Not enough info here. Your vet surely suggested what she thought might have caused it? Both front feet suggests laminitis. How old is the horse, what's he being fed, what did PPE Xrays show?

 

He was pressure tested on his hooves for laminitis and navicular, and came in fine for laminitis but iffy for navicular because he was sore. The vet said not to bother with x-rays(??). He eats 3/4 scoop of grain(about 12% protein), and good grass hay. I just started to introduce him to pasture. He's 12 years old. The vet said it could be an issue with ligaments along the coffin bone. They are very stressed and could be torn. She said maybe from poor conformation, or being pushed too hard as a colt.

 

Depending on what you want him for, I would insist on xrays, and ultrasound, something so you know what is wrong. Each of the things you describe probably will get better with rest and Bute, but I would want to KNOW. You spent the money to go out and see him, ride him and trailer him more than 1/2 way across the country. I sure wouldn't want to just let him heal up on his own without more definitive diagnostics, if he was my horse. I'm taking it that you did not have a PPE done before you bought him?

 

Yeah, I'm not one to jump on X-rays (neither is my vet), but you just bought this horse and he is now lame on BOTH front legs. I would do the X-ray. It's the only way to know for sure.

 

Could be from the trailer, but both front feet is suspicious. Are you sure the horse wasn't blocked when you did your test ride? I would get x-rays to see where you are at.

How are the hooves? The toes long or are the heels underrun? Normally a rough or long trailer ride usually ends in a dehydrated horse, or a horse with all 4 legs stocked up, and also soreness from standing so long.

 

Did you have a PPE done, before you bought him?
I doubt it was the trailer ride as I have both sold horses that had to be trailered along distance, know friends that not only trailer a great distance, but show the horse once they get there-Alberta to Texas.
I also have a friend that hauls across Canada and down into the southern USA, as a commercial horse hauler.Her feed back is always by happy customers, with the hroses arriving in great condition.
I would suspect a pre disposition. For instance, a horse that is somewhat laminitic, would be affected by a long trailer ride, with that b=vibration affecting hooves that are un stable

Yea, the vet report sounds very iffy. So, the horse had hoof testers used, I presume,as the definitive diagnostic procedure?
More info needed. PPE results, hoof pictures, ect

 

'Texas to Connecticut, and now to New York'

I pasted these words from the original post, as I am wondering if someone( perhaps a horse dealer ), brought the horse from Texas to Connecticut, where the Op tried the horse and bought him.
Just wondering, because of the wording, or he could just have been hauled in two stages??????

 

I took it as hauled in 2 stages.

 

I think an X-ray is in order, just to be sure. Not sure if you got a PPE done? But your vet doesn't really sound like they want to deal with it...I'd get a second opinion for sure. Hopefully you get the help you need.

 

No, I had no PPE testing done before buying, and yes,the ride was in two stages. Another vet I called said they don't do blood tests, which I asked about. We have Fingerlakes Racing right here though! How can they not do blood tests???
His hooves are fine. It seems like the guy I bought him from may have had him drugged up pretty good.
I have a sort of warranty, and it's that I can't get my money back, but I can pick another of this guy's horses. Do you think I should send him back, or try to heal him up? I only have three weeks.
Thank you all for your suggestions, they have been VERY helpful.

 

I have a sort of warranty, and it's that I can't get my money back, but I can pick another of this guy's horses. Do you think I should send him back, or try to heal him up? I only have three weeks.

That depends... are you paying for the horse(s) to be hauled cross country or is he? I've looked at shipping cross country before and it's not cheap. Sounds like this person swindled you, saw you coming from not just miles away but clear across the country! Not trying to be harsh, but usually PPE's are standard unless it's a cheap local buy or an auction horse.

If you do 'exchange' this horse... it would be sensible to have a PPE done on the next one.

If you don't mind my asking, what type of horse is this, and what kind of price range? Over 5k?

If it were me, depending on the answers to the above questions... I would try to do everything I can to see if the horse I already had could be fixed. If the seller is going to pay shipping costs for both horses, depending on the current horse's diagnosis, I would think about exchanging for another.

