A nice, inexperienced young woman at our barn just bought her first horse- an OTTB that’s been off the track about 6 months. I think it was a very quick decision, no PPE and I’m almost certain she didn’t ask advice or bring someone experienced with her to try the horse. She plans to do low level trails with him, no training and can only come to the barn on the week-end.
The horse has just been treated for EPM, is very thin and has only had a few weeks of training because of the health issue.
I’m 99% sure the owner doesn’t know about the EPM, and I can’t think of any way to tell her. I did give her the name of the treating vet, and suggested she ask seller for a release of the records “for on-going care”.
UGGH.
If she really doesn’t want any input I can only suggest keeping your eyes and ears closed and stay boresighted on your own journey.
Last week: At a nearby barn an inexperienced young person on a strong-minded horse did not want to ride in an enclosed arena. Unfortunately she ended up on a long and terrifying runaway ride to the gate, horse planted and launched her into the gate. She had a few days in the hospital before she could walk with a walker. She should make a full recovery, but she’s missing school, she’s traumatized and her parents almost more so. She has no interest on ever sitting on any horse again and I don’t blame her. Her lifetime horse dream is gone.
I won’t get into the disasters I’ve witnessed over the years with severely over-mounted riders, already unloaded much of that in another thread a few weeks ago. If you’ve dropped a few hints and suggestions (nicely) about how much fun they could be having on a calmer horse with more training, and they brush them off, sometimes there is nothing you can do but close your eyes and mind your own business.
I cannot imagine how people are so lost in their own imagination with something as potentially life-threateningly dangerous as horses. But so many people are.
They are living their life, you are living yours. Good luck!
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How is it that you know about the EPM, but you believe she does not? Why can’t you just tell her about it?
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Not that I would ever buy a horse without vet records, especially one right off the track, and I don’t ride anymore anyways but…
Maybe it is the mom/karen in me, but I would tell her about the EPM, for her sake and the horse’s. Plus depending on how long it has been since the sale and the laws in your state she may be able to look into returning the horse and being refunded if she had a letter from a lawyer stating something along the lines of 'due to the seller withholding important medical info on the horse…" or something like that. Depending on the sale paper and the legal jargin if any in them of course.
I know I would be livid if I bought a horse that I wanted to ride and do anything show type with, and then found out there was an underlying medical issue that really should have been disclosed and instead was purposely withheld. JMO of course.
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Horses bought off the track almost never come with vet records, unless you know the owner or trainer and they agree to release them. Sometimes, they’ll tell you about an injury, but even that gets downplayed because they want their horse to find a nice home. That’s why buying off the track is a game for experienced horse people, and why a PPE is critical. Even OTTBs that are purchased from re-starters will most likely only come with vet records accumulated since they came to that facility—not all the way back to the track.
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I’m also unclear about how you know about the EPM but not the owner. If you do as a fact, not a rumor, I would tell her. It’s not like saying, “in my subjective opinion, you’re way over your head on this crazy horse,” but it’s a fact you know about her horse and she does not. Truthfully (although I hope I would never be in this situation) if I owned an animal and someone at my barn knew a critical fact about his health history and I didn’t, I’d be peeved if they didn’t tell me.
But in your original post you said he was thin and had minimal training because of the health issue, so why wouldn’t she know?
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What else do you want us to tell you to do if you already told her it has EPM, gave her the name of the treating DVM and suggested she contact the seller? Thats all you can do.
Did this horse come directly off the track, through a reseller, rescue, auction or was it already in your barn and that’s why you are so familiar with its health and vet history?
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I think once the new owner know about the diagnosis this is something you’ll need to step away from. Years ago I had a friend who bought an OTTB for her 12 year old beginner daughter despite suggestions that perhaps an older BTDT type of horse might be more suitable. Gorgeous horse that trainer “could not find a home for.” Horse was so stunning that it raised a red flag for me, someone should’ve already picked him up for the price he was going for. Sure enough, about three months in and many vet bills later they had the horse PTS because he had severe kissing spines and was dangerous to handle (he fell while being ridden and had difficulty navigating in and out of stall) As soon as he was PTS they went back and bought another OTTB and had another negative experience with a green rider on a fireball.
I disengaged after having my head nastily handed to me in the beginning when I suggested maybe a older family type horse would be a nice choice. I could see all the drama coming and didn’t want to deal with it.
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How do you know this?
Was the horse bought from someone you know?
