New older horse

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mushting

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Ive got a horse on trial Ive had her a week Ive not ridden her yet the owners are coming to ride her tomorrow shes an 18yr old heavyweight mare she is fed pony nuts and chaff. Im wondering if I should buy her an older horse feed? Also her back seems a bit dipped Im not sure if this is an issue or not Ive taken some pics of her today (I cant actually work out how to upload the pics onto this thread!) and her video can be watched on you tube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOWLNgW0s1Q can you let me know what you think?

Thankyou :)

PS we are going to using her for hacking only also I dont know whether I should bother with a vetting the last horse I had had a 5 stage and it just added aload of exclusions to the insurance policy :-s
 
My horses back is quite dipped and he is 18 too, it's nothing to be worried about and I think he has been like that his whole life. Only buy her an older horse feed if she is losing weight or if her condition isn't that great.
 
She looks very unhappy trotting about in that video :( I would get her vetted to see if she has any back/ joint problems, I don't know if they still do 2 star vettings but you could ask your vet and failing that get him/ her to check her over. Sweet looking mare but echo AA, why have they said she's 9?
 
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NellRosk said:
She looks very unhappy trotting about in that video :( I would get her vetted to see if she has any back/ joint problems, I don't know if they still do 2 star vettings but you could ask your vet and failing that get him/ her to check her over. Sweet looking made but echo AA, why have they said she's 9?
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She is stiff as a plank, but to be fair she is not built to be an athlete. I wonder if the dealer has failed to sell her as a nine year old and also failed to take the advert down before selling her for her true age. OP, I realise you may not want to respond, but what is the dealer asking you to pay for her.
 
I do trust the dealer and they have been very honest with our first horse that had to be sent back and so I doubt that they would have tried to sell her as a 9 yr old but I am greatful for any comments :) They wanted £2000 which I wouldnt pay we got them down to £1500 minue £350 we had already paid for our 1st horse (which would have been lost normally if that makes sence) x
 
At 18 you are unlikely to get full insurance cover anyway so do not let that sway you from a vetting, most horses of that age would be likely to have some issues that will be picked up on vetting that will be unimportant for light hacking but I agree with the others that say she looks unhappy, they also only show her going one way round the school, that makes me wonder if she looks wrong going the other way.
Sensible mare that could be ideal as a safe hack and confidence giver.
 
mushting said:
I do trust the dealer and they have been very honest with our first horse that had to be sent back and so I doubt that they would have tried to sell her as a 9 yr old but I am greatful for any comments :) They wanted £2000 which I wouldnt pay we got them down to £1500 minue £350 we had already paid for our 1st horse (which would have been lost normally if that makes sence) x
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Good heavens, that is a big price for an 18 year old horse. Please be careful.
 
Some typo?? 9 is not an old horse at all....a little odd that you suggest the horse is old and therefore suspect health wise at 18, then hastily say it is 9, ergo why would you class it as an old horse and be concerned about old age issues?

Poor mare doesn't look at all happy when being trotted or cantered, I would be vary wary and would most certainly go for a 5 stage vetting whatever the truth of her age is.
 
mushting said:
I do trust the dealer and they have been very honest with our first horse that had to be sent back and so I doubt that they would have tried to sell her as a 9 yr old but I am greatful for any comments :) They wanted £2000 which I wouldnt pay we got them down to £1500 minue £350 we had already paid for our 1st horse (which would have been lost normally if that makes sence) x
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Obviously it is your money and you are free to spend it as you wish but IMO that's a little steep given her age.
 
MrsJingle said:
Some typo?? 9 is not an old horse at all....a little odd that you suggest the horse is old and therefore suspect health wise at 18, then hastily say it is 9, ergo why would you class it as an old horse and be concerned about old age issues?

Poor mare doesn't look at all happy when being trotted or cantered, I would be vary wary and would most certainly go for a 5 stage vetting whatever the truth of her age is.
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I think the OP meant that it is 18, but the dealers 'accidentally' said it was 9 in the add
 
AdorableAlice said:
Good heavens, that is a big price for an 18 year old horse. Please be careful.
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I know thankyou, I would rather pay more even for an older horse that is a happy safe hacker though which may sound daft but quite important due to losing confidence on a different horse some time ago. We have her fully insured luckily through KBIS :)

So do you think a feed for an older horse would help if she is stiff? Im sorry I cant really tell the difference so thanks for your advice :)
 
Oh dear, just seen further posts, a dealer who has already ripped you off? Cut your loses and find your new horse elsewhere, and take someone very experienced with you that you really CAN trust.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but I truly believe these dealers will be laughing all the way to the bank with customers who are, sadly, as gullible as you and many other novice owners are.
 
There are some good joint supplements out there - I would avoid changing feed too soon until she has settled in. I would be wary and get a basic check by the vet, also you may be looking at higher farrier costs as big horse and you will need to have a good size stable and a large horse will be heavier on the ground (ie. poaching fields more). don't mean to be negative I am sure she is lovely but in the video she stops as soon as reins are dropped and looks like she could take some leg to keep going - it could be her laid back nature or she may be uncomfortable.
 
thanks for all the comments, is it all negative though? I will get a vetting done definatly and Im hoping if there are any issues they will be picked up at this point we are not paying for this horse she is on trial we are paying for livery I guess but we would have had to give 4 weeks notice anyway. They train their horses to stop once the reins are dropped this is specifically what we are after I hope its training rather than her being in pain but this would show on a vetting? fingers crossed for me x
 
I think she looks a sweet horse and worth taking a chance on, particularly as you have a good trial and will get her vetted. She looks happy out on the roads; it is only in the school she looks less happy and she is probably fed up/bored. I wish you good luck with her.
 