 

OK...so did you actually go to Texas to see & ride this horse?
Or did you see this horse at the dealers yard in NYS?
Either way...you liked this horse enough to buy him....
I personally think you need to spend some money to find out why he is lame, get diagnostic xray and possibly ultrasounds done to have evidence of truthful diagnosis now being given to you.
I would hate to see you throw away a horse who can be "fixed" easily with no lasting damage only to start to look and now go through finding a needle in the haystack of what this "dealer" brings through his barn...
Once burned twice caution though....you do a PPE from this point forward when purchasing from this dealer or get your $$ back!
Even if it is just a wellness exam.
A look see by a qualified vet who looks out for their clients {that is you} best interests!
You missed a red flag with this horse possibly...I have to wonder if a vet had been consulted if he would of picked it up. :think:

Being you say you are near Finger Lakes Racetrack there are equine vets in the area.
You now know it is money well spent to have a vet check...
There are many, many now retired Thoroughbreds in your area, some just off the track, some off for months and some already started on their new career as riding horses to consider too.
There are also other horses that may be at some of the OTTB facilities needing homes that may be what you search for...

You need to make some decisions and quickly.
I also have to wonder how "air-tight" that warranty is if you can prove this horse was misrepresented, drugged and is lame, but was shown and "represented" as a sound horse to you at the time you rode and purchased him.
The seller has rights but so does the buyer...make some inquiries about horse dealers and their legal obligations regarding selling a horse claiming sound and was not and drugged to hide that fact.
Laws in NYS may be different than those in other areas of this country.

Good luck.
:runninghorse2:...
jmo...

 

Definitely always get a PPE by YOUR vet of choice...make sure it's always a third party vet (or yours if local). X-Rays are always a great idea too if there is even an inkling that something is off...

Sure, it's going to cost you. I just paid $800 for a PPE with X-Rays. That's a lot of money, but what you are risking will almost always be so much more depending on what you find when they get home.

We should all know by now that the initial cost of the horse isn't where the money is spent...maintenance is where all the money goes!

Good luck and keep us up to date on what happens!

 

You need a new vet, who is experienced & knowledgeable about horses & lameness. This one sounds a bit clueless!

 

Well, unless you want to spend a whole bunch more money on a horse who maybe chronically lame, I would phone the seller and see if you can get another horse and have a full PPE done on that one, no use throwing more money out the door.

 

the horse came from Texas to the place i bought him from. I saw and rode him in connecticut. He was around 6k, and not from an auction. I'll definitely be getting PPE tests done on any horses I plan to buy in the future.

 

6K is a LOT of money for a lame horse... any change since you first posted this?

 

As far as trying to fix him vs "swapping" it depends on a) the actual diagnosis which we still don't have and b) how much you like the horse (though emotion does not count as logic!)

 

Yes, yes, yes -- a horse CAN come up lame after a trailer ride! Last night, my new 12-year old TWH mare arrived after a six-hour trailer ride from W KY, and when I saw her (an hour after she unloaded), she was sweaty, shaking and moved like she had string-halt in her back left. I did a little research and learned that long-distance trailering can stress-out a horse as badly as if it had walked the distance rather than hauled. (I wish I had bookmarked that article, but alas, I did not.) Anywhoo, I spent some time with her this morning, and she's moving perfectly well. (Really spooky, but she moves fine.) I am convinced now that she braced for the entire ride, and her muscles tightened up because of it.

I would def do the x-rays on your horse, but I'm wondering if your horse is sored-up due to muscle tightness? Is it a scrambler in the trailer? Could it have damaged tendons/ligaments by bracing during shipping? It may not be as bad as you think, my friend. Prayers that your new horse recovers soon, and that it's not as severe as you suspect.

 

^Yes, absolutely. Trailering/trucking can be hard on horses, esp if it's a long journey - I'd always break up trips into 2 hr stints with rest stops between if doing long distances. That's what I thought this thread was about when I first saw the subject. But it sounds like the horse had existing problems... tho it's impossible to say that for sure without having any diagnostics done.

