Can you sell a horse for £ that is los of use?

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miss_horsemad

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My friends horse has unfortunately got wobblers syndrome and just gone through insurance claims and been branded as loss of use. They wont her to go to a nice home where she can be turnt out and be hacked a couple of times a week etc. There advertising her for £500 and she is a really nice mare. But one of there other friends have told them that if they are loss of use you cannot sell them for money.. i hadnt heard of this before.. does anyone know who is right??

..even this week ive seen a loss of use horse advertised in horse and hound for £1000.
 
Tbh. It's unlikely that anyone will touch the horse with a bargepole.

Harsh as it may seem, if they aren't in a position to keep her themselves, the kindest thing they can do is have the mare put down.

You really do hear of some horror stories of horses being sent out as companions or light hacks due to injury (or otherwise) problems.
 
As I understand it 'loss of use' is simply a term from the insurance business and there is no reason why the horse cannot be sold. Whether it is right to do so is a different question, she should be sure that it is L branded to prevent the horse being sold on and sold as sound in the future and it might be safer to simply loan the horse out.
 
I think there is nothing to stop loss of use horses being sold providing the buyer is given full details of any problems. What your friend must do is check with her insurance - any money recieved from a sale is likely to be paid back to the insurance company. She will need to check the terms of her payout.
 
its one thing to sell a horse thats loss of use for a particular discipline, ie jumping, on to do something else, perhaps dressage, but not selling a horse with a condition such as wobblers syndrome , i agree with amymay that if they cant keep her they might consider having her PTS
 
I agree with what has been said. A horse that has been paid out for loss of use as a jumper but is still capable of lighter work is a whole different ball game to something with Wobblers. Personally I'd rather know that the horse was PTS than sell it on and not know what happens to it.
 
Thanks. She has been branded already with the L and has had lots of interest from potential buyers, and they tell them everything and give them the vets details etc, there as honest as they can be. She did go out on loan but the people who took her, knew all her problems but didnt realise they couldnt insure her, so sent her back. Her wobblers is very mild, it took them over a year to diagnose it. And the vet has said that she would be fine for hacking about 4 times a week. She just cant really do schooling or jumping. Ive ridden the horse numerous times and she is so comfortable and feels fine. Just if you start doing faster work or jumping she sometimes forgets where her feet are!!

I know what your all saying about having her PTS and understand your reasons etc. I would never wish for any horse to suffer. But she is very happy and doesnt need any medication or anything. Her owners are very careful and check out any new homes and would keep in contact with them. They would take her back if any of them had problems etc. They dont want to get rid of her but just dont have the turnout facilities.

I'll tell them to ask there insurance company then... thanks. But if anyone else has any more comments, please leave them...
 
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I agree with what has been said. A horse that has been paid out for loss of use as a jumper but is still capable of lighter work is a whole different ball game to something with Wobblers. Personally I'd rather know that the horse was PTS than sell it on and not know what happens to it.

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Yes, sorry this was the point that I was making. Thanks for clarifying.
 
We sold a horse for someone that had LOU for being a headshaker. He was a lovely chap and wonderful for dressage, his condition was manageable and the phone rang off the hook. He was in H&H for 2k
 
Yes, you can sell any horse that is LOU, as LOU is an insurance term meaning that the horse is no longer fit for it's original purpose (ie a SJer), but it doesn't preclude it from doing another job.

As someone who does mainly hacking and fun rides, I would certainly consider a LOU horse, however, I personally wouldn't want a wobbler.

I hope your friends find the horse a suitable home.
 
TBH Im very surprised that any vet would recommend a Wobbler could be ridden. I have also never come across a 'mild case' of Wobblers. It is what it is, if that makes sense. It is my understanding that it would be dangerous to ride any Wobblers diagnosed horse because they have neurological issues due to a spinal legion.

Was the horse diagnosed at an equine hospital, or was it a local vet, and what tests/x-rays were done?
 
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I always thought wobblers were recomended to be PTS I certainly wouldn't ride any horse that had it

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Exactly what I thought...
 
If she can sell a horse with wobblers then i will be amazed!!!!

I agree with the others that if she cant keep the horse then maybe the kindest thing for her to do would be to PTS.
 
There are different grades of wobbler and some cases do not necessarily progress.

I rode a wobbler who has just retired at 26. He evented at BE novice and did dressage to Medium level. His propriception never deterioated and it's only now that his arthritis is so bad that he is no longer ridden.

He is a rare example but they are out there.
 
But because wobblers has only become apparent over the last few years or so no-one can tell how quickly these things can progress!! Some horses may be fine whereas other may go downhill very quickly!!

My old horse was thought to have wobblers (luckily he was cleared of it) and the vet said that he could be fine one day and the next he could be down on the floor and cant get back up. No-one knows the long term prognosis of a wobblers horse not matter what grade they are!!

And even if this was the case and she was fine for years, could you honestly sell a horse knowing that could possibly happen or it could end up hurting someone??
 
From what I understand if the insurance company has paid out on a hotrse for loss of use & it has been freezemarked accordingly there is no problem with selling the horse but it is highly unlikely you will ever get insurance to cover the animal.
 
I sold one of my horses for £1000 - just a token payment after he was branded loss of use. He was an intermediate eventer but also a headshaker with terrible feet who was mainly lame! He was a lovely lovely horse though who knew his job and he ended up being sold (immediately) to a hunting home (with nice soft going for his poorly feet) and was happy there for a long time.
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There are different grades of wobbler and some cases do not necessarily progress.


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My thoughts also. I think it is unfair to say a horse should be PTS without knowing the full degree of its illness. I'm sure there are people out there who want a companion/light hack who won't sell it on as a competition horse, or mistreat it, although I would vet them carefully. So long as they are aware of the condition and the way to manage the horses needs I don't see a problem in following the vets advice. If unsure you can always get a second veterinary opinion to confirm it is safe to do so.
 
my opinion is that if you dont lie about anything and make sure that you dont get a 'numpty' or a dealer buying it than it should be fine to sell even if they have it as a companion to live out its years or light hacking with a sensible home that will know the horse has limitations and not push them. Another point i would like to make is, i am always shocked when the first idea for the animal is to put it to sleep (please dont jump at me i do respect everyones opinions and each to there own
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) but if the horse is happy,healthy and sane than why should its life be cut short, if i am wrong feel free to tell me put its not on any medication? and there are many horses ridden that are on medication and buted up. I think without seeing the horse 1st hand it would be hard to make a judgement
 
i agree its hard to make a judgement on a unknown horse, thing is you cant control what happens to a horse once its sold, and with the best will in the world it could be sold on several times without its vet history being passed on as not every seller is absolutely scrupulous and will have the horses best interests at heart, and unfortunately things like wobblers could endanger future riders safety.
 
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