If a horse were trimmed too short, would pain set in a day later?

[findeight]

[QUOTE=st_francis;8198646]
What’s customary when a horse goes out on trial and comes up sore due to management?[/QUOTE]

Depends on on the contract in place for the trial period and proving the horse is sore because of mismanagement or negligence would be tough. If sellers do send them on trial, it’s generally to a known and trusted situation with good management. Lots of times it’s just a trainer sending sales horses to another who overuse them trying to sell them but that’s not really a trial.

This is a specific buyer taking the horse for a short period of time usually with a contract in place and this is one big reason they need to be short. Trials are rarely long enough for even bad management to have any effect. Normally 5 to 7 days. Anything longer is taking a much larger risk and more along the line of a short term lease.

There are people who try to break them on trial and many sellers who won’t let them go on trial, but that’s not what happened here. This one came with a pre existing condition that should have been disclosed needing farrier work the potential buyer probably had to pay for. Then it went lame or, I suspect, lamer then usual with that pre existing condition,

[StillHorsinAround]

I appreciate all the comments, even the harsher ones. I’ve been feeling in over my head but at the same time feeling like maybe I’m overreacting. This will be the third horse we’ve transported home, vetted and returned, and I wondered if I’m being too careful? I’m feeling less than confident with my trainer, my farrier, and my vet, which is not to say that they have steered me wrong, just that I’m unsure. No one, including the farrier, suggested not using him. I’m not even certain he was over trimmed. Only that he’s sore now.

Our arrangement was a week trial, and because he is greener than we would have liked we paid for the privilege of keeping him an entire month to be sure he’s a good fit for a kid. There was no contract, just that agreement and full price paid at the end.

The vet that did the PPE was not clearly concerned about the radiographs, suggested getting a radiologist to look. A seevond vet (trainers husband) told me he really didn’t see anything that looked terribly concerning, assuming he is going fine, which he was at the time. I’m fairly certain the trainer will receive nothing, but I’ve been surprised before.
He is a sweet horse and I would love for him to work out. I’m spending my budget away trying horses.

[Obsidian_Fire]

For all the money you’re spending trialing, PPE’ing, and sending back, you might be better off waiting awhile and increasing your budget.

I say this because I watched a friend spend 2 years doing exactly what you are doing. For all the $$ she spent on vet exams and plane tickets, she could have upped her budget by almost twice and gotten a good, sound horse much sooner.

And, having been through it myself more than once, a horse that is hard to keep sound is no fun. Even for the experienced, it’s a constant battle and a constant game of “are we on top of or ahead of this yet” and “what’s next” and “how much will this vet bill cost” because believe me, that’s what will happen.

Lots of horses are “sweet”. That’s not a good reason to plunk down hard earned money.

Your trainer, your vet, and your farrier should ALL be telling you these things. The fact that they are not? says run for the hills. Find new ones. You’re already saying that you’re feeling less than confident in their advice. Heed your instincts.

[thatmoody]

I will fourth or fifth the suggestions above. Part of the reason for a trial is to weed out any potential problems, and there are enough here that I would have already sent him packing. Green, bad hoof angles, possibly overdue for shoeing (AND inflammation in the hoof?). While I’m pretty convinced at this point that all horses are just soundness issues waiting to happen (grain of salt there) why buy trouble on the ground?

FWIW, the soundest horses I’ve ever had have been older (9-15) horses who were already performing at the level I wanted. Even if they need a bit of maintenance, they have proven to stand up to work. Green, you really have no idea of their soundness when in work. They may or may not hold up. My now 12 year old pony had a GREAT PPE at 9. Lest you think I was spending a lot, he was UNDER $1500 (he really WAS a bargain, though). Now he has just the beginnings of ringbone, but since we had the PPE 3 years ago we know the progress, and he is currently sound and in work.

[offtracked]

[QUOTE=StillHorsinAround;8198778]
I appreciate all the comments, even the harsher ones. I’ve been feeling in over my head but at the same time feeling like maybe I’m overreacting. This will be the third horse we’ve transported home, vetted and returned, and I wondered if I’m being too careful? I’m feeling less than confident with my trainer, my farrier, and my vet, which is not to say that they have steered me wrong, just that I’m unsure. No one, including the farrier, suggested not using him. I’m not even certain he was over trimmed. Only that he’s sore now.
…[/QUOTE]

Good for your instincts. No, you are not overreacting. Everything you describe in this quote is your common sense talking, and you don’t have to be a horse expert to have that.

