Selling to hacking /hunting home - realistic?

I like budatiger's suggestion of a low level endurance home. Or someone into something like Le trec perhaps? That said I have no idea how to find such a home but local RCs and possibly whatever local committee represents the discipline? A loan would be far more responsible than selling because you just know he is going to get medicated and sold on. If he comes back lame think about PTS then?
 
Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate it. The final verdict from the vet, after review with an expert, is that medicating his hocks won't help. But they both agree that his hock issues aren't new, have been with him since a foal, and aren't obviously deteriorating. Given he passed a five stage in December after hunting during the preceding season, and we've only had problems since we started school work, there is no reason why he shouldn't have a 'straight line' career.

I'm still really torn on what to do for the best. Those who say loan, I do understand your concerns and reasoning, but he's only 7 and I face a potential 15 plus years of being ultimately responsible for him. Sounds harsh, but for a horse I've only owned for 2.5 months that's commitment I'm not sure I'm up for. Considering lwvtb if I can find a nice home. If not, I think pts is my best option :(
 
FfionWinnie said:
I don't think you will be able to sell him unless he is utterly outstanding and very cheap and you get very lucky and find someone offering a good home who will take the chance on him.

If it comes to a decision between shoot or keep you may as well loan out and if successful great and if not then you reconsider your options again?

How was the issue diagnosed, were the hocks better after medication? Is the vet sure it's the hocks and they aren't a secondary problem from the muscular stiffness (query muscle myopathy, hocks and sacro issues are often secondary).
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Hock issues diagnosed by xray, and vet is happy that they are the cause of the muscle soreness because of the way he compensated for the fact his hocks won't flex laterally (poss not right terminology) as they should. Xrayed stifles and spine too and found no issues. We could go on looking I guess, but the vet thinks there is no clinical reason to suspect another issue.
 
If he were mine, I would advertise him being honest about his issues as hack/possible hunter for a lwvtb with a longish loan to see how he goes. Hunting is finished now, and hacking him all summer then easing him in through autumn hunting could well be the best way to see if he is going to be up to the job. If not... then I suppose you can either step it down again to just hacking or consider PTS at that stage.
 
We had a conni x that passed a 5 stage (that we had done with a v reputable practice) yet had to put down 4 years later due to lameness all round that could not be treated and as he was completely unsuitable as a companion. The chief vet who signed off the PTS told us he was very surprised how he could deteriorate that much in 4 years so for this pony to have this so soon after a vetting seems quite odd regardless of what schooling/work it has been doing. I assume the bloods taken from the vetting have been checked and that the veterinary history checked (to ensure that it had not been injected to make sound for hunting). I don't know if it was your vetting or someone else had done this. Having bought another horse quite recently I found out to my cost (the cost of a vetting only thankfully) that a 'previous' or 'recent' 5 stage means nothing as we had one re-vetted for insurance and it failed quite conclusively!!
 
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