Would you buy this horse?

Cello_song

Cello_song

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Had a horse vetted today and am totally gutted that the vet failed her. I really like this horse and I am now not sure whether to let my head or my heart rule!

She is a 15hh registered welsh section D mare. 5 years old but not broken - very well handled though and was well behaved for vet today, even though she is green and never been poked or prodded so much!

The vet said she has slightly sickle hocks and that one hock had curb. (this is the bit she has failed on). He said she is sound on it but as she is unbroken he cannot say whether or not this will become an issue in the future. I'm horse shopping as my current horse (who was my dream horse) has been diagnosed with spavins and ringbone and is not sound enough to ride anymore. My vet knew this so was ultra thorough with the vetting and said that he would hate to see me in a similar position in the future.

He also said she had a skin lesion on her tummy which may or may not be a sarcoid.

These 2 findings would mean that an insurance company would exclude her skin and her hocks.

I had agreed to pay £1200 for the horse. Would you walk away, take the horse at agreed price or argue price down?

Thoughts please as I really don't know what to do!

Thanks x
 
I personally wouldnt risk it.

I think you have to weigh up in your head how much you want to take the risk with her, and can you afford to keep her if she does become unsound + vet costs.
If you did want to go ahead with i would be getting a serious reduction on the price
 
Walk away. My friend (shes on here too!) has just had the worst news with her horse who failed for a curb, also has sickle hocks and has just been diagnosed with other problems that are just too expensive on the same leg as the curb and have too low a chance of recovery to be operated on. Its really not worth the heartache :(
 
Have to say I'd walk too, especially if your vet is the one that vetted the horse and it failed. Am guessing that you have some sort of professional relationship with your vet and that they know you, what you want to do with your horse and whether or not any potential horse will be suitable for the job you want from it and am sure they would have taken this into account when the vetting was done and the horse subsequently failed.
 
I agree with Letslip, I personally would walk away. I have one retired and one coming out of hospital tommorrow, I have just bought a new one and would only accept a clean sheet with regards a vetting.
Too muvch heartache for the future.
 
I'm another vote for walking away - you got a vetting done to see if the horse is likely to be fit for purpose, sadly your vet feels he's not. If the potential of this horse wasn't important to you, you wouldn't have asked a professional for their opinion (and spent a few hundred pounds)... now you have it, i think you need to respect it. Bet it feels rubbish :-( sending sympathy vibes
 
Thanks for the sympathy vibes inkiboo!

And thanks everyone else for your replies. To be honest my gut feeling was walk away so I feel a bit more confident about that after reading all your replies! So back to the drawing board...
 
No a youngster should not fail a vet! If a horse is over 10 its more acceptable but at 5 and unbroken definatly not! You were not meant to have her just keep looking the right on will come :)
 
I think you are doing the right thing walking away. Tough I know if you really liked her but at the end of the day there are lots of sound ones out there. Finding them is another matter I know! Wishing you the very best of luck.
 
Cello_song said:
The vet said she has slightly sickle hocks and that one hock had curb. (this is the bit she has failed on).
Click to expand...

My current horse has a curb, and passed a 5 stage a couple of months ago when I bought him :confused: Is it different for him though as he's older and so has proved that he is sound despite curb?
Sorry to thread jack, just confused as to why yours (and others on this thread) failed and mine passed.

Sorry to hear about your dilemma.
 
Yes, MOLLYA, my vet said if she was 10, in consistent ridden work and sound with the curb he would have passed her for the work i'd be doing. But because she is unbroken he can't guarantee that she'll stay sound once she starts work.
 
marmalade76 said:
Not for £1200, but if the seller was willing to let her go cheap enough then I would.
Click to expand...

I agree. Especially as the horse is unbroken.

My horse failed the vetting but I made the decision to buy as he failed with 1-2/10 lameness in the hind leg. I only wanted the odd hack so viewed it as something that could come right again - and it has :)

He's now one of the fittest horses on the yard, which to be honest doesn't say much as the majority never leave the field...
 
There are plenty of nice sound horses out there looking for a home. Be sensible and count your blessings. There are no guarantee when buying a horse as I'm sure you are aware but best to make sure that the one you buy has a clean bill of health from the start. Good luck.
 
Cello_song said:
Yes, MOLLYA, my vet said if she was 10, in consistent ridden work and sound with the curb he would have passed her for the work i'd be doing. But because she is unbroken he can't guarantee that she'll stay sound once she starts work.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok. Thanks for clearing that up :)
 
£1200 + another £600 for having her professionally broken makes her expensive for a section D, then you need to take into account the curb... just not worth it..
 
The curb wouldn't bother me, it's just fluid BUT the sickle hocks would and that fact she has a curb on sickle hocks is a little worrying.
My old horse got a curb galloping round the field one day when she was 6. It gradually went down a bit but never went away totally. She was never lame in fact she was as sound as anything could possibly be and passed flexions ect.
My other old horse had a curb on each hock and he was totally sound untill he passed away of colic at 26. So no curbs don't bother me at all.
I wouldn't buy a horse with sickle hocks though. The 2 horses I have mentioned had no glaring confo faults, it's not worth it IMO.
Find another horse :)
 
Nooo walk away, especially if u have one unsound horse, y would u want to possibly have another. There are plenty of horses that need homes out there...give yourself the best chance and find one that will pass a vetting.
 
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