Let your innate good sense guide you throughout your horse journey, and don’t be talked out of it … you will meet plenty of people who would like to do that.

When you meet people who are making sense and think your concerns are valid and worth looking into, those are the people to bring closer to your horse world.

[QUOTE=merrygoround;8198314]…
As a first horse purchaser, it sounds from here as though you are in over your head.
You need help from some one who has been in horses for a long time. If you already have help, get some other help.[/QUOTE]

I also agree with this and many of the other comments. Feet that are in bad shape may well be fix-able. BUT it can take a LONG time - months, years .

This is not a project for a beginner. The owner is ultimately the gatekeeper for selecting the best help and getting the right diagnostics during that time - and for screening out ignorance and puffery. Heck, most amateurs who have been in horses for years would be over their heads, as well. (That may be one reason the horse is for sale?)

Trainers train. They may or may not be expert in problem feet. Some have the experience and some don’t. Some may be less willing that others to confess that they, too, are not expert enough for this.

Some farriers have more experience with problems like this than others. If I had a horse with the problem yours has, I know exactly which of my local farriers I would bring in … and it isn’t one of the discipline specialists. The one I would choose would be very honest about the time the horse needs, and not try to tell me I’ll be using him for what I want to do in days or weeks when that isn’t right for the horse, and isn’t true, either.

[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8198395]If I owned the horse, I would not jump him with inflamed P3. I would figure, also, that he will never be a jumping candidate. I would never ride a horse with upright hooves and wrong angles, period. I would want to know if his hooves were upright because of conformation or poor trim. If its conformation, he might not do well corrected.

And lastly, I would never, ever ride a horse with the above issues without shoes. I would never let him go barefoot. And, with a short trim? And, possibly sore? I don’t know what else you could do to a horse to make him more uncomfortable, but no shoes, wrong angles, short trim, sore from being ridden with a short trim, and possibly bruised, and inflamed bursa? I wouldn’t ride a horse with one of those problems, much less jump him with all of them.

You really don’t know enough to be evaluating a horse for sale, and whoever you have ‘helping’ you is either ignorant as well or pushing a sore prospect on you for their own agenda.

You need to send the horse back. Its hard enough to keep a horse sound and working well when he starts out with clean legs. If you start out with these kinds of problems, and near-navicular, you can only go downhill from here.

Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Without hurting your feelings, OP, I think Ambitious Kate makes many good points that show not only shortcomings in handling this horse - things that caused the horse unnecessary pain - but also that you don’t have the best advisors. And, knowing you want what’s right (or you wouldn’t have turned to COTH for outside opinions), you also lack the experience to choose the best advisors.

Everyone who enters a new fields is in that place. It is not your fault that faulty guidance led to mistakes … we have all been down that road in some area or other. Good that you recognized that this isn’t going well.

I would never, ever jump even a fully sound and foot-healthy horse on the same day as a trim. That sprang out at me immediately - jumped same day, surprised at soreness??? I don’t even ride them on the same day. Some horses are fine with it, but it is an open door to foot soreness. Farrier work and riding should be scheduled so that it is not a big deal to give a horse a day off, just for humane consideration. Horse may not need it, but the truth is they hide minor ills and we don’t really know. Why not ride when there is no doubt, instead? IMO

[QUOTE=vicarious;8198441]These last few poster have had some tough to take comments, but I will go on record saying that each and every one of them is accurate.

If you have a trainer helping you, I would doubt their credentials. Taking the horse with questionable Xrays, and jumping him immediately after a drastic trim, all speak of a lack of common sense and a background knowledgeable enough to avoid such a situation.[/QUOTE]

Yes this.

Again, good for you, OP, for recognizing that you aren’t getting the kind of help you need to keep any horse comfortable and happy while in work for you.

[OverandOnward]

[QUOTE=StillHorsinAround;8198778]
I appreciate all the comments, even the harsher ones. I’ve been feeling in over my head but at the same time feeling like maybe I’m overreacting. This will be the third horse we’ve transported home, vetted and returned, and I wondered if I’m being too careful? I’m feeling less than confident with my trainer, my farrier, and my vet, which is not to say that they have steered me wrong, just that I’m unsure. No one, including the farrier, suggested not using him. I’m not even certain he was over trimmed. Only that he’s sore now.
…[/QUOTE]

Good for your instincts. No, you are not overreacting. Everything you describe in this quote is your common sense talking, and you don’t have to be a horse expert to have that.

