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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
 
| I'm in this market for a new horse ... There are several I like that are bleeders .. I have no personal experience with them . Are they something you'd purchase or steer clear of ? These horses do run on lasix . |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 634
| Fancy Lass - 2016-03-03 1:36 PM
I'm in this market for a new horse ... There are several I like that are bleeders .. I have no personal experience with them . Are they something you'd purchase or steer clear of ? These horses do run on lasix .
It just depends on the severity. My gelding is a bleeder, give him a shot, make sure he has lots and lots of water bc Lasix makes them pee a lot, and he's good to go. I really dont think it's that big of a deal if you really like and fit with the horse I wouldn't let the fact that they are a bleeder be the ONLY reason you don't buy them. Good luck in your search. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 746
Location: Missouri | If that was the only issue I didn't like about them and it could be controlled I would buy them. There are a lot of horses that bleed that no one knows as well, so you could easily purchase it in any horse. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 494
| If you're in the market for a rodeo horse, no. There's too much guessing on if you gave lasix in time and how long slack takes. IMO it's too much stress on myself lol If you're gonna stick to open shows that have set start times and you know when you will run (planning lasix timing) then yes. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 274
| In a heart beat... there are ways to control a bleeder...if you scope him and his lungs have no scar tissue than he has been managed.... use of Lasix, Amicar, Kentucky Red, and/or clenbuteral along with Vit K-C will keep the horse running a long time. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I have had one and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 754
Location: Arkansas | I ran a true bleeder for 10+ years, and there is no way I would knowingly purchase one. However, I also wouldn't sell a winner I already own because I discovered it was a bleeder.
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 On the Countdown
Posts: 2934
Location: Texas | I had one years ago, and it started while I had him. I would have another one depending on severity of it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | No. I wouldn't buy one. I wouldn't buy a cribber, weaver, navicular, etc either though.
If I had one I would deal with it as best I couldn't but I wouldn't knowingly purchase one. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 591
| No, I would not purchase a known bleeder. There are horses out there just as good for the same price that won't bleed. They are a lot of extra work and potential stress because you are always worrying about when to give medication. Then if you travel a lot, the environment can effect how much and when you need to give it (hot & humid vs cold & dry). Then if you mess up (oops! it happens) and they bleed out now you have to treat that and wait until they are cleared up hoping they don't get an upper respiratory infection out of it. Bleeders are a deal breaker for me. I've had enough of them to know I don't want to mess with it. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I would buy the horse as long as I knew that they've been cared for, discovered as a bleeder early. That in itself would be a deal breaker for me, if I thought the horse had been run a lot on bloody lungs, without proper steps taken as far as time off, proper application of therapies etc. |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | It would depend on how hard I wanted to go. Are you wanting to rodeo or go to open shows? I'd most likely pass unless everything else about the horse was perfect. If you decide to look at one - I'd add some steps to the vet check. Have them check out it's lungs and see how much scar tissue is existing. Lots of bleeders do compete successfully - but it's a pretty big red flag to me. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1096
| Something else to think about is ...what if you want to resell this horse? Do you feel that it would deter potential buyers. If so you may want to pass on it because this might become a horse you are stuck with forever |
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 Saint Stacey
| You really need to talk with a vet that knows about bleeders. Some good info in this thread...and some not so great info too. You really need to educate yourself first on the subject.
First you have to decide if the horse is a true bleeder. I bought one that started bleeding. I talked to a track vet and a very reputable OK vet. After describing what happened they both agreed the horse wasn't a true bleeder. But with that said, we sure didn't want to turn him into one. We are running him on Lasix. Sometimes dex the night before. We have had no issues with the timing. He's been run in perfs and large slacks. It really isn't that hard to figure out the timing. If you give Lasix and don't pull their water, you are sort of defeating the purpose. Lasix is a diuretic. That's why they pee a lot. We offer water after the run but we pull it the time between giving it and running. If you give Lasix you need to give electrolytes to put back in what all the urinating takes out. I would never knowingly buy a true bleeder for a barrel horse.
You just need to figure out if the horse is worth the hassle and if you are willing to do what it takes to keep them in top form. Dealing with a bleeder is not for everyone. Just make sure you are aware of what you are getting into and if it's something you are willing to address. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| I'll assume we're talking about a true 1D fully automatic horse here - because for anything less bleeding would be a deal breaker for me personally.
I would struggle to buy a horse I was not familiar with who was advertised as a bleeder. Just because people can say a lot of things like do xyz and it's totally under control no problem. Then you micro manage xyz to the t and still have issues - I think once it's under control it's a totally manageable condition, but getting to that point can be a struggle, I have several friends going through it alongside very reputable and knowledgeable vets. I would want to talk to the vet who diagnosed and helped manage the issue.
