# Would you buy/ride a horse with wobblers?



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

No. Enough can go wrong with a horse with no known problems.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

No, I would not. Wobblers usually get progressively worse.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

^^^. What they said.

Please listen to them.

Some years back a neighbor sort of rescued a horse with wobbles but had no intention of riding it.

It was a fence neighbor to my horses. I had to watch that horse go downhill and it was awful.

That said, I have read that many horses are misdiagnosed with Wobbles and have something else; I can't remember what. Be sure of the diagnosis.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

NO, Wobbler's is usually progressive and gets worse.


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

I wouldn't buy one and quite honestly, I wouldn't sell one either. I know of someone who free loaned a wobbler as a companion/pasture pet with the understanding that if his condition worsened the owner would take him back and put him down.


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Chapter said:


> As a general riding horse, with a mild case of wobblers?


Probably, because I had no idea such a thing existed before reading this post.

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Maybe that's long enough!


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## BridledHeart (Mar 8, 2016)

walkinthewalk said:


> That said, I have read that many horses are misdiagnosed with Wobbles and have something else; I can't remember what. Be sure of the diagnosis.


According to Wikipedia: 
"Because wobbler's is the best known of the neurological conditions that affect horses, other, unrelated conditions, such as equine protozoal myeloencephalitis and cerebellar abiotrophy, are sometimes misdiagnosed as wobbler's, though the causes and symptoms differ."

I also had to google Wobbler's.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I always had my chiropractor examine the young foals as often just the birthing process can misalign them. If they are misaligned in their necks this, I am sure, can lead to wobblers. 

A friend of mine had a big filly, difficult birth due to her size. All was fine until she was three, then she showed signs of wobblers, unco-ordinated, falling often in the field when they messed around. 
The vet diagnosed wobblers. A second opinion was asked for and when the vet came she was lame with a foot abscess and he would not diagnose. Meanwhile I had my chiropractor come to look at her. She was very misaligned. Treated and squared up. She was stabled 24/7 to clear the nasty abscess. When the vet returned to examine her I was asked to lead her out. 

Oh boy, did she 'perform' all four feet off the ground and generally badly behaved! The vet, watching well out of range, turned and said, "There is no reason as to a wobbler not bucking but, it's feet are rarely under it when it lands!" 

The filly was fine.

However once the damage is done it remains. We caught this filly early enough to save her life.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I wouldn't, no. Best to steer clear of that. I agree with everyone else.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

If I was given the horse and was willing to pay for it to be a pasture pet and be able to offer to humanely euthanize it sooner, rather than later when the need arose... Maybe because I have land and the medical ability to know when it is time. Because I sometimes take on charity cases when owners can't do the right thing for their horse. 

But I would never expect to turn a wobblers horse into a useable, SAFE, riding horse. And I would certainly not pay for the right to have my heart broken for this expensive pasture pet. 

But wobblers horses are neurological and can quickly not know where their feet and body should be. And with a 1000lb+ animal this is VERY, VERY dangerous for all the humans working around them all the time. I would not allow anyone else to work around this animal because it would be too dangerous. People die around neuro animals.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

in short no. they are too dangerous though its not their fault. that horse is bound to fall and if you are leading it or riding it there is a high likelihood that it will land on you and possibly kill you. the horse will end up hurting itself as well and in the end you will need to make the call and euth the horse for its, and everyone's safety. its a very sad deal.


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## Chapter (Aug 25, 2014)

Thank you so much everyone. 

I had already pretty much made up my mind that it wasn't a good idea but the horse was otherwise my absolute dream. Just wanted have some opinions before I made a decision. I would have taken him in a heartbeat if it wasn't for his condition.


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## Tigo (Feb 25, 2012)

I couldn't imagine selling a horse with wobblers, much less buy one. I'm going through this with my yearling right now...he hasn't been diagnosed as "wobblers" but he's grade 4/5 neurological, presents as a wobblers horse would, and dangerous to be around. This is due to what we believe is a compressed vertebrae at C-6 but we now believe this was preceded by a genetic condition. Can't transport him to find out more due to his instability. He really doesn't understand where any of his four feet are, though he is gaining better control of his front feet. Tonight was the first night in a month I've been able to even pick his feet during which he did have quite a loss of balance. He's a danger to himself right now and a danger to anyone who enters his stall. And he's not even 15 hands and 1000lbs at this point. Of course, however, his condition is much more serious than a wobbler which one would consider riding. 

Because I already own this horse I will work around him very, very carefully. He's my dream horse, my heart horse who was supposed to be my next FEI partner. So I will do everything I can to get him pasture sound and keep him with me. However, any time I am near him I'm aware that I'm risking my life. Even a more mildly neurological horse (say a 2/5) may very well trip and fall due to a slight lump or dip in footing. A small slip because of ice or mud will certainly more easily cause a tumble. These horses do not have normal control over their limbs making them a risk to riders and handlers. I couldn't imagine climbing on top of one. There are so many wonderful, normal horses that need homes, to buy one with this issue (which other pointed out may even become progressively worse) seems like a poor decision. I'm glad to hear you've decided that this would not be a good idea. 

Some people will ride horses with wobblers but the specialists in the condition suggest the horse should be a grade one or less, so a virtually normal horse. Even then, I wouldn't buy one with the condition. If my horse, whom i've already owned, was diagnosed with wobblers and recovered to be a 1 or less I MAY consider riding on a level surface with excellent footing...but key word is MAY...not sure that I could convince myself that it is worth the risk. 

If you (or anyone else) are interested in learning more about wobblers, google Dr. Barrie Grant. He is a pioneer surgeon for the condition and has a very informative, comprehensive website. However, after talking with my local vets I personally believe that Grant's website describes the surgery in a much more positive and successful manner than it realistically is. Still, provides very interesting information.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents (or 5, maybe at this point lol).


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## diamondsmequestrian (Sep 26, 2016)

No, absolutely not. I get this horse may be awesome or whatever your reason may be, but it is better to make sure you yourself is 100% safe and try not to cause the horse to hurt him/herself either. Also, wobblers gets worse, so it may be 'mild' now, but it won't be in the future.


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