does this seem a bit peculiar/untrustworthy??

[MandyMoo]

(sorry if this is long...just need some advice)

have been to see a horse for sale 4 times now, schooled it/hacked it/jumped it etc...absolutley perfect for me, 16.2hh bay gelding dutch warmblood 11yo, done novice dressage and newcomers/1m15 bsja...qualified bluechips/scope/amateurs. the woman is asking 6k.

we got the vet out to do a vetting and she seemed convinced he was going to pass. but she (bit silly of her to do) got his shoes done the day before the vetting...and so when the vet came, he wasnt happy about his near fore foot...he was 95% sound on it, but he thought there could be a little bit of thrush, but the vet wanted to leave it a couple of weeks to clear up and then check again because he was slightly suspicious it could be VERY slight navicular syndrome :/

now since we told the owner this she has suddenly started acting all suspicious and saying ''oh u can take him anyway, i dont mind...could you pay in cash?'' but my mum keeps saying no we want to wait until he passes the vet properly as we dont want to buy a horse with navicular!

but now we are all suspicious...as what if she butes him up before the vet comes again?! theres no stopping her! (but we are having a 5stage vetting so bloods will be taken...but how long do these take to sort out?) and also...what if she got him shod the day before to make excuses for him being slightly off...as she already knew hewas dodgy :/

im really worried and not sure if we are thinking too far into this...or whether we are right to be a bit weary of her...she seems nice enough but there is just SOMETHING about her that seems untrustworthy...

so what do i do? get the vet to check again, if he isnt sound stay away...if he is, get bloods checked for bute/other drugs?? he is also a little thin (but we can feed him up a bit) but so are all her horses on her yard :/ she really doesnt feed them like anything!!

bit glass of wine for getting this far guys! thanks in advance for any replys

xx

 

[MandyMoo]

this is him by the way:

http://www.ultimatesportshorses.co.uk/forSale.php?id=8

oh and forgot to say...i think we have time to sort out what we are doing as she has given us first refusal xx

 

[Skhosu]

be wary, I would possibly even get x-rays of the feet to make sure there's nothing going on, and if it passes/they're clear, not be too worried (and get bloods!)

 

[SpottedCat]

If your gut reaction is that she is dodgy, ask the vet if x-rays would show anything. If they would then get them done, for the sake of a couple of hundred pounds they will set your mind at rest.

Gut instinct is quite often right....

 

[MandyMoo]

we were thinking about x-rays actually...thats a good plan...cus she can't lie about x-ray! thanks xx

 

[teddyt]

Its difficult because the amount of people that show a horse for a vetting with shoes hanging off is unbelievable. I think its a good thing the horse has new shoes but having said that your thoughts may be right. Bloods are not automatically tested, that is an additional cost to the vetting. Speak to your vet and ask the cost of x rays and blood testing and then see if you are prepared to pay this.

 

[viewfromahill]

Think x rays are necessary but not at your expense, at the end of the day it will benefit the owner either way so if she is genuine she will agree if she doesnt I would walk away, but you need to be there when the x ray is done!!

 

[nessie1288]

I thought bloods were always taken as part of 5 stage vetting unless the purchaser says otherwise?

 

[teddyt]

Bloods are always taken but not automatically tested

 

[ifmpeck]

I would be very very careful.....have had a similar experience where one failed on bad shoes, was retested and passed and was absolutely fine the 4 years I had him. BUT - I have also had horses pass with 5 stage vettings, x rays etc and still turn out to have underlying problems such as pre existing tendon injuries in the foot, spavins etc. Make sure its YOUR vet doing it (obv) and that they have no ties the yard whatsoever...and poss do get the bloods tested as well. If its been there a while/sold on behalf of a longterm owner you could ask to talk to their vet/see its records - I've done this ever since my bad experiences above...and its amazing how many people won't let you/ turn out to be hiding major issues - clearly need to be sensible as they all break sometimes, but if they're covering something it may show up?

 

[TarrSteps]

X-rays are absolutely standard for even quite simple vettings where I'm from so I was a bit surprised so few people do them routinely here.

BUT, speaking from that background, there a lots of significant problems that don't show anything suspicious on x-rays. In fact the general consensus is now it's impossible to diagnose navicular syndrome (it's not one simple problem) from xrays alone without a clinical history. So if the horse is a bit off then "bad" xrays MAY show the problem but "bad" xrays don't necessarily mean the horse is lame.

What you do next depends on how much you want to do. You can wait, try the vetting again, and get bloods taken and analysed. (Not cheap, btw.) Or you can wait, hope he passes and cross your fingers. Or you can walk.

Often it's NOT people trying to put one over on buyers, it's just that the horse is going along so no one's looked too closely. Then something does come up and the seller panics. Or someone has a niggling suspicion but stuffs it down because nothing comes of it, but then something shows on the vetting and they don't know whether to be worried or not. Doesn't mean the horse is sound, just that an anxious seller doesn't necessarily mean a bad deal.