Dilemma - wwyd??

What would you do?

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Dizzleton

Dizzleton

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Writing this on behalf of a friend -

Hi guys, I'm stuck with a really hard decision and was wondering, if you were in my shoes what would you do?

I lost my horse in a field accident a few weeks back and I'm desperate to get another horse. I travelled to the UK last weekend to view a few horses. I found a lovely 16.2, 11yo Belgian WB which I instantly fell in love with. He was perfect to ride and handle and just suited me perfectly. He has great conformation and presence too. He was on the market at £2k (fair price for his lack of competition experience) which is great as I only have a £3.5k budget. (Money for buying the horse, getting it vetted and paying £500 for transport back to the Island) I am wanting him to do a bit of everything at low level - Trek, SJ, XC, Dr, hacking etc

I tried out some other horse which were nice, but weren't suited to me, so I decided to get the WB vetted. He passed everything physically, but unfortunately he has cataracts in both eyes. The vet has told me that they're not a problem now and they may never come to be a problem; but it's a total 50% he may stay fine 50% he may become blind.

The owners have now reduced him to £500 for me, as they want him in a good home more than anything.

I'm so stuck on what to do!

P.S: I have to choose a horse soon as the boat back to our Island doesn't take horses in winter as it's too stormy. So if I left it now, I wouldn't be able to get a horse until next March/Apr time
 
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Personally, for the money I would take the risk. Even if he does go blind you may have a good few years with him yet. I do think that if he does start deteriorating, that you would have to PTS as I don't think it is fair to keep a partially or fully blind horse, even in retirement, due to the fear and stress it must cause. But you have a 50% chance of him never having a problem, so I would go for it. Good luck whatever you choose.
 
I don't know enough about cataracts to say anything other than are you (is your friend) willing to take the risk on it? 50% the horse stays healthy, 50% it goes blind and may have to be pts.

However, I will say that buying a horse now so you don't have to wait 6 months is ridiculous. Buying a horse that could go blind and need to be PTS just so you have a horse right here and right now is also ridiculous. I would tactfully point out to your friend that there is no rush. I have lost two myself so I'd understand the emotional side. However she is potentially setting herself up for total heartbreak. She gets this horse, it goes blind, it can't cope and has to be PTS.

She sounds like she is rushing far too much. I would advise caution. No point running into it. Is she going to be happy if he ends up being a giant field ornament?
 
Cataracts can be removed. Look up how much a cataract op is, as is wont be covered by insurance and put the 1.5k saved on the purchase price in a savings account and keep saving. He may never need an op, but if he does, she will be able to pay for it.
 
Really does depend what you intend to do with him. If its more of a pleasure, hack horse then i'd say yes go for it. Even if he does get worse over time then he would be used to you and happy to hack out in familiar surroundings. If he's a competition horse tha'ts out all the time jumping or eventing then you need to think with a 50% chance is it worth it especially as he'll be in new surroundings. Could you look after him if you need to retire him in a few years time. How old he?
 
I have heard of people riding blind horses and living an exceptionally normal life together :) obviously they're special needs and they won't be running Badminton any time soon, so the question to ask yourself is if this is a challenge you'd want to face with him in the future if it ever did come to pass.

Good luck, whatever you decide!
 
OK I'm going to take a punt that you in the IOM - if not then my post becomes pretty irrelevant :o

Personally I would take a punt and get him, he is ok now and if you think matters are deteriorating then the Leahurst Eye Specialist lives on the Island - you get appointments with him via Milan.

On the boat front - you can get on an off all year round - the worst that happens is that you are delayed for a couple of days.

Good luck
 
I'm going to be a voice of dissent and say no, because I am not sure I would feel comfortable knowing that something might be going wrong with his vision, so each time you go in to jump a round, etc, you might feel doubtful over how well the horse is seeing. If he is only going to be a pleasure hack and it's not so crucial then i would probably go for it.
 
If I really, really liked the horse I would try & get the opinion of a Vet who has an interest in horses eyes as it may give you a better idea of what the future may hold. Bear in mind the trauma that goes with having a horse put down, which you may have to do sooner than you would like with this one. Also, years ago I had a horse diagnosed with a cataract & failed a Vetting. Just 2 weeks later his eye was looked at properly in a dark room, NO cataract found. Vet could only think it was some sort of short term infection.
 
She's decided to call the vet that done the vetting and talk in depth about it. If she feels she can cope with what the vet discusses, she is going to go ahead and get him :)
 
Yes maybe money wise worth a try but think of the emotional price if he does go blind, when and how etc etc etc. plenty of horse on world really!
 
Yes i would get him...because any horse she gets could go equally or more seriously wrong plus as it is so cheap the money she saves from buying him could be put towards an op to remove the cataracts

but ultimately what she decides is up to her and NONE of us should judge her :)
 
No. My horse had cataracts in later life and it caused his startle reflex to become even more advanced. I had a nasty accident when he thought he saw something ahead of him. He was worse in bright sunlight. I retired him at that point, wasn't worth the risk to either of us.
 
For that money, definately go for it - my sister's tb has a cataract on one eye picked up as a yearling and never progressed or bothered him. Also don't forget that cataracts can be removed if it got bad enough
 
Thanks for the help everyone!

After a lengthy discussion with the vet, she has decided on buying him. She's flying to the UK today and he should be on the boat home tomorrow.

The vet said she should get at least 4 years out of him, and then due to the type of cataracts he has, he is eligible for surgery - if he ever needs it.

Once he's on the Island, I'll put some pictures up :)
 
Wagtail said:
Personally, for the money I would take the risk. Even if he does go blind you may have a good few years with him yet. I do think that if he does start deteriorating, that you would have to PTS as I don't think it is fair to keep a partially or fully blind horse, even in retirement, due to the fear and stress it must cause. But you have a 50% chance of him never having a problem, so I would go for it. Good luck whatever you choose.
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I agree
 
I would go for it. I can understand the emotional side of it, maybe having to have him pts, but that's a risk we all take, my father in laws horse was trotting down the road, did a huge spook and broke his leg. We all take a risk by having a horse. 50% chance that he'll be fine, go for it. :-)
 
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