billy2
Well-Known Member
I thought a freezemark L in a circle meant loss of use. Is that right? If so how could someone put a horse thus marked through a sales ring, warranted sound in wind, eyes and action? Am I missing something here?
Confused and worried
- Thread starter billy2
- Start date
Snowysadude
Well-Known Member
I thought that too although an L in brackets can also be a spanish breed brand. But no L in a circle is normally farmkeys way of marking LOU!
Dizzyblonde99
Well-Known Member
Sounds a bit worrieing :S Although maybe it's a jumper than can't jump anymore and is being sold for dressage? unlikely though
jeeve
Well-Known Member
We do not have the good insurance schemes in Australia that you do, and I'd never heard of loss of use - these are the posts I have found about loss of use, and it makes sense - because and insurer is not going to want to pay out on a horse more than once. I guess they would be pretty sizaeable claims.
Refer below.
It means an insurance company has paid out for "loss of use" for that horse. I dont think its a warning for future buyers as such but for insurance companies so they dont pay out repeated loss of use claims. You could have a competition horse insured for a good amount that is no longer able to compete due to injury. It still may be rideable but will have restricions on insurance claims in the future. Its not unheard of for a LOU horse to go on and have a usefull life.
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Its normally high-value horses that can no longer do the job they were purchased for due to injury/illness. Most are suitable for hacking and low level competion but much harder to insure for sickness/injury due to lots of exclusions.
We had one at the yard that had been purchased for £60,000 from William Fox-Pitt by a previous owner. He then came down with venicular so his competing days were over so he was marked LOU but he was ok for hacking
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My old loan horse I had when I was 18 was one of these with a freemark on his back with an 'L' in a circle. He was a loss of use horse for his near fore - not 100% sure of what happened but I was told by his owner he was a novice event horse but had an accident in the field and could no longer compete at that level. He was an insurance claim for loss of use and was freezemarked. She competed in Pony Club on him and I later did local riding club and hacked him out. We could not jump him over 2'9, nor on hard or very soft ground. To be honest I never really jumped him and mainly did showing and hacking.
Loss of use doesn't automatically mean they can not be ridden ever again; it means that they cannot be used for what they were insured for - ie Jet, my loan horse was a Novice Eventer and could no longer compete at that level due to his injury, thus a claim was made on him.
Hope that this makes sense x
Refer below.
It means an insurance company has paid out for "loss of use" for that horse. I dont think its a warning for future buyers as such but for insurance companies so they dont pay out repeated loss of use claims. You could have a competition horse insured for a good amount that is no longer able to compete due to injury. It still may be rideable but will have restricions on insurance claims in the future. Its not unheard of for a LOU horse to go on and have a usefull life.
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Its normally high-value horses that can no longer do the job they were purchased for due to injury/illness. Most are suitable for hacking and low level competion but much harder to insure for sickness/injury due to lots of exclusions.
We had one at the yard that had been purchased for £60,000 from William Fox-Pitt by a previous owner. He then came down with venicular so his competing days were over so he was marked LOU but he was ok for hacking
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My old loan horse I had when I was 18 was one of these with a freemark on his back with an 'L' in a circle. He was a loss of use horse for his near fore - not 100% sure of what happened but I was told by his owner he was a novice event horse but had an accident in the field and could no longer compete at that level. He was an insurance claim for loss of use and was freezemarked. She competed in Pony Club on him and I later did local riding club and hacked him out. We could not jump him over 2'9, nor on hard or very soft ground. To be honest I never really jumped him and mainly did showing and hacking.
Loss of use doesn't automatically mean they can not be ridden ever again; it means that they cannot be used for what they were insured for - ie Jet, my loan horse was a Novice Eventer and could no longer compete at that level due to his injury, thus a claim was made on him.
Hope that this makes sense x
Weezy
Well-Known Member
There are plenty of LOU horses who still have a lifetime in front of them. For example, I know 2 LOU horses, one is LOU because he could no longer event at Novice and higher due to a soundness issue (although he is perfectly fine now, and can happily jump all day long on a surface) and the other was LOU as a hunter because he developed wind probs, however he is 100% for RC stuff, hacking, etc. Not all LOU are complete write offs, they are just not able to do the job they were insured for anymore.
billy2
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info, everyone - I was just a bit worried for the poor devil, he fetched just £265 (for a 17.2 Irish gelding). Shame I'm only 5ft 1.