Buying a new horse but it kicks!

I'd be wary my prev horse became very difficult to do anything with his hind feet with in the last few years of his life due to advancing hock arthritis. He was absolutely lovely in all ways but he just couldn't cope with having his back feet lifted further than a few cm from the floor (we eventually came up with a way of picking them out with the toe resting on the ground) and would behave like he was going to fall over if you tried.

Current horse is more or less unshoeable (but that's a different story) but he can occasionally get a bit kicky / snatchy with his back feet. I suspect his is mainly due to occasional lapses in manners as it's normally when he's being impatient!
 
My retired mare gives a little kick with both back legs when she first picks them up, and I know she has arthritis in her SI joint and am 99% certain she has it in her hocks too. Note she is not trying to kick me, it's like she has to stretch them slightly or something before she can hold them up, or something, and she can't hold them too high anymore, she really struggled to get them on the farrier's stand thing. She is getting on a bit now and I've had her for a long time, so this behaviour is not typical of her and I know it is to do with her arthritis.
So I'd be cautious if I were you, OP.
 
My mare kicked with her back feet when I bought her at 10years old. She's 21 now and still sound hers was a learnt habit from when she had mites (which she had when I bought her). She completed multiple long format 3 day events and went to many championships (and therefore many vettings!) so it's not necessarily a bad thing.
 
HashRouge said:
My retired mare gives a little kick with both back legs when she first picks them up, and I know she has arthritis in her SI joint and am 99% certain she has it in her hocks too. Note she is not trying to kick me, it's like she has to stretch them slightly or something before she can hold them up, or something, and she can't hold them too high anymore, she really struggled to get them on the farrier's stand thing. She is getting on a bit now and I've had her for a long time, so this behaviour is not typical of her and I know it is to do with her arthritis.
So I'd be cautious if I were you, OP.
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Same as one of mine, she has both Hock and Sacroilliac Arthritis and never kicks out just does as you describe, she no longer wears shoes so just needs a trim, however I do give her some bute before the farrier trims her.

OP If I were you I'd carry on looking, there are so many good ones out there at the moment and it costs the same (probably more) to keep a bad 'un as it does a good 'un. plus if you are on a yard and someone else has to handle the horse it can make things very difficult.
 
Last 'older' horse that I had dealings with that kicked and they hadn't been able to remedy it had an old fracture to the pelvis. There are plenty of horses out there without issues, why start with one with an issue?
 
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