May trade for a new horse thoughts please?

[ultasol]

Plus, the owner is recommending a rider for this horse lighter than the OP. That is a big red flag right there that it's probably not the right horse.

 

[arabianequine]

Well this email is from today.....

Good Morning,

Yes, he is 24yr. old..He did show signs of being sore when I rode him last weekend, the vet told me yesterday to make sure and give him bute before I ride from now on, he said theses older horses need that to keep them comfortable.

He is very herd bound, I have ridden him by himself lots of times, and he does like to get back to the barn in a hurry, but I never let him do that, but he is happiest with other horses..I do ride him alone and do just fine..as long as he is in a pasture with other horses he is happy.

I used him for trail riding, and moving cows, rode him in a parade one time, he has been a great horse for me to learn how to be confident in riding, I have an 8 yr. old mare as well, I just dont have time to ride both horses, so need to find a home for my gelding.

The one thing about my gelding is he really cant be ridden hard anymore, I really never rode him hard anyway, but if you are just going to be tooling around on him and not going up and down on hills he will do just fine in his older years.

He is a big horse, dont think your weight will be an issues, he has NEVER bucked..He is a good boy, but wont be able to be ridden hard.

Herd bound and on bute if ridden....I will pass. She did think just light ridding he would be fine though with my weight and I told her what that was.

 

[arabianequine]

In between these to emails I told the own my actual weight and mentioned with tack and that I was concerned about him being able to handle it.


The owner said this before that.....

Hi,
> >
> > This horse is awesome, I have owned him for 9 years, have mostly trail ridden, rode in a parade once, many poker runs with him,rounded cattle up with him,, but the past few months he is showing signs of getting sore in the hind legs when ridden to much..I only ride short rides, and not rides that are up and down hills..Being his age, he would be perfect with someone who wants to just poke around on a horse..He could probably handle a 200 lb. person...
> >
> > He does best with other horses, he is one of those horses that get very agitated if he is not with another horse, I have ridden him by myself before, so it can be done, but it is a must for him to be in a pasture with other horses.
> > I have not scene him act like an aggresive eater, and I have an 8 yr. old mare also.
> > Absolutly no bad habits..except needing to be with other horses..
> > I have a 3 place slant trailer I load him in, I have no idea if he would be to large for your trailer, he is not a small horse though.
> >
> > He is not a hard keeper

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Personally...I'd keep looking.

If he's sore from her lightly riding him, (not knowing how much the owner weighs), what is he gonna do when you ride him for an hour or two at a time? Do you really want to have to use bute on a horse in order to keep him from being in pain? Seems to me like she's looking for a companion-only home for him.

 

[WIChookchick]

This person is trying to pawn this horse off on you.. and they are lying through their teeth...
2 things stand out.

He could probably handle a 200 lb. person...

You have told us, and I hope the seller that you weigh 270 or there abouts.. they are ignoring your question about weight.. He will only ever be able to handle light riding, for short times, by light people.

the vet told me yesterday to make sure and give him bute before I ride from now on, he said theses older horses need that to keep them comfortable.

ANY vet worth their license would never prescribe bute for a horse to be ridden comfortably. Bute will cause stomach issues, which is why most do banamine which is milder, and some what better
to be fed on a more regular basis as a medication...
WHich means he HAS arthritis, BAD, and will be lame or limping badly when ridden unless he has his pain meds.
DO you want to do that to an older horse???
Pass on this one
my 2Cents worth​

 

[arabianequine]

The first email I posted was the owners response to me telling the owner my actual weight plus tack and I was worried about him being able to handle it and I did not want to get bucked off cause I was hurting him etc.


I am going to pass....because of the pain and herd bound issues.

Thank you all! Ill keep trying.

 

[2pinkmom]

Sounds like there are lots of reasons to pass on this horse. I just wanted to highlight the issue of herd boundness. Run, do not walk away from any horse described as such. You haven't ridden in a while, you could get severely injured on a horse like that. Especially if it tends to run for home. Actually, your situation might be particularly tough. When I kept my TB on my property, I had issues separating him from the pony (only other horse on the place). When I moved him up to a stable with 10 horses, he was a joy to ride again. Came running to me at the gate, happily hacked out alone, etc. It can be a real issue. I have 25+ years of experience with horses, but most of it was spent at larger barns. The herd dynamics of a pair of horses totally took me by surprise. It sounds like you still have cattle, so that could help. But just be safe and take good care of yourself.

 

[arabianequine]

Thank you for the reminder but that is why I said no I no that can be dangerous and the horses pain issues. I do not still have the cows they are sold and to be butchered on sunday the 7th yay! ETA: Well I do still have them but they are spoken for.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Man, I feel frustrated for you and I'm not even the one looking for a horse! I'm hoping you find a good one soon, but I'm glad to see you've really had a great sense of when to say "no". I hated saying no when I was looking for a horse with my dad a few years back. However, each time we did, it got easier and easier!

 

[welsummerchicks]

banamine is usually given for colic and other visceral pain, not lameness, though it can be given for lameness ('muskulo skeletal disorders') and is an anti-inflammatory. Banamine is an nsaid like bute and is no different from bute in being a potential stomach irritant.

There are indeed still vets who would tell a person to put a horse on daily bute long term to go along with riding a lame horse, but it's a bad idea to listen to that sort of advice. Animals with injuries need rest and treatment and rehabilitation.

Not all horses' stomachs are bothered by bute - we used to give it daily for years without causing stomach problems in many horses.

However, that's no longer recommended. And there's something unethical about medicating a horse so it can be ridden when it shouldn't be.

Arthritis (ringbone, spavin, etc) is a process. Once it starts, nothing is going to stop it entirely. Supplements, medications, they aren't going to stop a physical process(despite extravagant ad claims). Some feel it will slow down the process - I no longer feel that way. The way I feel is if a horse is lame when ridden, he should not be ridden.