Let your innate good sense guide you throughout your horse journey, and don’t be talked out of it … you will meet plenty of people who would like to do that.

When you meet people who are making sense and think your concerns are valid and worth looking into, those are the people to bring closer to your horse world.

[QUOTE=merrygoround;8198314]…
As a first horse purchaser, it sounds from here as though you are in over your head.
You need help from some one who has been in horses for a long time. If you already have help, get some other help.[/QUOTE]

I also agree with this and many of the other comments. Feet that are in bad shape may well be fix-able. BUT it can take a LONG time - months, years.

This is not a project for a beginner. The owner is ultimately the gatekeeper for selecting the best help and getting the right diagnostics during that time - and for screening out ignorance and puffery. Heck, most amateurs who have been in horses for years would be over their heads, as well. (That may be one reason the horse is for sale?)

Trainers train. They may or may not be expert in problem feet.

Some farriers have more experience with problems like this than others. If I had a horse with the problem yours has, I know exactly which of my local farriers I would bring in, and it isn’t one of the discipline specialists. The one I would choose would be very honest about the time the horse needs, and not try to tell me I’ll be using him for what I want to do in days or weeks when that isn’t right for the horse, and isn’t true, either.

[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8198395]If I owned the horse, I would not jump him with inflamed P3. I would figure, also, that he will never be a jumping candidate. I would never ride a horse with upright hooves and wrong angles, period. I would want to know if his hooves were upright because of conformation or poor trim. If its conformation, he might not do well corrected.

And lastly, I would never, ever ride a horse with the above issues without shoes. I would never let him go barefoot. And, with a short trim? And, possibly sore? I don’t know what else you could do to a horse to make him more uncomfortable, but no shoes, wrong angles, short trim, sore from being ridden with a short trim, and possibly bruised, and inflamed bursa? I wouldn’t ride a horse with one of those problems, much less jump him with all of them.

You really don’t know enough to be evaluating a horse for sale, and whoever you have ‘helping’ you is either ignorant as well or pushing a sore prospect on you for their own agenda.

You need to send the horse back. Its hard enough to keep a horse sound and working well when he starts out with clean legs. If you start out with these kinds of problems, and near-navicular, you can only go downhill from here.

Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Without hurting your feelings, OP, I think Ambitious Kate makes many good points that show not only shortcomings in handling this horse - things that caused the horse unnecessary pain - but also that you don’t have the best advisors.

And, knowing you want what’s right (or you wouldn’t have turned to COTH for outside opinions), you also lack the experience to choose the best advisors. Everyone who enters a new fields is in that place. Faulty guidance led to mistakes … we have all been down that road in some area or other. Good that you recognized that this isn’t going well.

I would never, ever jump even a fully sound and foot-healthy horse on the same day as a trim. That sprang out at me immediately - jumped same day, surprised at soreness??? I don’t even ride them on the same day. Some horses are fine with it, but it is an open door to foot soreness. Farrier work and riding should be scheduled so that it is not a big deal to give a horse a day off, just for humane consideration. Horse may not need it, but the truth is they hide minor ills and we don’t really know. Why not ride when there is less reason to doubt the horse’s comfort, instead? IMO

[QUOTE=vicarious;8198441]These last few poster have had some tough to take comments, but I will go on record saying that each and every one of them is accurate.

If you have a trainer helping you, I would doubt their credentials. Taking the horse with questionable Xrays, and jumping him immediately after a drastic trim, all speak of a lack of common sense and a background knowledgeable enough to avoid such a situation.[/QUOTE]

Yes this.

Again, good for you, OP, for recognizing that you aren’t getting the kind of help you need to keep any horse comfortable and happy while in work for you.

[StillHorsinAround]

Thank you OverandOnward for your kind and thorough post. I feel like it would be safest to give the horse back. I’m still on the fence! I wish I could share the X-rays on here and get the guidance everyone has offered with that in hand. What if I’ve misrepresented something accidentally? What if Im getting scared off by a set of close trimmed hooves and the broke back axis never bothered him? What if the X-rays really aren’t that bad?..Heartbroken…

[StillHorsinAround]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;8198035]
I wouldn’t do stall rest for foot soreness. Turn him out as usual, but don’t do more than walking u/s for a day or two and if it doesn’t resolve within 5 days, I’d be suspecting something a little more. Bute the first day or two only, minimal dose.

