would you buy a 13yr old with high milage?

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Irishbabygirl

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Not me..my friend. The horse she exercises for the owner is up for sale for 3k. He's amazing, does everything, perfect in every way etc but he's an old hunt masters horse so high mileage and a little stiff in a hock.
They make a fab pair and I think she should go for it, as the owner said she would take an offer from my friend as she knows he'll have a great home with her...but my friend is more sensible than me and rightly so is a little worried about his mileage and slight stiffness leading on to an early retirement.
I've advised if she's really interested to get him vetted and their advice.
My old retired at 20 ex bsja WB was high mileage, but my horse of a lifetime even if only for ten years!
What would you do?
 
"A little stiff in a hock" would make me wary. If she could get him cheap enough then I would say buy it and have fun, knowing that it probably wouldn't last too long.

My sister's horse was Mr. Perfect, he was about 12 when she bought him and we think he was fairly hammered when younger. She had 10 great years with him, but had to have him PTS in the end as the arthritis caught up with him.
 
A the right price yes I would , buying all horses however low mileage young and sound is a gamble this sounds like a better the devil you know case.
My OH's best horse ever was a 13yo vet failure he gave my OH five great years .
 
Good Lord! If I wasn't on the H&H forum I'd think I was reading Auto Trader :(
"Yeah, good runner, only xxx amount on the clock. should last you another couple of years before its off to the scrap heap! Get a mechanic to check it out first, oh, has a stiff suspension arm in the off front side but you'll get a few more miles out of her yet" ;)
 
debsey1 said:
Good Lord! If I wasn't on the H&H forum I'd think I was reading Auto Trader :(
"Yeah, good runner, only xxx amount on the clock. should last you another couple of years before its off to the scrap heap! Get a mechanic to check it out first, oh, has a stiff suspension arm in the off front side but you'll get a few more miles out of her yet" ;)
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One of the most important things that you have to accept when you buy a horse like the one described that you are the end user if you a good owner you are going to the person who deals with this horse at the end of the road if you can't accept that reality then get a younger one .
Its not callous it is facing facts the horse I bought my OH was about and out gents hunter very strong a yob in fact he loved his job he had five years living in the lap of luxury having a whale of a time I knew when I bought him I would have to deal with the end it was a sad day but he had grand quality of life while he was with us.
That horse changed my mind about taking on older horses they have a lot to give if you can manage their issues .
 
You know I'm biased - having bought an old crock out of pure sentimentality! Do I regret it? No! He's a darling, and I adore him. Did I go into it with my eyes wide open? Sort of! Would I do it again if I was offered him now, knowing what I know now? Hmm...probably!

I'd say it very much depends what she's prepared to do to give him a long and active life. If she wants something to just feed and ride, then she needs to think long and hard. If she's prepared to do a bit more in terms of veterinary/physio treatment/ supplementation/possibly remedial shoeing to give him the best chance, then Yes - why not.

I would be very reluctant to pay 3k for a horse with a physical problem, without knowing what it is - and let's face it, with his history, the chances are that its arthritic. It can probably be managed, but she won't be going eventing/hunting on him. He'll probably fail the vet on flexions with a stiff hock, so personally, if I really really wanted him, I'd buy him for a nominal sum, not vet him, and spend the money on getting the stiffness investigated so that I knew what I had let myself in for. That's what I did with Alf.
 
Goldenstar said:
One of the most important things that you have to accept when you buy a horse like the one described that you are the end user if you a good owner you are going to the person who deals with this horse at the end of the road if you can't accept that reality then get a younger one .
Its not callous it is facing facts the horse I bought my OH was about and out gents hunter very strong a yob in fact he loved his job he had five years living in the lap of luxury having a whale of a time I knew when I bought him I would have to deal with the end it was a sad day but he had grand quality of life while he was with us.
That horse changed my mind about taking on older horses they have a lot to give if you can manage their issues .
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Exactly my feelings about mine. He may not have a long time, but I'll do my damndest to make sure its a good time.
 
The high mileage wouldn't bother me. I know horses half the age of mine who already have lameness issues & have half as many miles on the clock- combination of genetics & being well looked after. However the stiff hock would be an absolute deal breaker for me, sorry :(
 
Thanks guys, sound advice as always, completely agree with everything.
I think she should offer half the price for a forever horse...does that sound fair?
 
My pony was already very high milage by 13, although I have had him since a 4 year old, and at 21 he is still going strong. This is inspite of his last loaner trying to say he was stiff and arthritic! I would offer less, and subject to vet. It depends on what she wants him for, how he is going to be kept, and if long term pain management would be an option. For instance, my ponys' current loaner keeps him out more, and does much more with him, keeps his feet short and the weight off, and he is moving like a 10 year old!
 
I've had horses for nearly 40years and have always kept and ridden youngsters, breeding them , or buying unbroken ones, bringing them on and eventually selling. After 3 spinal ops I realised that rather than a young unschooled horse with all the hard work that was entailed I actually was ready for something a bit older and wiser. I bought a 13yr old mare in July, she's been used in a college for the past 6 years so is what you'd call high mileage. She is bombproof in traffic, very forward going but has brakes on a snaffle and has the most wondeful gentle temperament. I have been asking myself since why I didn't get an older horse sooner!
TBH from my experience I'd say go for it. If the horse and rider are a good partnership and the horse does everything asked of it it's a no brainer really. My Instructor last week told me in no uncertain terms ( when I doubted myself) that I could do well with this mare and there's no reason why both of us 'middle agers' can't start competing in the near future.
Yes I know she's with me for the duration and there will come a time when I have to make every horse owner's dreaded decision but that's part and parcel of owning any animal. It's not about how much she'll depreciate in value or how much money I'll lose BUT it is about how much safe enjoyment we can have together, thats priceless!
 
