Stenners
Well-Known Member
I’m going to view a Connemara and I’m getting confused about all these letters relating to hoof disease! What should I look out for?
would love to see pics of your Connies!
would love to see pics of your Connies!
Connemaras and hoof disease
- Thread starter Stenners
- Start date
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
They need a genetic test that shows that they are negative or a carrier (if you have a carrier they should never be bred to anything other than a pony that is negative). You do not want a pony with two copies of HWSD as they will have hoof issues.
More info here. https://www.animalgenetics.eu/Equine/Genetic_Disease/HWSD.asp
More info here. https://www.animalgenetics.eu/Equine/Genetic_Disease/HWSD.asp
The Bouncing Bog Trotter
Well-Known Member
If you are buying a British Connemara this information is useful http://www.britishconnemaras.co.uk/breeding-owning/hwsd/summary/
Check the passport carefully - stamps are on the last page and some last pages have been removed from passports of affected ponies.
There is an excellent Facebook group: HWSD (Hoof Wall Separation Disease) where you can find a lot of information and some very lively discussion.
Check the passport carefully - stamps are on the last page and some last pages have been removed from passports of affected ponies.
There is an excellent Facebook group: HWSD (Hoof Wall Separation Disease) where you can find a lot of information and some very lively discussion.
Stenners
Well-Known Member
So if I am viewing one should I ask if it has had a test etc? How do I get a test? Is that part of the vetting If i got it vetted?
Meowy Catkin
Meow!
Ask the seller what the pony's HWSD status is when you first contact them. It is a perfectly normal question to ask when buying a Conny now and the seller should be expecting to be asked and have the paperwork ready to show you (in the back of passport if the pony is young for example).
The Bouncing Bog Trotter
Well-Known Member
Ask if the pony has been tested, if born since 2016 (Irish) or 2017 (British) it will have been tested. Ask to see a photo of the page showing the test result.
Stenners
Well-Known Member
She’s 6 years old so I imagine 2015.
The Bouncing Bog Trotter
Well-Known Member
If the pony is untested you need to wonder why. As Meowy Catkin says, anyone selling a connie should be prepared for the question to be asked.
Stenners
Well-Known Member
I have asked the question to them now!
paddy555
Well-Known Member
It is not part of the normal vetting. You get a test by sending hair samples (mane/tail) to animal genetics. You don't need a vet you can do it yourself. Pull the hair and stick it in an envelope. The site tells you how to pull the hair. Cost is around £35. If you don't get a satisfactory answer from the seller with evidence then you will need to test to be sure.
Make sure you take the hair samples yourself or the vet or someone you trust does (your vet not theirs)
You want to make sure the sample tested is from YOUR pony. That may sound over cautious but it seems you can trust no one nowadays when buying a horse. If you get to that stage buy subject to satisfactory vetting and HWSD test.
Join the FB group mentioned in post 3.
Spottyappy
Well-Known Member
Make sure you see the evidence the pony has been tested, and don’t just take the owners word for it.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
You may also be able to work it out if the parents have been tested.
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
It's a nightmare doing it at a vetting. We've had results take up to 3 weeks to come back. Meanwhile pony is in limbo, and sellers are not keen to hang on to it for this long. Caused some real issues.
Snow Falcon
Hoping for drier days
Would it not be prudent of Connie owners before putting up for sale to get them tested?
Mrs. Jingle
Well-Known Member
Yes without doubt, and for reputable breeders I would think they would do this as it is not in their interests to breed and sell on horses who do not have clear results. I am guessing a few back yard connie breeders probably don't bother and don't care, so a refusal from a seller to provide a test result or hold the horse for you while you get it tested would have you running for the hills anyway.
w1bbler
Well-Known Member
Viewed a conny 18 months ago & the owners had apparently never heard of hwsd. They were happy for me to have the horse tested if I proceeded so I think the lack of knowledge was genuine
paddy555
Well-Known Member
OTOH the buyer needs to know the status of the pony and to know the test has been carried out on accurate hairs.
honetpot
Well-Known Member
Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
Although this is tested for in Connemaras people should be aware that crossbred ponies which may have Connemara in their breeding could still be carriers.
Lady Jane
Well-Known Member
Definitely
Gamebird
Well-Known Member
For sure! But beware that in more than one case I've dealt with the seller has been unprepared to wait and has sold it to someone else who didn't want the test doing (because they had probably never heard of HWSD). The ideal scenario would be for the seller to test before putting the pony on the market.
Stenners
Well-Known Member
So I saw it today and it’s an unregistered Connie that came over from Ireland so they are unaware if it’s been tested.
Shes the perfect pony and I am going to have a 5 stage vetting but where do I go from here for be sure?
Shes the perfect pony and I am going to have a 5 stage vetting but where do I go from here for be sure?
The Bouncing Bog Trotter
Well-Known Member
So get the pony tested and walk away if they refuse. A lot of positive ponies come over on white books/as unregistered ponies to avoid the issue.
Stenners
Well-Known Member
Yes she’s in a white book/passport - should I be concerned then?!
laura_nash
Well-Known Member
Yes, you should be concerned. Why is she unregistered? A possible answer to that is she tested positive.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Pull some hair yourself as soon as you can, or get the vet to pull hair at the vetting, send it to Animal Genetics (they're UK based) with the form you print off. They will send you the result in a few days by email.
You may need to buy the pony to stop it being sold to someone else and/or pay for its livery while is still there, then get a receipt that your money is to be refunded in full of the pony tests positive for hwss.
I wouldn't take the pony home and fall in love with it until you have the result.
Don't mistake, this is a heart breaking condition to deal with. The feet literally fall apart as they lack the "glue" needed to keep them together.
.
paddy555
Well-Known Member
if they won't refund you will have to take legal action and could be stuck with a pony in the mean time. If the pony is positive they are not going to want it back. It will be worthless. Many are now aware of HWSD.
Pull hairs and wait for the result if seller will do. Otherwise walk away. Better to walk away now than have to PTS your horse with all the heart ache that will cause.
In the meantime I urge you to read everything about HWSD so your decision is based on fact.It is very difficult if she is perfect and you love her already.
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
I said don't take the pony home until you have the result. With a written receipt and a positive test you'd have a slam dunk case in the small claims court and it only takes a few months from raising a case online to getting the judgement, though it's unlikely the seller will go all the way to court once a case is raised because they'd know they couldn't possibly win.
I guess whether anyone would take that risk depends on how much they care about whether the pony is sold to someone else meanwhile. I would walk away if they won't wait for a result, myself.
Best case scenario is, of course, to test several days before the vet is due.
.
paddy555
Well-Known Member
I know you didn't say take it home. However I don't think you can ever be sure what the courts will decide or what someone will do when faced with court action.
In the meantime someone has to look after it for 3 weeks. Who? The seller is no longer going to be invested in the pony. What if there is an accident and the vet advises a month's box rest. Who does that? What if the seller is negligent in looking after it. More court action? What if there are problems with the insurance paying.
PSD
Well-Known Member
Makes me wonder if this is why my mare went down so badly last year ycbm. She had separation and her feet practically fell apart with the laminitis. She was a part bred, back when I bought her the testing wasn’t really a thing or a known disease (as far as I’m aware).