rodeomom3 - 2017-07-25 12:10 PM

 Lol, you need to get your money back from the charm school you went too.   Most people try to start with as clean a slate as possible and everyone's threshold for what they could possibly have to deal with is different.   He must have been in pain and suffered diminished  performance to warrant surgery.  How long ago was the surgery and as SS said, what has he done since?   He looks like a very nice and honest horse and if I were looking I would call my vet and get his opinion, if he said pass, I would not go look.

WYOracer - 2017-07-25 5:58 PM Surgery was last September with Honnas followed his rehab and did thirty days aquatred before starting to ride him brought him along slowly. Running about 2 tenths off winner in 1D everywhere I've gone with him in central Texas area. Back running since end of March.

quickdraw - 2017-07-26 12:18 PM

Probably not unless it was priced "cheap" for what it truly is. My main concern would be scar tissue building up over time where the surgery was done. That said, if you make several runs with videos and verifiable stats to show his competitiveness AFTER the surgery, that should still help sell him. The biggest road block I see for you after seeing his ad is his age. It is hard to sell a horse over 10 yrs old no matter how good they are, especially priced over $10,000. In the past I could not get people to even come look at a super nice rodeo horse that was 11 or 12 yrs old. People think they are on their last leg even though if you take good care of them, they can last many more years without slowing down due to age. Watching the video on the ad, I personally think he looks pretty awesome and if I were looking, I would certainly consider at least trying him and making an offer. He could be the deal of the day.
Kissing spine is not caused by injuries. It is caused by oversized bones in the spine and the ligaments that run along the spine being too tight, causing bones to rub bones, especially when a horses flexes while making turns. It will normally show up and start causing problems between ages 5-7. The harder the horse is ridden, the more the ligaments will tighten, the more severe the pain issue will be. Injections do not fix the problem, they MAY mask the problem temporarily. There are some good vets doing the surgery very successfully. (Dr. Honnas is one of them.) There are other vets totally screwing up the surgery. I won't buy a horse without x-raying their back these days. That is the FIRST thing to get xrayed if they pass the flexion exams.
Tiany's horse is living proof that a KS horse with the surgery done by the right vet can recover and be 100% sound. Her horse is beyond amazing.

stayceem - 2017-07-26 10:12 AM Not to thread steal but has anyone had any luck finding research about the causes of KS? The few articles I have read have blamed conformation but yet it seems as if horses with long backs, short backs and many in between have this condition. Also, my horse without a doubt and few others I know that have been diagnosed have all taken a bad tumble and then had symptoms following but none prior to the fall. I will say, I am inclined to think it is injury related. But I think this is why KS is so concerning to me is the lack of research or info out there. My concern with the surgery is longevity? If it is conformational then what is to say another few processes wont be effected later? Not intended to start an argument but wanting to see others experience and knowledge.

barrelbasher - 2017-07-26 9:34 AM

I would not hesitate to buy him as long as he was at least 6 months post surgery and was running well and could pass vet check otherwise. Oh would have to add if Honnas did the surgery. I am probably the weird one, but I have now had 3 with KS! I have had surgery on 2 and they came back better than they were prior to surgery. I really think education is the key! It can be a scary diagnosis of you do t take the time to educate yourself about the condition. My horses have no post operative issues and don't require any other "maintenance" for their back. I have no regrets. If someone like the horse and they clique then I don't think it should hold them back....but that that's just based on my experiences

spitzh - 2017-07-28 8:54 AM

I think you are having an issue just because ALOT of other horses are in that price range that have a better health record, so people shy away from his issue. Just curious, why would you sell him after dumping all the money and time into him? He sounds like a nice fit for ya.


I had a mare I was winning local barrel races on. She was awesome. Great all around horse, could do anything with her. I wanted to sell her to buy a prospect. (dumb idea) She was 12 years old and grade. I sold her for $3500. No one wanted to buy a grade horse, if she was registered. I could have sold her $15-20k. The new owner was kicking butt locally. I regret every moment of that sell. Ive learned, when you have a great one. Keep em'. I recently bought a 17 yr old gelding, didnt pay alot for him. People like to shy away from older horses. I dont, they are seasoned and are typically easy to ride. No schooling during the week, just fun to ride around. I dont tell people how old he is because it doesnt matter. He kicks a** at races. Ive heard some great rumors on his age and how much i paid for him. Its entertaining.