will a LOU mark affect showing?

[fluffy_betty]

I'm hoping to enter my mare in a few showing classes this summer. She is a 16.2hh TB and I'm planning to enter riding horse, riding club horse, maybe working hunter, that sort of thing.

I was wondering if having a Loss of Use freeze mark might count against her?
(The mark was for eventing, she has a few scars and blemishes etc on her legs but we will only be doing local level so it shouldn't matter too much.)

Was just wanting peoples views on showing her, the mark doesn't show under saddle but it will in the trot up. Should I try to cover it up?

[flintybaby]

Whats a Loss of Use freeze mark? Just a general freeze mark??

[fluffy_betty]

Its a big ugly letter L in a circle under her regular freezemark, and its very noticeable!!

[HorseManiac]

Marley a horse I used to no won his veteran inhand and he had a LOU mark:)

[flintybaby]

What are they used for? I've never heard of them!?

[**jet**]

Its an insurance mark for example if horse and has been say showjumper and the people that owned him had him insured to do that particualr job and then for some reason he couldnt do it and vet declares no longer fit for the purpose the owners then claim insurance for loss of use,horse is stamped

[fluffy_betty]

If a horse is insured, say, as an eventer, and it suffers an injury that the vet decides means it will never event again, you can claim LOU on the insurance. Then you have them branded as a 'warning' to other insurance companies. In my case I won't be able to insure my mare to event, but it can be something as minor as a stiffness problem in a dressage horse, or a bad scar on a show horse.

In my case the stamp is a total waste of time, she has passed a 5 stage vetting and I have permission from the vet to compete her in any activity.

However from the people I have spoken to there seems to be a general opinion that LOU horses are worthless and good for nothing. So in relation to showing I was starting to wonder if the stamp might be seen as a major blemish?

[flintybaby]

Oh right. Hardly seems fair on the horse really. Poor things.

Thanks for the explanations.

[carrimclaren]

However from the people I have spoken to there seems to be a general opinion that LOU horses are worthless and good for nothing.

Not sure in relation to the showing aspect i'm afraid but would def. disagree with anyone who said the above. As you've said, LOU can be for something that is minor or major in relation to the horses "job". I ride a 12 yr old mare who since she was 7 has been LOU. She wasn't able to event anymore so the chap i ride for bought her. For the last five years she's been his hunting horse and recently did several team chases and hunt races. So she's been happy and fine in the job she has been doing. Unfortunately now she's lame due to a fetlock problem but that wasn't to do with her LOU.
LOU horses can be a minefield though i'd imagine and so i can see where people are coming from when they're worried. :)

[S_F_S]

Its much 'fairer' on the horse than risk them being sold on (using the above example) to someone who events them, then finds they break down.

LOU horses may well go on to do well in a differnet, less demanding career - its just a mark to show that an owner somewhere along the lines has been compenstated becuase the horse is physically/medically unable to do the task it was insured for.

[carrimclaren]

Its much 'fairer' on the horse than risk them being sold on (using the above example) to someone who events them, then finds they break down.

LOU horses may well go on to do well in a differnet, less demanding career - its just a mark to show that an owner somewhere along the lines has been compenstated becuase the horse is physically/medically unable to do the task it was insured for.

Agree with S_F_S. I will point out though as not sure if i made it clear, the chap knew she was LOU and knew the mare and her breeding hence why he bought her, he didn't buy her to event, she started doing light work and then proceeded from there and for 5 years has been 100%. It was all done correctly but as S_F_S says LOU stamps make it fair as all are aware of the circumstances of sale.

[Vicki&Milo]

I thought it was more to do with the insurance side of it, so you could still compete them in whatever field you wanted, but they would not be insured for it-so you could not claim for that discipline as they were decalred not fit for it.

In any case, it probably shouldn't make a difference for showing, but will depend where it is, it can't help the 'picture'