I’ve always made it a practice not to ride my horses on the same day they are shod or trimmed, to avoid this very scenario.[/QUOTE]

Today was his second day of bute and he’s looking good U/S again. He’s back on turnout and I’ve stopped the bute. We will no longer ride after trims. Thank you for
your advice!

[findeight]

That’s good but does not change any of the advice given, he should be sound on Bute, it’s a potent pain killer and anti inflammatory. Like aspirin in humans, and like aspirin, it can cause and aggravate the ulcers that are common in horses and cause many unpleasant symptoms. Not a long term solution in a younger horse with many years ahead if it.

[Marla_100]

[QUOTE=StillHorsinAround;8200045]
Today was his second day of bute and he’s looking good U/S again. He’s back on turnout and I’ve stopped the bute. We will no longer ride after trims. Thank you for
your advice![/QUOTE]

Sounds like you believe everything is fine and dandy now. ??? You’ve received some very valid advice in all the responses, I’d suggest you go back and re-read each and every one. Posters are only trying to save you the heartache of buying
a horse who’s coming to you already with problems. Potentially serious hoof problems. Horse ALREADY has inflammation in the coffin joint prior to hoof trimming. And you want this horse to be a jumper? Horse was terribly sore after
trim and you’ve already put him back to under saddle work? I think you should
think long and hard before commiting to buy this horse. Plus you may be getting poor advise from your “trainer”. I’ve had trainers minimize problems with lame horses because 1) they want you to buy the horse = commission to them or 2) they don’t want the cash flow from lessons to stop from a lame horse.

I don’t think you’re taking the wise advise of the experienced horsemen and horsewomen on COTH, which you came here seeking.
Good Luck to you because I think in this case you will need it.

[CHT]

Another consideration is: the horse might have been mildly foot sore before (when you tried him). Bilateral lameness is very hard to see, even for a vet, but can make a horse much quieter to ride than if it were sound.

I get you are desperate to make this work, and to finally have a horse…but if you do decide to keep him, get the vet out BEFORE the trial is over for another soundness exam. Block one foot if needed to make sure he is truly sound, rather than just evenly lame.

Hoof issues are a PITA, and I avoid them when I can…particularly in an unproven horse.

[gumtree]

There has been a lot of interesting “advise”, but IMO more like supposition being offered. All people have to go off of is what has been written/described by the OP. The OP who by his/her own admission is a bit of a novice.

OP the MOST important advice anyone can give a novice from cyber-land is to hire the best, work and from the best and put your trust in the best.
NO one can give the best advice who is not looking, working directly with the horse. NO ONE. It is nothing more by and large than just guessing. Well-meaning but still just guessing.

As is the norm the majority of people that comment on the forum give little to no background information. The only person besides myself that provides some background information and a link to their home page on this tread is CHT. Does that make CHT and me the only “resident” experts? Not necessarily for what anybody knows I made up and or embellished everything on my home page. I don’t dismiss people’s comments just because they don’t give out background information. But having been in and around the business my entire life I can pretty much tell who the “pros” are from hobby and or wana-be’s.

I have an excellent farrier, I rarely if ever tell him what to do only what the horses are doing. I had 2 of my 2 year olds trimmed recently. Both are in light training and are turned out at night. I don’t ride a horse after it has been trimmed as a rule. The next day one was sore in front, the other one so much. By the second day the one was even worse very reluctant to walk on pavement. Was unwilling to come out of his stall that night to be turned out. Once I got him off the pavement he was much more comfortable. The other one sore but not “lame”. Both horses have excellent feet and have never been shod. It’s going on 2 weeks and the one is pretty good now but not “sound” yet. But he will be I have no worries about him. Never once thought to call the vet. Just monitored. It happens from time to time. No big deal. At least not with these horses. If it was a competition horse that went barefoot it would have been an unfortunate set back. Pissed but I certainly wouldn’t throw my farrier under the bus for it.

Foot x-rays can be very tickly to take at times. The “plate” has to be placed and held just right at times. A slight movement of the horse can easily distort things. The expertise of the person taking and interpreting the x-rays is paramount. Not all are created equally I promise you. I have had more than one horse “spun” by a vet’s interpretation of their x-rays and when done by someone else all is fine. And or yes there are some subtle changes but nothing I can’t live with. Some things are black and white and some are TOTALLY subjective. It is not nearly as an exact science as some vets try to make it out to be. I’ve paid dearly for that lesson over the years.

I am not saying I agree or disagree with a lot of the comments made here. But as I said above it is nothing more than supposition on all our parts. I do agree with anyone that says, don’t talk yourself into buying any horse. Even the “pros” have made this mistake from time to time.

