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How to sell a horse with issues??

3K views 28 replies 12 participants last post by  Trinity3205 
#1 ·
I bought a 6 year old rescue grade paint mare, 15.3, broke and she's a great horse...I bought her as my first barrel prospect and I really didn't know what I was looking for. I ended up falling in love with her and taking her the same day. After twoo weeks of training she pulled her butt muscle and had to be down for 2 months. the vet said it was just a pull, nothing to worry about but he pointed out that she had avery long back and hunters bump. I don't want to use her in barrels because I don't want her getting hurt and something about her legs just makes me uneasy with barrel racing. She is a great rail horse though and good around kids. I can't use her because I need a barrel horse but how do I sell her with these problems?

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#2 ·
I thought you would be talking about training issues. Is she fully healed from her injury and sound?

No horse has perfect conformation. I would mention training issues and if she has any current soundness issues or reoccurring soundness issues (like founder that could potentially come back, or string halt, etc), but the conformation issues you are describing would not be a big issue for other type of riding and I wouldn't even mention them in the text. I would make sure you have a good conformation shot in the ad so others can assess her conformation for themselves.
 
#4 ·
I thought you would be talking about training issues. Is she fully healed from her injury and sound?

No horse has perfect conformation. I would mention training issues and if she has any current soundness issues or reoccurring soundness issues (like founder that could potentially come back, or string halt, etc), but the conformation issues you are describing would not be a big issue for other type of riding and I wouldn't even mention them in the text. I would make sure you have a good conformation shot in the ad so others can assess her conformation for themselves.
I believe she is sound now but it always bothers me because of that injury. I just don't want her to get hurt again.
 
#6 ·
Talk with your vet about what your mare would be most suited for. Trails, 4-H, hacking around a field, light showing, companion horse? Then advertise her highlighting what she can do, but BE HONEST about what she might not be able to do. Does the hunters bump cause her pain? Will she need to be on medication? Being honest is the only way to go. A buyer that knows upfront what he is going to get is more likely to buy, rather than one that comes to see an advertised "nice horse" only to be told the issues after he arrives. That just always seems shady to me.
 
#7 ·
Talk with your vet about what your mare would be most suited for. Trails, 4-H, hacking around a field, light showing, companion horse? Then advertise her highlighting what she can do, but BE HONEST about what she might not be able to do. Does the hunters bump cause her pain? Will she need to be on medication? Being honest is the only way to go. A buyer that knows upfront what he is going to get is more likely to buy, rather than one that comes to see an advertised "nice horse" only to be told the issues after he arrives. That just always seems shady to me.
It doesn't cause her any pain that I know of...she does everything she's asked and doesnt act like she's in any pain. I've never brought it up and no one that's been interested has either but the twopeoplethat came to look at her I feel that may have been the reason they didn't buy her...they always seem to really examine her back.
 
#8 ·
I wouldn't call this "a horse with issues".

If I am reading this correct you only want to sell her because she injured herself? Is getting her weight up to where it should be, taking the time to build muscles and properly starting her for barrel racing an option? Any "rescue" that over does it can pull a muscle or strain something. Heck, any horse goofing off in the pasture can tear a ligament.

If you feel that she is honestly un-fit to compete in barrel racing due to having some sort of high likely hood of injuring herself - then she should be priced accordingly. If you cannot use her for "a job" someone else may not be able to so in answer to your question of "how" to sell her, price her accordingly.

I would second not feeling the need to go into great detail and distress over her previous pulled muscle. I've pulled a muscle and noone has sold me yet :lol:

If a horse has a history of lameness, founder, colic etc then I would price the horse accordingly and discuss this with all potential buyers. I would mention in person, her pulled muscle, but I agree, just post a good conformation picture and let the buyer be the judge of her build.

Weight and muscle would make the horse look better, for selling, but if she has a roach or a hunters bump its up to you or the next buyer if that is bothersome. Unless she is in pain, different story...
 
#10 ·
I wouldn't call this "a horse with issues".

If I am reading this correct you only want to sell her because she injured herself? Is getting her weight up to where it should be, taking the time to build muscles and properly starting her for barrel racing an option? Any "rescue" that over does it can pull a muscle or strain something. Heck, any horse goofing off in the pasture can tear a ligament.

If you feel that she is honestly un-fit to compete in barrel racing due to having some sort of high likely hood of injuring herself - then she should be priced accordingly. If you cannot use her for "a job" someone else may not be able to so in answer to your question of "how" to sell her, price her accordingly.

I would second not feeling the need to go into great detail and distress over her previous pulled muscle. I've pulled a muscle and noone has sold me yet :lol:

If a horse has a history of lameness, founder, colic etc then I would price the horse accordingly and discuss this with all potential buyers. I would mention in person, her pulled muscle, but I agree, just post a good conformation picture and let the buyer be the judge of her build.

Weight and muscle would make the horse look better, for selling, but if she has a roach or a hunters bump its up to you or the next buyer if that is bothersome. Unless she is in pain, different story...

I think that after awhile the back problem could worsen with all the body trama involved in the impact and twisting of barrel racing. She's willing to doit and started off very well but I don't want to run her into the ground and ruin a good horse. I don't put her muscle pull in her ad, I only talk about that if they ask about previous injuries.
 
#9 ·
Do you have pics in the ad that show her back well? I do think she will look a lot better with more weight and fitness/more developed top line. What kind of riding are you promoting her for?
 
#11 ·
Do you have pics in the ad that show her back well? I do think she will look a lot better with more weight and fitness/more developed top line. What kind of riding are you promoting her for?
Not extremely well. the pics are a little father away than the one I posted here and the sun was really bright. I'm promoting her as a western trail or family horse.
 
