Buying older horse?

Well I am looking to buy an older trail horse for light riding. I went to look at one that is 17. She was very thin (owners have 6 other horses and cant afford to feed them and the other horses run her off at feeding time). She rode great and was very spunky for her age. Her teeth need floating, and she needs some weight put on her but other than that, her legs and hooves look sound and she seems healthy. Is it possiable to put weight on an older horse? And NO I am not having a vet look at her...she is a $400 horse. The vet out here would charge $150 just to come out. So this would be a gamble on my part...but I feel sorry for her.


This is some pics of her. You cant tell alot because of the tack but she is a little ribby and her hips are visable. Has anybody had a older horse in this shape that they fattened up? Any suggestions?


http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/...





http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s281/...

Buying older horse?
you're right. Not having the vet out is a gamble on your part, however in this case, I think it's a gamble you should take for a few reasons. The mare looks great (I was expecting some emaciated thing while waiting for the pics to load). She will fatten right up. Just make sure you start her on hay and grass only until she has adjusted to eating more, then slowly ad some grain if you choose to. Being an older horse, odds are she won't be 100% sound but the odds of her being serviceable are really good. It's not like you want her for a grand prix jumper. Also, you know that buying a horse is the cheapest part, but not vetting a horse when you're putting up $25,000 for an investment is a bit stupid. She is only $400 bucks. If after a while she isn't sound anymore, It's not like you have a fortune innitially invested in her. I would say if that horse is rideable for a year, you have gotten your money's worth but if you help bring her back and take good care of her, chances are she will last alot longer. I say buy her. She will be stunning when fattened up a bit.
Reply:oh my goodness, she is just georgeus... yes she could use some fattening up, and i agree... dont have the vet out! just feed her two types of hay, morning and night, and maybe some pellets... grain is ok too... dont completely overload on the food, but i would say go for it... alot of horses just need food and love!!!!
Reply:If I understand you correctly, you wan to know if you should buy this horse, correct? I say go for it! Some of the best times are those when you know you took a raw horse and made it into something great. I know, but it would be a very good idea to get the vet out before you buy her. And try to make a deal with the owners that if you sont end up liking her, that they would take her back. If the vet ives the okay though, a few things you might want to consider is chiropratic visits, massage theripy, de-worming, liniment for her legs, joint supplements, weight gain if neccisary after she is getting fed properlly, and teeth floating. I understand how you feel with financial issues, but trust me, with an older horse, all these things could keep you friends happy, healthy and with you for like 5 more years.
Reply:Aww.. she looks like she really needs alot of TLC and some decent meals.. Buy her and i'm sure you can fatten her up.. I only owned one horse in my life, an arab gelding that was 9 and small, but FAT.. A backyard horse too long.. I'm sure with good feed and vitamims you can shape her up a bit..She may have a touch of arthritis which may make her hips stick out a bit, but then again it might just be she needs more weight.. $400 isn't that much, so I'd say go with your feelings and take her.. :-)
Reply:Well, at the moment, I seem to have lots of old horses. She does look a little thin, but if her teeth are still in working order (and please do have a very good look), I cant see why she wouldnt gain weight with a correct diet. If she rode nicely, appears gentle and co-operative, an appears sound, I cant se any problem with giving her he life back! I bet she'd love a little light riding and entertainment. At 17 she shouldnt be at deaths door, she probably has a few good years in her yet. If you like her, 400 isnt too much to pay.


There are a few very good senior horse feeds out there that are softer for the old things. Im in Australia, so Im not sure there much point of me giving heaps of brand details here, but your local stock feed will help you. Ive found barley to be qutie good, mixed with sunflowers to get her some shine, and both chaffs. Theres defiantley some excellent mixs though to look at getting. I'm sure she'll put on weight very well, especially seeing shes surviving at the moment on very little. Good luck, and have fun. Look after the old girl.
Reply:seventeen is not old for a horse, many horses that compete at a national level in rodeo are 12 to 15 years old. I put my first horse down when she was 39. It should be relatively easy to put the weight on barring disease or illness. If the other horses are running her off it's likely to take less than a year to get her back into shape. Buyer beware though, some owners will starve an ill-mannered horse down to pass it off as calm, once in good condition the horse may have a completely different attitude and not in a good way. if the horse is about 1000 lbs you will need 18 to 22lbs of high quality roughage (hay) and some good grain each day. Vegetable oil, up to half a cup added to grain a day, is an extremely palatable way to add fat to the diet, but work your way up slowly from two tablespoons at first. Increase each week a couple of spoons.
Reply:We have had success with older horses coming in thin and with good veterinary care, keeping the teeth in good condition and an excellent nutrition program have had many enjoyable years together with them. Seems like it would be worth a shot at the price you are paying.
Reply:yeah she looks thin! just look at how sunken in her neck looks! i say get her. in your care, it should seem, that she will live longer!
Reply:If you think she's thin due to bad teeth and lack of adequate food, then I think it will be easy to fatten her up. 17 is not really that old - most 17 year olds don't look like "older" horses yet.





Just make sure to make any changes gradually, definitely with grass and grain. You might want to start with a grazing muzzle since she's not used to grass, and start with a few hours then gradually work up to more. Also start with a small amount of grain and gradually work up to the full amount. You should be able to give her lots of grass hay without a problem, but avoid a lot of alfalfa.





When you get her teeth floated, ask the vet for recommendations about feeding her.
Reply:My very first horse was 12 years old when I got her. I rode her until she was 28. I had to have her put down at 31 due to cancer.





