Sweet itch would be a real issue for me -- the horses I've known with it have been chronic high-maintenance mgmt problems and made rather miserable by it with no really good full *solution* to the problem -- but, enh, there are also *worse* things in life I suppose. Depends whether you're willing to deal with it (and have to look at it
).
His overall build does not excite me but it is not terrible. He looks pretty 'young' and underdeveloped for a 2 yr old to me, I wonder what his nutrition has been like. His hind end could be improved on, plus there isn't much *of* it. Personally I'm somewhat prejudiced against sickle-hocked horses, but probably moreso than I should be, because i have also known some horses built like this pinto that did not have *any* functional problems from it, so, I'd say to judge that on seeing the horse in motion and using himself. I'd be suspicious but would not turn him down just because of that, you know? He is currently built downhill, which is not a good thing but is sometimes just a growth phase (although he's got pretty good withers for a 2 yr old and I am not *convinced* he'll outgrow it) -- I forget, do you have any ability to see his parents or pics of them?
The hock thing: if the bump below the hock is present on both legs, and I am guessing it may well be, I will bet you dollars to donuts that the bump below the hock is merely a very prominent, um, whatever the bone of the hock is that's located there
(Sorry, I am not great on "name the umpteen bones of the hock" anatomy kind of thing, but, there is one particular squareish bone located there of some name or another. And in some individual horses it is simply very *large* and can LOOK like a curb -- that's what y'all are thinking of, btw, a *curb* not a spavin -- yet have zero functional significance.)
If it is on only one leg, it is probably "just" a curb (more-common on sickle-hocked horses anyhow), although it is somewhat more-localized than curbs often are. If it IS a curb, I would not buy the horse for significant work or work on soft footing, but for LIGHT recreational riding most horses get over it and are fine although they may reaggravate it multiple times during their lives.
(e.t.a.: wait -- I went back and saw the one or two pics where you do get a clear profile of the off hind, and the bump is apparently NOT on that leg [unless it's just the pic at exactly the wrong angle]; thus unless it is a meaningless temporary bruise or bugbite, which it probably isn't, I will betcha it is a curb. Which is a definite weakness, although not a dealbreaking one for light recreational work as long as you're ok with it maybe becoming a recurring problem. If it were not a curb and were a permanent bony feature of just that ONE leg, then that would speak to some significant deformity of the bones of the hock joint, and I for one would not touch the horse with a ten-foot pole. But I doubt this is the case here.)
His feet do not excite me, but it's hard for me to tell from the pics how much is genuinely low heels (hard to fix), versus how much is simply relatively-too-long toe (not hard to fix) with the horse *wanting* to grow a reasonable heel. Another thing you'd have to judge in person.
Overall I would not get excited about him or strenuously advocate anyone buying him, but he is not *terrible* and if his heels are not so bad in person and he can engage his hind end with good power without overstraining things (have to see in person), and if you don't mind a horse with sweet itch and no particular distinguishing athleticism, then I guess I could see why a person *might* buy him in some circumstances. (Personally, I'd wait til something better came along though, as a good horse costs no more, often *less*, to keep then a not-so-good one)
JMHO, good luck, have fun,
Pat
