Vetting stage for a 'freebie' horse?

Antw23uk

Antw23uk

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Hi All,

Through word of mouth I went and met a rather lovely 14 yr old TB gelding the other day who has been used for the last nine months as a companion. Previous to that he was a happy hacker/ fun ride type horse but the owner wanted something smaller and this companion home came up at the same time very close to owners yard so seemed a good match.

Anyway long story short he is now looking for a new home as he isnt required as a companion anymore and this is were I come in ... Hopefully :) I lunged him in walk, trot and canter when i met him and he is lovely and goes into a lovely outline (thats as far as my posh talk goes, lol :o)

He isn't, in his owners own words, worth anything and she would rather he be pts than have an uncertain future and other than needing to be brought back into work there is nothing wrong with him and his use as a riding horse, especially for me as i only want to do happy hacking, touch of schooling maybe and some fun rides. I'm happy and confident bringing him back into work.

So in this situation would you still have a vetting done and what stage would you think suitable as he isnt ridden yet (he needs building up more before a saddle and rider can go on)

Would you bother and take the chance or would it not matter if the horse was £1 or £10k+ you would still vet?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
I wouldn't bother with a vetting but then again I would probably not want to take on a 14 year old although if it did go wrong I have my own land so not paying livery for a horse that cannot be ridden.
As he is not in work a 5 stage is unrealistic and expensive, for peace of mind a 2 stage would make sense just to ensure there are no obvious underlying issues which will not be covered by insurance if something does go wrong early on, it costs as much, if not more, to keep a horse that is unsound as well as the disappointment of not having a horse to ride.
 
So what would you do if he failed a 2 stage? Leave him to be PTS or try and manage his problem? If the first, yes, do the basics, if the latter you are wasting money on a vetting because you will find out any problems anyway.
 
Two stage it is and if he failed that I doubt I would have a choice as his lovely owner would only do the best by him. Thanks all
 
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