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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
  
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now.
The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision.
Edited by Rolling J 2014-07-26 7:33 PM
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
 
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | I probably wouldn't. If you search hard enough you will find something just as suitable that is sounder. But if you really wanted to consider it, I would at least have her feet xrayed to see just how bad she is. |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas | If you really like her have X-rays done to see how much rotation there was. |
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Unable to Live Without Chocolate or Coffee
Posts: 1849
| no, i would not. its not worth it in the long run IMO. they can get worse and can have alot of maintenence. wait for one that isn't foundered  |
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 Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
Location: Around here somewhere... | NOOOOOOOO!!!! I bought one and would NEVER EVER EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!! Sound horses eat just as much as lame ones, and it will just suck money and cause heartache. Get a SOUND HORSE! |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | No I would not. Nor would I buy a navicular horse. |
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Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
Location: Around here somewhere... | I loved my foundered horse, and I saved his life by buying him, but I would not ever repeat that mistake. Too painful and too expensive. |
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| NO...for the very fact that you set yourself up for a lot of expense, heartbreak and disappointment. :( |
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Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Thanks for everyone's responds. The last thing she needs is a horse that is going to cost a lot of money and require even more care.
Edited by Rolling J 2014-07-26 9:33 PM
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 Certified Snake Wrangler
Posts: 1672
Location: North MS | Yes- with a set of x-rays to confirm that things are in proper alignment now. If they are, could your farrier continue the good work? Could you get your farrier to evaluate with you? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Rolling J - 2014-07-26 7:32 PM We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now. The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision.
What do her feet look like? If she is bare foot now and no special shoes then she must not have founder real bad, if you like her I would have her x-rayed to see what the coffin bone is doing. Did she founder just on the front? Just so hard to say without more details on her founder. |
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Keep me outta the basement
Posts: 1246
| Yes but have your farrier take a look. I have a couple foundered mares I've bought and I don't regret it at all. For a just a plod along trail horse, I don't see a problem. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 292
Location: Northeast Nebraska | No. |
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Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-26 11:58 PM
Rolling J - 2014-07-26 7:32 PM We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now. The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision.
What do her feet look like? If she is bare foot now and no special shoes then she must not have founder real bad, if you like her I would have her x-rayed to see what the coffin bone is doing. Did she founder just on the front? Just so hard to say without more details on her founder.
When we arrived, I immediately noticed how flat footed and chipped up the feet were. Both horses were liked that. I immediately asked how she was for the farrier and they responded "good." Asked some more questions about if she had on shoes before.... When she came out, I picked up her feet and could tell they were not properly maintained but nothing that jumped out horrible at me immediately. She rode fine in the grass at all the gaits but was VERY ouchy on small gravel. I chalked that up to the poor shape her feet were in. After we all rode her, I took a much better look at her feet and that is when I noticed the ring on both front feet and asked if she had been foundered. Now, this is just a mom and dad selling their kid's old 4-H pony, so they did not hesitate to answer "yes, I did it last winter by overfeeding some really green hay." I expressed my concern with this but also realized I needed to become better informed on the topic before making a complete decision. The only experience I ever had with founder is our family's Shetland (that lives at my mom's) and she is completely retired and closely monitored.
In my observation, the back feet did not appear to have been affective however, I am far from a foot expert. I know enough to be careful and get better information.
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Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | There is a vet clinic just down the road from these people that I have used for my own horses several times. So I am going to strongly suggest to my mom, have our farrier look at her and we can haul her to the clinic if she is really interested in her. It comes down to her decisions and money situation but she is waiting for me to point her in the right direction. |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I have a horse that is prone to laminitis, he will be with me until he dies. But I will never knowingly bring home a horse that's been foundered. Managing their diet & extra care for their feet can get to be a lot of work/expense. I'm more than happy to go the extra mile for my old man who's earned his spot in my barn but I wouldn't bring home the extra hassle for a trail horse. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | So you don't even know 100 percent if she did founder? If that's the case, and you like the horse, have her feet xrayed to know for sure. You never know......let us know how it works out |
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| If she's in LOVE with the horse, then I do agree with getting some film of those feet to see if there's been any rotation. If not, then you might be okay with proper farrier work but if she is truly foundered showing rotation of the coffin bone....then NO WAY JOSE!!! A mildly foundered horse can have days where they seem sound but that can change in a heartbeat and it can worsen so easily over the least little thing. Managing a foundered horse takes a lot of time/money/attention and you can never take for granted that you'll be able to ride them from one day to the next.
Edited by runs4fun 2014-07-27 11:59 AM
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Rolling J - 2014-07-27 9:05 AM Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-26 11:58 PM Rolling J - 2014-07-26 7:32 PM We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now. The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision. What do her feet look like? If she is bare foot now and no special shoes then she must not have founder real bad, if you like her I would have her x-rayed to see what the coffin bone is doing. Did she founder just on the front? Just so hard to say without more details on her founder. When we arrived, I immediately noticed how flat footed and chipped up the feet were. Both horses were liked that. I immediately asked how she was for the farrier and they responded "good." Asked some more questions about if she had on shoes before.... When she came out, I picked up her feet and could tell they were not properly maintained but nothing that jumped out horrible at me immediately. She rode fine in the grass at all the gaits but was VERY ouchy on small gravel. I chalked that up to the poor shape her feet were in. After we all rode her, I took a much better look at her feet and that is when I noticed the ring on both front feet and asked if she had been foundered. Now, this is just a mom and dad selling their kid's old 4-H pony, so they did not hesitate to answer "yes, I did it last winter by overfeeding some really green hay." I expressed my concern with this but also realized I needed to become better informed on the topic before making a complete decision. The only experience I ever had with founder is our family's Shetland (that lives at my mom's ) and she is completely retired and closely monitored. In my observation, the back feet did not appear to have been affective however, I am far from a foot expert. I know enough to be careful and get better information.
