What do you think of this horse?

[Burnttoast]

An acquaintance is thinking of buying this horse. Comments would be gratefully received, anything that strikes you. Obviously I have my own thoughts but I would be interested to see what people think.

September 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmw2ZIda01w&feature=related

Jan 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrZMi-Ngpfo

Thanks!

 

[OneInAMillion]

Second video - never seen a horse with so little neck muscle

I know the woman selling it, I wouldn't rush to buy from her from personal experience...

 

[Burnttoast]

Thanks for reply! Mmm. That's one of the things I thought, and the other is useful to know! Apparently its feet are in a terrible state too, although that is fixable.

 

[cptrayes]

I would suspect some sort of nerve damage to cause a neck like that on a well covered horse. It looks very, very wrong to me.

 

[LouandBee]

To be brutally honest - an average looking TB, although very sweet with the little boy on! Would be interesting to see a good rider on him/her though as not sure the girl in the first vid is doing him/her any favours.

 

[team barney]

She doesn't look sound to me in either video.

 

[be positive]

A dealer to have it for over a year,there is more than likely a reason.
I couldnt see the point of the first video it went on and on,the mare looked happiest when she let the reins go.
In second as above very weak neck.
I would not view based on the videos.

 

[Burnttoast]

Apparently one of the girls on the yard got on well with her so she stayed, but that sounds a bit odd, doesn't quite add up. Why would you not move her on asap while it was looking good, rather than let her topline get into that state and then sell? Having said that, I haven't seen her myself - she may not look like the Jan video now, but I can't see her having regained that muscle and it's obviously not a winter/condition issue, as she is well-covered otherwise, as Cptrayes said.

Comments are all very useful, thank you. Hadn't considered nerve damage - that is thought-provoking. She certainly doesn't look 'right' and apparently will not take a contact at all.

Viewing has already occurred, another one at the weekend, possibly...

 

[FanyDuChamp]

She doesn't look sound to me in either video.

This struck me also.
FDC

 

[be positive]

Summer headshaker?? would explain why not sold earlier.
If someone was riding her regularly where are the other videos,the ones that show her going well.

 

[shadowboy]

Not much to her- nothing exciting or eye catching- seems even tempered however.

\second vid makes her look somewhat unlevel in places although might be the uneven terrain- would need to be cheap to take the risk on her. How old is she?

 

[Burnttoast]

She's 13 and about £1800, I think. She does appear to have an excellent temperament, but that's not a lot of use if they can't do the job, sadly.

 

[shadowboy]

She's 13 and about £1800, I think. She does appear to have an excellent temperament, but that's not a lot of use if they can't do the job, sadly.

Personally I think thats too expensive for a 13 year old with poor condition, and a green way of going despite age who I personally have doubts would even pass a vetting.

 

[Honey08]

What job does she want her for?

I thought that it was hard to tell as the riders were doing her no favours.

I've been keeping an eye out at the similar price level, and there seems to be a fair bit around that would be better (often youngish though).

 

[Burnttoast]

Agree about the vetting!

She would not be doing a serious 'job' (just hacking, small XC) but in all likelihood would be ridden pretty hard at times.

 

[BillyBob-Sleigh]

agree with her not looking 100% sound, also don't like the headshaking in the first video, she seems to have built up the muscle under her neck a lot but the second video it seems to have gone and become quite "weedy" looking. Seems quite sweet though

 

[Burnttoast]

Hadn't thought about head-shaking (never dealt with one, luckily) - thanks BP and JH!

 

[Paddy Irish]

Poor Ruby - she didn't look too bad in the first vid - although clearly not happy at the head end , not relaxed at all through the poll - could be teeth though ,

god knows what's going on in the second clip , are we supposed to think that because someone so small can evidently master her , that she has a lovely temperament , it's such a shame to see what she has become , when the first clip shows how nice she should be , all be it with a bit of TLC and a decent vetting to rule out anything serious , there's no reason in my mind to think she couldn't make someone a very hansom hack - but maybe not at that price!

 

[charmeroo]

She looks sweet but I agree that something is not right. She doesn't look sound and cannot maintain canter in second video. The lack of muscle in her neck I doubt would be caused by poor riding in such a short space of time. I would suspect that she has back issues and if your friend is to buy her then a 5 stage vetting is imperartive with your own vet and looking carefully at her back. But as I doubt that she's sound.....

