Do you think that I should buy this horse

Question

I was looking for good barrel racing horses on my area. I found a horse that i have really liked his color, and his personality all sounds AMAZING!

My only worry is that he has vascular holes in his navicular, they say that I don't have to worry about this, and that he only needs Isoxoprin, and aspirin that only costs $40 every 3 months.

here is the link if you would like to read the owners description

http://www.dreamhorse.com/show_horse.php?form_horse_id=1232070

thank you

Answer 1

You should get your vet to examine the horse to confirm that it's not a problem.  It's really common to get your own vet check before you buy a horse... the current owners shouldn't be offended by it at all... it's just a precaution.  Get your vet to examine the horse, do some xrays of the legs, then get his opinion on whether the vascular holes in the navicular are a problem or not.

He is a neat looking horse with good conformation.  If your vet says the bones are ok, I'd go ahead and buy him.

Answer 2

Good barrel horse =/= already lame.

It would be nice if Isoxoprin was the magic bullet for navicular, but it just doesn't work that way. And they say he needs aspirin but he's sound? Uh-uh. I was born in the dark but it wasn't last night. He's such a good horse - but they need to replace him because they bought another horse? I bet the new one is sound.

Skip.

Also - you're looking for a barrel horse. Who cares what color he is???? What do you want - a flashy lame horse to lose on or an ugly one that will put you in the money? Forget about color.  

Answer 3

Well, I say no. You will probably outgrow him soon. They say he is powerful. You have to be experienced. The costs for aspirin will really add up. I would just get a horse that has no problems, more calm, and bigger.

Answer 4

Here is my recommendation.  The owner wrote a "recent" x-ray, the timing sounds a little off to me, this was just recently diagnosed and all of the sudden they are wanting to sell him?  I have always been a little suspicious of people selling animals with health issues because usually they don't tell the whole story.  There are some questions to ask if you are seriously considering the purchase of this horse.  Firstly, will they allow you to have your veterinarian come out and examine this horse prior to purchase?  Will they release a copy of all medical records and radiographs to you to have your veterinarian review prior to the soundness exam?  Will they offer a health guarantee for this horse spanning over a 8-12 month time to allow you to see this horse in action, after purchase, to monitor for pain and lameness?  I offer this information assuming that you want a sound horse for use as a barrel horse and also a companion.  I assume that since you ask this question you want to make sure that this horse lives a long, happy and pain-free life.  In a sport as physically demanding on a horses limbs, barrel racing is not a good idea for a horse with navicular disease.  It can be done, but not without quite a few nerve blocking and pain killing drugs.  You need to speak with a very experienced equine veterinarian before you purchase this horse for gaming purposes.