[c5rose]

An opportunity to purchase a well-bred 5 yo wb gelding with "sore stifles" might become available. He is currently being ridden 3x a week in the ring and hacked 3x a week on trails. Sane, safe and well-bred. Trained to 1st level dressage and being maintained with adequan and massage/chiro.

He would be a pleasure/light riding/husband horse, which is what he is being advertised as. Vet thinks he will have soreness for the rest of his life. But he is incredibly cheap because of this.

I know little about issues with stifles. Would you pass or not?

[Laurierace]

A horse that is going to be sore forever and you want to buy it?

[OTTBcooper]

A 5yo that you know will have stifle issues it's whole life? I'd pass. Then again, you could get a perfectly sound horse that runs through your fence and will end up with issues.

[rabicon]

I'd pass just because stifle issues can be a booger and in a 5 yr old already tells me he was probably pushed to hard to fast so what else maybe wrong. Then again he maybe perfect if he is only being lightly ridden once in a while. This is something I'd have a specialist vet at an university possible check him out with a ppe and see what they think before I purchased him.

[BEARCAT]

What are the issues?
Are Xrays available?
Hard to make a decision with a diagnosis of "sore." Could be a myriad of things.

[Bogie]

Personally, I would pass on a horse that requires adequan at age 5 to stay sound.

It might be interesting to know more about why the horse is sore but not sure I'd want to pay to diagnose a horse I didn't own.

[enjoytheride]

Horses live for a very very long time and they don't get sounder the older they get. If he's on Adequan at 5 what are you going to do when he hits 10 or 15?

Pass.

[vxf111]

Stifle ANYTHING on any horse... PASS. Stifles, neck, and back issues are NOT worth the risk.

[Simkie]

I'd want radiographs and ultrasound, and I'd plan on dropping a grand (or so, depends on your vet/area, maybe closer to $1500 for both) on IRAPing the stifles.

I bought a horse off the track last summer with a sore stifle. She had a slight strain the the MCL. Some time and some IRAP and she's 100% now.

[atr]

"sore" is not a diagnosis. I'd want to know what the true reason was before I proceeded further.

For instance. One of my horses had sore stifles because his hock arthritis made him stress them more. Hock problems resolved, stifle problems resolved.

[Ghazzu]

Lame 5 yo?
Plenty of sound ones out there...

[equinekingdom]

poor thing, lame at 5....if he was 15 or 20 and was going to be ridden lightly for a couple of years....go for it. at five, I'd pass.