Did the treating vet share that info?
IIWM, I’d feel that info was important to share with the new owner.
Is it possible she does know about the diagnosis and:
A)is ignorant of the disease
B)knows & is willing to treat
In a lifetime of owning horses, I’ve done just 1 PPE. On my TB Hunter I intended showing.
The others - including a 3yo OTTB, raced a month before - got a P(ost)PE, as I trusted myself to assess horse’s health & suitability.
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I will always speak up for the welfare of the horse. If you’ve mentioned that the horse was treated for EPM and is thin, you’ve done your task in my opinion.
As for training and suitability, unless you are the barn owner or trainer, it’s not your business.
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Re the comments on the EPM “diagnosis” – technically speaking, there is no such thing as an “EPM diagnosis”. There is no test for EPM being active in the horse’s body.
There is only evaluation of all the symptoms. And you can test for EPM antibodies and that can be very informative. But it’s an assessment or evaluation, not so much a diagnosis. We treat for it and if the horse gets better we figure we got it right.
In certain parts of the country EPM is so widespread it’s easy to just assume that a horse with any type of symptoms probably has it. Probably a valid guess in most cases.
So add that to the questions about the claim of EPM … how does OP know that, and yes, how is it that the owner isn’t aware of it?
Maybe these are deeper waters than OP has shared so far.
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I don’t want to give too many identifying details, but the seller had the horse at our barn since spring, and I happened to be present 1 month ago when the vet came to check his progress. Horse was treated with sulfa/trimethoprim x 2 months. I asked seller 2 weeks ago how he was doing, and was told his antibody titre had come close enough to normal that she felt she could tell a buyer that horse was healthy.
And yes, maybe new owner was told (doubt it) but I don’t think she understands the implications if she was- she is not knowledgeable about horses.
I didn’t really want advice, but more to vent frustration and concern about a potentially bad situation. That being said, I have decided I’ll ask new owner when the horse is due for his next set of lab work, and play all innocent and explain if she asks me what the lab work should be for. “Oh I was sure that Susie had told you about the EPM!”
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Frankly, I don’t mean any rudeness towards OP here but a looooot of this sounds like speculation and nasty barn gossip.
OP says “I think it was a very quick decision, no PPE and I’m almost certain she didn’t ask advice or bring someone experienced w/her to try the horse.” What gives OP that impression when they don’t, by the sounds of it, know the woman beyond “nice” and the presumption that she’s “inexperienced.” How does OP know this person doesn’t know other horse people who aren’t at that barn who perhaps this person trusts and had involved in the buying decision? Not everyone discloses everything to everyone and some particularly won’t disclose more than they have to if someone, is, say, known for being nosy or a gossip.
I also feel there’s a lil’ judginess going on here w/the low level trails and “no training” and “can only come to the barn on the week-end” (also…who hyphenates weekend?). Ya know - some folks have busy lives and demanding jobs and can’t make it out to the barn every day or even most weekdays, depending on where they are relative to the barn and what their schedule is like and if this isn’t a pure, 100% self-care facility then I’m not sure I’d put the judgy pants on if someone can only get to the barn on the weekends. As for low-level trails and “no” training, a trail horse doesn’t exactly need to be trained to high level dressage and OTTBs can make wonderful mounts for a variety of disciplines.
“The horse has just been treated for EPM, is very thin and has had only a few weeks of training because of the health issue,” OP, how do you KNOW this? It isn’t your horse, so I imagine you’re not privy to conversations with the vet, unless you’re eavesdropping which is a nasty habit you should quit, pronto, if so.
As for the horse being thin - that’s Thoroughbreds, sometimes. I owned an OTTB in my teens who was a notoriously hard keeper. We finally got some weight on him (and to be fair, I didn’t ride/board at a very good barn then and was ignorant in a lot of ways) and then he died. But in hindsight I think even at the best barn, there still would’ve been some work involved just in getting weight on him. He was, I later learned when I met some of his racing connections working at a TB track, a hard keeper even when he was racing.
OH: and uh, how, OP do you have the name of what you describe as “the treating vet” when the horse’s owner doesn’t? That sounds fishy.
If she doesn’t want the advice, then, OP, there’s nothing you can do. Not your horse, mind your own business, sometimes folks have to learn the hard way. But as I read OP’s post, this just does not quite add up.
