Opinions on sales horse with ugly fetlock x-rays?

[Libby2563]

Looking for opinions on what to do with my sales horse whose PPE x-rays revealed fetlock issues. I would love some input from people with more experience with OTTBs about just how horrible these x-rays are and how much they affect his prospects. I know horses don’t read their x-rays and there are a million stories on this forum about sound horses with crap x-rays…I just don’t know how concerned to be in this particular case.

The horse in question is a 6-year-old TB who’s been off the track for 2 years after 10 starts. He’s been sound in full work (dressage until started over fences 4 months ago) since coming off the track. He is a super nice horse with a lot going for him as far as temperament, movement, rideability, looks, size, etc. He even has great feet. He passed the soundness exam, including flexions, with flying colors.

His RF fetlock is visibly rounded (which I disclosed to every potential buyer in our first conversation) so I knew there would be an issue on x-rays but I underestimated the severity. I don’t have a written report so this is me paraphrasing the PPE vet: he has “moderate arthritis,” with chips around the front of the fetlock joint (including at least one in the joint) and spurs (my word) on the sesamoid that limit range of motion. The vet classified him as “high-risk for an athletic career,” so understandably the buyer walked. The LF fetlock had mild arthritis that the vet said is about par for the course for most OTTBs he sees. I’m waiting for a second opinion from my own vet on what his workload should be, whether it’s okay to continue jumping him, etc.

These are my options:

1. Return to previous owner, who has offered a guaranteed retirement home. I’m very grateful to have this option!

2. Continue marketing as a lower-level eventer/hunter/dressage horse, at a lower price. Knowing what the x-rays look like, I’m nervous about selling him to a stranger. I would always worry that even if I make it clear I will take him back at any time, they wouldn’t contact me if he went lame and he could end up in a bad place. I know that’s true for all horses but this one seems to be at higher risk, right? I also have no idea how to price him. 50% of original asking price? Less?

3. Free lease, give, or sell for a low price to a trusted person. I’ve already mentioned him to everyone in my personal network (which isn’t huge) and I’ve had some interest, so something may work out. Unfortunately I can’t continue in limbo without investing in shelter and cross-fencing for the winter because one of my other horses won’t let this poor sweet doofus eat hay in turnout and the grass is waning.

4. Keep him, continue developing and competing, and try to sell again in a year or two, at which point he will have proven his soundness further and there will be 2020 x-rays for comparison. This was the suggestion of my jumping coach, who is very experienced with OTTBs. I kind of doubt I would sell him for enough to break even so I’d have to decide that the costs of continuing to keep him would be worth my own enjoyment. I have been planning to focus my show/lesson budget on my other horse next year so I’m not sure how I feel about this option.

My priority is a great home and as secure a future as possible for the horse. I’m considering the money I’ve put into him to be lost regardless, though I guess there’s some possibility of recovering some of it.

Any educated opinions on these x-rays? What option would you choose?

[ecileh]

I am not going to comment on the xrays–as I am not a vet and thus not really qualified to do so.

But I will say that I just bought a horse with questionable xrays for my husband to fox hunt. The initial issue came up when she flexed pretty badly on her right hock–even though she was going soundly. I almost didn’t do the xrays because…well, there is no way I would flex soundly and I have never seen a horse that has. But it’s my husband’s first horse and he wanted them so we did it.

She xrays with some arthritic spurs and a chip in her fetlock on that limb. I talked to three vets (all in my practice) about them and their opinions ranged from “omg no don’t do it” to “it’s fine, she’s a draft cross”. Bottom line was that she has been sound all her life (I have known her since a baby) and is on no maintenance and that her brain was worth every penny of her price and then some, so we pulled the trigger.

In your position, I think I would keep the horse for another year to prove him sound in full work and then put him back on the market at a price commensurate with his training that also takes the xrays into account. The right person for him is probably out there. And if, in a year, he’s either unsound or not sellable because of the films, you can always send him back to retire.

[Jealoushe]

That is a lot of issues for one joint/area and hes only 6. Not commenting on the X rays, but chips, arthritis, and spurs would tell me this horse would be a lot more comfortable in a career that was very low pressure. Personally, I might consider the guaranteed retirement home if it is indeed, guaranteed. A horse with a lot of issues might end up somewhere very bad some day.

[B-burg_Dressage]

My ottb has the world’s ugliest x-rays on his front left fetlock. Like, so bad even I can see the rough edges and I’m no expert. Got the images when he was 6 or 7. My vet at the time was so worried that she referred us to the university immediately. (He was sound but flexed positive.)

Ultrasound gave the vets (and therefore me) a lot more peace of mind. Boney and ugly but not actually that bad on his soft tissues (and whatever else the university vet looked at). Basically told me that as long as he was sound to keep going and that we’d probably inject someday.

He’s now 11, and the only thing we’ve injected so far are his stifles.

I only do dressage (schooling everything in second and some things in third).

My internet advice would be to follow up with some other types of imagery and see if that looks any better.

To keep him in work for another 6 months or year and prove his soundness that way.