Almost sounds like the horses feet were just being neglected, not being taken care of. Alot of horses I have seen with feet in this shape will have heat rings, from poor feed, to much of the good thing like feed hay, that does not mean it was a founder just feet not taken care of, I would have a few x-rays done and see if this horse is really founder or just have crappy feet that are tender and needs a good shoer to clean the feet up and put shoes on. Did these people take this horse to the vet? |
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 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | No I would not. |
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Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305
Location: Tulsa, Ok | Been there, done that and absolutely no regrets. When my daughter was five we bought a her a horse that had been foundered. There was some maintenance involved but never any excessive expenses. We did have an awesome farrier with the experience and expertise to assist in keeping him sound. I will say that the horse had ever attribute you could ask for in a kids horse and an exceptional show record. We could not have afforded a horse of his calibur at the time if he had not been foundered, She rode and competed on him in 4H and QH shows for 11 years, so we undoubtedly got our value out of the investment.
It is all about recognizing the degree of founder and having the tools and committment to manage the issues.
Edited by SC Wrangler 2014-07-27 3:33 PM
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| The reason my answer was such a resounding NO is this: My vet's brother is a farrier specializing in foundered horses. He works on foundered horses only and per so much experience at seeing the ones that come through his own practice but also the ones his brother works on he's convinced to not ever buy one that's foundered. Those rare happy experiences don't help much when you have to have one put down, or spend a fortune on them just to keep them pasture sound thus not being able to afford to buy/feed one that you can actually use. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1430
Location: Montana | No!
I still can't talk about my one and only experience with it except to say I lost.
Remember, they lost Secretariat to laminitis. You think your vet and farrier are better? And they weren't trying to keep him riding sound/safe to ride.
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Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-27 12:01 PM
Rolling J - 2014-07-27 9:05 AM Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-26 11:58 PM Rolling J - 2014-07-26 7:32 PM We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now. The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision. What do her feet look like? If she is bare foot now and no special shoes then she must not have founder real bad, if you like her I would have her x-rayed to see what the coffin bone is doing. Did she founder just on the front? Just so hard to say without more details on her founder. When we arrived, I immediately noticed how flat footed and chipped up the feet were. Both horses were liked that. I immediately asked how she was for the farrier and they responded "good." Asked some more questions about if she had on shoes before.... When she came out, I picked up her feet and could tell they were not properly maintained but nothing that jumped out horrible at me immediately. She rode fine in the grass at all the gaits but was VERY ouchy on small gravel. I chalked that up to the poor shape her feet were in. After we all rode her, I took a much better look at her feet and that is when I noticed the ring on both front feet and asked if she had been foundered. Now, this is just a mom and dad selling their kid's old 4-H pony, so they did not hesitate to answer "yes, I did it last winter by overfeeding some really green hay." I expressed my concern with this but also realized I needed to become better informed on the topic before making a complete decision. The only experience I ever had with founder is our family's Shetland (that lives at my mom's ) and she is completely retired and closely monitored. In my observation, the back feet did not appear to have been affective however, I am far from a foot expert. I know enough to be careful and get better information.
Yes the horse has been seen by their vet. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Rolling J - 2014-07-27 4:38 PM Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-27 12:01 PM Rolling J - 2014-07-27 9:05 AM Southtxponygirl - 2014-07-26 11:58 PM Rolling J - 2014-07-26 7:32 PM We are looking for a "grandma" horse for my mother. Went to look at a nice little Welsh mare today that matched all the requirements but the mare did founder last year. She rode well in the grass at all the gaits but was very "ouchy" on the gravel (she was barefoot). She did not appear sore in any manner that I noticed. The mare is 17 and would be a "plod-a-long" trail horse. The only experience I have ever had with founder was with a Shetland and she is fully retired now. The mare would be pastured on a dry lot and her food portion controlled. I have done some searches and read up a little more on the subject but I would like to hear about personal experiences. We are having our farrier go look at her before we make a final decision. What do her feet look like? If she is bare foot now and no special shoes then she must not have founder real bad, if you like her I would have her x-rayed to see what the coffin bone is doing. Did she founder just on the front? Just so hard to say without more details on her founder. When we arrived, I immediately noticed how flat footed and chipped up the feet were. Both horses were liked that. I immediately asked how she was for the farrier and they responded "good." Asked some more questions about if she had on shoes before.... When she came out, I picked up her feet and could tell they were not properly maintained but nothing that jumped out horrible at me immediately. She rode fine in the grass at all the gaits but was VERY ouchy on small gravel. I chalked that up to the poor shape her feet were in. After we all rode her, I took a much better look at her feet and that is when I noticed the ring on both front feet and asked if she had been foundered. Now, this is just a mom and dad selling their kid's old 4-H pony, so they did not hesitate to answer "yes, I did it last winter by overfeeding some really green hay." I expressed my concern with this but also realized I needed to become better informed on the topic before making a complete decision. The only experience I ever had with founder is our family's Shetland (that lives at my mom's ) and she is completely retired and closely monitored. In my observation, the back feet did not appear to have been affective however, I am far from a foot expert. I know enough to be careful and get better information. Yes the horse has been seen by their vet.
Ahhh Ok then. |
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Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | Just want to say thanks to everyone for your input. My mom is passing on the pony and the search continues. The little mare would of been perfect for my mom in all the other aspects but she does not need the stress and expense. I might be bald by the time this process is over but keep your fingers crossed we find a good "grandma horse." |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | No. Heart break down the road. The question is only when. |
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Would you buy a horse that has been foundered?