Never look a gift horse in the mouth

squidsin

squidsin

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Feb 16, 2013
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Just out of pure, idle curiosity and apropos of nothing at all, if you were, say, a busy mum of two and a friend offered you a free horse that you'd struggle to find time for now but would be your perfect horse in a couple of years time, what would you do?
 
I'd pass, as there are plenty of good horses out there and my life has enough going on in it to warrant anything new such as a horse that would need a lot of headspace that I don't have.
 
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I'd reluctantly decline

The amount you would spend on the horse for the next two years would negate the fact that the horse being free

If you really wanted though you could make it work if you got a sharer though or opted for grass livery
 
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I think it depends on your situation, if you can afford to have a field ornament for a couple of years why not accept, if you don't really have either the time or the money then I would pass, as Ruskii said there are lots of good horses out there and you will no doubt find one when the time is right :)
 
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I would decline as well. A second horse would take time away from your current horse and who knows if it would be your perfect horse in 2 years or not? A lot can change in 2 years and what you may think may be perfect for you now, may not be in 2 years time. I would be wary for a free horse. If the horse is sensible, sound and vice free, why would the owner give it away?
 
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squidsin said:
Yeah there's no such thing as a free horse really is there? They're not exactly cheap to look after!
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Exactly, we were in the tentative position of looking for another horse/pony , space isn't an issue nor is the livery as I pay for the field not per horse, but it's the 'running' costs associated with it, and whilst it's perfect now, it could injure itself in the field, it could colic, it might be a pain in the neck if out in a herd situation and need careful management, there are a whole lot of 'if's' that I wouldn't want to think about.
 
MP, Annie was free :p And there's certainly 'nout wrong with her! There are plenty of good reasons someone might need to rehome their horse, and if your circumstances forced you to say goodbye to them even though you loved them to bits, I think a lot of us would rather give them to the right home for free than the wrong home for cash! I have several young friends from Portugal who couldn't take their horses with them when they moved back to the UK and every one of them rehomed their horses for free. Sometimes people just aren't interested in selling.

Annie isn't the first one I've been offered for free, I can think of 4 others I've been offered over the years I've been working with horses. They were all lovely horses and just right for me but I didn't take them because the circumstances at the time weren't right for me to have my own. Although I miss all of those horses I have never regretted saying no as I'm well aware that all sorts of things could have gone wrong had I taken them when the circumstances weren't right. And of course if I'd taken one of those then I would never have got Annie... nor Mouse for that matter as the reason my boss' family got him for me was because I had never had my own. I call it fate.

In answer to the question I'd say don't do it. It's so tempting to have them but I think you have to let your head rule your heart for these things.
 
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That's a tough one, if it were me i would have to decline as although I have the time I just don't have the ability to pay the keep for two, hence why if Kia becomes unrideable but still field sound I will have a field ornament and nothing to ride until he pops.

I see lots of horses weekly that are very cheap and healthy that I'd love to buy and could afford to buy but just not keep so there are and will be plenty out there :)
 
joosie said:
MP, Annie was free :p And there's certainly 'nout wrong with her! There are plenty of good reasons someone might need to rehome their horse, and if your circumstances forced you to say goodbye to them even though you loved them to bits, I think a lot of us would rather give them to the right home for free than the wrong home for cash! I have several young friends from Portugal who couldn't take their horses with them when they moved back to the UK and every one of them rehomed their horses for free. Sometimes people just aren't interested in selling.

Annie isn't the first one I've been offered for free, I can think of 4 others I've been offered over the years I've been working with horses. They were all lovely horses and just right for me but I didn't take them because the circumstances at the time weren't right for me to have my own. Although I miss all of those horses I have never regretted saying no as I'm well aware that all sorts of things could have gone wrong had I taken them when the circumstances weren't right. And of course if I'd taken one of those then I would never have got Annie... nor Mouse for that matter as the reason my boss' family got him for me was because I had never had my own. I call it fate.

In answer to the question I'd say don't do it. It's so tempting to have them but I think you have to let your head rule your heart for these things.
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It is sooooooo tempting! He looks perfect and I WILL have a little ride on him at the weekend, just because. You are right though, I have to be sensible as I barely have time for the horse I do have right now, let alone another.
 
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