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Opinions please

lipigirl February 27, 2011 February 27, 2011

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Mateo my Lipi came back from his loan home yesterday and he looks great and she has done so much for him, new fit boy that he is having been ridden 4 times a week. I got a call today from a lady interested in him for sale. She runs marathons but wants a horse to distract her from this as she feels it is an obsession. Now the thing is, she only wants a horse to hack out once a week but to love and care for - all sounds great except the catch......she runs a private animal sanctuary from her home which is near us - about 40mins drive away.....why is this a draw back, because she has over 300 animals to feed and look after, so I am wondering how much attention will he get. She did say to me that she has 36 horses, who are all retired oldies, 1 of 41yrs old and so she now wants her own riding horse. Her hubby is a banker and he funds most of this. Part of me says, will she have the time for him, part of me says, it's a good home with other horses, little demands on him and it's a genuine forever home not far from me. What do you guys think?

rodeoratdogs Sun, 02/27/2011 - 20:05

I'm wondering why she's needs a distraction when she runs an amimal sanctuary and has 300 animals to feed? Kinda weird but I would just visit the place and if all the amimals look clean and their water is clean then maybe that would be a good home for him. I would also make a contract to make sure she wasn't buying him for instant resale.

critterkeeper Sun, 02/27/2011 - 23:14

Please be careful...this woman sounds a lot like a typical hoarder...many claim to run "sanctuaries" but in fact they are just addicted to "adding" more animals to thier "family"...it is so sad, and is a sickness. Also, how much "room" is there for her to house all these animals? 36 horses alone would take up LOADS of space (even if they are stalled 20/24 hrs a day.

Also, how can she be addicted to running marathons when she would not have time to train for one if she is caring for 300 animals the way they should be cared for? I know the amount of time it takes me to care for 9 horses, so I cannot fathom caring for 36. It would take a minimum of 18 hrs a day to feed, groom, and muck stalls...and that would be the bare minimum of 30 mins per horse - and how much time is given to the other animals?

Yes, go visit her (and if she balks, DO NOT DO IT); talk to her vet(s) and find out about how frequently they see the animals (is it just anual shots, or reg. checkups?); and talk to her neighbors...they will often give you a clearer picture of what is really going on than you will ever get from the person themselves.

rabbitsfizz Wed, 03/02/2011 - 04:26

I feel the same way- she sounds like a very typical hoarder.
No one person has time to do 36 horses (believe me, I KNOW!!) let alone feed and care properly for 300 assorted animals- even if she does have volunteers in, it is not the same, it just is not. How big is her place.
What sort of stabling does she have?
How many staff?
I would say she needs at least 80 acres, and at least 5 permanent staff plus volunteers- does this seem likely?
All mt warning bells are going off, red lights are flashing and someone is waving a flag! :)