Buying a horse with a sarcoid?

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Perfectpony07

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Hi,
As title really. I don’t have much experience with sarcoids at all, I’ve tried to google and getting mixed results. Horse in question has one on his sheath area.
So ultimately would you, what are the pros and cons?
I’m looking hopefully for a horse for life but obviously no one can guarantee that we will click for that to be the case. Thanks
 
There's no 'pros' as such but mine has sarcoids and honestly I've found them to be no bother at all. She's had both removed because one started to flare up and out of precaution we got them both removed but out of the 11 years we've had her we've only had one issue.

The two cons I can think of is it can be costly to get them removed and some horses are more prone to getting recurrent painful ones (but on other hand horse may never need it to be removed). The other con is that insurance companies sometimes won't pay out for sarcoid treatment if the horse was bought with them or with a known history of them.
 
There are no pros unfortunately.
I would expect the price to reflect the sarcoid, and as above it’s likely that you wouldn’t be able to make any insurance claims relating to sarcoids if you’ve purchased knowing they have one.
It wouldn’t put me off per se (This is me speaking from experience with small non aggressive sarcoids only. I know some can be really nasty) but id be taking a really good look at it to assess what I’ll be dealing with in the future. Is it or has it ever been inflamed/bleeding/angry looking? Does it or has it caused any issues? I’d also want to know whether the horse has had any previously that have been removed.
Some horses will pop one or two and then never cause an issue. Others will cause issues that require vet intervention so it can be a gamble.
 
If it's an older horse and it's a small sarcoid that hasn't changed then I would be prepared to take the risk but I would expect it to be reflected in the price. If there were any near where the tack sits or could be rubbed then I wouldn't touch it.
 
My friend had a new horse with them. One of the horses in the same field then got them. It's possible they were spread by flies although some say they can't spread them and some say they can.
 
I would say no.

Not unless the horse is already doing the job you want, the sarcoid has been stable for years, and you have fallen in love with the horse.

Kaylum said:
My friend had a new horse with them. One of the horses in the same field then got them. It's possible they were spread by flies although some say they can't spread them and some say they can.
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My vet says yes, they can be spread. I was part of a commercial yard with a stable population of horses. One horse was fabulous and passed the vet with flying colours apart from a sarcoid. It was small and potentially removable, but the vet said that, if we already had a horse on the yard with sarcoids, he would recommend buying. But, as we had currently a sarcoid free yard and a stable yard population, he would advise against purchase as he believed it would make the others more likely to be infected by flies.
 
You’ll get a range of replies from ‘Nah, sarcoids are no bother’ to ‘Run screaming to the hills’ depending on people’s prior experiences with sarcoids.

Having had a horse with recurrent sarcoids, including having her assessed by Prof K, I’m firmly in the second camp.
 
I sold a young horse (6) that I had backed who had two sarcoids. Vet did not discover them at the vetting when I bought him - I wouldn't have bought him if I had known about the sarcoids. He was a perfect little allrounder in all other ways. I had had one lasered off but it grew back. I left the other alone. I didn't advertise - a buyer approached me through word of mouth. I was honest about the sarcoids. The family that bought him keep in touch and are really happy with him - two years later, the sarcoids have not grown or been any bother. I think it's a lottery - they might be trouble, they might not be. I wouldn't buy one with a sarcoid because I would be worried they would pass to another horse through flies but I don't think it has been proved that this can happen. It might just be hearsay but it's enough to put me off.
 
My friend has a grey horse that has developed a lot inside his front legs. Every time I see him they look so sore. It would probably be a no from me but if the horse isn't grey and it's everything else I wanted I may consider it with vets advice.
 
It is a real gamble as to whether they’re any trouble or not. Some disappear with immune support, such as good gut supplements. I bought one with a very small sarcoid that did disappear, though my insurance excluded the whole of his skin, so worth bearing in mind if you plan to insure.
 
It’s a gamble. Was it a one off compromised immunity event allowing the sarcoid, or is immunity poor generally and there will be more and more. Most equines carry the virus, most are immune. We are opposite a cattle shed so I assume all mine are exposed anyway.

I have bought one with - she was young and with potentially compromised immunity that we could fix (just weaned a foal, so lean and stressed) and hers disappeared with time. I paid next to nothing for her though, and figured we would see what happened.
 
Flowerofthefen said:
My friend has a grey horse that has developed a lot inside his front legs. Every time I see him they look so sore. It would probably be a no from me but if the horse isn't grey and it's everything else I wanted I may consider it with vets advice.
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Sarcoid aren't connected with being grey like melanoma are.
 
Depends. Is it flat, is it nodular, is it in a place where if it grew, it would interfere with his sheath/dropping to pee? Has he had it long? How old is he? Has it been fiddled with with/treated in any way?
 
Lots of factors to consider.
I did it a few years ago, very well aware I was gambling, but pretty much everything about the horse was a gamble.
He was 6, came straight out of racing, looked rough in general, the viewing consisted of about 4 strides of a trot up on a tiny yard, and he had 2 fairly large verrucous sarcoids one on the upper inside of his hind leg nearer the tail and the other on the inside of the other hind opposite his sheath. Also another one about the size of a £2 coin near his eye.
But there was something about him I liked and I paid peanuts.

Sarcoid on his eye is now gone, both others are significantly improved.
I got lucky, he's turned into a fabulous little horse all round.

Balance the risks, and if you're not happy to accept them, best to walk away.
 
I’ve seen and owned plenty of horses with sarcoids over the years.

For the most part they aren’t an issue. They either stay pretty benign/dormant or it’s not uncommon for them to clear up themselves.
I’d hazard a guess these account for about 95% in my experience.

The other 5% are pretty horrid. For both horse and human to deal with. Can become expensive (and painful) to treat, disrupt riding and in the worst cases require pts.

So it is a gamble. Personally it’s one I’d take BUT I’d want assurance/evidence horse hadn’t been through prior treatment and this was a recurring one, plus it would either need to be a flat or non ulcerating one. I also wouldn’t jump in and treat if it was dormant.
 
ihatework said:
I also wouldn’t jump in and treat if it was dormant.
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Really this if you do go through with it.

Mine had one that was dormant for years and years. She then developed an angry one on her face (rubbed by tack) that was removed and the dormant one got removed too. We were warned that interfering with it came with the risk of it growing back 'angrier'. If it's dormant and never caused issues.. leave it alone.
 
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