Lulu dilemma

Lulu's owner no longer lives locally, so she really is lonely. She roams free over six acres but spends a lot of time at her gate waiting for someone to pass the time of day with.

On a rare visit to see her this week, her owner trotted her up the road and offered to sell her to us for £500. We weren't actually in the market for a pony... Appalooso or not. We would have to get her checked out by the vet and vaccinated, get her hooves clipped, turn over part of our garden to her, convert the wood shed to a shelter, buy hay...

We would happily give Lulu a home... but we don't want to pay £500. In fact we don't want to pay anything at all as we think we'd be giving her a happier, healthier life and regular company.