 

I'm glad you clarified the trip because, while I'm not the best when it comes to geography... (is it geography?) I kept thinking you would have to go through NY to get to CT from TX. LOL...

So I'm confused on what the pressure test was for the Navicular. Can you describe that a little bit? I keep picturing the pincher things a farrier uses to check for abscesses. Do you mean a flex test?

Was there heat or swelling and how long have you had the horse? How long has it been lame. When did it go lame?

Sorry... I did skim the responses but before I leap onto the x-ray wagon (Which I'm dragging that last foot on) I'd like to read a little more response if you'd on't mind.

I'm really just trying to decide if it's a horse trader that cheated you by hiding an injury...

 

he's definitely doing better. I've started walking him in the indoor ring where i board, and he doesn't seem to be in too much pain. the pressure test was for laminitis more so than navicular, but navicular was included, you could say. the horse went lame the day after i had him home. there was no heat or swelling, and I've had him for just under a month now. the vet told me it would take about 6 months to get him healed, and another 6 to get him ready to ride, run around, etc. he's no longer limping, which I'm very happy about. he's really doing much better.

 

I would be wanting to know exactly what is wrong with my horse that A YEAR of lay-up and time off is going to fix!
That is a whopping amount of time, expense and questions galore on "will the horse recover?" in my eyes. Dang!
What exactly has your vet told you is wrong with this horse you just bought?
Or have you still not done actual diagnostics of x-ray and ultrasounds, having a vet truly look at the horse?:think:
You still can not see "inside" a anatomical part {hoof} unless you do the diagnostics...you're still guessing with a "pressure test"....
You might really have a better game plan to know what the horse is facing in degree of issue if you did some testing...at this point you are spending a years board plus vet care what is another $150 bucks added and getting decisive answers to help the horse really recover not "guess" anymore.

All I can say is.....Holy Cow!
New horse and you start out with a year of off-time for healing is not a way to be introduced to horse ownership 101....
So sorry for you.
:runninghorse2:....

 

So, I got a second opinion vet check and he failed miserably. Turns out he has severe navicular, and his whole navicular bone is disintegrated. There is no corrective shoeing or anything else we can do to solve his problem. We're going back tomorrow to pick out a new horse, free of charge. The vet said he'll have to be put down too. 😢

 

He was even looking so good in the ring... I don't know how he got so bad😭

 

That's so sad, sorry for the outcome. Very glad the seller did honor his guarantee of getting another horse however.

 

Wow, so sorry to hear this outcome. Hearbreaking for the horse, and for you. Glad you get to pick out another one though. Make sure you tell people this seller keeps his word. So many would not!!!

 

Yes, credit where it's due! IF they are honest. Of course, things like this can happen with good sellers, if the seller didn't have the horse evaluated, didn't know the problems, maybe got duped themselves on it somehow, so I'd certainly also be careful not to jump to be judgemental...

BUT especially as it sounds like the seller is a dealer(OP can choose from other horses they have...), it is also entirely possible they're offering other sub-par horses and they DID know about this one being lame. If it's that chronic & severe, it certainly didn't just come on out of the blue... So I would be VERY cautious about any other horse I chose from them(& get them vet checked first), and not start telling people how wonderful they are just yet either.

 

Yeah, definitely getting a vet check and ppe test this time. 8\ thank you all for your advice, it was very needed, and helpful 🙂 I'll keep you posted!

 

sorry. that is sad. That horse should not have been sold to you . Please have the 2nd horse Vet checked preferably before you take it home.

 

ok, updates! i exchanged him for a beautiful bay mare, who passed her vet checks!!! yay! the old horse was not put down, but adopted for *light* riding by an older couple. he now has a happy home where he can live out the rest of his days in peace. so glad he didn't have to be put down!! cheers!

 

So glad to hear everything worked out for the best for all concerned! Kudos to the seller for making it happen, and to you for recognizing there was a major issue. We'd love to see pics of your new mare!