Buying an ex racehorse to event with a wind surgery

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jessyc

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Hi all,

I am looking for some advice regarding an ex racehorse I am looking to purchase to re-school for eventing. I have been out of the sport for a while and am looking to get back into eventing meaning that I am not going to be aiming for high level, but would definitely be hoping this new horse to go at least BE100 if the re-schooling goes to plan.

I tried him and all went really well and the owner was happy for me to get him fully vetted. After doing some research I have found out he has had a wind operation through looking at old race cards where he was running. I am looking for some advice around whether in anyone's experience that the horse will automatically fail a five stage vetting or be advised not to event due to this condition so it is worth me carrying on with getting him vetted at all.

Secondly, does anyone have experience with this in the past? Would this have any major impact with him performing as I have never had a horse who has had a tie back operation.

Finally - as I am looking to bring him on, there would be a plan in the future to sell him on. Would this massively affect his value if he is performing as an event horse?

Many thanks for your help
 
I have an ex racer who's had a wind op. Admittedly he wasnt vetted but vet has seen him since. He was passed ok to go back into racing after it but they felt it wasnt his in his (or their!) best interest for him to continue (he'd previously done a leg too) after he was last in yet another race!

In theory his wind would be fine to do BE100. Hes been xc schooling and been fine.

A previous ex racer I had was vetted and a slight wind issue was picked up. The vet said that as long as I wasnt looking to do (old) 4* it shouldn't cause any issue at lower levels.

Your vet would be best placed to answer, might be worth giving them a call prior to vetting.

Ex racers are ten a penny and you have to turn out a good one to make your money back, never mind a profit. I think he would have to achieve decent BE results to make your entries back in profit never mind the cost to get him to thats point.

Personally I think any sort of "issue" will have a detrimental effect on sale price. The performance level in whatever field, even as a safe hack, will have to be spot on to negate anything else in the horse's history.

If you are looking for something to have fun with but ultimately sell fair enough but if this is purely a profit making thing then you'd be better getting a youngster and producing it, then there shouldn't be the "baggage" that you always seem to get with ex racers (& I'm a huge ex racer fan)
 
This is an interesting one and it’s not a cut and dried answer.

5 stage vettings are not a straight pass or fail they are designed to indicate if a horse is or isn’t suitable for the intended purpose. In your case the vet would probably need to have a recent overground scope to check that the tie back is good and the horses airways are functioning suitably well. In those circumstances they should ‘pass‘ the horse but they will need to note the wind op on the vetting certificate. This will be an automatic exclusion on any respiratory related conditions and will include any future failure of the operation site, choke, aspiration related complications etc.

Could the horse go Eventing - too bloody right it could. Wind ops are super common in racehorses and pretty common in even horses. Plenty from BE100 up to 5* with tie backs, it just doesn’t get shouted from the rooftops ?

Practical things to consider if you were to purchase - some horses are managed completely normally and are fine, some need a little more care with bedding/feeding and are prone to aspiration/infection. So that’s something to ask the trainer.

Re-sale value. The more the horse proves itself, the less the impact on resale. But there will always be some impact, and the more cautious buyer will run a mile. But having an ex racer will already limit your market. A wind op on top will limit it further and unless he turns out super duper he’s not an ideal candidate for a resale project. If you were looking for a keeper I’d say keep an open mind. For resale, given ex racers are ten a penny, I’d honestly go for something completely clean
 
Having just gone through a load of hassle with an eventer that had a wind op years ago, I'd be very wary taking one on again. Even at his best I really had to mind my horse and avoided certain hilly courses or bad ground as IO could feel him struggle. he was absolutely fine for 90s and metre courses tho. but ion you wanted to go higher you would notice it on some horses.

Also the vets said to me the muscles around the windpipe and vocal chords go saggy with time, so it gets worse (that's what happened my lad). I also always had to feed him dust free hay from ground, sloppy feed and be spotless with shavings etc as he would get lung infections more easily. eventually it turns out he now gets some particles of food into his lungs, so he has a serious issue with it now. I wouldn't touch a horse that had had a window now unless it was an absolute superstar and extremely cheap. there are so many complications down the line. I got about 5 good years out of my lad before the wind op side effects kicked in to a bad extent.

I also agree with the others that he will be more difficult to sell on, being an exracer will be bad enough, but I wouldn't pay much for a high level exracer with a tie back op.
 
And just to balance the stories,

I have in mind an ex racer with a tie back, took a semi-pro to their first 5*, the legs were the limiting factor on that horse not the wind. Horse was leased to a young rider for experience at OI and now in late teens is schoolmaster for an amateur.

For every horror story there will be a success, and plenty that sit somewhere in the middle.
 
I've got one

When I was looking it was hard to find one that hadn't had a wind op to be honest

It's a relatively simple procedure these days, done under local and keyhole

It wouldn't put me off
 
There are different types of wind ops. I would try to find out what he has had done and then discuss with your vet. Also look at his race record to see how well he ran post surgery against prior.
 
A wind op wouldn't put me off in the slightest. If anything it is in your favour as the issue has already been sorted. It is rare for wind ops to go wrong early doors and many go on to live full, normal lives with no extra care or attention.

My big chestnut lad had a hobday at 5yo. Never had a days bother with it when I put him down due to something else at 23yo. I knew him for 16 years so I knew he defos didn't have any issues.

If the horse is right for you then for piece of mind I would scope - no need for an overground unless something flags up at a standing one. But it shouldn't. Wind ops are very common place nowadays.

I also wouldnt worry if his racing performance didn't improve from having it done. Some horses just arent cut out to be racehorsed full stop!
 
Thanks all for your replies.

This is the first time ever I have written in a forum and I have found your responses so far really helpful.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience :)
 
To buy and keep, yes I would (and I did, my 7yo had hobday, no issues with breathing, but we haven’t got as far as Eventing yet) but if buying to bring on and sell, I wouldn’t.
 
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My TB J had a wind op many TB’s do on some yards its almost routine .
It never affected him at all I did have him five stage vetted and I had him scoped when arrived home he hunted and his wind never affected his performance.
He has a ridiculous whinny though .
If he sound right when ridden I would not worry .
there are some things which are best for horses who have had ops in terms on wind management but it’s nothing complicated .
 
I've only known one who eventually ended up with pneumonia (and a long stay) which the vets thought had been triggered by repeated small aspirations over the years. He did come back from that to complete before an unrelated problem forced retirement and PTS.

It wouldn't put me off totally if I were a TB person (I'm not ;) ) but I would try to manage to limit aspirations if possible.
 
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