[colliewoman]

I am soon to be renting a new lot of land, well drained good grass. 3.5 acres all told for not a huge amount of money BUT..... The previous tenant has left behind a decrepit ancient old Shetland pony. He his about a thousand years old, and has lived in this field for years and years. The landlord has said he will get him to take him away, but the poor thing will have no company and has nowhere to go 


Now I have no problem with him staying with my sheeples so long as the owner doesn't butt in with them. He doesn't pay rent anymore, as someone else used the field for another horse till recently and let him stay also. I will be paying and have said that Mr Pony can stay IF he bungs some GOOD hay/feed my way.


I have never had much to do with horses but want to learn as I would like my own soon.....
Crash course anyone? Please?  Just the basics. There is no shelter beyond a hedge, and at the moment no scope for an equine companion. Can he carry on ranging the whole lot or do I need pen him in a little bit??
If it doesn't go Baaaaaa I don't know how it works

[Sylvia]

Donna, he'll be a hardy old soul and as long as he has some good quality hay, and can eat it (he may need his teeth checked) and the hedge shelters him from the prevailing weather he'll be fine. Ponies do benefit from horsey company though.
I hope the girls are behaving

[ppd]

Hi Colliewoman
Ditto Sylvia, get teeth checked and good quality hay for winter - digesting hay makes their tummies into little furnaces and keeps them warm and he has shelter with the hedge depending on wind direction. Also check when he was last wormed and you could always have a faecal count done to tailor the worming treatment.
Shetlands do pretty well in the winter - well they come from Shetland But you have to be careful in the spring when the sugars come through in the grass. I got caught out last spring when we got frosty mornings and sunny days - seems to increase the sugars and my wee pony got laminitis, but spotted it early and all was well after a couple of weeks. You shouldn't need to pen him in at this time of year though.
Grazing with sheep is good as the sheep will keep the grass down and also the worms from each animal does not survive the digestive system of the other so good for both species If need be you can strip graze with electric fencing, but shetlands can be escape artists and will try and break through - well mine does
They should like all herd animals have company of their own kind, but I do know of many who live happily with other animals.
Feet will also need trimming every 6-8 weeks or so, but I have to say that mine go way longer over the winter as the hooves are not growing so quickly.
Hope that is of some help!
Pauline

[deepinthewoods]

cw, hes not your horse. if landlord has said he will get him moved, maybe thats a good thing? knowing your conscientious nature, i can see you getting lumbered.

[ppd]

.... and yes as DITW says you could be being lumbered with something that could cost you a fortune in vets bills if he is elderly. But I know where you are coming from as I would be the same as you

[colliewoman]

NO no no no no no no!! I have said I am not taking OWNERSHIP of Mr Decrepit, but that he can stay where he is rather than get stuffed somewhere else and ignored. I need the basics as I will probably end up doing the looking after. Any vets/farrier bills WILL be passed on to the owner but I feel mean turfing him out of the place he calls home.


I have based my opinion of the owner on this.....  (this is only hear say I never heard the bloke say it, I would have castrated him had I heard it 1st hand)
He advised a friend of mine when complaining her horse pulled to do the following..


Take a razorblade and slice the corners of his mouth then tie the reins up tight so the bit digs in the cut for a few days, then a few days with the head pulled left and a few days with the head pulled right.


If that is this old pony's only care giver I don't mind looking out for him. Poor little sod.


DITW you are right, I will probably end up lumbered

[deepinthewoods]

i see your point. good luck!

[sabrina]

Be careful here, if you do get stuck with him by law he has to have a passport.

[ppd]

That's awful
So you are not loaning Mr Decrepit, just letting him graze on your fields?
Well when Mr Cruel doesn't feed him, or worm, or have his feet done or get the vet in, will you have to do it and will you get recompensed? Sounds like he doesn't give a toss and a lot of ponies get 'dumped' on people this way. And bearing in mind the pony is probably worthless and liable in the future to have vets bills, is he just trying to offload it?
Pauline

[lachlanandmarcus]

Even if you dont formally loan him, if he is on your land you are deemed to be the keeper from a welfare perspective if the owner doesnt look after him. (hence reason why a lot of cheap DIY liveries have stopped as the landowner doesnt want to be landed with neglected horses).
So there isnt an easy way to look after the pony better than the owner but without the legal responsibilities.
TBH I would either let them take the pony away (hard to do I know), or take on the ownership so at least you know where you are.

[Blackbird]

CW, if you do have him in with your sheep for a while you might just want to watch and see how he behaves with them. My sheep are in with 2 small ponies and get on with them just fine, but we've had to separate out a bigger pony who chased them really hard, so we put him in a separate paddock. My Shetland ewe lamb did fall in love with his Happy Horseball and spent hours jumping on it, sniffing it, rolling on it and playing footie with it so not surpised he was peed off. Mind you, she is bonkers. 

[colliewoman]

Good news!
The person I had been told is the owner isn't! Hurrah!
I met some ponies today that are owned by the same person as Mr Decrepit and they are in shining health, and looked at every day.
Hopefully I will catch the person and make sure he understands he WILL be looking after the wee one too, even though my sheep will be there

[jaykay]

That's good news about the owner 

[ppd]

Great news

[Sylvia]

Good news!
The person I had been told is the owner isn't! Hurrah!
I met some ponies today that are owned by the same person as Mr Decrepit and they are in shining health, and looked at every day.
Hopefully I will catch the person and make sure he understands he WILL be looking after the wee one too, even though my sheep will be there

Has the owner checked Mr. Decrepit since you've taken over the land, Donna? Or has he just assumed he'll be o.k.?