buying a danish warmblood ?

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natashamills

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Hi I'm hoping someone out there can help. Me and my sister are looking to buy a horse and we saw a lovely danish warmblood 16.1hh on saturday and we really liked him hes about 7 and fully papered for a very good price. The only worry we are having is that 2 sales have already fallen through on him and the owner say it is to do with finance both time which we dont know weather to trust. Also our riding instructor went to see him tonight and she feels because he has a short back ( i personally didnt think he had) he will get back problems in the future and she also through his hocks looked puffy. I again cant say i noticed it on the saturday when we rode him and he rode really well. Can anyone give me advise on the short back problem and if they are true and also if we get him vetted how much does it cost and will it be worth it ?, as we have bought a number of horses in the past without vet and they have been fine. thank you to all that reply.
 
I'm not sure if you're asking for specifically buying a Danish Warmblood, obviously you can't tarr all with the same brush, but I have one who has been everything I could have wanted.

He is also quite short backed, I've never had any problems with saddles or bad backs. Obviously I can't comment directly on the horse you have seen, but it's something you could express as interest to the vet before the vetting.

And yes personally I would always go for a vetting, it may seem like an expense initially, but could save a lot of money long term. It may also produce a reason to haggle if something minor is found that does not stop you from buying the horse.

If you think this is the horse for you, I say go for it, but listen carefully to anything your instructor/vet says :)

ETA I have only just seen the bit about puffy hocks, it depends the extent of what this is. It may just be the way his legs are, but again, express this as an area of concern to the vet so they can pay particular attention if you decide to go through with the vetting :)
 
My horse has a shortish back, it causes him no problems at all but it causes me problems as he can only take a small saddle and Ive had to have saddles made to measure to accomodate us both.
I would ask yourself, why is he so cheap and why have 2 sales fell through if he is cheap. Definately get him vetted, maybe hes been vetted for the other buyers and failed?? Not sure of the cost now as its 8 yrs since I had one.
 
Yes you really do need a vetting especially as your instructor is wary of a couple of things

However I always thought it was long backs that were weak, not short ones. My WB is a little short in the back and its great he is easier to collect and get to work correctly, has a great jump on him. As long as there is plenty of room for a saddle should be fine

Do get a vet to check its around £150 to £250 depending on what betting you have either 2 stage or 5 stage. However if vet starts and it fails before the stages of 2 stage have been completed you still only pay 2 stage price

run a google search it will help you
 
You really ought to get the horse vetted if you decide to purchase. I have had 3 failed vettings so far, and I'm still trying to buy a horse.

A 5 stage vetting costs about £260 and if there is any cause for concern, you could also decide to xray before buying. A standard feet and major joints set costs about £255.

good luck!
 
With regards to is a vetting worth it?
Well, you wont be able to claim veterinary insurance without supplying a certificate from your vet. If your horse changes character or becomes unsound over the next few weeks or months you will have no way of proving if the horse was medicated prior to your purchase. How will you know if the horse has a heart murmur? Unless you can do your own flexion tests and have a sharp eye you may find it hard to spot the tell tale signs of arthritic changes, etc. The vet will check the horse's back, and the way it moves and will advise you on any conformation faults and tell you how they may affect his or her long term soundness.
If you buy a horse who can't pass a 2 stage minimum vetting, you will probably have trouble selling it in the future.

All the horses that failed their vettings recently for me, apeared to be sound and healthy in my own trials, but upon veterinary examination were not fit for purpose.

I think it is definitely worth having a horse vetted, even if the horse is relatively cheap to buy in the first instance. The findings might not be too bad to reject the horse, but at least you'll be aware of them, and any weaknesses your horse might have.
 
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Hello,
If he has papers, then I would suggest spending a few minutes investigating his
pedigree. Danish warmblood is a type, so the pedigree is sometimes more varied
than with other WBs. The Danish warmblood web-site is a start and google,
and there are plenty of knowledgeable folks in Breeding that can also help.
You mention hocks -- some of the modern sires are straighter through the
hock than I would prefer.

I had a Danish Warmblood with a shorter back and he was incredibly
agile -- collection was easy for him and he was able to get out of
any trouble when we were jumping -- trouble usually caused
by my inexperienced riding!

Saddle fit can be an issue -- mine needed to have a tree that
allowed for big shoulder movement, small, flat back and
my rather middle-aged, err, shape.

Good luck - dene
 
I have a Danish Warmblood. What are the bloodlines of the one you have found?
Mine is short in the back which is actually a positive not a negative. Someone has already pointed out that long backs are the weak ones.
You need to have a 5 stage vetting on any potential horse and in my opinion it is foolish not to. It should point out any pitfalls of a particular purchase. There are a few Danish horses where I am stabled and without exception they are all lovely.
 
We import Dutch Warmbloods and they all come over fully vetted and xrayed, if you like the horse just get a vetting to be sure nothing is wrong.
 
Get a 5 stage vetting and insure him for 12 months for loss of use.
We bought a 5yr old from a very good dealer (friends) and although he passed a full 5 stage vetting with Xrays, he started to get low grade lameness within 4 months.
Needless to say, following MRI scans, it was confirmed he had an old soft tissue injury in the hoof that was never going to get better.
Whilst alot of the horses that's come from the continent are ok, there are many more who come over for a reason. Joints can be injected to make a horse sound for 4 to 6 months (we suspect this happened with the 5yr), and the dealer was in the dark too.
This is why I always suggest the insurance element too - just incase.

We've got 2 Danish Warmbloods - both are Holsteins (just by chance).
The 16 yr old (who we've owned for 12 years) is short coupled and super - no back issues at all. His problem is he's got no withers and takes an extra Wide so has been problematic to find a suitable saddle in the past and had to go down the made to measure route. Great temperament and very trainable.
The 9yr old (who came after the 5 yr old) has an edge and is very very sensitive but very talented (Dressage).
He's not as short coupled, he was fully vetted by a lameness specialist who diagnosed the 5yr old and was taken to the practice (he spent 3-4 hours going over him with a fine toothed combe.
Touch wood, neither has had soundness issues to date.
 
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