Would you buy a horse with issues??

I agree with the majority of the advice, I've taken on a young horse with some pretty intense behavioural issues in part because he was cheap and partly because I'd been sharing him and fallen totally head over heels, the vet also identified "potential" sarcoid on his chest but so far (touch wood) he's only thrown stuff my way that was unrelated to any known issues.

Horses will cost you money, that's the long and short of it. You can do your best to avoid health issues but it's a total minefield. Personally I'd avoid anything you've seen previously.

Have you considered lwvtb? Simply because you get a chance to better establish suitability (health and behaviour wise) before you go all in.
 
Depends on the issue.

I've just bought one that was quite shut down with anxiety/behavioural issues and capped hocks (a long story) and touch wood with me the anxiety levels are right down and after a few months of work, I now have an almost normal horse albeit with some ugly hocks! (she is completely sound)
 
I ‘bought’ one with sarcoids but for £1. He was the best £1 I ever spent. I didn’t know he had them when I got him on a trial. The one on his sheath was noticeable but the one on his girthline was picked up by the saddler. He failed the vetting on a bad so was pretty worthless really. All issues sorted a fraction of his asking price so it worked out well.
 
Sarcoids don’t worry me, these days they are very common, and can be either left if not changing or causing issues, or can be lasered off in most cases successfully.
I would not knowingly touch rearing, bolting, kissing spines and possibly not some lameness issues but mildly unlevel would not bother me for what i do. I know many will disagree, but that is my opinion.
 
I bought mine as an almost two year old with a wonky hind and three sarcoids near his sheath. Farrier told me he'd be riddled with arthritis by 11, vet was blinded by his odd action. He's coming up 17 and in full work, loves jumping and is generally feeling very well.
So, go with your gut instinct!
 
Merlod said:
Yes, would mean saving up so delaying horse purchase, or taking out a loan etc but can be done. If not willing to buy young I would prefer to do that than gamble the same money being spent on vet bills and huge insurance premiums (if you can even get the cover).
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Just because a horse cost a lot more money, doesn’t mean it won’t have issues and health problems
 
teddypops said:
Just because a horse cost a lot more money, doesn’t mean it won’t have issues and health problems
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Of course, buying any horse is a gamble and has the potential to become ill/injured but personally if I wanted a ridden horse (presuming the OP wasn't looking at young/projects going by the horses she was considering) I wouldn't start off on a back foot by buying something cheap because it already has a huge health problem like KS. I'm not saying spend mega bucks, but it may be worth considering saving a bit more so that you're not shopping in the bin-end.
 
The thing with sarcoids is that everybody seems to call any sort of lump on the skin a sarcoid without a proper diagnosis. I think a lot of the ones that respond to old wives tale treatments are probably just warts but proper sarcoids won't respond to these treatments, it's form of cancer after all.

If the horse was really perfect in every other way and the lumps weren't in an area that would cause problems, I'd probably have it examined more closely at the vetting and if necessary, a biopsy taken to understand exactly what I was dealing with on the understanding that I'd walk away if they truly are sarcoids. By the time you've paid out for that though you may well be better off paying more for a horse without sarcoids. For me, it would need to be significantly cheaper to be worth paying for a thorough examination.

I'm probably more cautious as my boy is riddled with melanomas inside his sheath that cause him to get very uncomfortable if not washed frequently. I have to sedate him once every 3 months to clean everything out as he won't let me touch that area at all. When I say I wouldn't have another grey due to the risk of melanoma people often say "they have to die of something" but for me it's not losing him (he's now 22 and had a great life) but having to live with them that puts me off.
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
I'm curious as to what health/ behaviour issues people who pay for in a horse if on a tight horsey budget...
I'm going to be looking again for another horse and it's obvious my budget isn't going to stretch to buying a wonderful, ready made horse so I've been looking at the less than perfect types.
What are your absolute no way deal breakers? And what could you live with if the price was right and the horse was fine in all other aspects??
I've seen one that seems lovely in every way but has mild Shivers in hand though not when ridden.
I've seen one that has mild kissing spines that has undergone steroid treatment.
One with sarcoids etc.
Thoughts please??
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The only one I would touch is sarcoids - my mare had one and a few more popped up during the first year but all now gone
 
Merlod said:
Of course, buying any horse is a gamble and has the potential to become ill/injured but personally if I wanted a ridden horse (presuming the OP wasn't looking at young/projects going by the horses she was considering) I wouldn't start off on a back foot by buying something cheap because it already has a huge health problem like KS. I'm not saying spend mega bucks, but it may be worth considering saving a bit more so that you're not shopping in the bin-end.
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This. It costs just as much to keep a horse with issues as one without, sometimes more. Why would you set yourself up for potential cost, worry and heartache?
 
Merlod said:
Of course, buying any horse is a gamble and has the potential to become ill/injured but personally if I wanted a ridden horse (presuming the OP wasn't looking at young/projects going by the horses she was considering) I wouldn't start off on a back foot by buying something cheap because it already has a huge health problem like KS. I'm not saying spend mega bucks, but it may be worth considering saving a bit more so that you're not shopping in the bin-end.
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Just because they are cheap doesn’t mean they have major health issues just as buying an expensive horse doesn’t mean they don’t.
 
What is your budget, OP?

In answer to your question, I would not touch a horse with any health problems. I may consider one with sarcoids, but it would depend on size, location and type.
 
