Would this put you off?

[Izzwall]

So I'm about to advertise my amazing thoroughbred who doesn't act and keep like a thoroughbred.
Is a good doer and can survive off just grass in summer and one feed in winter, lives out 24/7 next to the moors and only rugged in the worst weather and only in a 100g. No vices or injuries etc and I know all his history including veterinary. I ride him in a rope halter, way more whoa than go. Is very lazy especially in company! Just a super easy kind horse who wants to be your best friend.
He's been barefoot for 5 years and up until last September had great feet and wore boots out hacking, mainly due to being on dartmoor everywhere is stony including the mile long driveway to get to my yard, would be fine on tarmac with nothing.
Then he started getting foot abscesses at the start of winter. Where I am it's extremely wet and the field is also stony so farrier and I put it down to his feet getting soft then him bruising himself on stones which then created the abscesses.
Once it eventually dried out, and let's be honest, this past winter was absolutely savage, he stopped getting them.
I had a friend with a thoroughbred who used to share the same field with me who also kept getting abscesses in winter and once she moved her horse never got them again.
He is shod in front with duplo shoes now as its been raining non stop again and so far no abscesses!
As a buyer would this put you off?

I haven't sold a horse in 14 years and I keep them to the end normally and I'm already stressing about it all! It's already a extremely difficult sale as I absolutely adore him but with 60 hour working weeks, 3 horses and I'm about to buy my first house (with a big mortgage), he's the only one out of the 3 who has a decent chance of finding a good home

 

[ycbm]

Yes, it will put some buyers off by raising questions about why he can't take metal ones. If you need the widest market for him, can you get him shod with a pair of standard front shoes?

He sounds lovely.
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[Izzwall]

Yes, it will put some buyers off by raising questions about why he can't take metal ones. If you need the widest market for him, can you get him shod with a pair of standard front shoes?

He sounds lovely.
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Didn't think of the duplos putting people off! It's only down to my preference as its the next best thing to barefoot, would be ideal if someone could take him barefoot again as he does have really good feet which I've worked so hard for him to achieve, but also understand that once he's no longer mine the new owner can do as they wish.
Hate selling horses

 

[Jenko109]

I think its fine if you explain that there is no reason he cannot be shod the traditional way.

He sounds lovely.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

If you said he's only in the duplos due to the exceptionally wet weather and your own personal preference for keeping barefoot or as close to as possible, but that there's no reason he couldn't go fully shod or fully barefoot, then I'd think it would be fine

 

[Rowreach]

It wouldn't put me off, I'd be more worried if he had metal ones on tbh.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It wouldn't put me off I would rather glue on shoes than nailed on and I'm currently looking into to similar for one of mine.

He sounds really lovely I'm sure you would find someone who wants him he would definitely be the kind of horse I would be interested in.

 

[Lauraback]

It wouldn’t put me off he sounds lovely, my current boy has been barefoot all his life I’m sure someone who rates barefoot would strive to get him back to that

 

[ycbm]

Didn't think of the duplos putting people off! It's only down to my preference as its the next best thing to barefoot, would be ideal if someone could take him barefoot again as he does have really good feet which I've worked so hard for him to achieve, but also understand that once he's no longer mine the new owner can do as they wish.
Hate selling horses

It wouldn't worry me but I don't feel there is any doubt that in a market where nobody knows whether they can trust the seller if they don't know them, it will worry some people.

It will worry people who want a barefoot horse who may think he's wearing plastic shoes because he can't go barefoot.

It will worry people who want to use metal shoes who may think that metal shoes make his feet fall apart or just won't stay on.

It will worry people who may think that you have put them on to reduce concussion because you had to, or to give him a bar shoe because you had to.

Metal shoes are so absolutely normal that I can hardly see them putting anyone off. Barefooters may prefer he didn't have them on, but most diehard barefooters will also assume that they can at least get him into boots.

So I am sure that it will affect your total pool of people who might want to buy him, but it may not affect it enough to stop him selling, it depends how strong the market is for a TB at your price.
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[irishdraft]

Duplos would put me off because I would be suspicious of why they were on plus the fact I suspect they would be expensive.

 

[Izzwall]

They are cheaper than metal shoes, last longer and provide better grip on the roads I've found. It's only to protect his feet from getting abscesses on my awful ground, it has been battered after this winter and he's also on a grassless track during the day with my laminitics which can get muddy quickly in places.
If my ground wasn't so rubbish he would still be barefoot and I definitely think somewhere else he wouldn't get any issues. He hasn't had any issues before this awful winter!
Tbf as well I'm far too honest for my own good I'm just worried about the moment I tell people he suffered from foot abscesses this winter due to how wet it was and how awful my field got it would put people off, when in reality there isn't anything wrong with him? For a thoroughbred that's raced, he's actually in pretty good knick with no old injuries or scars and is also genuine as they come

 

[Fieldlife]

They wouldn’t put me off. They are what I’d use if I could get hold of them and needed shoes.

 

[Fieldlife]

As a buyer I’d value your honesty and I’d assess his foot balance and quality of feet currently for future work. Personally I’d prefer a horse with decent looking feet that’s going to be easy to keep barefoot.

If you are on wet clay I’d hope my well draining chalk be fine.

If feet looked weak / shelly / damaged structurally from abscesses I’d be worried. And maybe ask for a six month loan with a view to buy if feet settle.

If I was looking for a shod horse and feet looked ok, I’d just put shoes on and crack on.

 

[ycbm]

As a buyer I’d value your honesty

How would you know a stranger was being honest?
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[Fieldlife]

How would you know a stranger was being honest?
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If there were no abscess holes / damage visible and seller said had put front shoes on due to abscess ing, given they didn’t need to say anything I’d value that honesty.

 

[MagicMelon]

If you said he's only in the duplos due to the exceptionally wet weather and your own personal preference for keeping barefoot or as close to as possible, but that there's no reason he couldn't go fully shod or fully barefoot, then I'd think it would be fine

This. It wouldnt put me off personally.

 

[Izzwall]

He does have an abscess hole growing down on his back right, that was the foot that had the worst one! But nothing on the rest of his feet. He actually has really nicely shaped hooves with no cracks, no contracted heels etc. His feet have more than doubled in size since taking his shoes off 5 years ago!
I can always offer to xray that back right to show there's no damage internally? It's just superficial and once it grows out his hoof will be back to normal.

 

[ycbm]

He does have an abscess hole growing down on his back right, that was the foot that had the worst one! But nothing on the rest of his feet. He actually has really nicely shaped hooves with no cracks, no contracted heels etc. His feet have more than doubled in size since taking his shoes off 5 years ago!
I can always offer to xray that back right to show there's no damage internally? It's just superficial and once it grows out his hoof will be back to normal.

It's so common after the weather we've had I doubt it will even get much of a mention from a vet.
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[Izzwall]

Thought I'd update this

Dennis is off to his new home next week to the first person who saw him. Really lovely home where he'll be showered in lots of love. So glad I didn't have to do more than one person viewing! He's going to a barefoot friendly home so I didn't even need to worry about the duplos and abscess hole.
It's going to be soul destroying not seeing his lovely face every day but having just the two will take the pressure off me time wise and financially, keep telling myself it's for the best. Hate being an adult