IMO no PPE is as black and white as “pass-fail”. I would never use a vet that goes about it this way. IMO and experience it comes down to if the horse is “worth” living with its “drawbacks” to the buyer, not the vet necessarily

The forum is a great learning place but it can “confuse” people even more. Too much information at times. Information that most likely has no bases in fact.

Leave the decision on whether to keep this horse or not to the “pros” you are working with. If you don’t have faith in their expertise find people that you do. This is VERY important.

[fordtraktor]

I haven’t read all the posts in detail but I wouldn’t be surprised if the horse was trimmed upright because it has some latent issues. I have had two horses we shod like that on purpose, both were unsound if shod on a natural angle. Neither was sound to jump, light riding only. One navicular, the other bursitis-type soft tissue in that area. Here is betting this horse will go lame if you take him down off that angle because people don’t usually do that except for a reason. BTDT, been burned by it! Learn from my rookie mistake (that would be the navicular horse above who we bought from a trusted friend, brought home, our farrier shod on more correct angles and he was horribly lame…).

But back on his angle and in wedges, we kept him comfortable for another dozen years, most of those in steady work as a lesson and kids’ show horse. It worked out fine. It can be a useful strategy. That said, probably not for you if you want to jump because I don’t think they’ll hold up to hard work shod like this.

Anyway, this just to say I would be suspicious of a horse shod too straight. It’s used a lot particularly by western people to hide lameness and you don’t want to find out later that is what you’ve got on your hands. And if it comes shod straight, at the very least I would assume there is an issue and it will need to stay that way. Best case scenario, you back off the angle and everything is fine. But if it isn’t, at least you came in with your eyes open.

The other lesson? If you buy horses from friends, still do a vet check!

[merrygoround]

Gumtree has excellent points. He has worked with horses for awhile, long enough to be familiar with the " I’m tired of looking" syndrome.

However your most recent post gives one pause. Two days of bute, the horse is sound on bute ergo he must be OK. NOT! Those feet are still going to take time to cool out. Were I you, I would keep looking. If after a month you want to look at this horse again, most likely he will still be there. It is easier to buy a horse than to sell one.

And another thought, Over the years, I have turned horses down, and have seen them later , and been so glad that I did pass.

[OverandOnward]

“Sound on bute” ???

Those are contradictory terms.

Horse is in pain under saddle. Bute masks it. But the problem is still there. That is what is happening.

Bute does not heal the problem. It allows the problem to get worse, it helps the owner maintain denial.

Bute is a coping mechanism for people who want to ride even though their horse is NOT sound.

Bute helps trainers continue to collect fees from the riders of unsound horses.

A horse may or may not heal on bute, depends on the situation. But bute is often the pathway to being the owner who must decide what to do with a horse who really is not sound and still has many years of life ahead. The downhill stepladder to - with luck, comfortable retirement, but all too often, to … :no:

Once the horse is back in shape and in no more need of bute, then it’s time to consider buying/not buying. But right now they are trying to sell a horse that isn’t sound with no answers as to how long that condition will continue. Just based on what you’ve posted, OP.

[Lord_Helpus]

I am a little confused who this horse is for. He was used in a jumping lesson the evening of a major trim. — Is he going to be part lesson horse? You also want him to be a good horse for a child? (I cannot remember what word you used in conjunction with the horse being greener than you had been led to believe).

I am asking these questions because, when a horse is vetted, the vet gives his opinion based on whether he thinks the horse will hold up for the intended use.

Right now, you have a marginal horse – straight angles, greener than you had been told, inflamed P3, bad feet. Wow. That sounds like more than 3 strikes and you are out. I think the chances of him being right for you are slim.

Another red flag is that you have already vetted and returned several horses. Someone with experience should have been weeding these horses out before you spent money on expensive vetting and x-rays.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like you have several layers of problems: Is this the horse you want to own for the next XX years? And, do you have complete faith in a trainer who has already seemed to have made a number of lapses in good judgment?

It sounds like the answer to both questions is (or should be) “no”.

The easiest way to solve problem #1 is to return the horse. Just because you have already returned several others should have no bearing on your evaluation of this one. If this was the first horse you had taken on trial, would you be on the fence about returning him?

Perhaps several PM’s to people who live in your general area can help you find out of the trainer is well respected, or if there is someone else near by who would be more of an advocate for you and your immediate needs.

