Advice needed please - potential new horse. (Warning - LONG!!)

If she boosts your confidence then get her, don't expect the seller to take her back in the future as often this does not happen in reality, just remember you will not be able to insure any of the legs that failed the vetting
 
It wouldn't worry me that a horse that age didn't pass a flexion test. If she suits you in all other ways I'd go for it. At 15 you may expect a few health issues, I'd just put her on a good joint supplement and make sure you look after her feet.
 
Update - trial ends on Monday, I had the vet out again today to re-assess her to see if her feet had settled down post-trim - however she is still showing lameness on the right forelimb and still doesn't look comfortable on rocky ground. Really really don't know what to do. She's super sweet and I was keeping everything crossed that she'd show improvement on the lunge - tried her on hard ground, a flat field and in hoof boots and still not too happy (although much much better on the grass than on hard surface)...The flexion test I can live with, but it's that forelimb that's ringing alarm bells for me. I've asked the seller if I can loan her rather than buy her but that's not an option. Really don't know what to do - vet still doubts her ability to be anything more than a happy hacker in the future and I'd hate it if I grew in confidence and had to leave her behind as she wasn't up to anything more strenuous. :(
 
Sologirl said:
I'd hate it if I grew in confidence and had to leave her behind as she wasn't up to anything more strenuous. :(
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Sounds like you've made up your mind. You have greater things on your agenda than what she's capable of giving you. All she has is that she's a steady confidence giving mare and I doubt the owner will have too much trouble finding that sort of home for her; confidence givers are always in demand. If you want to compete and suchlike then you probably need to start looking for a livelier and younger horse.
 
OP you need to honestly decide whether you want a horse that suits what you want to do now or realistically are you going to be out and completing in 6-12 months time?
She sounds like a lovely happy hacker and if safe sensible and confidence giving will always have a job, if you 'out grow' her you could sell her on or loan her out to the next person who needs their confidence helped.
Do you have time/ facilities/ transport to compete or is this aspirational for you?
You could send her back, spend ages looking for another horse - but any that have experience to be a true confidence giver will have mileage and hence vetting queries. SO you could go through a lot of horses before you found one that fully passed (and then as someone earlier said - they could fall over in the field and never be ridden again!)

It really comes down to what level of riding you really really will actually do.
 
Spring Feather said:
Sounds like you've made up your mind. You have greater things on your agenda than what she's capable of giving you. All she has is that she's a steady confidence giving mare and I doubt the owner will have too much trouble finding that sort of home for her; confidence givers are always in demand. If you want to compete and suchlike then you probably need to start looking for a livelier and younger horse.
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I'd disagree with the last bit I'm afraid.... And as another poster said above, your better off buying a horse for now, rather than in three years time. There's no point in buying a younger, more flighty model if you need to gain confidence.
 
Spring Feather said:
Sounds like you've made up your mind. You have greater things on your agenda than what she's capable of giving you. All she has is that she's a steady confidence giving mare and I doubt the owner will have too much trouble finding that sort of home for her; confidence givers are always in demand. If you want to compete and suchlike then you probably need to start looking for a livelier and younger horse.
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That's the dilemma - at this moment in time I can't see myself wanting to compete etc, but I'm never saying never! Her age and steady nature aren't issues to me as much as the potential problems with her feet/legs. Horses have enough ways to go wrong when they sail through a vetting lol - to buy one with KNOWN issues is a whole other matter :/
 
Sologirl said:
That's the dilemma - at this moment in time I can't see myself wanting to compete etc, but I'm never saying never! Her age and steady nature aren't issues to me as much as the potential problems with her feet/legs. Horses have enough ways to go wrong when they sail through a vetting lol - to buy one with KNOWN issues is a whole other matter :/
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You need two horses! One to give you your confidence back and one to compete on once you have your confidence back (although depending on your age, I've known so many mature people who never get their confidence beyond riding their confidence-giver :wink3:)
 
wench said:
I'd disagree with the last bit I'm afraid.... And as another poster said above, your better off buying a horse for now, rather than in three years time. There's no point in buying a younger, more flighty model if you need to gain confidence.
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Yes that was my point :wink3: I think OP understood the irony of my post.
 
That foot is a mess and with 50% of the wall missing, I'm not surprised she's lame on a tight circle. Is she still sound in a straight line? Did they flexion test that leg? Was she worse? Better on soft ground suggests not tendon and flexion will rule out arthritic lameness.

I think she'll be perfectly capable of doing the common rides I know you want to do, once she's built back up and put condition on. I don't think she's worth what they're asking though but it's difficult now to negotiate price.

P.s Spring Feather: this mare is a talented quality animal and more than capable of competing at the level Sologirl wants. But not if she's lame.......
 
Thanks all. I'm just having a wobble as I was pinning hopes (probably prematurely!) on seeing an improvement from the initial vetting. Why can't I have a horsey crystal ball??
 
OP what have the owners said about the failed vetting? Have they reduced the price accordingly? Would they extend the trial period to allow her feet to recover so she can have a fair vetting?
What did the vet say about what might be causing the lameness?
A friend has recently gone through the same thing and vet thought early onset arthritis (as would be expected in a high mileage pony of this ones age) but the vet has also said, in her case, that the pony will in all likelihood go on being a happy hacker and a little more for many more years.
The vet is the best placed to tell you if/ how much of a problem the lameness is.
 
