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The tack room
How much would you pay?
krustykittens · 12/09/2021 21:35
Looking at 11 year old horse who used to have quite a career. He has been out on loan for a while and suffered a laminitis attack that left him with a slightly rotated pedal bone. My vet has seen him and thinks it won't stop him having a ridden career but he won't pass a vetting. How much would you offer?
HuxleyPiggy · 13/09/2021 08:34
Why are they selling? This horse needs very careful management if it is to have a ridden career and they should take responsibility for this.
Lookwhoseinsideagain · 13/09/2021 08:38
Unless that was a horse that I knew well (as in, had ridden, seen their stable manners etc, already had a bond with them) and I could guarantee having the finances to keep it as a pasture pet for the next 20 years, I wouldn't touch it.
maxelly · 13/09/2021 14:52
Yeah I'd be very cautious, 11 is not that old to be starting to have serious soundness issues so I'd worry this is tip of the iceburg stuff and as others have said if he 'fails the vetting' (although will he fail as suitable for competition horse or suitable for light hacking etc., big difference?) you won't get insurance on that leg, or possibly at all, so any purchase price will have to reflect the possible costs of vets treatment plus of course the restricted use of the animal. Do bear in mind also that beautiful, well bred high powered competition horses that have been injured/proved not up to their competition job anymore don't automatically settle well to a life of gentle pottering around and being fussed over (assuming you are an average leisure rider like the rest of us, sorry if that's incorrect), some do and love it of course but some absolutely lose their minds if not worked hard by a pro level rider everyday and may be more inclined to reinjure themselves/even harder to manage than your 'average' horse with the same issues.
Basically like look says if you already know this horse, he's doing the job you want him for successfully and you have the chance to buy him at a big discount then maybe. By big discount I mean like less than half what he'd cost without the problems. So assuming you want him for hacking and light ridden work, a safe, sensible 11 year old hack without any major health issues in today's market would be worth maybe £4-5k depending on size etc? So maybe I'd offer £1-2k max for him depending on how much careful management he needs and whether he's perfect in all other ways?
lastqueenofscotland · 13/09/2021 16:36
Agree with Maxelly about horses in new careers.
Competition horses don’t know their joints/feet/whatever are gone and they now should be just light hacking, and can get seriously difficult/bored/fizzy
As an aside… just because it’ll be doing light work isn’t an excuse in my book to ride a lame horse…
OrlandointheWilderness · 13/09/2021 16:46
How big and what sort of career?! Details needed.
I personally wouldn't unless a vet did X-rays and a 5 stage vetting to properly assess damage etc, not just had a quick look. It would also compromise any insurance and laminitis is not an easy beast to work with.
CuntAmongstThePigeons · 13/09/2021 17:15
Wouldn't go anywhere near this. You'll end up spending a fortune on vets bill further down the road.
Horses are always going to be trouble so don't buy trouble from the outset!
CatTerrier · 13/09/2021 21:52
What caused the laminitis?
When were the feet last xray'd and what degree of rotation was there? What has and is being done to correct the rotation?
I wouldn't discount the horse per se but you need more information.
If it's a Grade A show jumper for £800 that would be work £10k after rehab, that's great.
If it's a riding club horse for £2k who will always have a rotation that's a no.
krustykittens · 14/09/2021 12:23
Thank you all so much for replying and I am sorry, I phrased my question badly, what I should have asked was how much of a discount for full market price would you want. Horse is a lovely gelding, has done everything at a low level and is just a fun, chilled ride. Bomb proof in traffic, no vices and is the perfect mother daughter share. Perfect but for that hoof! His owner lost her job six months ago and is struggling to find another in the same sector at the same pay grade. She has taken any job to get by and a big drop in income and is now getting into debt to pay her boy's bills. When sound he is terrific and the vet thinks the rotation can be fixed but he needs lots of remedial farrier work and there is always that question mark, isn't there? Anyway, it's a moot point because she wants full market value for him and says she cannot afford to sell him for anything less. Had she been selling him at project prices I might have been tempted as he is a lovely boy but it is just too much of a risk otherwise. Hey ho, you all confirmed what I suspected and her asking price has saved me from myself!
countrygirl99 · 14/09/2021 12:37
Walk.
If you know the owner and know for sure that her story is absolutely true, because it would be a common yarn for someone trying to offload a crocked horse, tell you you will consider it for a rock bottom price. The chances are he is a walking vet bill. If some other mug is prepared to pay let them take the risk.
OrlandointheWilderness · 14/09/2021 13:41
She wants full market price!?!? That's insanity, Especially as he hasn't really done anything of note - lovely though he may be, low level bits of everything does not warrant the risk in my book.
Tbh it would be hundreds, and not many at that, rather than thousands for me. Walking vet bill and unknown risk.
countrygirl99 · 14/09/2021 13:58
Actually the market price for the horse described will be fairly low. She wants yhe market price for a different horse.
krustykittens · 14/09/2021 14:02
It seems insane to me too. I can't see anyone paying the price she is asking, which is in the thousands, and the longer he is on livery, the more her debts are mounting. I think she is desperate to raise very penny she can but this poor boy is not going to get the windfall she is hoping for.
maxelly · 14/09/2021 14:51
@krustykittens
Yeah that's the thing, who is going to pay 4 figures for such a horse? At best someone inexperienced and naïve who won't think to get the horse properly vetted/won't have someone knowledgeable advising them on how to properly manage the horse, at worst someone dodgy who's plan is to bute up and try and resell at a profit (the latter more likely if it's a good looking/high powered horse). Feel for this lady as clearly she's desperate but both for the horse and herself she'd be better off loaning or selling very cheaply to a totally responsible experienced and vetted home who will look after the horse properly and manage the laminitis/soundness, horses can come good after that kind of issue in light work if very carefully managed (it's a PITA though, I know too well from years of laminitic ponies). But if she won't listen to reason then she won't, sounds like a potentially lucky escape for you OP...
DoylyCarte · 14/09/2021 15:16
Avoid! I also can’t believe she wants full market value under the circumstances. And if the drop in income is that significant then there’ll come a crunch point of realisation that holding onto an unrealistic price expectation is costing far more than just selling at an appropriate price point so at that stage she might be more open to doing a deal.
Honestly though I wouldn’t take this horse on unless it was some kind of charitable act that I could afford to undertake with zero expectations in return. (Sadly not in that situation!)
HuxleyPiggy · 14/09/2021 18:26
You could offer to loan if he really is the perfect horse for you, that foot aside. That would save her building more debt and give her (and you) time to assess what his future will be.
Floralnomad · 14/09/2021 20:14
Having owned 2 laminitics I wouldn’t touch it at any price
BertramLacey · 18/09/2021 09:53
Perfect but for that hoof! His owner lost her job six months ago and is struggling to find another in the same sector at the same pay grade. She has taken any job to get by and a big drop in income and is now getting into debt to pay her boy's bills. When sound he is terrific and the vet thinks the rotation can be fixed but he needs lots of remedial farrier work and there is always that question mark, isn't there? Anyway, it's a moot point because she wants full market value for him and says she cannot afford to sell him for anything less.
Well he'll soon cost thousands in bills and she still won't be able to give him away. If I were her I'd take your hand off for £1k and an end to the livery bills in what sounds like a good home. If I were you I wouldn't touch him. They break your heart anyway, you might as well at least start with a sound one.
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