I was thinking this horse could be a good match for your daughter, despite all the problems (assuming vet check is clear, including a blood test for sedatives!), up until you stated the price.
There is no way a project horse- and that's what this is- is worth $20k, no matter how good the bloodlines. Geldings are an end product- that is, the bloodlines mean squat except for how they manifest in this particular horse because a gelding is not a breeding prospect. If he has very good conformation, I'd think $3-5k would be reasonable. Any moderate conformation flaws would drop the price a bit, and larger conformation flaws (still not affecting soundness) would put him at $1.5k max in my opinion.
This horse has been poorly trained, which is worse than not trained at all in many cases. He's also underweight; many people find that the sweet, skinny horse they brought home has a major personality change (and not for the better) once up to healthy weight again. It sounds like your trainer is on board with thinking your daughter can handle these issues and can work with her to make sure things are done right, so I will assume that's not a deal breaker (though it does, of course, affect the value of the horse!)
The question is if you want to deal with the dishonest sellers- you have to pretty much disregard everything they say/claim that's not provable. That means getting a very thorough pre-purchase exam, making sure all registration paperwork is in line, etc.
There is no way a project horse- and that's what this is- is worth $20k, no matter how good the bloodlines. Geldings are an end product- that is, the bloodlines mean squat except for how they manifest in this particular horse because a gelding is not a breeding prospect. If he has very good conformation, I'd think $3-5k would be reasonable. Any moderate conformation flaws would drop the price a bit, and larger conformation flaws (still not affecting soundness) would put him at $1.5k max in my opinion.
This horse has been poorly trained, which is worse than not trained at all in many cases. He's also underweight; many people find that the sweet, skinny horse they brought home has a major personality change (and not for the better) once up to healthy weight again. It sounds like your trainer is on board with thinking your daughter can handle these issues and can work with her to make sure things are done right, so I will assume that's not a deal breaker (though it does, of course, affect the value of the horse!)
The question is if you want to deal with the dishonest sellers- you have to pretty much disregard everything they say/claim that's not provable. That means getting a very thorough pre-purchase exam, making sure all registration paperwork is in line, etc.
