Critique on Belle?

This is my first time trying to add pictures, so lets see how this works.
But anyway. This horse is Belle, a 16 year old mustang. She was adopted from a wild mustang roundup when she was two, and that was the last time she was ever in a trailer.
Belle is our family friend's horse. They have no use for her anymore, and are willing to give her to me under the circumstances that I can get her back to my home, which is a good four to five hours away.
Belle has also not been ridden very much in the past few years. Oddly enough, I climbed up on her after a year of having nobody on her back and she was perfectly fine.
I am concerned about her health and care, though. Our friends are lovely people who, I'm sure, care for her the best they can. But her pen is rather small and she rarely gets exercise, let alone a water bucket that doesn't have an inch of algae growing around it. I don't know what they feed her, but it doesn't look at all like hay. Some sort of cubes or pellets. Her droppings are round and hard, as if she's an overgrown rabbit.
But. Anyway. These are the best pictures I could get- the next time I go down to visit I'll get some better shots. Does she look healthy to you, oh dear horse forum experts? Do you think the long trip would hurt her more than help? Theres also a climate change- she lives in the desert, and we're mountain people. Perhaps it would be a good change? I'm very unsure. This would be my first purchase of a horse of my own. Usually I work with other people's horses, for the past several years.


Also- the first two pictures are in winter. After a storm that made her pen quite muddy. The last one was in the summer.

Also, please be brutally honest. I don't need anything sugar coated, I just want to know what you all are thinking about this mare. I'm a big girl, I can take it ;)

I'm not any expert, but she looks a bit thin. Just a bit, though. I think she could use and extra 50-100 pounds, just enough to fill out. She is really very pretty!! I think the change would do more good than bad. I don't think she will have any problem with the trip or the climate change. If you are worried about the trip, stop a few times and get her out and stretch her (just as long as you know she will go back in the trailer). We pulled into a gas station where a couple trying to get thier horse back in the trailer after a quick walk would not go in. It was so bad they called a vet out (after trying for four hours to get him in) and had to give him a mild sedative, just to make him walk up into the trailer!

I think she would do great! Good luck!!

Thank you very much! I was concerned about her weight, but I wasn't sure if it was from age or other effects. :)
And that sounds terrible! Having to call out a vet, no less. I intend on going down about a week before I take her to work on training her to the trailer so we don't run into any problems. Don't want a mishap at a gas station like that, ick.

She could stand to gain at least 100 lbs. Until she is up to weight she really can't have a proper critique done. At her age she probably needs her teeth done, and she is probably wormy as heck.

As for moving her- a big heck yeah from me. That is no place to keep a horse. If you were worried about her health, I would have the vet come out and do a health check and coggins test PRIOR to her moving back home.

Draftrider, thank you. I wish I could get a better picture- perhaps I'll email my friend down there and see if she can take one and send it to me. I can't get back down there to work with Belle until I get my truck, and even then, my training and cleaning and walking her out to graze goes to waste the second I leave, ugh. But anyway. I have another question for you- since you are, in fact, a draft rider. Can you tell me anything about their care and personality and etc.? I know every horse is different, quite obviously with how gentle of a mustang Belle is, but my mom's friend is interested in looking into drafts for western pleasure.

I'm trying to think of what other details to add about Belle.
She used to be a blue roan.
I can touch her all over.
I got on her after she had nobody on her for a year and used a lead rope as reins and a halter as a headstall- she did AMAZING. I just got up on her bareback in her pen one morning and she didn't seem bothered a bit.
She hates fly spray with a passion.
She's rather hard to catch- and tips on this would be appreciated, but I plan on working on this while she's still in her small pen.
That halter is rubbing the hell out of her face.
Her pen borders a cliff edge of about fifteen feet, and is blocked by chicken wire. No joke. That worries me to no end.
Is there any precautions I can take about these things before I get her? I don't want to offend her owners, and I live five hours away- visits are far and in between until I get my truck.

This horse looks unwell to me. That is probably the reason it let you get on it. It is just depressed and ill. It is underweight but looks wormy. It has guard hairs all over it. It is probably malnurished and dehydrated. If you take this horse home be prepared for some heavy vet bills. If the horse was well tho, it would be a very nice horse. It looks like a sweetheart. I hope you get it out of there and give it some real love!!! God bless you for wanting to take care of it!! Good Luck!!

Thank you, kingkillkannon. As bad as she looks, though, Belle is a very chipper little thing. Optimistic, maybe, or just happy to see me specifically. I haven't seen her when I'm not around, obviously, so I suppose she could get rather depressed under the care of her current owners. I know they don't go out to see her much, besides feed her and fill the water buckets.

Get her out of there, I would consider this horse a rescue. She is pretty underweight, looks like she has went a lot without water, needs a few tubes of dewormer, and some free choice goodies (hay/grain). Judging by her hips sticking out I would say 200 lbs underweight and in need of a lot of muscle. I don't think you're looking at a lot of vet bills, just some self-care would do her great. She'll be a completely different horse once back up to weight.