Ageing Greys - To Buy Or Not To Buy

[rcm_73]

I was just wondering what people's views are on buying a grey horse aged 15 yrs + in respect of the possibility of them developing melanomas. I am considering buying a 15 y.o. grey for my daughter, I am hesitating only on the fact that a previous grey I had developed melanomas around this age.

 

[Jemayni]

Personally I have only ever owned babies, however they have all been grey; and I keep my horse on a irish dealers yard, therefore a lot of the horses are grey.... There are only 2 horses on the yard over 10, both are grey (1 is 12, the other 14) both have melanomas, I was around when the younger one was diagnosed and the vet said more greys got them than didnt! Having said that they don't seem to cause a problem for a lot of horses until they are much older.....

 

[seaofdreams]

my first and second pony were greys brought them both as 5 year olds, one will be 19 next year and the other 17 neither of them have any signs of melanomas
since then i have brought a bay and a coloured and most recently may 05 another grey she was 7 when i brought her and she had a 5* vetting and the vet checked her over for melanomas and couldn't find anything, it wouldn't put me of having a grey at that age if he didn't already have signs of having them (hope that makes sence!)

 

[rach1984horse]

My pony is 18 coming on 19. I bought her when she was 17 and the thought of melanoma's never crossed my mind. Something could go wrong with any horse. If there's one you get on with and would have a lot of fun with then wouldn't turn it down on things that maybe could go wrong in the future.

 

[brighteyes]

I would probably buy an ageing pony if it was just what we wanted, but bear in mind it will be even more aged when you have finished with it and I have a 'thing' about selling granny on! For me, the grey is the problem, not the melanomas, and if it has none at the moment you may well get your time out of it.
I have an aversion to washing and grooming for hours and an even worse attitude to losing my beloved creatures for any reason, so put no in the poll.
Think, I missed out on Milton and Desert Orchid because of my silly prejudices!!!

 

[fizzer]

have had lots of greys ova the last 35 yrs or so, my last one had terrible problems with photosensitivity causing his face to be quite sore and tender in the sun, would.nt put me off but would just be cautious

 

[Thistle]

For the right price. A good horse is NEVER a bad colour.

 

[TURBOBERT]

My guess is that if melanomas were going to deveope there would be signs by that age. The two greys I have known with this certainly did . Look under theire tails and round their ears.
I might add that both those greys have been fabulous in all other respect and both lived to ripe old ages despite the melanomas. If the horse is right in all other respects just go for it!

 

[Tinkerbee]

i had a grey 15 yr old...the thought never occured to me /family...

 

[Tierra]

Try to remember that melanomas arent an immediate death sentence for a horse - particularly in the case of greys. Many will have the odd one or two that are just there and never cause any issues at all.

If you take a look at the % that actually turn out to be malignant then to be honest, theres a lot more common issues that can go wrong (particularly when you start looking at older horses).

My grey is 13 and had no hesitation buying him based on his colour and yes, he has what i believe to be a couple of melanomas that appear completly dormant.

By 15, most horses should have developed them if they're going to... but at the end of the day, they're still grey and skin problems go with the colour

 

[Tierra]

Just to add also, whilst the opinion of vets differs greatly, some are of the belief that just about all greys over the age of 10 will have some degree of melanomas... they also admit that finding them can be a different thing all together

 

[threeponies]

My grey mare is 12 and has melanoma and the first thing the vet told me is that they are not a death sentence.

 

[brighteyes]

Agree with vet, totally. It is more a question of can/will the owner cope with the progression. Mentally, I couldn't but I am too emotional about these things so it's completely from a selfish point of view for me. I so wish I could be rational.

I wish you luck and advise you to listen to the sensible posters! You obviously think a lot of the pony to be considering it so carefully.

 

[Fairynuff]

I wouldnt buy a grey after working in a vet clinic and seeing melanomas and what they can become. We had a 14 year old mare in who had internal melanomas.Nothing much to be seen on the outside but was in a real mess on the inside. She had them pressing on her intestines, liver and her spine-this was discovered after she was put down.Poor girl must have suffered. No, personally greys are not for me. Mairi.

 

[Chex]

I bought Chex when he was 16, and we've had almost 9 years of fun! Done tons of xc, endurance, sj and all sorts. I'm having problems with him just now because he is just too full of beans! No experience of greys with melanoma though, I've only known one grey with it, I don't think it was old though.

