Which horse would you choose? *pics*

[Hound]

Quote:
I sure do hope not, because if so, this sounds like a serious breach of veterinary ethics to me.

However, some great advice on the part of the OP about the horse being vetted. Like I said, there's a dishonest seller just about anywhere. You have to be *so* careful when buying horses.

Then bring on the unethical vets

We consider ours a family friend, if he knowingly let us buy a crippled horse that might come to an end pretty quick. I have no use for so called 'ethics' if it involves calling out a liar.

 

[Show Me Chick]

I got my first horse when I was eleven years old. She was a three year old grade mare at the time and my parents paid $400 for her. My mare Sugar is now 25 years of age and still looks great. She has never once bucked anyone off, I haven't rode her in over nine years but I would bet all I own that I could go jump up and ride her right now without any problem.

FYI I would never own a Saddlebred. My dad use to manage a Saddlebred show breeders stable and the majority of that breed of horse are crazy.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
That's show saddlebreds. Many make very nice trail horses. My mare is half-saddlebred and is one of the best distance horses in the state. The top competitive trail horse in the country for YEARS was a saddlebred named Wing Tempo out of NC.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I don't see it that way.

Saddlebred show training CAN make for a pretty excited, tense horse. That is true. I boarded at a SB barn and watched them bring out the fire extinguishers to 'jazz up' a horse. They want the show horse to be very, very up.

Not knowing exactly what 'crazy' means, I would still say that certain SB bloodlines do tend to be very, very nervous, no matter how they are trained or handled. Much of how nervous and excitable a horse is, as well as how energetic it is, is inherited and does tend to follow certain bloodlines.

The SB was bred for a very, very long, to be a very, very active, energetic horse. They wanted a horse that could trot up with a lot of style, all day long. It was really supposed to be a working type of horse that really relished working. I have seen people have problems with them, they can indeed be too much horse for a good many people. For example, ropo talks about her beautiful Palomino and how he is so quiet and easy, even if he isn't ridden frequently. I don't think a good many saddlebreds would work out quite that way.

That said, I've ridden a lot of SB and I absolutely love them. I have seen a few that were very quiet. And, many will head up and go all day for you, with them, you barely THINK of using your leg and they go go go. That just isn't what everyone wants.

 

[Mrs. Feathers]

How exciting that you are looking for your first horse! I remember the enjoyment (and heartache) of having our first horses as kids. My first horse was an older chestnut quarter horse gelding. He was the perfect beginner horse for me. Solid, sound and even tempered. That was really important for me because I needed to increase my confidence as a rider and in taking care of my horse myself. My younger brother`s first was a little arab/welsh mare. She was very energetic and mischievious...just like my brother...my family all thought she was a spaz but my brother LOVED her and they would spend hours together burning off shared energy. My sister also started with an older quarter horse. He was mellow and gentle just like her, sadly he developed a brain tumor. Through him we learned alot about compassion, caring and the not so fun reality of loss that comes with loving our animals.
I think you have received valuable advice from everyone here about taking someone you know and trust, who knows horses well, with you. Something I also think is very important is to make sure you have a connection to the horse you buy and that it is the proper temperment for you. That way you will want to spend many hours together and owning a horse will be a very positive experience overall even if you have rough times. For me (together with the healthy and sound piece) this is more important in a first horse than looks and confirmation (unless of course you are wanting to show or compete or the confirmation issues may cause complications down the road).
Good luck....I hope you post us a photo of your horse when you do find the right one for you.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Well, I have known exactly zero show saddlebreds.

However I have known a few dozen saddlebreds used for recreational riding. They were marvellous horses, chiefly because they were so levelheaded and calm. (Yes, some tendency towards putting head up and pricking ears at interesting things, kind of like yer typical arab, but not actually *doing* anything. Actually very sensible calm trustworthy horses)

Either show saddlebreds are bred for REEEEEAAAALLLLY different brains, or (my suspicion) chiefly it is just that they are deliberately trained to be fiery and scatty, plus being kept bubblewrapped and confined and not allowed to be normal horses running around the field all day.

It is definitely not the breed.

