horses are actually easier to find a lease home for than a sale - people who would shy away from buying an older horse with limited capacity for work will snap up a free lease on one knowing that they can back out when the horse no longer fits the bill.

[candyappy]

Sadly you have no way to guarantee she will remain sound for walk/ trot riding and to be brutally honest i wouldn’t pay any $ amount for an arthritic horse . I would try to find a therapeutic riding center who you can give her to as long as they can use her and then get her back and do right by her ( Euth) if she cannot be used any longer.

I would hate to sell any horse with issues like hers , where the work she could do is so limited. You really risk her having a life of over use and pain.

[Milocalwinnings]

@Equkelly

The thing about “rescuing” from auction is that you have to be willing to take the hit if it doesn’t work out… otherwise you’re just horse flipping and calling it rescuing. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that but if you’re willing to dump all this money into a horse for training, vet bills, feed, etc, but you have zero intent on keeping the horse you are not rescuing. It is better to let the horse go to slaughter and donate the money to an actual horse rescue. Because now, you’ve spent all this money on this horse and it will most likely still go to slaughter because you’re set on selling it. I mean sure you gave the horse an extra year, but all that money you spent would’ve gone WAY further at a reputable non profit.

Like I said, horse flipping from auction is fine, and if the horse is lucky enough to be sound and healthy it’s a win for the horse too, but don’t call it a rescuing if that’s not actually what you’re doing.

You are entitled to your opinion. I have other words I’d like to use but I’ll keep my mouth shut. I have been willing to “take the hit” for all of my horses. I’m not passing her along to the first person that comes along. If I wanted to do that I would have let her go six months ago when I first listed her.

Trust me, I think the two who I saved from a horrific trailer ride to who knows where in the pipeline with injuries so severe they could hardly walk would disagree that my money could have gone further. Or the mentally unstable gelding that’s terrified of his own shadow. Or the neurological standardbred. Or the senior Belgian dumped literally bleeding after no longer useful as a plow horse. Or the 30+ year old mule who was skin and bones and pissed off at the world.

Or this mare. So a cruel long trailer ride packed full of terrified and injured horses to a terrifying and cruel end by captive bolt is better than spending a year on my farm to decompress before having someone vet homes?

Would it be any different if I was a non-profit rescuing them and adopting them out? Given by your post it sounds like it would but their ability to vet homes really is no different than mine.

[Milocalwinnings]

@Small Change

Sometimes these horses are actually easier to find a lease home for than a sale - people who would shy away from buying an older horse with limited capacity for work will snap up a free lease on one knowing that they can back out when the horse no longer fits the bill.

Interesting. That’s certainly the way to go from my perspective of wanting to ensure she has a safe future but I never thought someone would want to pay the bills for a horse they don’t own.

[atl_hunter]

@NancyM

Free lease a horse like this, do not sell it. A written lease, signed by both lessor and lessee, which spells out what the horse can and can not do, and basic care requirements. That way, your horse has a safety net, and you get the horse back if it does not work out like everyone thought.

^^THIS

My family free-leased my first horse out to a 4-H family when she was 17 and could no longer tolerate day-to-day work. It was a happy ending - she died peacefully in their pasture at the age of 31. They absolutely loved her and took great care of her, and she always had our ownership as a safety net.