Has anyone else sold a horse that had inferior check ligament surgery as a youngster? I have a lovely rising 7 year-old hunter mare for sale and she is priced reasonably for her bloodlines, talent and temperament. At 9 or 10 months old, she had a huge growth spurt and her front left foot went upright. Upon the advice of my farrier and a well respected equine surgeon/lameness vet, I did the surgery and it was a complete success - her hoof angles are great and she needs no special shoeing or corrective work, and her feet are like iron. She’s been going under saddle for three years and there’s been no issue whatsoever due to the surgery, other than a slight bump at the surgery site. I had her ultrasounded 18 months ago by the same vet/surgeon that did the surgery to check the results (as I planned to sell her) and her tendons/ligaments are fine. The vet says it is a cosmetic issue that should never affect her performance and he was impressed at how good her hoof angles were five years post-op. I don’t believe it’s genetic, as her grand dam, dam, full brother and sire did not have the issue and it wasn’t an issue with her until she was 9 or 10 months old. She is jumping 3 foot courses with ease, gets her changes, etc. When people come to see her, I tell them about the surgery, or if they ask if she has every had issues with feet or legs when they initially inquire. I’m getting frustrated. A young hunter rider and her coach tried her a few days ago and loved her, it was a great match and they indicated they were very interested. When they asked their vet about check ligament surgery, he told them not to buy her - he never saw her ultrasounds or consulted with my vet/surgeon even though I had offered to share the US and set up a talk with my vet. It’s getting discouraging - this is a very nice mare with a lot of talent and this should never be an issue yet it seems to scare buyers. Sorry for the long-winded post, but I wonder if anyone else has sold a horse with this surgery?
I’ve looked at plenty of horses that have had the surgery. Wouldn’t scare me if my vet liked the PPE which would probably includes some fresh ultrasounds of the area.
It sounds like you are doing everything right. She’s in work and staying sound. One thing you might want to do is mention the surgery up front before the buyer makes an appointment. The surgery is going to come out sooner or later, so if it is a deal breaker, better to get it out of the way early on. I’m sure some posters will disagree and suggest you mention the surgery only after an “in person” interview. There isn’t a definitive right or wrong, rather something you might want to consider.
Another thing you may wish to consider is offering a lease with an option to purchase. Buyers can feel nervous about things that are unfamiliar. Leasing is a way for the buyer to get comfortable with the arrangement and it is common practice with horses that don’t have a pristine vetting.
Best of luck!!
I bought a mare years ago who had that surgery as a foal. She had an abscess that had caused her to not weight the foot, and it had become upright. I had her for a very long time, and she never had any issues. Buyers are very skittish about almost everything so you may have to make a price concession, or lease to buy, another suggestion.