If you really want to approach her OP, maybe just straight-up ask what the situation is, if you can do so in a manner that won’t set off the horse owner. But there’s really no nice, non-judgmental, non-confrontational way to ask about this if you aren’t say, the barn owner, the instructor or another equine professional dealing w/horse and owner.
EDIT: Saw OP’s later posts disregard much of this.
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The way you phrase that makes it sound like you think the seller is being shady.
How do you know, though?
Then say that when you post instead of couching it in a manner that makes much of COTH think you’re seeking advice. Clearly, you aren’t.
This sounds like someone being a rude barn gossip. And if there’s one thing I hate, having grown up at a barn full of nasty, catty, backbiting, it is this kind of thing, exactly. If I was that horse’s owner, even if you turned out to be correct, I would not trust you or like you after that. Not because you were a meanie poopy-head who told me Horsey McStudmuffin had a health issue but because you, if you approach someone IRL the way you wrote the first post in this thread, come off as nosy. (I am not saying you are nosy, just that you come across that way. Again, not your horse, not your vet, not your life, not your calls to make. If horse and owner aren’t in immediate danger, why say anything?)
EDIT: Also - if the horse is apt to be due for lab work, why do you think the owner is either, 1. Unaware completely, or 2. Unaware currently and not apt to be informed by the vet???
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My only thought though, is, what makes OP oh-so-confident horse owner doesn’t already know, hasn’t already consulted a vet, and isn’t already doing what needs to be done? Plus OP notes horse was treated under seller, who sold the horse as healthy. Not to say seller is squeaky-clean but, why so doubtful, I guess. And if this is a boarding situation, which it sounds like, I’d presume there’s a barn owner who is, I hope, aware that there’s a horse with EPM in the barn and if they are allowing the horse to remain on the premises, then, I don’t see why OP needs to involve themselves in this.
EDIT: Not a current horse owner. But, my two cents - if someone bought a horse recently and it’s like, multiple months (4-6+) later and horsey is still scary-skinny and doesn’t appear to be gaining much weight/showing any signs of improvement, then yes, I might ask about it, but if they’ve only had the horse for a little while then I don’t see why any nosy barn gossips should be asking - for all any of us know the owner is working on a proper diet.
Note - I am not defending the owner or saying they’re perfect, nor am I saying ignorance doesn’t abound (been there, seen that, got the t-shirt, so to speak), but OP, in their opening post on the thread, comes across as someone who knows an awful lot for not actually owning the horse themselves and reading their later post with additional details I feel there’s an undercurrent of gossip and judgment here. Flamesuit zipped.
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Uh - this is COTH … 
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Yep.
And I don’t even mind posting to vent but OP v. much did not give (sorry for being back on here btw, trying to listen to a candidate forum recording to transcribe for work so I can do the article and our county sheriff is making me wanna barf so I’m procrastinating a tad b/c it’s slack off or lose my everloving mind and he is not worth my sanity. 
) any indication they “didn’t want advice.”
They also seem to be making a lot of judgments for someone who notes their knowledge of the horse’s health is based on:
You “happened to be present” and…couldn’t help but listen in carefully enough to find out what the horse is being treated with? And if the seller “felt she could tell a buyer that horse was healthy” who are you to question that?
I do not find it to be weird that someone at a boarding barn happens to be around and hears when the vet is there. I think that is a more often than not situation in the world of horse boarding.
I am not a fan of sellers who are not 100% honest. What we do not know here is if the seller was honest or not. Telling the new owner the horse is healthy might = they had told the new owner about the previous issues and how the numbers are now such that the vet thinks the horse is healthy.
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That’s fair I just feel OP is making a lot of assumptions.
When I last rode regularly, I usually wasn’t around when everyone was doing vet/farrier stuff.
Even if I were, frankly I’m not sure I’d listen to another’s appointment and certainly not so closely as to find out what exactly the horse had wrong, the treatment plan, etc. because not my horse. That’s more what I find odd than being there, period. Maybe OP is close to the seller by enough that they chit-chatted about it but the way they describe the situation on here, I don’t get that sense. 
EDIT: The sense I get is they were nearby, heard vet and seller discussing things and then asked seller casually about their plans to sell the horse as a casual acquaintance.
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We all do barn time differently.
I am never not there when my horse gets vet or farrier care so people stand around and gab while the vet/farrier is doing their thing. Then conversations happen about how Dobbin is doing and people listen as the vet talks (unless the owner wants privacy).
I don’t know what it is/was. Just offering up another point of view.
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