Hi, we bought a pony at 15 for my daughter , only tried him once. Seller had him trimmed and shod before we picked him up. He was very lame first time she tried to ride him. I called my farrier and he said he had just been cut too short, he was overweight aswell. We had to take the chance and just leave him to recover , we cut out a lot of the sugar in his diet and waited and waited .
After about three months he was fine, she had ridden him gently during this time and he was ok just not on tight turns.
Since then we have had back, saddle ,teeth etc done and he is flying , my daughter is trying out for the england team in march on him. We made the decision that we would keep him in the field if all else failed as he is a sweetie.
I hope it all works out well but if she isnt fit and used to work her feet may be a bit soft ?
 
I really feel for you, as I know you've been looking for a while. What happened with your previous horse?

I'm in a similar situation in the sense that i'm looking to gain confidence (currently ride a 17yo welsh d) but hope to compete in the future. I guess, if I were you... I would buy the older, confidence giving horse but only if I knew I would be able to cover financially any issues - as i'm guessing your insurance won't cover.

I mean, you could leave it and carry on looking for a younger confidence giver with less health issues but let's face is... they're few and far between, and come with a hefty price tag :(

Let us know how you get on! Hope you make a decision you're happy with.
 
I think you are answering your own question. When I bought my horse he was a bit dodgy behind, but I HAD to have him, could not have the idea of not having him, accepted the idea that he could go wrong, took him on with all his faults and did not regret it for a moment.

The horse you want is not sound. That part is done, cannot apparently be changed, in the short term at least, and with no certainty for the future. I know you don't want that to be so, but it is so.

I would sit with both scenarios of sending back and keeping and see which one you cannot cope with. Can you cope with the unknown of a horse that may not come sound? Can you cope with looking for another? Can you cope with the idea of wanting to do more with a now redundant safe horse? Is she even fit to ride now? Would you be kind to yourself if you spend a long time looking and did not find another?

If the vet can give no more advice, and the owner will not extend the trial or loan then you only have yourself and the various possibilities to sit with and see which scenario is less worry-some.

Its the price of having your own horse, as opposed to loaning or riding at a riding school!
 
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One other thing - if she has been footy anyway I would be inclined to lightly shoe with fronts only to see how she is with that. The farrier could just use 5 low nails, and she could have them off again, but it would be your best guide as to if it is just a trimming issue.
 
wench said:
If you are that concerned, instead of spending £200 on another vetting, get the vet to come and have a look at the leg only and perhaps ask for some X-rays?
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Personally I wouldn't bother - the horse is 15, there will be changes on the x-rays and those might not be the cause of the problems. Most horses prob have arthritic changes if you x-rayed them, people of equivalent age would do too. X-rays would only be useful if the seller has them from an earlier time, so you can compare changes. I would XR a 5yo that was costing me 10K but not a 15yo happy hacker who is a bit creaky.
 
Lots of people tell you to go with your heart, I'd say go with your head. I've bought several older horses and they have all been in work and sound when purchased with a known history and some with a verifiable competition record. Any horse can develop a problem or sustain an injury the moment you have handed over the cash, but why pay good money for something you know is not sound. This mare has been used as a broodmare for several years why have they decided to sell her now as a happy hacker? I don't really understand it, as she has a good breeding line I'd expect her value to be as a brood mare not as a ridden horse. As I said in a previous post, i don't think she has a monetary value at the moment. Sound, fit and back in work, well perhaps a few hundred! There are sound sensible horses out there, keep looking.
 
If she is perfect for you just now, then I'd buy her. Feet can and will improve with consistent correct care and so can arthritic pain. It is easy to buy a perfectly sound horse which will damage itself but not so easy to find a confidence giver that you love.
 
I bought my mare 11 years ago from a RS, they wanted rid of her because she was bucking everyone off. After I bought her I got the vet to give her a 'once over'. She failed a flexion test (can't remember how many 10ths lame she was, think it was 2/10ths) and the vet said that might well be why she was bucking. I was so gutted, the vet gave me the impression that she'd probably been overworked from a young age and might always be lame.

Fast forward 11 years, she's been wonderful and has never had a day's lameness in her life. We hack between 2 to 5 times a week, she's done sponsored/fun rides, I've taken her on holiday with me, we do the odd cross-country schooling course and over the last couple of years have started doing a bit of Trec which she loves.

So there is hope, I bought her because she was going cheap and I was in the right place at the right time and obviously I'd already committed and bought her when I got the vet to check her. Obviously this isn't the 'correct' way of buying horses but it worked out for me.
 
Hmm its a tough one.

I personally think that its a buyers market right now. That there are many perfectly sound confidence givers out there, who would be capable of going further also - it may just take a while to weed through the ones who are not.

She sounds very sweet and lovely, but if the lameness develops can you afford to keep her as un-ridable, for the medication and to have another you can ride?



If you have the funds to be able to keep her pain free if needed, and get another on top if she gets worse, then awesome thats your answer!

if not, then id walk away. Horses are hard to sell right now. Having sold a perfectly sound fit and healthy one myself - and that was hard enough - id imagine it would be an absolute nightmare to try to sell a lame one.

Imagine if come spring she gets fitter n fatter, and becomes a bit of a madam and you lose your confidence again.
What would you do? It would be almost impossible to sell a lame project horse.

Anything could happen to any of the horses any of us have, we never know when one will become lame, but here you have the heads up, you have already seen into the crystal ball from one month ago till today. You did the right thing giving her the best chance at becoming sound again. But you really need to ask yourself - what do you want?

Do you want a potentially long term unsound horse, great confidence giver, but light work only and forever

Or a sound horse, confidence giver, ability to do some more fun stuff with when you get your confidence up.

Good luck with what ever you decide.
 
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