Sarcoids - Horse for Loan

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I have found a lovely horse who I am having on trial with a view to taking her on full loan.

The only issue is that she has sacrcoids. Two largish ones on the inside of her leg (wart like ones about the size of a 10p piece) and one flat one on her neck.

I was looking for a horse to do dressage / jumping with and in that respect she is perfect and I think we could learn a lot together. I also enjoy a bit of showing (riding horse / working hunter style classes)

I'm just worried about ...
- Possible problems sarcoids cause. I have no experience at all of them. Her owner has had them checked by a vet who recommended leaving them at the moment as they are not causing her any problems.
- Treatment. Does turning out with a fly rug on help in the summer?
- Whether it would affect us if we wanted to do working hunter?

I don;t want to miss out on what is otherwise a lovely horse - but also don;t want to be taking on problems I have little experience of.
 
It would be worth getting your own vet to have a look at the horse. Sadly quitre often sarcoids can spread and become a big problem. If they appear on the girth area it is difficult to be able to ride the horse. A friend bought a PC pony who came with a few sarcoids. They spread to the girth area and all over the chest. In the Summer flies became a problem. Sadly he had to be put to sleep last year.
 
I have one on loan that has sarcoids and I have to say from a personal experiance, I wouldnt go there again, its more hassle than its worth, when I say hassle I mean worrying about how their growing, getting them treated, new ones popping up, sometimes they bleed and become sore etc

They may be ok now but they can change very quickly and its very possible that new ones will grow in the future, if you have them in the girth/saddle areas or under the armpits....your asking for trouble and expensence.

Unless the owner is willing to get the treatment under way now then you will be heading for disapointment, sarcoids can and should be dealt with straight away, it will cost less money now to sort them out than in the long run, longer you leave the longer the recovery time (depending on where they are and what type they are).

Make sure the horse is insured and sarcoid treatment is covered, if not be prepaired for a lot of expense or walk away.

As for showing, if they are treated sucessfully then yes you will be able to show, because they won't be there, but while the horse has sarcoids, I'm afraid you will get put down the line when being judged.

Yes a fly rug will help, you need to keep the flys off them in summer and be warned they grow like wild fire in winter.
 
I completely disagree and know horses who have had them for years with no problems. Sadly by treating them often you make them more aggressive and more of a problem. TBH it depends on the extent on the sarcoids as to what treatment I would have done on them, some can just be banded off if they grow too big, others need liverpool cream (expensive) or freezing off (leaves small scar) best treatment i've seen is lasering, which is expensive again, but does work. If they don't interfere with the tack and are the blobby type that aren't bleeding then I say go for it. The horse is only on loan and beggars can't be choosers! I would say though that you need a decent fly rug to help stop them spreading, as they are spread by flies who have been eating at the bleeding ones, hence the non bleeding type not being much of a problem. Not all horses will get them, as some have natural immunity and its believed to be caused by the bovine papilloma virus. You also need to watch out if your horse that has sarcoids injures itself and has an open wound, as these are sites they tend to develop. So basically management is very important, good fly rug vital as is treatment of any wounds with lots of fly gel. I would be less worried if your in a cattle free area (like we are, so less spread of sarcoids) and also if your horse is kept on a hillside or somewhere fairly fly free.
You can enter your horse is all classes at shows even with sarcoids and at local level it shouldn't really matter as regards to our marks. Dressage and jumping will be unaffected.
 
whatever you decide, one thing you really must clarify, is who will be picking up the cost of the sarcoid treatment if it does become an issue. I had a friend who had an ex-international dressage horse on loan. He had terrible sarcoids around his ears, he needed constant treatment for them and it cost a lot of money. The other thing to consider is that you might face some prejudice about where you keep your horse if it has sarcoids, ie you might find some livery yards will not want the horse.
 
"Sarcoids" is too general a term and covers many lumps that behave differently. Some are small, contained, do not grow, do not 'weep' and cause no problem (esp if they are not in the way of tack). Others spread, multiply, become infected and turn into a real problem.

There are a number of treatments for sarcoids. In general if they appear settled most vets would suggest leaving them alone. Some drop off after banding and this is a very cheap way of dealing with them. Others need more complex and expenssive treatment like the Liverpool cream.

If this horse is perfect in every other way I would go for it. Any horse can get sarcoids so choosing a horse that is currently sarcoid-free is no guarrantee that it won't develop a sarcoid tomorrow. At the end of the day this is a loan horse and you can come to an arrangement with the owner regarding the cost of any treatment and if she does become unriddable she can always go back to her owner for retirement.
 
I personally think that if you think the horse is suitable for you and that the sarcoids aren't in a position that is going to cause trouble, I would go for it. It is after all a loan. As has already been stated, do have a written agreement stating who will pay for treatment if the need arises. If there are problems, you can return the horse to the owner. Good luck!
 
Our mare had two sarcoids treated (frozen) when she was 7 moths old. She had one treated at about 8 yrs old. There are different types and its really best to talk to a vet who has seen the horse. Like nickyc said it is a loan, if there was a problem you could send the horse back. If it were me i would go for it.
 
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