This has been done. I’m awaiting the results. That said, the vet(s) have said that the horse can work no prob, just on a limited scale (i.e. no more than one hard workout a day)…the horse can have a hard workout, we just need to be mindful of the condition.
The condition does make it difficult to sell, which is why it’s not 40-50k but rather 5-10.
Thanks for posting the videos. They are extremely helpful.
This horse looks like a super sweet and safe partner for your daughter, which is an extremely high priority for any rider, but especially a relatively young and inexperienced rider. It looks like your daughter can have a ton of fun on her as she learns the ropes.
That being said, it is unwise to spend any amount of money on a horse unless you are prepared to take that amount of money and throw it in a bonfire. There are just no guarantees that you will ever see a penny back on your money, for an endless number of reasons. If you do get any or all of it back down the road, that should be viewed as extremely good fortune. Just something to bear in mind.
Good luck.
And welcome to the BB!!
I get that, but I still suspect that there will not be hordes of buyers lining up to purchase the mare. Though I do see several mention that they’d take her for free…
I’d take a deep breath, pray that she doesn’t sell quickly, and keep part-leasing.
That, any money spent on horses is always more than we expected and gone, rarely get any of it back, unless horses are your business and you are very good at business.
Then, if vets approve and horse is suitable for that purpose, why not?
Any other than horses kid may choose next is probably also costly?
Kid in 2-3 years may have other interest than horses.
No worry she may need a step-up horse then.
The value on the horse is whatever somebody is willing to pay for it.
Would I spend $5-10K on it? Yes. To me, this horse, that you already know will safely pack your daughter around while she’s still learning to ride, is well worth that amount, assuming that the equine cardiologist’s report doesn’t contain any disappointing surprises.
However, whoever told you it would be easy to give the horse away as a pasture pet if she couldn’t be ridden anymore, is, at best, wildly optimistic, so I wouldn’t count on that being a viable plan for the future.
Having walked that road with a horse with a congenital heart defect… please do not breed it. It would be almost impossible to rule out whether or not it was congenital or hereditary, until that foal is on the ground.
Really nice mare… $10K is all they want for a mare with a show record and actively competing? Even with the murmur, that is the kind of thing I would take a risk on if you diagnose why the murmur is happening.
However, I would not hitch my cart to this horse yet. Figure out your finances. Make sure if the worst happens with COVID, you can still support her and your daughter. I would continue to lease her and hope she doesn’t sell.
About the murmur. I own a horse with a 20% ventral septal defect and there is a significant auditory murmur. The cardiologist comes out twice a year to monitor. It is not cheap. Ballpark is $600-800 depending on examination and findings. It’s not cheap to maintain these kinds of issues, and I know this horse is on borrowed time. Medication is expensive, and you just never know.
Can I ask what medications she’s on for the murmur?
If the videos represent that horse on an every day basis, she appears to be a lovely horse for a novice to learn to ride on. She let your daughter make a variety of mistakes and didn’t seem to care about any of it. On that basis, you should run to them with your checkbook in hand. She is a darling horse.
On the other hand, you would be buying an older horse with health issues, which her price reflects, and you would arguably be her last owner. It is easy for people to say, “Oh, I’d take her for lessons, no doubt” but what you should really consider is what you will do in two or three years when your daughter moves on and the horse is unsaleable or unrideable. Horses end up in a bad place because people don’t consider these issues beforehand. You are asking an older horse with health issues to help your daughter when she needs it most. You have to consider how you are going to repay that.
I don’t think a 13 year old is a what I would consider an “older” horse. Thirteen is I think an average age for a packer. Let’s say OP’s kid competes on this horse for 3 or 4 years before she’s ready to move up. Then the horse is then 17 when she’ll be ready for her next job and that’s still plenty young for the lower level stuff. I think OP would be able to find somebody to at least lease this horse for this job when her kid outgrows her. Especially considering this horse won’t be jumping very big for the next 2 years, I would think she’ll have plenty of miles left.
I know good horses end up going to slaughter all the time but this horse seems like she’s got a lot of insurance on her side. 1) she’s a warmblood. 2) she’s a mare that somebody could want to breed 3) she’s a saint. I think there’s always going to be people looking for babysitter horses. It’s always scary when you decide to buy vs lease because you could get “stuck” with an unridable/ unsellable horse but that’s the case with all purchases. I’d do it.
One thing I didn’t realize is how bad my kid is apparently at riding. Lol. Guess her finishing in the ribbons at A and AA shows as an 11 (now 12) year old isn’t good enough for this crowd. 
Also didn’t realize this horse was so bad as well
Your kid is not bad, she is a beginner.
The horse is not bad. It is in fact perfectly suited to the job it is being asked to do, which is teach a beginner rider who will inevitably make mistakes.
I encourage you to nip that particular line of thought in the bud now as it won’t serve you well. This is a tough sport. All the more tougher if your working from tight financial constraints. The horse has been called lovely and delightful countless times here. You might do well to browse what’s available on the open market for 10k and gain a better understanding of what the choices are in that price range to better understand the comments here.
Oh, Dad. Your kid isn’t bad at riding. She is just a novice. You don’t think a third grader is bad at math if they can’t do algebra, do you? Also, ribbons at shows are not indicators of riding ability no matter what class you do or how big the show Ribbons indicate how you did compared to the other kids in the class.
And the horse is darling. I don’t think anyone said she is not. But she is not a youngster and has a health issue. These are things that affect every horse buying decision. Every single person buying every single horse should be considering age, health, experience, suitability for the job, and price, just as a baseline.
Please, please don’t take anything personally. You wanted the opinions of people with experience and you have gotten good advice here and should have also gotten a lot of food for thought. If those ideas don’t mesh with your preconceived notions, then examine that, as well.
Hey…guess you guys didn’t get my smiley face winky emoji thing!
Even in equitation?
What would make equitation any different? Hunters and equitation are not judged against a standard. You are judged against the others in the class and put into order of best to worst. If every kid but one in the class has a refusal and breaks gait, and one kid only has a stop, that kid with the stop is still the winner.
In every class.
At any horse show, each rider is competing against the other entries in that specific class. Not against the best kids in the world. Not until they get to the highest levels, where the best kids qualify to compete head to head.
WINKY FACE!!! Hahah. Come on…
Does the winky face mean you are not really asking a question?
I know. My posts were in jest…
She’s a beginner but she’s MY beginner. 
Of course she is and you seem to want to do the best for her. But here we are, with absolutely nothing to gain or to lose in answering your questions and giving you advice. You’ve gotten good advice here even though some people think you should buy her and some people think you shouldn’t. Neither one is wrong because none of us have a crystal ball.
People with something to gain or lose might tell you something different.
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