I wouldn’t buy a horse with health issues, sweet itch, behavioural problems or stable vices. A cheap horse can be like a free mobile phone with a long expensive contract.
 
buying anything with known health issues would mean you couldn't get insurance for those problems. Vet bills can be a huge cost and if money is tight for you already then not worth considering IMO
 
I wouldn't turn down a horse with a mild shiver if it is otherwise a good horse, we got a cracking horse that way. You'd be surprised how many successful horses have a shiver, it is just it is not something that people usually publicise. My husband is a farrier so he is very aware of how many shiverers are about!
 
TGM said:
I wouldn't turn down a horse with a mild shiver if it is otherwise a good horse, we got a cracking horse that way. You'd be surprised how many successful horses have a shiver, it is just it is not something that people usually publicise. My husband is a farrier so he is very aware of how many shiverers are about!
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This with bells on

I've got one with a mild shiver and I'd buy her again ten times over

Most people are ignorant of what it is and what it means so you can get a wonderful horse at a fraction of the money

I should add all mine stay with me for life so you might not get a return if you were planning to bring on to sell but for a lifelong friend you'd get a fab horse that has as much chance of staying sound as any other
 
No, I wouldn't in answer to your question. I'd prefer to buy young. A good temperament is paramount for me and a horse with a good one will be relatively easy to train as long as it has been handled correctly.
 
Bad in traffic is a complete deal breaker for me .
I do buy horses with issues if they are special in some way .
But that’s because they are cheap it’s because I know I can afford to pay their bills the tighter money is the more careful you need to be .
 
I did buy one with a cataracts in one eye, he halved in price when the vet found it and it was a gamble I was willing to take. He seemed fine with it and I was lucky it didn't get worse. Wouldn't touch one with kissing spines though, had one who coped with steroid injections but was pts a couple of years later(for an entirely different reason) so don't know long term how difficult it would have been to manage and another had surgery at 10 and then retired a couple of years later as still wasn't happy working. With a limited budget I'd rather buy green or something that was too much horse for the owner than most health problems, horses have enough potential health problems I don't need to go out and deliberately buy them.
 
What about going somewhere like cheveral house rehoming. They get some fabulous ex racehorses, they can tell you what they are like, any soundness issues and what sort of home would suit (ie competition home, happy hacker). They are on Facebook.
Their horses are usually between £500/700.
 
Its rewarding to turn a horse around to cling on when everyone else would have given up, and to inspire without knowing it many people. I was late to horse ownership but 100% committed to my horse he had a calcified lump on his hind leg from a wire injury and forward going almost frantic head high and could side ways spook in a flash which always shocked on lookers the head down run backwards and spin was a little harder to master. Now 7 years on I can do things on him most will only dream of ride into waves through water up to his neck , very strong wind no problem, 100% in traffic hacks out on his own most of the time. The lump on his bone re absorbed over time so now his leg looks normal. Not really a showing type anyway.
 
My gelding came with hock arthritis and one eye!

I had him on loan first as my pony went lame just before my long summer before I was supposed to go to uni several hundred miles away from home.

I found him up for loan with a BE record and BS record, snapped him up to have some fun before moving away. Ended up scrapping uni.

We were offered to buy him so had him vetted and he failed on his hocks. In the end we bought him anyway because due to hocks and eye he was cheap - we’d of been looking at 10-15k to replace him as by then he was taking me round be100s and he’s the safest, easiest chap.

We medicated his hocks and he went on eventing for another 4 years or so until it got too much and now he generally just hacks but he taught me so much and gave me so much confidence (ended up taking me from about 70cm sj to 1.10m BE and BS).

I wouldn’t buy one with issues now as I prefer unbacked babies so I don’t want to buy a baby with problems but it was the stepping stone I needed and we wouldn’t of been able to buy a ‘normal’ horse to give me that.
 
Honestly these days I wouldn't buy much in the way of known issues.

While you can easily pick up nice, healthy youngsters for peanuts why would you buy something with issues?
 
I wouldn't touch any to be honest bar the sarcoids. Depending on where and the type of them.
My horse had a sarcoid nobody would ever have seen it. It was a nodular one and had it removed and no issues since touch wood. Took him to the vets to get it removed cost me £20 for it which was sedation. Bute etc. No charge to remove it. Would 100 percent do it again horse is once in a lifetime horse for me.
 
I was gifted my boy after a year of loaning, I knew he had arthritis in his knees and a bout of lami in the past so at risk again. Since then I have spent thousands- he face rubbed until he bled, recurrent eye infections and lameness issues.
He has since been diagnosed with cushings so is now on prascend (which thankfully has resolved the rubbing and eye issues). But he does get infections easily- respiratory, skin. Also he is stiff and at times can be lame so is treated with danilon when need be- also in the past 5 years we've had 2 bouts of hives resulting in him being on 40 piriton twice a day. And he has melanomas under his tail!

He was a heart horse, we'd falling in love with him and could not bear the thought of not having him in our lives- the next horse is the head horse- to do all things we would of loved to do with Flynn but know it wouldn't be possible or fair on him. So although there is always a risk with horses the next one has to have no health issues, be polite on the ground, no bolting, hack on their own safely and load and travel (oh and be a gelding and not grey!)
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
I'm curious as to what health/ behaviour issues people who pay for in a horse if on a tight horsey budget...
I'm going to be looking again for another horse and it's obvious my budget isn't going to stretch to buying a wonderful, ready made horse so I've been looking at the less than perfect types.
What are your absolute no way deal breakers? And what could you live with if the price was right and the horse was fine in all other aspects??
I've seen one that seems lovely in every way but has mild Shivers in hand though not when ridden.
I've seen one that has mild kissing spines that has undergone steroid treatment.
One with sarcoids etc.
Thoughts please??
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I feel like you've been looking at the same adverts as me!
 
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