Decision day....

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Lydz85

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So I went with my riding instructor today to try my possible new horse for the third time. It went great he was an angel and she really liked him and after jumping him we hacked him out and was as chilled out as anything past all kinds of spooky things.

I would of course get him fully vetted if i was to make an offer, but my question is with his allergy issues (can't be bedded on straw or fed hay as coughs) would a vetting pick up if it was something more serious such as COPD?

I really like him but im 50:50 as to whether I should buy him - don't want to regret buying my very first horse. She did say she would like an answer by this evening as another interested party is due to come tomorrow down from Scotland so doesn't want to waste their time. So feel a little pushed to make a decision and panicking!
 
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Lydz85 said:
She did say she would like an answer by this evening as another interested party is due to come tomorrow down from Scotland so doesn't want to waste their time. So feel a little pushed to make a decision and panicking!
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Do Not allow yourself to be pushed into making a decision - If the other people want to view then allow them to view him. this is sometimes used to get you to buy and to get you to commit. how long has he been for sale?

allergies will take a little bit of looking after and maybe a little more expensive, you have to be happy. if you arent even 80% sure then walk away. xxx
 
I'm sorry but if someone said they wanted a fast decision such as someone else coming to see the alarm bells would ringing ESP as has some possible issues. Don't be Rushed by the seller if you are 50/50 take your time to decide.
 
Big hairy can't be bedded on straw and has to have haylage and wouldn't swap him for anything, but he is not my first horse..

Personally wouldn't bother me (as long as is just allergies and nothing else) but is more expensive to keep imo.

Good luck, if that is his only compromise you have done well! :)
 
I see it from the seller's perspective- you've been to see the horse 3 times, presumably you've known about the COPD all along and I wouldn't have expected you to carry on wasting my time if it had been likely to put you off buying.....
 
Ditto to the above posters! dont feel pressured and dont let them pressure you. i can remember buying my first horse i tried him i loved him then went on holiday for a week the owners promised us he wouldnt be going anywhere and didnt let anyone else try him and they were very happy for us to take our time, so after we came back we tried him again and we got him vetted and bought him
 
convenient that the other interested party has to travel down from Scotland to view! This would raise alarm bells and i would think i was being pushed to make a sale, they obviously know you are very interested as been to see him 3 times now but do not be pushed! It is such a great experience getting your first horse so you must be happy with it.
The allergy's can normally be maintained but worth saying to the vet about them during the vetting if it gets that far. I know many horses that are sensitive to bedding and hay, my mare cant have dry hay but we simply use haylage or soaked hay.
 
I agree with TheMule. If I was selling the pony and you had seen it 3 times I would be starting to think you were a tyre kicker and wasting my time! If you like the horse to ride then get the vet out and tell the vet about his allergies. He will then get the animal ridden or exercised until he is blowing hard and then listen to his wind. There are loads of horses and ponies out there that cannot be bedded on straw and need their hay soaked (including my 3yo welsh A but he certainly does not have COPD!!).

Stop wasting the seller's time and make up your mind.
 
It wouldn't bother me really. There are dozens of alternatives to both straw and hay. Might be more costly but it depends wether you think the Horse is worth it.

To be the honest I can see why the owner wants a decision. If someone came to view my Horse 3 times and still undecided I would want to know. Especially If I had people traveling a very long way to see my Horse.
 
BonneMaman said:
Stop wasting the seller's time and make up your mind.
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How rude!

Im making a big decision and will not be rushed. Im the one who has driven over an hour each way those 3 times. I am not wasting the sellers time, i am trying to see if this horse is what I want.

1st visit was to see if horse was as advertised. Rode him immediately after he had a lesson with someone.
2nd visit was a lesson with the instructor who trained him and he was fresh so had not been worked at all that day.
3rd visit was with my 'expert' to check I haven't missed anything major.

Why am i a time waster?
 
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i do agree with everyone in saying don't be rushed into making a decision, but I also feel that 3 trials is more than enough to make that decision. you have obviously had time between trials to do research on the effects of his allergies, and what money and care adjustments you would have to make. The seller might be trying to force your hand a little incase they think you are time wasting. It is difficult to be in the sellers position too, they have obvioulsy told you about his allergies and it takes time and effort for viewings, that is without the emotional stresses involved in selling.
 