#17 ·
Harley, I looked at your post about your ad with the pictures of you riding. She is traveling inverted which will contribute to her weakness and wrong muscles developing hence the ewe neck comment. I think you could benifit from some training in riding and how to get your horse to travel better. It will help you with not having future problems also with the next horse. I am attaching a link ti show a before and after of a similar style of what the horse looked like being improperly ridden and after to give you an idea of what I am refering to. Look at this thread and the link towards the end that show another thread with a before and after, Good luck
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/head-balancing-left-right-trot-only-156284/
 
#19 · (Edited)
You have some choices.

1) Give her away just as she is now. Horses are an 'as is' sale. Anyone who takes her accepts her injury and takes the gamble that she will be ok.

2) Rehab her yourself and sell her. Inform your buyer of her past injury and market her as a childrens riding horse.

Horses are always "as is" sales. The seller does not guarantee soundness or health but an ethical seller always gives full disclosure of any past injuries or health issues.

Personally I would go with #2 unless I found a horse that I was desperately in love with and couldn't afford to feed an additional horse.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I dont think this injury is a good judge of what she can and cant yet do. She has some flaws but more importantly, she isnt at all fit. You cant push a horse that isn't fit and not get injuries. What were you doing with her in these two weeks of training? You should have only been walking and trotting the barrels a few times and riding her on the flat in patterns long and low fitting her up. None of those things would cause an injury unless he just did it out in the pasture playing or so forth. Were you cantering the pattern?

The best thing you could do is ride her long and low and slow awhile and get her up to a proper weight. She is still thin and undermuscled and does not yet appear to have the correct strength to ride in a proper frame at all at a walk much less at any speed. Her neck is very lacking and her shoulder is very pointy. Her underline shows me she has not yet been working with her belly muscles engaged. Her back is not that long really. I have seen way longer. She is goose rumped and ties in poorly and is not conditioned as well as is rather downhill and looks weak legged. BUT she could look a great deal better with weight and proper fitting up.

IMO, you probably went way too fast in "training" this horse as this horse is nowhere near developed enough to handle going around a barrel at any sort of speed. Walk slow trot, sure. No canter yet.

Go do some arena lessons on the flat or dressage lessons. Go over some cavaletti. Do some English lessons on her and get her body traveling properly and her muscling started properly and get her limber and flexable. Someone WILL want her and you might discover a hidden talent in the process and help her future. Dont focus on what she isnt good at. Focus on her possibilities and work towards them slowly while building her up as you seek her a good home. You said she was a rescue. Well, rescue her and figure out what she is good at before you sell her and get her in shape. She will have a much better chance at a good life that way.
 
#21 ·
So, you've had this horse for maybe 3 months? You wanted a barrel horse, but didn't take an experienced barrel person with you to see if she was suitable. You have now fallen for her & want to make sure she will have a wonderful future. You've got $$ tied up in her & need the $$ for another horse. Unfortunately, we seldom get the same amount when we turn a horse around , especially now that there are injuries involved. She will cost you $$ every day she is in your care. At some point, you may just want to cut your losses. It's a hard lesson, & I believe the first lesson about life we need to understand is that Life is Unfair. The horse world is a tough areana.
 
#25 ·
I cringe when people give you advice to go over cavalettis . that is very hard for horse to do and it should be done very minimally and I don't think it in experience person that needs to figure out a lot of other things should even do it at all .
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??? Cavaletti is an excellent exercise to build topline as well as balance and coordination.
 
#23 ·
What? There is nothing at all wrong with cavalletti. They are made to be used at a beginner level when they are on the shortest setting for green horses even at a walk. Heck you can start with actual ground poles if you want. They are perfectly appropriate for green horses being fitted up to learn to watch their feet and pick them up while rounding up and lifting his belly. I would not call them hard at all in any sense of the word used at the most basci baby level which this horse clearly as it per my response. We are not talking about gymnastics here or sequences. We are talking about a very short pole or two worked into a lesson on the ground for a greenie which is where any cavelletti work should start. Obviously you can make it as technical and hard as you like but one has to use common sense.
 
#27 ·
My guess that most greenies do not know to take it slow and they go at it longer than the horse is conditioned for. People would know to use a pole or 2 in a short lesson. Do you really think that the majority of people have common sense and would be educated? Many do not even know basic care of their horse let alone learning how to round up and how to tell if a horse is lifting it's belly.
 
#26 ·
If I were you I'd accept that you invested wrongly, sell her cheap and save up for another horse. You've got your hands tied behind your back, she was defiently wrong pick but it happens, It happened to me to. It might take a while to get a new horse but when you do then you will be much more careful bout the horse. Do you think she'd be okay for children? be as honest as you can to a buyer its the best choice its what I did and worked out best :) goodluck!
 
#28 ·
My point is if the horse had been ridden correctly and conditioned it would have less physical problems. Replacing this horse and not riding another horse correctly will contribute to problems with just another horse of a different color. You are telling her what the horse needs but at this point she is not qualified to understand cavaletti's, long and low,tell if it is lifting it's back, upside down horse, etc.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Which is why I said lessons ;) I'm fairly certain an instructor will tell her what to do and how to do it on her off time. But even so, cavelleti with NO instructor will be WAY easier and more beneficial than running barrels at speed which is what she is doing from the sound. A horse cant help but to round up and lift his belly going over poles.

"Go do some arena lessons on the flat or dressage lessons. Go over some cavaletti. Do some English lessons on her and get her body traveling properly and her muscling started properly and get her limber and flexible."
 
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