If it was a more local horse I was familiar with and it was obviously running and clocking true to its advertising while on a bleeding management regimen, then yes if I loved everything else about the horse I would do it. If there was something else I didn't particularly care for that combined with the bleeding would probably turn me off to it. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1029
Location: TX | I think there are more horses that are bleeders than the majority of the population wants to admit. Many people wait till the horse won't go in the arena or they have other issues. Like it was said above, if you fit the horse and your vet has vetted him and this is the only issue, I'd go for it. Feel honored the seller is being honest and telling you up front, obviously you are looking at a horse that has a honest and possibly educated owner.
Edited by getacheck 2016-03-03 8:34 PM
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  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Considering a very high percentage of all horses bleed and nobody even knows it.....
?As long as I either highly trust the seller, or they have plenty of references, I would. But I would do my homework and vet checks. |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| SKM - 2016-03-03 5:35 PM
You really need to talk with a vet that knows about bleeders. Some good info in this thread...and some not so great info too. You really need to educate yourself first on the subject.
First you have to decide if the horse is a true bleeder. I bought one that started bleeding. I talked to a track vet and a very reputable OK vet. After describing what happened they both agreed the horse wasn't a true bleeder. But with that said, we sure didn't want to turn him into one. We are running him on Lasix. Sometimes dex the night before. We have had no issues with the timing. He's been run in perfs and large slacks. It really isn't that hard to figure out the timing. If you give Lasix and don't pull their water, you are sort of defeating the purpose. Lasix is a diuretic. That's why they pee a lot. We offer water after the run but we pull it the time between giving it and running. If you give Lasix you need to give electrolytes to put back in what all the urinating takes out. I would never knowingly buy a true bleeder for a barrel horse.
You just need to figure out if the horse is worth the hassle and if you are willing to do what it takes to keep them in top form. Dealing with a bleeder is not for everyone. Just make sure you are aware of what you are getting into and if it's something you are willing to address.
I completely agree with everything you said! I've learned a lot about maintaining bleeders in the last year or so, and I've made a lot of changes to my program to accommodate that new knowledge. It's a very, very helpless feeling the first time you have one bleed. Good vet attention and advice, and reading until your eyes bleed is the right thing to do.
You also need to recognize the signs of bleeding, because I feel that more horses are bleeding than anyone ever knows. If I hadn't had someone show me, I would have been clueless to the VERY SUBTLE signs that my mare had bled. Her work ethic hadn't changed, the clock was actually improving, everything the same. She gave me a very hard run, except she coughed ONCE, I was worried, and got her back to the trailer to find some grass and got her head down, and there was the little trickle of blood. Changed everything, and I mean everything to do with her living and nutrition, gave a full 6 weeks off from running, popped some Lasix into her last weekend, prayed extensively to several deities, and came out golden.
Now I had a gelding that I suspected was a bleeder, needed to go get a full scope for further diagnostics. Vet told me to run him without Lasix the night before. Horse went in, laid down a run, no coughing, no wheezing, get his head down on grass, no blood. Nothing. Nada. Cooled down as usual. Everything fine. Great appetite. Happy dancy prancy. Do a BAL on him the next day, fluid came back fire engine red. The poor guy was, at that moment, bleeding internally and you'd never have known it.
I think they're tricky, but can be absolutely managed if you know what to look for, do the research for the maintenance, change the diet, change the living accommodations, etc. I also think that it's very important to catch them early, because the longer they go without rest and changes being made, the more delicate the lungs get.
I'm not pretending to know the first thing about the hows, whys, or anything, but I do think that for the right horse, it's worth it. I don't think for anyone but a proven, trusted, and loved horse I'd put myself through this much effort! |
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 Did I miss the party?
Posts: 3864
| I'd have the exams/tests done that I'd want to know the results of first but, yes, I'd buy a bleeder. I've had a lot of them. A lot of the super hard running horses are bleeders. And IMO, it's actually easier to time any needed medications at a rodeo than it is at a barrel race or jackpot. Once you have a day sheet, you can usually determine when you're gonna run within about a 30 minute window. |
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Veteran
Posts: 180
| IMO every horse that runs hard will bleed at some point. We may never know, but bleeding is much more common than we are aware of. Bleeders don't bother me. I have one who currently runs on 5cc of Lasix, and it isn't a problem. If I were shopping for a rodeo horse I would want to spend a wee bit less(2-5k) on it but more for penny pinching purposes than anything. |
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