I don't know having recently lost my darling horse of a lifetime he was 13 when I bought him and at least 30 something when he had to be PTS, my instinct was to go younger and have more time. Having said that you can't buy such wisdom in the younger horse my old chap was my soulmate.
 
A girl on my ex-livery yard had an ex-master's horse. He was 20 and still winning everything at RC. Still is now he is 24. Strangely enough all the horses from that hunt yard (who really racked up mileage on all their horses) went onto a very long life and no problems... Something to think about really, perhaps the molly coddled horses do worse?

My friend bought a 14yr old ex BSJA warmblood that was a bit stiff - again went on another 10 years without probs (possibly after that too). He only paid "2k though.
 
Thanks again guys, think a been there done that horse is worth its weight in gold quite frankly, even if there are other sacrifices to be made - I really hope she buys him! I would! ;-)
 
Vet - find out why he has a stiff hock, then if she still wants to go ahead with the purchase, offer a price based on the findings.

Hope it works out!
 
my mare was a high miliage hunt horse but only 10 - she had an old injury that made one back leg kinda drag out behind a bit due to uneven muscle. the expert eye will still see it when we warm up ;) her hocks also click a lot - but so far so good and i even did 6hrs hunting last year and she was still galloping about the field sound the next day. (tired but sound ;))
she's a horse of a lifetime. i've had 4 wonderful years - including this year when she had a sick note for most of it :rolleyes: but that horse - even in the short time i've owned her - owes me not one bean - and shes' stuck with me for life now.
sounds like he's a cracker and ideal for her - but i must admit -i think they are being optimistic with the price! she also has to acknowledge that she could get 10 yeasr or she could get 1 year from him - but you could have the same with a youngster - any horse is a gamble tbh
 
He's a cracker! I think she would be wise to find out from either a vetting, but like Auslander said, he may not pass the flexions, or at least a vet work up to find out what she is dealing with. It will probably act in her favour as a good bartering tool!
 
might be worth it - but tbh ive never had mine vetted - pretty sure she'd fail flexions to this day ;) but she's sound as a pound for the level i do :)

one thing though - maxavita maxaflex is FAB for joints - ive used many things over the years but this seems to work the best imho ;)
 
OP I wouldnt take a horse knowing that it has a health issue even if I were given it for free! its a one way ticket to horrendous amounts of vet bills, paying to keep a horse you cant ride, heartache over not being able to ride and finally heartbreak over having have the horse PTS......Im only sating this because it happened to me :(


ps. Horse may be sound now but these things only get worse. A friend of mine bought a lovely horse who was not sound enough to compete at the level of previous owner. Few years later the problem got worse and he had to be PTS- he was only about 11 :(
 
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I paid £3000 for my horse when he was 13 including tack and rugs. I'd bad him on loan for a year and he is a dream horse. Very easy, point and kick jumper, has won a fair bit bsja up to 1.20m and was currently competing be100 with me.

He failed the vet on his flexion tests soi was devastated. I had his hocks x-rayed as vet thought the problem was there, and he had a bit of relatively mild arthritis,

We ummed and arred a bit as already have a retired horse and a loony bin horse, but we bought him in the end. We did reduce his price from £4500 Inc tack and rugs to £3000 and a year on, i don't regret it at all.

We're now doing novice BE, jumping newcomers tracks and mayb even a fox thismwinter. He had to have his hocks injected earlier this summer, butnwe knew that would happen,

Even if god forbid, he had to retire this winter then he's still paid for himself ten times over, he's literially made dreams come true.

I do have a back up plan for his future. If he reaches a point where he is no longer happy competing at a relatively high level but would still be happy doing some low level unaff stuff (he thrives on work) then I'll find him a lovely loan home, I'm prepared to pay his vet bills throughout, as hem could give someone endless joy round lower level if he's still happy to do that. When he can no longer do that, my OH can have him to learn to ride and hack about on a bit because he's very sensible and laid back. Or even skip loan home and OH gets him right away, depending. Then finally when he does retire, I'm find of counting on my old retired mare not being around anymore (not wanting to be callous but she has advanced navicular and I don't think she'll be comfortable for much more than another 6-12 months) in which case we can afford for him to be a beloved field ornament.

In my mind, to find another horse like him that I can afford to buy outright is near on impossible. He also has one eye which helped the price. He is the ultimate school master, very kind and talented and i think I'd of been looking at around 15k to replace him, so it was a gamble we decided to take.
 
A good friend of mine has a an ex-hunt horse, hes 17hh & 19 now & still going strong, worth his weight in gold as hes taken a total novice & made a decent rider out of him. I dont think you can put a price on that. They have him on permanent loan to them, but i think they would happily have paid whatever the owner was asking purely from the fact he is so safe.
 
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