Pat

 

[GalloFino]

Quote:
Sorry, I worded that a bit confusingly. The horse was seen for lameness by "a" vet, not by "my" vet, about a week and a half before I went to see the horse. I myself wondered about the ethics of whatever vet did see him just giving my vet a copy of all his records...obviously that wouldn't be kosher in human medicine. My vet just told me that although the horse appeared fine, she was going to do some digging and she left it at that. I don't know if she knew something that I'd have no way of knowing about that particular stable or trainer or what, but something obviously seemed hinky to her. I was just so glad I had her on my side, so to speak, as I really dodged a bullet with the whole thing.

Good luck, Star, I'd love to see more pictures of your candidates!

 

[Eliza]

S.T.A.R. - If you're still here, here's what I suggest. Find a good riding/training barn and take lessons. Get a feel for the place, then consider half leasing a horse. The horse lives at the barn, the costs for care are not left to you, and you can learn, and show with the rest of the barn. This is probably the best way to manage. It's fun and you will have a good and safe time. Owning a horse is so much more difficult than it first appears. The point is to have good and safe fun. For the oldies in this thread - we're not trying to scare you with horror stories - they're more war stories of experience learned and for most of us - they added spice to life. For those who carry the scars - heed what they say - it ONLY takes a MOMENT to affect the rest of your life - why risk that? You can get what you desire from riding by going slow, realize that you're inexperienced and are learning! Nothing wrong with that!

 

[welsummerchicks]

Ok, now I understand a little better what happened. I wouldn't assume it was your wording, though, LOL. I've been up the last couple nights due to pain, so am not reading sharp.

A vet usually is hesitant to share problems or issues with a given horse that he knows about from treating said horse. There are some unwritten guidelines that they need to be discrete and not share information...but...those unwritten rules give a dishonest seller an advantage.

Still, in general, it is the buyer who has to determine if the horse has a problem. If his prepurchase vet misses a problem, then he's going to have bought a 'lemon'. There is no assumption that the other vets involved in the horse over time, will or should or can, find the buyer, and warn him.

If people selling horses thought he routinely would kill a sale by sharing information they don't want public, they'd probably not use him themselves, and would bad-mouth the vet all over town, hoping other customers would shy away. So that might be the consequence of being 'honest'....going out of business.

But no matter what the consequences, there is usually a point where a vet will feel like he is getting pushed too far to 'keep quiet'. If s/he's sure the seller is misrepresenting the horse, he may quietly discuss it with another vet, and let that one make sure a seller knows what's really going on. There is often a little bit of an informal network among vets...they often hear a lot, and know the community, warts and all, pretty well. Sometimes they put aside risks to their livelihood and take a stand.

A trainer injures a horse, and the trainer's adoring student calls out the vet...the vet can see this could only have been intentional, or even worse, due to ignorance or loss of temper...and he's been out many times for similar problems....

A vet is called in to do a prepurchase exam, for a horse he knows has an untreatable issue that makes him unfit for buyer's purpose...and wouldn't turn up in a normal prepurchase....

A person with not enough money to board and train two show horses, calls the vet out to put a healthy horse with a mild tendon problem to sleep, because he can't be jumped at shows. The customer tells the vet to tell anyone who asks, that the horse developed EPM....

There is definitely a reason equine vets have a lot of stress!

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I sure do hope not, because if so, this sounds like a serious breach of veterinary ethics to me.

However, some great advice on the part of the OP about the horse being vetted. Like I said, there's a dishonest seller just about anywhere. You have to be *so* careful when buying horses.

Then bring on the unethical vets

We consider ours a family friend, if he knowingly let us buy a crippled horse that might come to an end pretty quick. I have no use for so called 'ethics' if it involves calling out a liar.

Calling out a liar would not be the breach of ethics...being in a doctor/client relationship already with the seller and then taking money from the buyer as another client to tell them what is already known would be. This is what the post read like to me, anyway. It's a conflict of interests. Most vets around here refuse to do that for that very reason...if they absolutely *have* to prepurchase exam for a buyer on one of their seller clients' horses because no other vet is around or available, they will usually do tests (like x-rays, etc) with the seller's OK and send the results on to another vet who is an uninterested party in the seller (but hired by the buyer) to read/interpret those results for the buyer client. That way the seller's vet can't put their own spin on it to benefit the seller and promote the sale happening whether or not it is in the buyer's best interest to buy the horse in question. It's like two parties in litigation against each other would not hire the same lawyer to represent them both...one would get the short end of the stick even though they are both paying to be represented.