Navicular mare.

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alicei91

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My mare has navicular sound currently and isnt a ver bad case luckily. im looking to breed from her or sell her as a broodmare as she has extremely good confromation and very good american tb bloodlines. question really would 'you' buy or breed from a navicular mare?
 
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The trouble is, there are so many TB mares out there that you could probably find one without Navicular for very little money if you wanted to breed.

I'd personally steer away from any unsound horse unless it's been injured.

If she's a favourite of yours and you want to breed something for yourself, then that's one thing but selling her for someone else to breed from might not be easy
 
yes the reason i ask is she does have amazing conformation and isnt your typical tb take a look at me profile pic. im just struggling as to what to do with her.
 
Breeding: Personally I wouldn't unless she has amazing results herself or is very very very closely related to something that does, basically something exceptional that would make it worth while. Good conformation and bloodlines isn't exceptional.

I don't know anything about racehorse breeding, but if you are looking to breed a sports horse you can probably borrow or buy quite cheaply a sound, well bred and possibly graded mare from a stud that is downsizing or from someone who is retiring their competition horse due to an accidental, mechanical injury.

Buying: I would only "buy" a horse with navicular if it was basically given to me for free. If it was a good competition horse at an early stage of navicular I would try to see if it may do better with a change in management - barefoot, living out etc. However since I am not able to take on more than one it would need to be an exceptional horse or I probably would not "buy" it even for basically free.

Can you keep her as a companion yourself or if not, send to retirement livery?

Do you know someone nice and reliable who would take her on permanent loan as a companion or happy hack (if she can be ridden), where you can keep an eye?
 
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As I said before I'm swiftly running out of money not just for her but any horses that's the reason I don't think I'm going to be able to keep her to retire
 
In that case Alice, I would be strongly tempted to put her down so that I knew she was not going to be passed from pillar to post as is the norm with cases like this.

Nobody in their right mind will take on a navicular mare as brood mare prospect not least because the added weight of a foal will make her extremely uncomfortable and you shouldn't ask her to do something she won't be comfortable or pain free doing, that is cruel.
 
I'd put her down too - she will end up god knows where, and more than likely at the cheaper end of the scale will not be looked after as well as you would, and could be ridden even if in pain or bred from, and as already said by others the extra weight of the foal could cause issues and with an owner who maybe only cares for the foal I doubt she'd have the treatment she needs. Nice looking well put together TB's without navicular are 2 a penny and cheap or free at the mo, so one with a serious issue doesn't really stand a chance I'm afraid - hard decision I know but far kinder for the horse and you won't spend the rest of your life wondering what miserable end your mare had.
 
Sorry but I also also agree with the previous two posts that having her put down may well be the kindest thing to do if you can't afford to keep her. She doesn't sound like a breeding candidate to me and I would never encourage someone to breed from a horse with navicular.
 
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