Or market him as a lower/mid- level dressage horse.

[No1]

Why didn’t your vet suggest taking the chip out? That and a good record would make the horse more marketable.

Number one is the only option I would feel comfortable with in a scenario where you leave the chip in and do nothing for the ankle. I could foresee lots of ways for options 2-4 to backfire and end up costing you a lot more money AND have a poorer outcome for the horse.

If the old owner loves the horse, maybe you could work something out to remove the chip, do Prostride or IRAP and Legend or some combination of things with their help?

[anon81364900]

Guaranteed retirement homes are not really guaranteed (pretty sure the former owner wasn’t expecting to have to fund 15+ years of his retirement). But that said, the horse is much less likely to end up badly vs. selling him to someone unknown.

If he’s sound, then I would keep him in work and showing as others have suggested, even if you have to dial back your ambitions just for this show season, and show him at the level where he’ll do best. It will totally improve his marketability – even (or especially?) if you’re selling him down a level or two from where he’s currently performing. And it’s more opportunity to network to find him a good place. It’s not completely wasted time for you–your riding can improve no matter what horse you’re on.

[NancyM]

Not all horses are “sales horses”, even if you purchased the horse with that plan in mind. Their status changes. Bad xrays are always going to scare off potential buyers. That being said, horses with “bad xrays” can carry on being functionally sound for as long or longer than horses who come with clean xrays. Or not. No one can truly foretell the future soundness of a horse.

If he’s a lovely and competitive horse, my plan would be to change the plan and keep him, compete him, and use him as my personal mount, for fun, for exposure for you as a rider and/or trainer. He can enhance your own career as a rider or trainer, which is worth a lot, if this is your goal. Perhaps worth even more $$$$ than selling him now, or later. At some point, should you and he be successful in competition, someone may offer you money until you do decide to sell him, or lease him, and not be concerned with the state of his xrays. Or, you retire him as a pasture rat in his old age. This option may not be available to you, but it would be my choice. I’ve known lots of horses who have scary xrays who have been sound horses over extensive competitive careers. Are they worth a lot to sell to someone else? Probably not, but they can still be a good horse for you. Horses with perfect xrays can break their leg getting up from rolling in the paddock. “Somebody” is going to ride, train, and compete this horse until his competitive career is over, whenever that may be. It might as well be you, if you care about him and his future.

[Libby2563]

Thank you all! I called him a sales horse to make it clear that I already own him and am not looking for advice on whether to buy him–haha, clearly the answer to that is no!

I showed the films to two of my own vets, one of whom is a surgeon, and confirmed that there are no surgical options. They both said he will go lame eventually but could be fine for years, who knows. One thinks he is still sellable (at a lower price, to a smaller pool of buyers), the other says he’s not. They also disagreed a bit on whether continuing to jump will accelerate his eventual decline, but that’s vets for you.

I’m thinking a free lease to a friend or acquaintance is the safest option for the horse, so I’m working on that now and have three people coming to try him in the next week or two. Luckily he’s incredibly nice as well as being a total sweetheart. I temporarily split up my turnout so he can eat hay in peace while I figure this out, although so far it seems like he’d rather starve with his friends than stuff his face with hay alone…horses!

The return/retirement option was put in our contract by the previous owner, who reiterated when we discussed the x-rays that he can come home at any time and live out his days until he’s no longer pasture sound. I trust her to do right by the horse and feel comfortable with that as a back-up plan.

Thanks again!

[IPEsq]

I think if he’d been jumping longer than a few months it would seem better for him. My horse has some stuff in his ankles (not this bad but one of them is definitely noticeable on X-ray), but he’d been in regular work for 4 years and competing at 1.20-1.25m. And flexes clean. The radiologist’s prognosis was the most guarded. The vets that considered the clinical exam and work history said ok. He’s had some small issues since I’ve had him, nothing to do with the fetlocks although my vet keeps blocking hoping that will be an easy answer and we can just Pro Stride it.

I did pass on one horse with some sesamoid area defects even though he’d also been sound and in work. But I could see soft tissue effusion in the area and he was younger than the one I bought.

Not jumping the OTTB would probably be safer. If you need him off the payroll then the free lease sounds good. If you could afford to put more time into him with questionable returns for the enjoyment of having a project, then he sounds nice enough to give that a try.

[wildlifer]

@Libby2563

I showed the films to two of my own vets, one of whom is a surgeon, and confirmed that there are no surgical options. They both said he will go lame eventually but could be fine for years, who knows.

Soooo…they just issued you the definition of an equine.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I think the lease idea is a smart one if you have that option & gets his bills paid.

[Libby2563]

@wildlifer

@Libby2563

I showed the films to two of my own vets, one of whom is a surgeon, and confirmed that there are no surgical options. They both said he will go lame eventually but could be fine for years, who knows.

Soooo…they just issued you the definition of an equine.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I think the lease idea is a smart one if you have that option & gets his bills paid.

Ha!!! Fair point.

Fingers crossed, I think he has found a lovely lease home and if all goes well he will be on his way next week.