I know I don't post A LOT...but I lurk all the time. I have yet to see this topic come up, with my specific problems. So here goes:
I was recently GIVEN a VERY nice TB gelding. He stands 16.2hh, dark black/mahogany bay. (You can see just a hint of the reddish purple up on his legs). His name is WW Robin De Hood, and he won about $175,000 on the racetrack. He bowed a tendon in 2004 and was put on stall rest. You can not even really tell there was a bow, ever...on that side. It is hard and cold, and not "thickness" so to speak of. Well, he bowed the OTHER leg this season, at Sam Houston, and although it doesn't LOOK bad, he still has some recovery time left on him. He is pasture sound currently, and MAY come back to be 100% riding sound. I bet some trainer could even buy him and take him to the junk tracks and win...or at least try, BUT I don't want him to go back "to work". He is 7 years old, and absolutely gorgeous. The race owner who gave him to me just wanted me to make sure he goes into a GOOD home. He is a great guy, and I don't want to let him down.
SO, I have spent the last few weeks stalling him, walking him, and wrapping him. He still has a bit of swelling, and a tiny bit of heat, but I have just turned him out to pasture. He is NOT crazy, doesn't run, likes to eat
, etc... just a great horse. BUT, the "gates" on the pasture are a single (or double) strand of hot wire. To him, they don't even exist, and he just runs or walks through them. I can't keep him locked up all summer to finish his "rehab", and it's not my farm so I'm not about to go and buy a bunch of new gates.
I'd say I've spent about $700 just in costs of vets, meds, poultice, etc...plus then my board and shipping on top of it. SO I don't have an incredible amount of money invested into him, but I don't want to lose it all. I ALSO don't want to have him getting hurt. Last Saturday, he was on the road. Just chillin'. Not a very busy road, thankfully. Yesterday, he was in the cornfield (not planted, thankfully). He comes right back in as soon as he sees me...he is smart.
I don't want to advertise him as something he may NOT be, like a jumper or hunter...although he has INCREDIBLE movement, and I am sure could recover sound. But I don't want to limit my options when potential buyers are looking...
Am I delusional thinking I can sell him now and find a GOOD buyer who is looking for a horse with a lot of potential?? Does that happen? I have only ever had mares. You can almost always sell a mare (except for the cremello appendix AQHA mare I have now. She's the toughest sell I have ever had.) as people seem to always need a good broodmare...but then again, I have also never had a horse that wasn't riding sound at the time of sale, either.
Any suggestions?
A friend of mine has done this a few times, pricing them around $700. After she felt 'very' comfortable (checking references, housing etc.) with the new potenial buyer she lowered the price even more, for the good of the horse. She wrote up an 'as is' contract, also stating a 'first right of refusal' clause, just incase the horse didn't work out for the new owner it 'hopefully' won't end up in the meat pen and will come back to you instead.
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