Horse with Sarcoids...your thoughts please...

Chestnutmare

Chestnutmare

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I have had a lady contact me about her mare she is very pretty, but she said she has some small sarcoids the size of a small grape under her belly by her back legs...apparently you wouldn't notice them there.

I have not had to ever deal with a horse with them so don't really have too much of an understanding of them so if anyone can shed any light on them I'd be grateful. :)
 
Is she to loan or buy?

my horse has a small sarcoid he had it when I got him. Had I have seen it before I decided he was the one for me I would probably not have bought him and boy would I have missed out!!

However if I was looking again I wouldn't buy one with more than one

Treatment however is so so much better nowadays so maybe not quite such an issue
 
I'd stay away from a horse with sarcoids. Yes some can stay tiny for a long time and not do anything, however a lot of them grow and they then need to be removed. Depending on the method you use to remove them or the aggressiveness of the sarcoid, once removed it can come back even worse. A friend of mine has a gelding who has one on his flank- it began small and she had it removed. Since then she has had to remove it 5 times and it is now huge- admittedly the more times you remove it the less chance you have of getting rid of it. A lot of people I know of have had great success getting rid of it, but I'd personally stay away from sarcoids.
 
They can be sorted, just be prepared to pay for the treatment and perhaps in some cases for the horse to be a few months out of work (depending on the type of treatment and sarcoid) if you don't want the worry/hassle then don't buy or loan a horse that you know already has them, although they could quite easily pop up on any horse :)
 
We bought Fany with 2. One near her ear and one under her tail. They are the lump kind and we were iffy. But when she was vetted before we bought her the vet said they would be the type that are removed with what is essentially an elastic band.

Anyway we have never bothered, until recently they never changed. Then a couple of weeks ago the one near her ear started to shrink and now has nearly gone. I think it depends on type of sarcoid and where it is.

Fany has never had any discomfort with them. Best decision we ever made was to buy her in spite of them, as another poster said boy we would have missed out!

FDC
 
Absolutely not.

I never used to mind them, until we just lost a horse because they grew into the worst kind, and there was no way to help her or remove them. Even benign Sarcoids mean the horse is susceptible to the horrid kinds :-/

Look up Derek knottenbelt and Liverpool leahurst before even considering it- he has an excellent website, and explains all the different kinds of Sarcoids and what can be done.

Please, before you even consider taking the horse on, read through tis webpage.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!!!
 
Sorry but ditto the above and don't touch it. I had a horse (years ago) was out competing B's and C's with professional rider. Got sarcoids at girth just behind shoulder and became worthless overnight. I've heard other similar stories. It costs an absolute fortune to treat with no guarantees (my knowlege isn't that current but believe still to be the case)
 
scarymare said:
Sorry but ditto the above and don't touch it. I had a horse (years ago) was out competing B's and C's with professional rider. Got sarcoids at girth just behind shoulder and became worthless overnight. I've heard other similar stories. It costs an absolute fortune to treat with no guarantees (my knowlege isn't that current but believe still to be the case)
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Even now, with the newest treatment, with many cases it goes either way- it either clears up temporarily or occassionally permanently, OR it goes the complete other way and is a thousand times worse.

Not worth buying the heartache IMO, but if a horse developed them in my care I would do my damndest to get it removed
 
My LC has one on his ear, always has and the vet said no point trying to remove it because it's not causing any problems. TB on the yard is covered in them, yes it's painful sometimes and they cause some issues but doesn't stop him from being ridden. Totally and utterly depends so I'd have your vet check her out and get a professional opinion. For every horror story there's a positive one. ;)
 
cobgirlie said:
My LC has one on his ear, always has and the vet said no point trying to remove it because it's not causing any problems. TB on the yard is covered in them, yes it's painful sometimes and they cause some issues but doesn't stop him from being ridden. Totally and utterly depends so I'd have your vet check her out and get a professional opinion. For every horror story there's a positive one. ;)
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Yes there is but I'm not sure I'd be buying one. Different if they develop when you have them. Also yours is on the ear which is probably a good place although if spread could stop you bridling. Position is important. Worked out well for my mare as she ended up in Windsor just hacking (gave her away in the end after 1000's of £ treatment) and because she was stressy but ultra talented, she ended up with a much better life IMO, plus the rider was trying to rip me off by selling for more than she said and ended up with no money either. Result.
 
