Advice on feet

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polly88

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Jun 5, 2012
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As some of you may know I am buying a new horse.

Anyway dad and I went and looked at a new horse today. We looked at its feet and they hadn't looked after them well. Is it normal for the front to grow longer than the back? Also will this have any effect on him what so ever riding wise? He had a split in one but it wasn't high nowhere near the cornet band (if thats what it is called). My dad and I were concerned by the shoddy feet. Otherwise he was in excellent condition!
 
you will be able to have a lot of influence over the feet! In approx 6 month you can have a 'new' hoof good footcare, farrier or trimmer good diet and things will change.
 
The split may be a stone separation, especially if previous owners have been a bit lacking in regular maintenance, get a professional opinion! but don't let it put you off too much!
 
I think landing on my ass on concrete might put me off a little bit but we were really concerned about the feet! I didn't think it was effecting him but my Dad saying I didn't know enough and he knew nothing wanted to see what you lot said! See how much we trust your advice! He did just look like he needed a trim! Will get my friend to look at his feet if we go back! Still thinking about him vs price seems very over what he should be!
 
Rio had horrendously long feet when we bought her, I dread to think how long she'd gone since her last shoeing, and they weren't a pretty sight. Farrier was able to sort them out very quickly indeed, mostly in the first shoeing, so it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

Says something about the sellers really.
 
It's a long time since I was horse shopping but my guess would be that it might be quite difficult to say with things as they are at the moment with so many horses coming onto the market out of necessity. You might be getting the same horse in some cases depending on the circumstances.

But it is usually some kind of competition record or good breeding that bumps the asking price up
 
Depends on lots of things, for £1500 you may get an older horse , or a horse with a health issue, or not traffic proof , has vices etc. £2500 should buy a reasonable allrounder but maybe not a very safe first horse/schoolmaster.
 
My boy had horrendous feet when I got him. All due to the fact that he wouldn't lift his feet. He will now lift them to be picked out but I have to sedate for the farrier. Not great. Does this person have any other horses, are their feet equally as bad? I'm sure it's not but just adding another possible take on the situation, hope you don't mind.
 
polly88 said:
Would you not expect a well behaved one as well that had three steady paces?
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Nicer paces and good schooling would be other factors that would put a price up. I was kind of working on the basis that most £1500 horses would be reasonable in that department too. It is pot luck to a certain extent, you can't say that a £1500 horse is always going to work out better than a £3000 one either, there are so many variables. Bear in mind that long feet spoil paces if you're looking at this horse.

Good point re foot handling and farriery, something to check.
 
Does this person have any other horses, are their feet equally as bad?
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It was the only one in when we got there. But next time I will go and have a look. If I go. If I do go back we are hoping to go up and catch him and groom him etc and see if he is any better with a connection rather than just getting on. Dad wanted to give his feet check but it all sorta ended so quickly that all the things you do after the ride if your still interested never happened.

I was kind of working on the basis that most £1500 horses would be reasonable in that department too. It is pot luck to a certain extent, you can't say that a £1500 horse is always going to work out better than a £3000 one either, there are so many variables
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I just always felt that if you bought a more expensive one it hadn't been out of work and as Dad said to me he would expect me to get on and be able to ride it forward and have 3 reasonable paces possibly need work but should at least be in work and in reasonable condition. £1500 I would expect it to be broken in etc and going on but possibly green. I just think some owners sometimes do it on how much they love the horse. We are obviously being tight A** again!
 
The feet thing doesn't have to be a big deal,but bear in mind it may affect how they move now,and while you're getting them sorted (a horses that has had to compensate for poor foot shape will move differently whilst adapting to having a more normal and better hoof),that's assuming it's feet are quite poor of course if they're just a bit long on the toe and in need of a trim probably can be sorted easily and quickly and n cause for concern.

Be careful however like FM said that it isn't because the horse is bad with it's feet,as that can be annoying and dangerous (and expensive if needed vet assistance to shoe or trim initially) to sort out and take a hell of a lot of the fun out of a first horse!!

As for value,well TBH in my area (and you are pretty near my area I see!!) as the market is so poor you can actually get a pretty decent horse for £1500 or even less.Have never seen good horses so cheap as they have been for the last few months.

Even for a decent first horse I don't see why you should need to spend over £2000,just need to look around.For £3000 in the current market here I would expet all singing and all dancing TBH.

The market really is pants here,and I know many people loaning their horses as they aren't willing to let them go for peanuts.It is a buyers market and you should have no trouble getting something really good for around the 2k mark,and I would be haggling on wardrobe,tack etc with it as well for that sort of money.
 
Even for a decent first horse I don't see why you should need to spend over £2000,just need to look around.For £3000 in the current market here I would expet all singing and all dancing TBH.
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Not my first horse so should get a decent one really. Looks like we have the same opinion on what I expect from a horse at each price. I did expect this one to be all singing all dancing to be honest, not to of been in a field 3 months or too have feet like that! I was looking for ones around the £1500 - £2000 mark but liked this one and thought if it was all singing and dancing I would be happy to have it lol! But it needs a lot of work without rider i think for a while.
 
hi polly
(From one polly to another hee hee)

when i got my lad he had a vertical crack in one hoof, I had him vetted and vet said should be ok with the right shoeing/ trimming

when my farrier saw him he said it wasnt anything to worry about too much, but he did say that you are just as well getting a farrier to look at a prospective new horse aswell as a vet.

Good luck in the searching
 
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