Just read your other thread where you say this is the only horse the dealer has that might be suitable for you. Not a great way to buy a horse. Don't be rushed into having this one unless she really does tick all of your boxes - better to wait until the right one comes along.

The 'typo' in the dealer's video would be enough to set my alarm bells clanging big time, I'm afraid. Especially as the ad's been up since November, why hasn't the 'typo' been corrected?

Also read your thread about insurance - I know for a fact that KBIS seriously limit insurance for horses aged 19 and over (but the premiums don't decrease in line with the reduced cover), so check with any potential insurers.
 
While I don't think you should be ripped off and need to be careful, I agree with HarveyDales. I know so many less experienced owners who end up over horsing themselves and losing confidence, and I think if you like the horse, she is sound, has a nice kind temperament, and the vet is happy - then paying slightly more for a horse you know to be safe is perfectly reasonable if that is what you want to do. To be fair, the dealer offering you four weeks' trial does suggest they aren't totally trying to rip you off.

Also, 18 isn't that old really, especially if basically you just want to hack around, do a bit of schooling and do the odd fun ride or whatever.

Back to the feeding issue that was your original question - if you think she looks fine as she is, don't mess with it too much (except maybe adding a joint supplement - but discuss with your vet as some of them have been shown to not absorb very well in the gut, so it's basically just throwing money away). Same with veteran mixes - some are good, others are basically the same as any normal mix you'd buy but with a bit of added oil, minute traces of vitamins and glucosamine, and a price tag of double what the normal mix would be. So, if she's looking good as she is, I wouldn't fuss with it too much.
 
She looks like my old cob mare: sweet kind and gentle. However I suspect she might be older than 18yrs with that much grey on her face.

GET HER VETTED! Her age excludes her from most policies anyways. She'll almost certainly have arthritis but that won't stop her passing a vet for gentle hacking. I'd also be amazed if her legs aren't a mass of thickened skin from legs mites.

She doesn't look entirely happy with heavy traffic. She tries hard to be brave but leans away from that lorry. My truely traffic proof cob wouldn't even have flicked an ear at it. And that's with an experienced confident rider. She may be less brave with you. She's pretty good but think carefully if that might be an issue for you.

Her price is steep for an old horse but dealers always charge over the odd to nervous novice buyers. I'd be more suspicious if they were trying to flog her for £600.

She does not need any extra calories! !!! She's tubby already and more hard feeds will make her fat, put extra strain on her old joints and prob make her fizzy! I'd suggest you go and learn more about horse feeding and digestion. She needs minimum sugar and starch, maximum fibre, an allround supplement/ balancer and a powdered joint supplement if you want to feed it. She doesn't need mollases-covered cereals and grains found in veteran mix!

She also needs her teeth carefully checked and maintained.
 
I bought a 22 year old I had loaned for a few years a couple of months ago, and I haven't looked back since! I had a 5 stage vetting by the head vet and he passed fully. Insurance wise, I haven't found any that will insure you normally when they're over about 15yo so don't stress about that.

I would say though, I bought mine for £700 including tack and rugs and £2000 seems a little steep: although equally if you know it's safe - I can completely sympathise with wanting to pay more for something you can trust!

If she has a dipped back at that age, it might be worth considering cushings as that could be a sign. I can't watch the video on my comp though so can't really see to be more helpful!


With regard to your feed question - I literally feed mine the bare minimum as he never struggles to keep weight on... he just has Chaff and a bit of speedibeet, and I am hoping to add a vitamin supplement to help him as he does have cushings (though has never suffered too badly). All I would say that if they are doing well on what they are currently eating - why change it? Although if this situation changes then might be the time to have a re-think. One last thing - if they have cushings the glucosamine supplement for the joints can actually exacerbate the issue and change blood sugar dramatically so might be safer to avoid this! :-) Good luck x
 
You're quite right to have a thorough vetting, but I do like the look of this mare - and she appears very calm in that awful traffic! I think she looks really sweet and if you are after a confidence giver, then she looks spot on. OK, she might be older than the 18 years you're being told but the vet can confirm that - she does have rather a lot of grey hairs on her face which is often a sign they're a tad older than the 18 years. In the video, the little clip of her walking and trotting up the lane she looked good - her ears were forward and she appeared to be moving more freely than in the school.

Ref feeding, I've got a 21 year old TB x WB and he gets Topspec Senior balancer. This includes the vits/mins he needs, plus also a joint supplement. It is quite expensive, but I find it's worth it. When you get this mare vetted, then the vet will be able to advise on whether a joint supplement may be worthwhile. If it's not needed, then you can feed her small feeds of chaff and fibre nuts.

I also agree with comment above about a Cushings test - ask your vet about doing one - at certain times of the year they're actually free, so you may not need to pay for it, but it's best to know what the score is and you can take necessary action. However, if she does have Cushings and you chose to medicate, then this is not cheap depending on how many tablets she needs per day - it's about £1/tablet.

Good luck - I hope the vetting goes well!
 
My cushings test was free and my vet even downloaded the voucher for me! The medication I have is £1.53 a tablet, but he has half a tablet a day so it's about £500 a yet but I think it's worth it. Cushings isn't the end of the world at all it's just better to know and to treat it. Make sure you ask specifically though as the vet I used for the vetting said he was at no extra risk than other horses his age, but after reading up (having not known much about it) and getting a test he very obviously had it and they didn't say a thing! Not good! X
 
I think she looks sweet, and wouldn't be put off an older horse but I would have a vetting. My cob certainly would have been off when the dog moved those poles, so having a safe horse does count for a lot.

I haven't ever fed anything special to older horses and especially the cobby types I have had have coped well on minimal feed.

Does the dealer know any of her history - has she been out of work or had a foal this year. Her belly looks quite dipped to me, but this could just be the angle of the video?
 
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