I looked into this recently. My understanding is, if they only have one, they are no more likely to get another than any other horse. Not sure i understand this, but there is enough to worry about when you own a horse - let alone one that comes delivered with problems from the start. If its your only, forever horse, i would say keep looking. If you have a specific job for her, she fits the bill, and you cant find it anywhere else - maybe.
 
just get some camrosa cream, apply daily for 3 months and the sarcoid literally pops off,

my pony had one and it was huge and you cant even tell it was ever there, the vet was gobsmacked,

and this waqs 6 years ago he hasnt had one since
 
I am very wary of sarcoids now and wouldn't buy a horse i knew had them. I had a pretty TB mare years ago which we got with a small sarcoid at the base of her ear. At the time I knew very little about them and was told it was nothing to worry about and could be treated if it got worse. These were the lumpy type which became raw and she used to knock it when itching constantly making it bloody and raw. It started to get larger and we had them charmed which did nothing (suprise suprise) took advice from a vet who tried the newest treatment out at the time.... they didn't go away but got worse and started to spread down her head, she became head shy and started to head shake. Had to have her put down in the end. I then had a youngster who developed some very small ones around his sheath, we had these frozen and they disappeared altogether. Depends on the type of sarcoid, the round flat ones don't tend to be such a problem but any in areas which can be rubbed by tack or rugs will be a constant problem and would avoid a horse that had them like the plague. Due to bad experiences I have resolved to steer clear!
 
I have had Toffee for 9 years and never had a problem with her one between her hind legs, Sambas have come off with help from Global Herbs and Camrosa, vet was willing to band them if this didnt work. So far so good. Not keen on playing with sarcoids I suppose I wouldnt touch a horse with any around areas that could cause problems ie ears, eyes, face girth and saddle areas.
 
One thing to be aware of is that if you buy a horse that already has sarcoids that you will find sarcoid treatment excluded on your insurance....

I know a few horses that have had no problems with their sarcoids for years and a few more that have been heavily treated, without great sucess tbh.


Not something I would buy with - why go looking for heartbreak? With horses it finds you easily enough anyway!
 
Have had horses who developed sarcoids during my ownership. All were successfully treated:
1 had his banded and it fell off
1 had his surgically removed
1 had Liverpool Cream

In all cases they only had the one.

I would speak to your vet and get their opinion.

I have heard of very good success with cold lasering them but I think it depends on the type of sarcoid.

My vet tends to be of the opinion that if the sarcoid is not somewhere where the tack touches or it will rub (eg. high up between the hind legs) she wouldn't 'fail' the horse at vetting. Obviously price will reflect the sarcoid.
 
This website has loads of info, http://www.sarcoids.co.uk/

I've bought a horse with sarcoids they were treated with liverpool cream and have been fine since (about 3 years) there is always a chance of them coming back though.

I wouldn't dismiss a horse just because of them, but if they were in certain areas where they are likely to interfer with tack, or if I thought I may want to sell the horse on in the future I'd have to weigh it up carefully.
 
My experience so far with sarcoids is "they are all different"! In the past I had a sarcoid removed from the girth area with Liverpool cream and it hasn't returned. Another had a small one that I treated with Camrosa Ointment that so far shows no signs of returning. I think it all depends on the horse, age, location of sarcoid etc.
As above, you will hear some horror stories and some good stories, it all depends on if the horse is right for you in every other way and also if it was just a single sarcoid or multi ones on the horse. Every situation is different.
 
it depends on what you want to do with the hore as to whether the sarcoid is an issue or not. if you're wanting tp show, forget it. Anything else so long as they arent under the tack, it shouldnt bother them. A horse will fail a vetting because of them but most of the time they dont actually hinder their performance. I would never say no to a horse just because he has a sarcoid.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, quite a mixed bag about it then...

I have declined the mare anyway, as she is not really what I am after I want to show and she also has scars lumps and bumps on her legs...ex polo.
The price was certainly reflected shame as she is a lovely looking mare and sounds lovely too.
 
No I wouldn't....

I know a pony that will one day no longer be rideable because of them. If you've known the horse for a long time and they've never changed then you could consider it (but as already pointed out they will be excluded on your insurance and is pricey to treat). But don't think I'd take a sellers word for it on that one.

There are horses out there without.....
 
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