Piccy said:
I'm sorry but if someone said they wanted a fast decision such as someone else coming to see the alarm bells would ringing ESP as has some possible issues. Don't be Rushed by the seller if you are 50/50 take your time to decide.
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To be fair to seller also this was 3rd time OP had tried horse! So I think a little nudge could be called for?

For me I think if you are happy with everything bar the question over the allergy thing I would get him vetted and go for it. We have a mare who can't be bedded on straw or fed hay, but other than that she has no problems with her breathing.
 
Lydz85 said:
2nd visit was a lesson with the instructor who trained him and he was fresh so had not been worked at all that day.
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To me this would worry me more than the allergies. How fresh was he? Are you looking for a very laid back horse? I only ask as I personally wouldn't want something that was fresh from not being worked after a week never mind a day!

But it is more a matter of what you are happy with, so have a good think :)

p.s yes I agree three times is a prob one more than most, but also very important to get it right, so better to miss the right one than buy the wrong one!
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Lydz85 said:
How rude!

Im making a big decision and will not be rushed. Im the one who has driven over an hour each way those 3 times. I am not wasting the sellers time, i am trying to see if this horse is what I want.

1st visit was to see if horse was as advertised. Rode him immediately after he had a lesson with someone.
2nd visit was a lesson with the instructor who trained him and he was fresh so had not been worked at all that day.
3rd visit was with my 'expert' to check I haven't missed anything major.

Why am i a time waster?
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As I said - if you like the horse then get it vetted. 3 times is more than enough to decide if you like a horse or not and yes if I was selling my horse and someone came 3 times and still could not make up their mind I would think they were wasting my time. Personally, I have better things to do with my life than take 2 or 3 hours out of a day to prep and show horses to people who cannot make a decision. I am pretty certain they didn't just drag him out of the field 2 mins before you arrived.

Put it this way, how would you feel if she had someone call tonight and they came and shook hands immediately? If you wouldn't be bothered then walk away, if however, you are likely to be upset because of the time you have invested then I think you know you answer.
 
lara b said:
To me this would worry me more than the allergies. How fresh was he? Are you looking for a very laid back horse? I only ask as I personally wouldn't want something that was fresh from not being worked after a week never mind a day!
Sorry I was using fresh in the general sense as in he hadn't been worked at all that day so i got to see what he was like then compared to just after a lesson and he was exactly the same - Forward but safe and waits to be asked.
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Lydz85 said:
lara b said:
To me this would worry me more than the allergies. How fresh was he? Are you looking for a very laid back horse? I only ask as I personally wouldn't want something that was fresh from not being worked after a week never mind a day!
Sorry I was using fresh in the general sense as in he hadn't been worked at all that day so i got to see what he was like then compared to just after a lesson and he was exactly the same - Forward but safe and waits to be asked.
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Oh, I see! That's ok then!:)
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wizzlewoo said:
convenient that the other interested party has to travel down from Scotland to view! This would raise alarm bells and i would think i was being pushed to make a sale, they obviously know you are very interested as been to see him 3 times now but do not be pushed! It is such a great experience getting your first horse so you must be happy with it.
The allergy's can normally be maintained but worth saying to the vet about them during the vetting if it gets that far. I know many horses that are sensitive to bedding and hay, my mare cant have dry hay but we simply use haylage or soaked hay.
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^^^^this!^^^^

They obviously know you're interested as you've been three times. They're either getting impatient and want to sell the horse (as they would!) or they're actually being genuine and have got someone coming to view him. You need to decide if he's the horse for you. The fact that you've been 3 times either means in my eyes, you're not sure or you like to be very sure!!! With both of my boys, I knew from the moment I saw them (dependent on vetting) that they were the ones for me. Although I'm very impulsive, not always a good thing! As for the allergy, it's manageable, even if it is COPD, just takes a bit more planning! It wouldn't put me off if they were perfect in every other way! ;)

At the end of the day, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Keep us posted!
 
Sellers can be timewasters as well as buyers!

Personally I reckon the seller is lying - I dont think there are any buyers from scotland interested. The seller wants to sell and probably quickly - Thats why they are pushing you.

Dont let yourself be pushed by the sellers or anyone else. It is a big decision and one not to be taken lightly. The allergies may affect his insurance.

