Sarcoids affecting value of horse?

sophs_c

sophs_c

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I am looking to sell my horse who has been treated for 3 sarcoids on his sheath using liverpool cream 6 months ago. The treatment had been effective and the sarcoids have dropped off but will leave a visible mark.
The horse in question is a 16h rising 6 year old gelding by Harlequin du Carel x Olympic Lux. Currently competing at 1.10 SJ, ready to Be100/Novice this year. And has the nicest temperament you could ever imagine.
The question is, would the fact he has had sarcoids put you off buying him completely or how much would you be willing to pay?
When I come to sell him I would rather be completely honest with people as don't want to waste my time or theirs, would you recommend making a note of it on the advert?

Thanks in advance!
 
If your horse has been successfully treated and has had no reoccurrence of sacroids then like any other issue whether once off ring worm / viral infection then I would say no.

Sacroids can be quite common in young horses who go on to be free of them for the rest of their life.

I will take it that the scars are well healed but visible?

I had a horse that a sacroid type growth close to his girth. this was removed and whilst it took a long time to heal you cannot spot that he ever had one at all bar the hair is lighter where it was removed.

A horse sold with sacroids will certainly go for less than a horse without as there may be health / use implications down the line. In addition some insurance companies will not cover horses that have been treated for an existing condition if they have later health implications caused by same.

However this is a question I would put to your vet or a vet that does sale examinations - they will better be able to determine your horses liklyhood of a reoccurrence based on the type of sacroid that was treated...
 
We were talking about this the other day, and alot of people don't really know much about sarcoids. Which is often what puts people off, although they can be handled pretty easily.
 
teamsarazara said:
We were talking about this the other day, and alot of people don't really know much about sarcoids. Which is often what puts people off, although they can be handled pretty easily.
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I know quite a bit about them and although a lot of cases can be easy to treat, many do re-occur at some point later in life. My horse was treated at 4 and they didn't re-appear until around 7 years old, this time they did not respond to any treatment and were internal and external and lead to her being PTS eventually at only 15. She was however a worst case scenario and only a relative few get this serious.
 
If the horse ticked all the boxes it would not put me off, although if in the ad I may not phone to find out more. A client did buy a horse with a few tiny sarcoids they reduced his value and made him affordable and have now just about gone, the main problem is with insurance as it will probably exclude any future sarcoids in any area.

I would think that your horse should attract a serious competitive rider that will be more interested in talent than a blemish, which is all there is now.

A good ad with photos should get some interest, I would tell people when they phone that he has been successfully treated.
 
May depend on the type of sarcoid. I have had ponies with individual sarcoid that were easily dealt with. Also had 3yo filly pts this year as her sarcoid was very aggressive and vet recommended pts as prognosis was so bad.
 
my gelding is curretly undergoing sarcoid treatment and it has made me think about the effect on possible sale price if i ever had to sell him.
A mine was treated for alot of sacroids at once i would feel it necessary to mention it to potential buyers. However as yours only had 3, if they are gone and healed, i would only mention it to buyers if they specifically asked about it. Although if you felt more comfortable with them knowing just be honest and explain what the possible future implications could be (which could theoretically be none)
 
I think it would put a lot of people off and vets can be very condemning about sarcoids. They would probably be excluded by an insurance company which would put people off even more
 
Tbh if it was me it wouldn't put me off as long as i had suitable turnout away from mares to reduce chances of spreading, he ticked all the boxes and i knew how to deal with it.
 
Just to add the vet was very negative about the horse we purchased but as we knew his history in full and the seller very well we went ahead against his advice and the horse is great and doing what he was bought for.
 
be positive said:
Just to add the vet was very negative about the horse we purchased but as we knew his history in full and the seller very well we went ahead against his advice and the horse is great and doing what he was bought for.
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The vets have to say things like that, basically so no one can turn around and sue them. They'd be quite happy for you to buy a horse that they were going to be making business from if that was the case!
 
I tried a lovely 5 year old a few years ago and he failed the vetting due to a sarcoid near the girth area which required surgery. Vet said not to buy under any circumstance as risk of re-occurence was very high, so we followed his advice. The horses price was reduced by £700 and offered to us again but our insurers said they wouldnt cover him so we had to say no sadly, I would have had him anyway but parents said no!
 
Thanks for all the response!
The sarcoids have only dropped off recently so there is still visible damage there that anyone who knew what they were talking about would notice.
I'm hoping that as they aren't anywhere too problematic people will be willing to overlook them as they will hopefully fall in love with him :) Ah wishful thinking but will keep my fingers crossed.
Happy New Year everyone X
 
I would not buy a horse with sarcoids at any cost. I wouldn't even have him if he were free. My horse had 3 sarcoids on the sheath area which were treated with the liverpool cream and then the following year loads more popped up. He now has hundreds and one large, weepy one on his face. They are not covered by insurance any more and I don't know what to do about it once the flies come out in the spring
 
It would depend on the type of sarcoid and location for me.

I have bought a horse with a sarcoid, the flat type.

However, would not buy one that had the angleberry type, and wouldn't touch one that had any on the sheath, girth or eye area.
 
teamsarazara said:
Tbh if it was me it wouldn't put me off as long as i had suitable turnout away from mares to reduce chances of spreading, he ticked all the boxes and i knew how to deal with it.
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You do realise that sarcoids are not spread by contact etc? They are something that the horse is predisposed to..


I used to have a horse with sarcoids, and LOTS of them...we really struggled to sell him but ended up finding someone perfect who bought him and still has him.
Personally, I wouldn't buy another with sarcoids simply due to the hassle I have already had with them and the fact that my youngster has one which is particularly persistant!
 
Having had a mare with sarcoids I would never buy another horse with sarcoids.

She had a "benign" one for 3 years when it became active and others started forming on her belly. She had them removed a total of 4 times over a period of 10 years (fortunately insurance company did cover treatments at the time). They stopped growing after the 4th removal when she was about 16

You just don't know when and how they will recurr.
 
I think it depends if you’ve ever seen them go really bad - if you have it will probably put you off - I would buy one with sarcoidosis treated or otherwise - I’d loan one but not buy.
 
Yes sorry it would put me off completely. Having been through the trauma of sarcoid treatment with a much loved horse, that I am likely to loose due to these wretched things, I can honestly say I would never touch a horse with them, even if they'd been "successfully" treated.[/QUOTE]
 
Your horse has talent and breeding but having had a horse with a sheath full of sarcoids I would not buy your horse. One the size of a petit pois at age 11 escalated dramatically to fill his sheath and cover his penis. They didn't seem to affect his quality of life but all sorts used to get stuck up there because it was so distended and the flies were very attracted to the area too.
 
I had a 25 yo PTS before Christmas and I have a 25yo in the field in good health. The ONLY thing they have in common is that they both had sarcoids when they were 7. The WB has a HUGE nasty sarcoid removed at Liverpool, the ID had a teensy one removed by ringing/freezing. Oops - I forgot - the other thing they have in common - neither got another sarcoid. Only problem is - the scars will be spotted at a vetting ad insurers (who are rip-off erchants) will exclude sarcoids completely - and probably charge 150% more than normal. That would put a lot of buyers off - even if it didn't they would expect a bargain price.
 
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