Should i get this horse? he has sarcoids?

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horses21

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I have been offered a horse for free from a friend and he is perfect but he has 6/7 sarcoids.

They are all small and apparently they don't affect him. None of them are in the tack area and they haven't been treated.

Should I get him?

and should I get them treated by a vet? or leave them?
 
I wouldnt take him on personally having had a horse with these in the past, it was endless heartache and I lost him in the end. I'm sure others will say they have had horses with these and have had no problems though
 
Where exactly are they (anywhere eyes/ willy/ where a rug would sit/ back leg straps etc.)
Would you buy him for £3k if he didn't have them - what I mean is, is he the right horse for you (size, age, experience, etc.) - or is he just appealing as he is free !
How long has he had them - a long time and they have stayed the same size I;d be less bothered than if they have all appeared in the last 12 months (if that's the case how do you know one won't appear where your girth goes)
Are you happy to have him retired/ PTS if he does grow one in an awkward place ]
Can you afford livery/ costs and time to own one of your own?

You won't be able to insure him for them (as they are pre existing) so treatment could be several £thousand if they are stubben, do you have this available

- Sorry for the 100 questions but all things for you to think about
 
Our ex racer has one big on, has.changed at all.....

brought a horse last year who had a few on his neck but he ticks the box for everything else and wasn't that expensive....none of them have changed.

its pot luck really.
 
Polos Mum said:
Where exactly are they (anywhere eyes/ willy/ where a rug would sit/ back leg straps etc.)
Would you buy him for £3k if he didn't have them - what I mean is, is he the right horse for you (size, age, experience, etc.) - or is he just appealing as he is free !
How long has he had them - a long time and they have stayed the same size I;d be less bothered than if they have all appeared in the last 12 months (if that's the case how do you know one won't appear where your girth goes)
Are you happy to have him retired/ PTS if he does grow one in an awkward place ]
Can you afford livery/ costs and time to own one of your own?

You won't be able to insure him for them (as they are pre existing) so treatment could be several £thousand if they are stubben, do you have this available

- Sorry for the 100 questions but all things for you to think about
Click to expand...

Great advice here. Having gone through the heart ache and bank ache - I wouldn't touch it with a sh@tty stick!
 
If he's what you want and you can cope with treating or PTS if they develop in a bad way, why not. You could say no and hunt for ages a perfect horse, for it to get a sarcoid the next day, or go lame, colic etc.
 
Had a horse develop several, year of painful, expensive (for the insurance company) treatment & we lost him to a possibly related condition, so no, wouldn't touch with a barge pole.
 
How long has he had them? I personally wouldn't risk it, as although they may not change, there's always the chance that they will, or that more will appear in worse places, and I imagine it would cost a fortune to treat as insurance wouldn't cover it. There are lots of "problem-free" horses about and I try my very best to avoid all potential heartbreak where possible! However, if he really is a lovely chap and everything you are looking for and you would be prepared to either treat them if required in the future or retire/PTS, then perhaps take the chance - horses are delicate creatures at the best of times and even the healthiest horse can snap its leg playing in the field.
 
If he was perfect otherwise, I would. I bought my horse aged five, no sarcoids. He developed them as a six year old and still has them now aged twenty-one. One was shelled by the vet and so far that is all the veterinary treatment he's had on them. I've been told that they are less likely to get new ones as they get older but I still have a good look on a regular basis, just in case.

My freebie horse has no sarcoids whatsoever. He is a walking catalogue of problems and is retired to being an expensive field ornament.

It's pot luck sometimes with horses. I personally wouldn't touch a horse with sweet itch, even if I was offered cash to take it.
 
Having been there, I wouldn't have one again. I had an 8yr old with 3/4 small ones. Within 2 yrs he had about 20. Lost an arm and a leg when I sold him

However if horse is perfect for you and has no other issues AT ALL. Then just maybe as he is free I would consider it with the thought being if they spread maybe spend some on treatment but then call it a a
Day if started interfering with riding. Unless your happy to keep as a pet if course
 
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I bought my horse 12 years ago with a large one on his groin area. Big enough to rub and bleed. My vet said if he had to have one it was the best sort to have and once he was mine she squeezed it out. The lump that was left was about half the size but that eventually disappeared and he hasn't been troubled with them since. He does have melanomas under his tail but he is grey and now 20 years old.
 
I wouldn't let it stop me getting a horse I wanted anyway. But I'd know that selling on would be difficult due to the fear they generate.
I've had numerous horses with them and they've never been a problem.
Non were in problematic areas eg where tack goes.
 
I purchased my last horse who had them. However, she was young and poor and I was confident that with good food and Sarc ex they would all disappear...and they did. Had she been older / in good condition I probably would not have had her.
 
Yes I would as they are very common. Depending on the size and location they can be very cheap to remove. My first pony had a few, removed as a 3 year old and at 17 years she has just had a new one appear. She had the Liverpool treat when it was in its trail period so got it at a reduced cost of a couple of hundred pounds.
My previous horse also had them, he didn't have the Liverpool treatment as his were very small and I was given some red gunk by the vet to treat. Took around 14-21 day of daily application to get them all to fall off. I had him for 8 years with no further problems.
If the horse is sound and free from other problems and the vet was happy with the horse, then I would take him. Just get a 5 stage vetting done or at least a check over from the vet to give you peace of mind.
 
Depends on the quality of the horse and what you will be doing with it (basically it's value without sarcoids) Happy hacker, no unless it had the most perfect temperament and wanted for novice or nervous rider, well schooled dressage horse with nice paces and generous nature, yes. Talented SJ, yes if it ticked all the boxes. I'd compare the value to me without sarcoids and match it against potential vet costs if the sarcoids became a problem and if it stacked up, I'd probably take a punt on it. I'd also make it clear that should the horse become unrideable I would give present owner ist chance to have back to retire or I would PTS. All of this obviously depends on where the sarcoids are and what type as some i wouldn't touch with a bargepole.
 
Hello OP please do bear in mind all the other posts on this. My take is due to my experiences only.
When I got the lovely Sultan ignorance was bliss as he had a few small warty-looking sarcoids which I did not think were a problem, as I knew that our calves got them and usually they just disappeared. Not in tack area,not going to rub etc. Over the years more developed ( small ones) none of the other horses got any, and vets said could tie off if I wanted, or just leave them. I decided to try Thuja tablets (bought them at Boots the chemist) just to see, and after a few months treatment all the sarcoids had disappeared.I am not usually a fan of this type of treatment and maybe they would have disappeared anyway.Who knows.
Would this horse tick all the boxes if he did not have sarcoids (how big are they and what sort?) and was not being gifted? Hope this helps.
 
having gone through several treatments on sarcoids and seens them react and behave in completely unpredicatable ways then NO, I would not buy another horse with sarcoids. It's just not worth the worry that will ensue.
 
For me it would depend on how much I liked the horse and what the vet advised me about the type of sarcoids they are and the costs of dealing with them .
But I can afford thousands of pounds to treat a horse if I choose to .
And I keep my horses at home so don't have to worry about finding livery I would not be happy to be on a livery yard with a horse with untreated raw sarcoids .
You need to be aware that all horses with any wounds or small knicks kept near horse horse need have all wounds kept covered with a barrier cream at all times .
The issue is small innocuous looking sarcoids can be huge festering masses a month later.
 
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