You sound like an intelligent person who is aware of your need for good counsel. Sadly, I think you had to turn to COTH because, in your heart of hearts, your realize that you are not getting it from your trainer/instructor.

[StillHorsinAround]

[QUOTE=Marla 100;8200499]
Sounds like you believe everything is fine and dandy now. ??? You’ve received some very valid advice in all the responses, I’d suggest you go back and re-read each and every one. Posters are only trying to save you the heartache of buying
a horse who’s coming to you already with problems. [/QUOTE]

Oh, dear. No, that’s not how I meant to come across. I am still VERY concerned. I was merely mentioning he is going nicely on the bute informationally…in case that information helps anyone with advice for me. Maybe the fact the bute is working so well or so quickly might mean it looks more like the hoof trim is the likely cause as opposed to coffin bone inflammation. I have very seriously considered everything I have been told above. The only thing keeping me from sending the horse back immediately is the fact that no one has seen the X-rays and that you are all going on my explanation. And we know how knowledgeable I am.

[StillHorsinAround]

@Lord Helpus;8200722

I am a little confused who this horse is for. He was used in a jumping lesson the evening of a major trim. — Is he going to be part lesson horse? You also want him to be a good horse for a child? (I cannot remember what word you used in conjunction with the horse being greener than you had been led to believe).

The horse is for my daughter. She has been riding for 5 years under several different disciplines, and has focused on hunter/equitation the last year and a half. She would be considered an advanced beginner, and is jumping no higher that 2’6 regularly. She would like to show the horse locally. The first horse we brought home didn’t pass the PPE. Some soreness affecting the hip that really could not be identified. May have been some minor injury or some chronic thing. we had no way to know. Daughter was heartbroken. 2nd horse we brought home was too much horse. He was lovely and quiet until we asked him for coursework. The arena where he was shown was tiny and had room for only one jump. He lacked a lot of confidence over courses and my daughter is too young to offer much confidence building to a horse that needs it. Trainer could have but who will be doing most of the riding (and potentially undoing the trainers work?).We were looking for something this time that had more confidence managing courses, decided we were not interested in green horses. This horse has only been jumping since winter, but seems pretty comfortable with 2’6" courses, so we decided to try him despite his greenness. Hope that background explains what you were wondering. My daughter rode him that evening in a lesson. She takes lessons 2-3 times a week.

[StillHorsinAround]

@Marla 100;8200499

I’ve had trainers minimize problems with lame horses because 1) they want you to buy the horse = commission to them or 2) they don’t want the cash flow from lessons to stop from a lame horse.

Im confident about very little right now, but one thing I feel sure of is my trainer would not purposely steer me wrong. I sincerely doubt that she will receive commission for the sale, and if she did she would not have required it. And lessoning will continue with or without this horse, on her school horses. The only thing she stands to gain is board (she is also BO), which will be replaced by another horse as soon as one is found. I believe we’ll likely pay more her services in accompanying us on future road trips looking for horses, and transport, than she is likely to make off the commission. This was not a wildly expensive horse. Perhaps her experiences have not included these kinds of hoof issues. As someone posted here, she’s a trainer, not a hoof expert. I am more sore at the farrier for not saying, he doesn’t need a trim, don’t worry about the hoof chips. And for not saying, hey, I trimmed a lot, might not want to ride him for a day or so.

I’m also sore that I can’t be sure I’m reading the vet correctly. He is offering me information, but not saying definitively, hey, I’d steer clear of this for your purposes. It may be nothing now but it could really blow up in your face down the road. I’m getting, there’s something here. could be inflammation. Do with it as you will. Some more money invested will get you a radiologists opinion on it. Sorry, I don’t have a crystal ball to predict his future with. (said more kindly of course, but that’s the gist ).

[StillHorsinAround]

[QUOTE=CHT;8200504]
Another consideration is: the horse might have been mildly foot sore before (when you tried him). Bilateral lameness is very hard to see, even for a vet, but can make a horse much quieter to ride than if it were sound.

I get you are desperate to make this work, and to finally have a horse…but if you do decide to keep him, get the vet out BEFORE the trial is over for another soundness exam. Block one foot if needed to make sure he is truly sound, rather than just evenly lame.

Hoof issues are a PITA, and I avoid them when I can…particularly in an unproven horse.[/QUOTE]

I do intend to have the vet out again before we decide. This is why I have stopped the bute now. May be wishful thinking, but I’m hopeful a couple days was enough to relieve his soreness. Either way, what good is a vet check on a medicated horse?