 

[Dougie]

was waiting on someone to mention internal melanomas, they can cause much more trouble. they can 'swing' about and ocasionaly wrap round pieces of gut, causing colic, often needing surgery

 

[Grey_Arab]

I have a 16 year old grey, and he does have a melanoma, but it doesn't cause him any problems, you just have to watch them and make sure they don't get any bigger. Age also not an issue for me, my boy still acts like he's 10 years younger than he is, but has the experience to get himself out of trouble !

 

[teapot]

One of the oldest ponies at the yard (late 20s) is grey and does his job very well

 

[the watcher]

I bought a 17 year old grey many years ago, never had any problems with melamona..she had almost entirely black skin..don't know if that is relevant

 

[Fairynuff]

Hi Dougie, where you been and hows it going? M.

 

[RLF]

I own two greys (previously 3), my daughters pony died at the grand old age of 33 with no medical problems throughout his life, my other two greys (one is 21 in march) who i bought as a 13 year old and other than loosing an eye to uv-ightus has had no other medical problems he is still very fit and competing. He burns easily in the sun on his pink nose but nothing sunblock doesnt prevent.
I would definately not be put off buying a horse because of its colour or age.
But agree with brighteyes on the cleaning basis, gosh its hard work for dressage comps!!!!!!

 

[Tierra]

Nice to see people both coming out in defense of the greys AND of the slightly older horses.

Theres a LOT to be said for buying something a bit older. It seems these days that anything over 12 is considered old and anything over 15 geriatric. Ive been through my "youngster stage" and have had more fun with my older boy than with any of the babies.

If you speak with your vet or have a look round the net, you will find that the % of melanomas that ever turn nasty is rather low. If you like this horse and he's good for you in every other respect, please try not to let this put you off!

 

[Tia]

I really don't know whether I would buy another grey horse; it would totally depend on the horse in question and how I felt about it. The age wouldn't put me off particularly but being grey would certainly make me a lot more cautious.

Greys almost always develop melanomas; whether external or internal; being grey pre-determines them to this.

My daughter's pony has them around one of her ears and I am always keeping an eye on them. No-one else seems to be able to notice them unless I point them out to them

, but I know they are there and I just hope that they don't cut short her life.

 

[claire1976]

Does it matter whether they are pink skinned grey or black skinned grey as to whether they are likely to get melanomas??
I knew it was a risk when I bought my dapple grey TB mare 6 years ago. She's now 14 and so far no signs of sarcoids.

 

[Happy Horse]

I answered no because I have lost one horse at 18 to internal Melanomas but he had them from a very early age. I do think as they get older the chances of them having internal ones increases so unless the horse was 100% perfect in every other way I don't think I'd risk it again.

 

[MagicMelon]

I have had a 3 greys and never found them a big problem. 2 I have now are still young though. 1 doesnt have any signs of sarcoids and my other boy has 1 very small one on his side which did flare up in the summer when I think flies annoyed it. But I just cleaned it and put on Cut Heal and it soon healed up and has gone back down (you wouldnt notice it). A 3rd grey I had always had either melanomas or sarcoids under his tail (who has black skin, the other two have black and pink being dappled) never had problems in the 12 years I owned him, although he is now 18 and I have heard he now has one in his sheath which means he has a permanently swollen sheath. But it isnt a big problem I dont think.

Its just one of those things you have to accept with a grey - not all greys have melanomas or sarcoids but they can, however Ive found if they're going to have them then they have them from a young age already. If the horse has none to be seen then I wouldnt worry. I certainly wouldnt turn a horse down just because it was grey (but would due to the age, purely as I dont buy older horses!).

 

[johnsongreyhorse]

Hi, I bought my first horse aged 12 with a melanoma under his tail, he is now 28 and it has never bothered him.
oh and I have since bought 2 more greys

 

[serena2005]

colour or age would never bother me when buying a horse, i much prefere the older ones with more experience

 

[Sooty]

A grey pony at our old riding school had melanomas for years, didn't affect it in any way at all. He had them all under his tail, they did eventually spread but he lived into his late 20s. I am not sure if I would buy an aged grey pony though, just the same. If I was very fond of it I would, but if I was looking in general I'd go for something easier to keep clean!

 

[Tempi]

my new horse is dark grey, but he has dark and not white skin. the thought didnt even cross my mind when buying him. I also know of a friend who has a 22year old grey mare and its never had an problems with melanomas..