Buying a Horse

[Anne]

Hello Everyone .... haven't been able to log on for a while .... however ....

I've been leasing a horse for a while, but now the opportunity has arisen to buy another, very beautiful horse which is just right for me, BUT, I'm confused about conflicting advice I've received ....

The horse is a bright bay, 7/8ths thoroughbred of just over 15.2hh. The original asking price was £4,000, but after a previously interested buyer had her vetted, she was stated to have muscle wastage in her right hindquarters, and decided against the purchase. The yard knew I was interested in her myself, and said I could have her for £3000, but when I asked if they agreed to a full vetting, they said yes, but that she wouldn't pass, because of the above.

The confusion I'm in at the moment is that apparently, the yard's own Vet, said that the mare did not have muscle wastage, but underdeveloped muscles (due apparently to the fact that she has done little work before being at the yard, other than one season of hunting .... she has also had 3 foals incidentally) and that through the work she has been doing at the yard, the muscles are now building up again.

My husband is insisting that I have full vetting, even though the yard have said she will fail a full examination, and of course I need a veterinary certificate for insurance purposes.

I trust the people selling her
but have heard so many horror stories about bad purchases, I really don't know what to do ...
I cannot believe that the yard would deliberately mislead me, but on the other hand, the insurance companies I have contacted, and an independant vet I spoke to were somewhat cautious.

Please could someone advise me? I'm very keen to have this lovely little mare ... she is apparently sound in every other way, but if I go ahead with a full vetting, the yard
have said she will fail, and I will have spent quite a large sum to have possibly the same result, and yet I'm also told, by the yard, that the"problem" is one of muscle underdevelopment, and not wastage.

Any advice or comments would be much appreciated .... I need to make a decision within the next day or so because of my leasing contract on my loan horse.

Many thanks

Best wishes

Anne

[Sally]

Dear Anne

Sorry to take so long to reply - I saw your message at work and I don't send out from there, so this is my first chance from home.

Please get this horse vetted. I have no idea what 'muscle wastage' is (or might be), but this note is based on personal experience.

You should get an independent (horse) vet to carry out the vetting. The yard vet can probably recommend a vet from another practice, Ethically, a vet cannot act for both buyer and seller, so if the yard vet offers to do this, be suspicious and find someone else,

A horse is usually vetted for the purpose you will be using it for. A horse can pass a vet for hacking, for example, which would not be up to the Grand National or Badminton.

A vet is duty bound to specify anything they find wrong, but this does not necessarily mean there would be a problem for you and this particular horse. For example, when I had my horse vetted 10 years ago, he diagnosed lumps under the saddle area (disappeared as soon as I bought her and got a correctly fitting saddle) and a small splint (which I have never been able to find) which might have precluded her from showing.

In the 10 years we have been together, my horse has never been lame, sick or sorry.

A vet will not recommend whether you should or should not buy this horse. But, my final tip is the ultimate dirty question, which I learned from a doctor friend and which has proved effective with humans and animals. Ask him 'if you were looking at buying this horse for (state what you want to do with her) would you buy it?

This worked for me and (touch wood) I have had 10 years of trouble free riding.

I really hope this works out well for you.

Best regards

Sally

[Anne]

Dear Sally ...

Thank you so much for your reply .... it was extremely helpful and I have gone ahead and arranged to have (my ... ? :-) horse vetted.

It was interesting that you mentioned Badminton Trials since the yard manager asked me about this .... the inference being that the horse would probably not be suitable for this.

Since I'm an older rider and still have much to learn, though I'm pretty fit as I've been riding four times a week on my loan horse, my aim is really to improve my riding skills so that I can perhaps compete at a less intense pre- and novice level ... jumping, cross-country, a bit of dressage, and hacking ... so Badminton will always be somewhat out of my league (watching the wonderful partnerships, skills and sheer bravery of the competitors in the Badminton Trials today had me on the edge of my seat .... hope Polly Phillips is going to be okay after her fall ... what rotten luck!)

Anyway Sally, I really appreciated your comments and they are sure to help me make the right decision next week (you've probably already guessed what that will be, if all goes well ... she IS a beautiful little mare ... keep fingers crossed for me!

Will keep you posted ....

Very Best Regards

Anne

[Sally]

Dear Anne

Good luck with the vetting. Do remember the dirty question if you don't get a straight yes or no. You may have to phrase this differently according to your particular vet, but you must be honest about what you intend to do with the horse. And don't expect a definite answer, more of a heavy hint, one way or the other.

Please keep me posted.

By the way, I was at Badminton on Saturday (watching only, of course) and conditions were the worst I have ever seen. Lucky no horse or human seems to have been seriously hurt, as far as I know.

Best wishes

Sally

[Anne]

Hello Sally ....

Since your original reply I have had the horse vetted, and asked the question you suggested. The vet was extremely thorough and gave me a very definite and honest answer.

I'm a bit wary of stating what that was "in public" so to speak, as it is a little sensitive, and someone from the yard, whether livery owner or staff might visit this site themselves, and I'd hate to spoil what is at the moment a very good relationship with the yard .... may I send you the outcome to your private email address?

I will not abuse that of course, and will continue to write in general to the list in the future. I will also understand if you would rather not release your address, and will ask Mike if he will pass my letter on to you, if I write to him.

Many thanks

Best Regards

Anne

[Sally]

Dear Anne

Please e-mail me with your progress. I would love to hear. I would rather not post my e-mail address on a generally accessible site, but Mike has it as part of my registration details and I am sure he could forward any message to me.

Mike

Would you mind doing this just once? I do appreciate you are not a message service. Alternatively, I don't mind if you you give Anne my e-mail address so we can communicate directly - I just don't want it up on the Web for all and sundry to see.

Hope you both understand.

Best wishes

Sally