advice- horsey decisions to buy or not? *PICS*

jodie :)

jodie :)

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So... i've seen this lovely 16.2hh 8y/o warmblood gelding. Get on with owners great, horse is just what i wanted, forwards going but with brakes. Good jump. Okay flatwork. A bit bolshy in stable, but can be recified. Otherwise a sweetheart. But... he's got a roach back. I didn't notice it at first, but you can see it. I want to event up to novice level (eventually) and he could go that way with work, but would his roach back affect him seriously performance wise and is he likely to break down with it? He doesn't really like sitting trot but is fine in canter etc. So any roach back experts? And oh yes, he has a slight ewe neck (overall not great confirmation, but performs well still) which doesn't stop him from going in an outline, its just more difficult to get him consitantly in one. So.... would you pay the same price for a horse with bad confirmation as you would for one with good confirmation? Thoughts please :)
Oh yes and here he is:
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andddd jumping (exuse my position :D):
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and my old man standing at the side of it to demonstrate how big it was (he's 5ft6) I know its not a big fence but he thought it was mahoosive. I think it was about 1m?
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I wouldnt pay the same for a horse with poor conformation no, especially if you are wanting to compete.
Id be talking with a vet about problems it would cause and then you will be able to make an imformed decision, he looks a nice type though!

Sorry i cant be more help
 
honestly? I wouldn't. I know horses have a massive range of ways they like to hurt themselves to escape work, but conf issues will only increase the chances of probs later down the line. I would have concerns especially re not being happy with sitting trot. Assuming you were soft and relaxed during it then I would have worries about his back health. If you are willing to take a risk and the price is adjusted accordingly then you might consider him worth a risk. If it was me though I have to admit that I would carry on my search. If you really like him then perhaps you could get your vets / back persons opinion? There seem to be so many horses up for sale currently, and all being well you would hope to be together for many years! A few more months looking and getting the right, well horse would be time well spent I reckon.
 
Get the horse fully 5* vetted.

I personally would rather a horse with a slight roach to one with a slight dipped back as the dipped back would be the weaker of the two.

Do you have any sisde on untaked photos to show just how bad/mild the roach is?
 
thanks for your advice. well.. i'm not going to buy a horse without a 5 stage vetting! I've had 3 vetted so far and some pretty horrific things were seen that i would never have known, so that is a deffinate must. I'll have a chat with my vet about the back. Sorry i haven't got any pictures of him untacked, but tbh i hardly noticed until my step-mum pointed it out. He is a nice horse, but i'm thinking that back problems will only cause grief later on?
 
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Have you got any side pics without tack on? I personally wouldnt buy for the same money- it will more than likely affect him in one way or another - he wont have the same physical capability to be as supple and flexible as other horses you compete against esp at dressage.
The jump looks about 1m05 i would guess and if he thinks thats big he should walk a be novice xc course and see some of the things he will have to jump then!
 
From past experience don't buy unless you are 100% sure and if you had to post this on here you are not I would not recommend it as you could probably get a better horse for what you pay for.
 
Back issues and a ewe neck would def bring down a horses price - as its a fault, limits the horses usefullness to put it harshy. I would be interested in a back mans opinion to start with - find out the issue behind the sitting trot issues.. is back related due to roach and/or poor fitting saddle? I would be wary of a horse with showing back pain at 8 as depending on the source this can worsen over time... something that needs looked into asap. I think the back issue is something that the current owners should be looking into themselves really.

I too have to agree with kokopelli tho - you dont seem overly sure and i dont want to seem rude, experienced at looking at horses so might be best to take some1 else more experienced along who can give you a good opinion on the horses suitability for you?
 
If hes the one and get him vetted, you could get reduced due to roach back ?Vet will let you know if it would effect his future job.If my current neddy had a roach back, it wouldnt have put me off . but im not intending on doing what you are <yet>
 
Hmmm, don't think I would either tbh.

Also, I think the horse is too big for you. If you want to compete at novice and above, you need your legs! And I don't think you will be able to hold him with your size, particularly if you say he is difficult to keep round anyway..
 
saskia- i've got very short legs so it appears like i'm short, but a long upper body and if i ride anything smaller than 16hh i look really top heavy. Plus i'm 16 so i still have time to grow (fingers crossed)

I'm not inexperienced nor experienced, more middle of the road kind of thing. i just get overly analytical which means then everything gets doubted and then i just don't know anything anymore :( haha! who would know buying a horse could be so hard!
 
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