Any doubts = walk away. xxx
 
I can see both sides of this. As a purchaser you need to be certain you can deal with any potential problems in terms of management and cost – vettings are there to safeguard purchasers as far as possible against potential medical problems but can’t give a 100% guarantee. Having had problems revealed in vettings that would not be obvious to anyone other than a vet I view the cost of vetting as something I am willing to pay to avoid losing even more in the future. That said it is likely the vetting will only tell you the current condition of his airways and any deterioration in the future will be influenced to a large extent by his management, however it should be acknowledged that there is some risk involved with this horse. The question is are you prepared to take this risk assuming the horse is suitable in other ways?

From the vendors point of view I can understand that having shown you the horse three times they may well feel that is sufficient for you to base a decision on and feel I would probably agree in their shoes. As far as the people travelling from Scotland – I can totally understand this. We have travelled south on several occasions to view horses, on one memorable occasion my son and I flew down, hired a car etc. On route to the yard where we were scheduled to see six horses we phoned to confirm directions only to be told all six had been sold :rolleyes: Fortunately we managed to arrange others to view so it wasn’t a wasted journey. Now I always reiterate that we are travelling a long way with considerable costs involved and so ask that the horse won’t be sold /or taken off the market before we view it and so far vendors have been happy to accommodate us. It could be that if the Scottish viewers aren’t fictitious they have made a similar request.
 
Lydz85 said:
I was told the details between the 2nd and 3rd visit.
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Forget everything else, this is what would ring alarm bells for me - you visited and tried the horse twice and allergies were not mentioned hmmmm :eek:

I would also expect if I was viewing a horse and driving an hour each way that the seller would not have had it used for someone else to have lesson on before I viewed.

If in doubt, do nowt - walk away, your horse will be out there somewhere

Good luck

ps also I think there is about as much chance as someone from Scotland going to view the horse tomorrow as there is me going to see it!
 
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I agree lydz "how rude" its first horse and prob a reasonable amount of money to change hands so OP is right to be wary - isnt the saying "buyer beware" ok if you like horse have it vetted explain allergies to vet- yes it can be more exspensive and are you prepared for that but hey as many have said it can be managed - I really dont see you as a time waster just some be very responsible and thinking instead of going straight in - and come on how many of those do we know who end up with problems - good luck hun and as you generally seem to like horse fingers crossed if all goes well - keep us posted
 
i WENT TO SEE A HORSE (THE PEOPLE CAME AND GOT ME) tried sitting on mare,wasnt conftable with it. Was talking and I happened to notice a coloured cob in the field,woman was really trying to put me off (lol lol) saying he wasnt broken in,nor was he for sale.I ended up with him as I knew he was the one for me.Hes my forever horse.
I think you know when you have found the right horse.
 
get him vetted. You obviously like the horse but are worried about the copd/allergy. A vetting will show up a)if there is a problem and b) how bad it is.
 
I would be concerned that they only told you about the allergies between 2/3 visits. If I was buying I would feel within my rights to be very cross they had let me do 2 visits taking my time and petrol to then find out about something that could be quite an issue.

Whilst I agree that 3 visits may be more than normal but especially as your 1st horse there is nothing wrong with making sure.

Maybe have a chat with your vet over the phone tomorrow and see what their thoughts are?

I agree with others who have said if in doubt walk away though - when I was looking I did this a few times and on one occasion I could not actually pin point a reason - just a gut feeling.

It is a big commitment to take on so don't let anyone pressure you.

I would also take time to think if this turns out to be wrong for me how hard will it be to sell a horse with such issues. Or flip that on it's head - if you are taking on a known issue I would want to be 110% sure it was the right horse for me.

Good luck.
 
What did your instructor think about the allergies story?

What exactly is the problem? Many horses need to be on shavings and have damp hay/haylage. Its not really a big deal. Many horses are going to have some form of COPD as they get older - especially the way we keep them nowadays, with people keeping them in more and more, ie in bad weather etc..

I can see why you're cautious, but you will have to make a decision at some point over whether to get him vetted or not.. I'm not quite understanding what you are expecting to happen now. Do you want another viewing before you decide or something? I can also understand why the owner would perhaps want to give you a nudge. If I was you I would tell the owner to let the other people come and give them first refual - so you're not pushed. If he goes he goes.
 
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