My second horse wa 2 when I got him...still have him, he's 29 now, and retired (at age 27).





The mare is pretty. She probably still has many fine years ahead of her.


Get her teeth floated. Worm her three time, every three weeks. Mark the dates on the callender and don't miss the worming dates. This will break the worm cycle in her gut. Those two things alone may be enough to put the weight back on her.





Try to keep a good hay (but not alfalfa, it's too "hot") at her nose 24/7.





If she needs some extra, give her beet pulp pellets, or shreaded beet pulp. Same stuff, just different forms. No matter which you feed her, I'd wet it, and make a mash. You can add half, to one cup of vegtable oil (I use cannola oil for my horses) to the mash. She may need a little grain mixed in to encourage her to eat something new. The vegtable oil will add a lot of fat to her diet which she needs. Grain adds a lot of sugar to her diet, which she does not need.





Some horses do not lik beet pulp. I buy molasses in 5 gallon buckets (from the feed store) because it's very inexpensive that way. Drizzle a little molasses over the mash. Yes it's sugar, but it's also an outstanding source of vitamins. A 5 gallon bucket is $15.64 for me in Idaho. Don't let your feed store overcharge you, if you get one.





For my elderly horse (29 years old) I give him Purina Senior Horse feed. I fed him two bags of the Nuetrina Senior Horse, then I read the lable. It contains ground up animal bits for the fats. I refuse to feed my horse bits of other animals. He's not a carnivore.





I have purchased several horses over my life who were in desperate need of proper feed. One was a Belgium Draft Horse mare. She was 900 pound underweight. She is a stunning and gorgeous horse now. It took about 9 months before she had put the weight on, and I'd say a full year before her coat looked good since she had no minerals, or salt where she previously was.





Be sure to give your mare several different types of salt %26amp; mineral blocks. She will lick on the ones she needs most.





I think you should buy her. I belive she will be a wonderful horse for you.





Best of luck,


~Garnet


Homesteading/Farming over 20 years


Horse owner over 30 years





P.S. I'M HOPING YOU WILL NOTICE THIS AND READ THIS, SINCE I FORGOT TO ADD IT YESTERDAY.





Some horses who have not had proper feeding get into the habbit of eating dirt and sand. I have a gorgeous little flea bitten grey Arab mare who was like that. You could see all of her ribs, and she had almost not butt. She was in the habbit of eating dirt, to try and help fill her empty tummy. That was why I bought a low quality grass hay (clean, sweet smell, totally mold free, just not too hot for her system like alfalfa would have been) and kept it at her nose 24/7. She could eat and fill her gut to her hearts content. I fed her extra, in the form of mashes, but could control the portions so she couldn't pig out. Access to the different salt/mineral blocks also really helped. Eating dirt is a dangerous habbit for a horse to get into, and can lead to serrious colics. It took the little Arab mare about a year to totally stop doing that. I would catch her at it every once in a while even after she was turned out onto a 40 acre really lush pasture. She did finally stop though. It's important to break that cycle, if the mare is doing that.
Reply:Hi, years ago I bought a 23 yr old gelding at a yard sale ( ! ) in MUCH worse shape and fattened him up. Sarge was litterally skin and bones when I got him. It took some time but he looked great and lived to be 29. He was an awsome horse that had been in parades and was dead broke. He was well worth the effort. After I got him used to eating again, by feeding him small amounts several times a day I free fed him grass hay and alfalfa at night. I didn't grain him because I was worried about foundering him.


If you like this horse go for it! Best wishes.
Reply:She does not look that bad. Plus some horses will never be as fat as some people want them to be. Then we have people saying horses are too fat. And want them to lose weight. Then when they lose a little weight say they are to thin. If you buy her. Get her teeth fix. Feed her good. And if she is a little thiner then some one does not like. Tell them do not they wish they could be that thin.


Plus horse like anything else. You never know when it is going to brake down. So she could live many years nice and pretty but a little thin.
Reply:my first horse i got was 17 and i just put him down. he was 37. i took him to yellowstone, wyoming when he was 22. he swam across a lot of rivers and through mud bogs. he was the best horse there. some horses just gave up. not mine. i rode him until he was 28. best horse i have ever had. i miss him so much! if the horse is in good shape and no joint problems. i don't see why it wouldn't be a great choice for you. the older the wiser usually.
Reply:she is worth it just by looks give her a great home if she is rideable shes worth every penny
Reply:First of all, you would be a complete fool to buy a horse without a vet check. No matter how little a horse costs, a vet check for soundness and health (something that even the most experienced horse person would agree cannot really be done by a layman) can spot underlying issues and save you a lot of money in the future. There are many reasons that a horse can be underweight (lack of feed is onlt one) and unless you want to risk massive vet bills in the future. I'm concerned that if you don't think paying $150 for a vet check is worth it for a $400 horse, what will your attitude towards paying for vet care on this inexpensive horse be if a real health issue crops up.





As for your other questions, it is certainly possible to put weight on an older horse. The first thing you need to do is make sure there are no underlaying health issues (hence the vet check) and work out a feed plan that will give your horse the nutrition it needs without overloading its system. Too much feed or feed that is too rich for a horse that is malnourished can easily cause a horse to cholic. You need to make sure that the horse is wormed because a heavy parasite load can be a major health issue. Again, you will need to work with a vet.





Remember that going without a vet check is not just a gamble on your part, but a gamble on the horse's as well. And in the end, she will be the one paying the price if you bet wrong.

Food