Buying a horse who's had a colic op?

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natalia

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Not mine but my friends.
Just need a bit of advice on what to do next really. Friend has a nice event horse she has had for a year or so. She bought him and within 2 weeks of having him he needed a colic op. She gave him the best of aftercare and vets and he has returned to full work. Now she needs to sell him as tbh they haven't quite clicked, so has placed him with a pro rider and advertise him. After 31 phone calls she has not been had some one to see him, as everyone on the phone she has told that he has had a colic op. So now she's stuck with a horse that she's getting nothing out of, is costing he r a small fortune in livery and is unsellable. Any opinions on what she could do? I have suggested offering him for loan with view to buy, but i think she just wants rid. Has anyone knowingly bought a hors thats had a colic op? Any idea on value and how it changes it? He's a very nice stamp, done pre novice and would easily move up through the grades and has had no further symptoms or bouts of colic since.
 
Problem is that unless he's an absolute steal there are so many horses for sale out there who haven't had colic surgery and are being sold at reasonable prices. Me personally I would never buy a horse who had this kind of surgery but that is slightly prejudiced by a friend buying one who had been through this. She went on to lose him through colic at a later date.
 
ISHmad said:
a friend buying one who had been through this. She went on to lose him through colic at a later date.
Click to expand...

Same here. I wouldnt touch one that had colic surgery to buy, I would consider loaning one, depending on how often it coliced before the surgery and how it copes with changes in diet etc now (spring grass, frosty grass etc). Thing is unless its bargain bucket (and then most people think there is more than just the colic to worry about!) most will be put off due to there being plenty of horses up for sale at the moment at good prices. Would she consider a perminant loan instead of selling?
 
Am afraid not I have lost two horses through colic, one had the op and appeared to after a tough few months be doing great then suddenly came down with bad colic again :(. There is also the insurance issue, a new owner will need a new policy and colic and stomach problems will be excluded :( Even for a loan unless the person that has him now continues with the current insurance a loanee wont be able to get cover for colic:(
 
TBH, I wouldn't be too put off depending on what type of surgery it had and whether it had any intestinal resection. There is a huge difference between surgery for say a tapeworm impaction and surgery for strangulating lesions where large amounts of intestine have been taken out. I think if I liked the horse, and it had surgery a fair while ago, then I would consider it, but I would be wary if the horse had had more than about 10ft resected.

Do you know what type of surgery your friend's horse had? If there was no resection, and the horse hasn't colicked since (which could indicate adhesions from the surgery) then I think I would at least go see the horse and maybe ask to talk to the vet who did the surgery to ask their opinion on the horse's long term future. I think people have an automatic reaction that colic surgery is the worst thing in the world but plenty of horses recover completely and continue competing. Your friend could maybe get the vet to write a little statement on the horse, just so that she can explain to people all the facts.
 
I wouldn't touch a horse that had had a colic operation I'm afraid.

Perhaps re-wording the advert will cut down on the number of dissappointed enquirers???
 
I think the horse has a minimal (giveaway) value, as your friend has discovered no-one will take him, if she can find a loan home for him or gift him to someone she trusts I think it'd be best.

She should of stated in the advert that he'd had the op though, by not doing so she's wasted 31 peoples time..
 
I couldn't do it I'm afraid. My mare had colic surgery in the January was recovering well and seems to have really turned a corner in the spring. We went up on day in April to find she had died in the field. She had a pm and it was complications. This is probably unfair as u wouldn't have thought it happens that often but I couldn't do it myself. Also like someone said you wouldn't be able to insure that horse for colic. My bill was 7k so I wouldn't risk it from that angle too. What a shame. I think loaning may be her best option. Not probably what she wants to hear. It really is a shame.
 
hmmm thats a tuffy! My friend was selling a horse that had something wrong with its wind pipe, novice eventer and it could litterally drop dead any second, she got it sold but at a very low price! Another friends horse had a colic op before christmas and hes back to jumping 1.20 tracks with no problems. So tbh i probably would but at a low price
 
Hi,
As far as I'm aware no gut was actually removed. Vet would confirm this, think a statement from the vet is a great idea, even if its put on the advert as they know more and will be happy to explain. HOrse has moved home and had a change of diet three times since the op. and had no reoccurance, so don't think this would be an issue. I have already suggested she tries to loan him out, he is a talented chap so its a real shame for him not to be used.
 
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