 

[TicTac]

Poor Ruby - she didn't look too bad in the first vid - although clearly not happy at the head end , not relaxed at all through the poll - could be teeth though ,

god knows what's going on in the second clip , are we supposed to think that because someone so small can evidently master her , that she has a lovely temperament , it's such a shame to see what she has become , when the first clip shows how nice she should be , all be it with a bit of TLC and a decent vetting to rule out anything serious , there's no reason in my mind to think she couldn't make someone a very hansom hack - but maybe not at that price!

Agree with above and I actually think she looks on the poor side in the second vid and that there is something wrong for her neck to be so thin now. I feel quite sorry for her!

 

[cptrayes]

She's 13 and about £1800, I think. .

NO WAY!

The horse in that state is worth no more than a meat money price in this market. Your friend would, quite frankly, be nuts if she paid much more than 1/3 of that for her. There are serious doubts as to her soundness, especially as to why she appears to have lost all the tone in the ligament that runs up the top of the neck. It happens with horses in a martingale who pull and turn their necks upside down, but she does not have the tell tale muscle bulge at the bottom that would suggest that this is what has happened.

No dealer at the low end of the market keeps a horse for a year because one of her staff likes it. There has been something wrong with the horse for her to be unable to sell it. Summer pollen-allergy headshaker would be a common one.

 

[Burnttoast]

Thanks, guys. I am getting the impression that this one is off, and others are being considered. Which is good, tho I still feel sorry for the mare.

 

[PogoPumpkinBecky]

i wouldn't write her off without a look. i have seen her on fb and it sounds as if she was sold to the seller to sell to a home where she would do more as just hacked at her last home. there are comments from what appears to be her last owner so maybe you could talk to her sometime?

here are some pics off fb:
looking underweight hence why her neck looks awful i think.

she looks much better here

she looks like a good allrounder to me, not her fault she is where she is and if you can talk to her old 'family' home its a good thing.

i have friends who have bought from this seller and have had good experiences, and have also heard of not so good, depends on the horse i think!

 

[milesjess]

She looks quite nice in that first video and I'd have said definitely worthy of a look. Provided there's no health issues etc and you can commit time to get her back to that condition then I'd say view her.

I think you could get her cheaper though.

The only thing that struck me, apart from the lack of muscle/ condition was that she didn't look quite 100% at times but if her feet are bad then that could explain that.

I'd say get her vetted though if you do decide to buy her. Looks a shame like cos she's a pretty mare.

 

[PolarSkye]

I think she's not badly put together and seems willing enough - however, she is hollow in the first video and obviously evading a contact for some reason with all that head shaking. You said that her feet are apparently awful so it would seem reasonable to expect that perhaps her teeth are in dire need of attention too - which may explain some of that fussiness - but not necessarily the hollowness. Rider wasn't helping with that inconsistent contact - poor mare was being socked in the mouth every second step - that might make me jerk my head around.

However - second video really rang alarm bells for me. Why on earth is a horse that well covered in every other way lacking in such condition in her neck? The wastage in her neck muscles between the two videos is really marked and (frankly) really alarming. Did they put the little boy on her to show how obliging/sane she is . . . or to hide how buggered her back is?

She doesn't look particularly level - especially in the 2nd video - and her unwillingness to stay in canter in the 2nd vid could be down to the rider (he is only little) or it could be a more worrying pain/weakness issue.

Honestly? I wouldn't go and see her.

P

 

[AmyMay]

I actually really like her. Couldn't see any soundness problems in the first video.

Second video shows a horse who has obvioualy been out of work for several months.

I actually think there is an awful lot to like about her. She's very attractive.

 

[ridgerider]

Agree about the vetting!

She would not be doing a serious 'job' (just hacking, small XC) but in all likelihood would be ridden pretty hard at times.

What do you mean by ridden pretty hard at times?

 

[BonneMaman]

Sorry, not convinced at all. Adult riding with a back protector, lot of fighting of head and needs a lead from a small pony over jumps. Then v small child and horse now looks like a donkey??

 

[TED2010]

NO WAY!

The horse in that state is worth no more than a meat money price in this market. Your friend would, quite frankly, be nuts if she paid much more than 1/3 of that for her. There are serious doubts as to her soundness, especially as to why she appears to have lost all the tone in the ligament that runs up the top of the neck. It happens with horses in a martingale who pull and turn their necks upside down, but she does not have the tell tale muscle bulge at the bottom that would suggest that this is what has happened.

No dealer at the low end of the market keeps a horse for a year because one of her staff likes it. There has been something wrong with the horse for her to be unable to sell it. Summer pollen-allergy headshaker would be a common one.

This!!

 

[Echo Bravo]

Well for me to see a 11 year old boy riding her and not very well, she seems a very willing mare and I wouldn't write her off at all.