5 stage vettings and xrays and advice on vets in Herts

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BlondeAmbition

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Following on from my other post, I am starting to think about vettings and what is the general route people go down...

The horse is for sale at £13,000 and I was planning on a 5 stage vetting and see whether anything is brought up. But someone has mentioned I would be crazy to spend this much on a horse without xrays...

How much are a set of xrays?

My concern is that my other horse had a series of xrays, absolutely clear and would have passed, and yet there were issues going on which were detected via MRI etc so I am a bit dubious of having a 3 year old xrayed.

Do people tend to have them done on horses over a certain price? The horse in question is three and has just been backed.

Can anyone recommend a lameness specialist or a truly excellent vet for vettings in Hertfordshire? I have had issues in the past with ligaments etc. and my regular vet missing some things so I would prefer to spend a bit more on a really fantastic vet who I can trust. The specialist who has dealt with my other horse will not travel so far, but I am going to ask him for a recommendation too.
 
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The horse is for sale at £13,000 The horse in question is three and has just been backed.


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It could have something only detectable by x-ray. It could have something only detectable by MRI. It could turn out to have anything and it is not at all proven. How the hell can it cost £13k as a three year old? Can it fly?
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That is one hell of a gamble, with or without x-rays.
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I would have x-rays done and a full set. That means feet, hocks, stifles, fetlocks (all four), coffin joints - the works. It'll cost you over £500, BUT if the horse turns out to have a chip (for example) it will be a lot more to get it sorted. Also a lot of insurers will not give you LOU for a horse of that value without x-rays.

I would be MORE likely to get a full set of x-rays on a three year old than a six year old. By the time the horse has been in work that long OCD like problems will come to the surface. In a three year old they will be invisible and undetectable.
 
The horse is not a million miles from Patchetts... we passed signs for it on the way.

Do I have to insure for the price I buy for, whatever horse that may be? The only reason I insure is for veterinary purposes and will not be insuring for LOU.
 
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I would have x-rays done and a full set. That means feet, hocks, stifles, fetlocks (all four), coffin joints - the works. It'll cost you over £500, BUT if the horse turns out to have a chip (for example) it will be a lot more to get it sorted. Also a lot of insurers will not give you LOU for a horse of that value without x-rays.

I would be MORE likely to get a full set of x-rays on a three year old than a six year old. By the time the horse has been in work that long OCD like problems will come to the surface. In a three year old they will be invisible and undetectable.

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^^^ What she said, and a good/'specialist' vet shouldn't charge much different from any other vet for a vetting. Most practices are fairly similar (although the travelling will be more if they are further away).
 
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Chris Blackmore from Park Vets, Watford. 01923 223321. Or Mark Gardiner from the same place. Good horse vets.They also have an x-ray unit!

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A 2nd vote for Chris - he is one of the best in Herts. Also Marta Ferrari from the same practice. I'm not such a massive fan of Mark though.......
 
Thank you everyone...

So far the ones I can pick out is:

Jason from RVC
Susanna from Chris Harris' practice
Chris Blackmore from Park Vets
Chiltern Equine


I am not from the area at all so really am blind when it comes to the vets in that area (in this area there is only one I would use for a vetting and he is over an hour and a half away). I need to use a vet I can trust 100% to diagnose any lameness issues or slight uneveness in step having been through issues with my current horse that my own vet missed and yet a specialist spotted immediately.
 
Another vote for Jason at RVC. He is lovely, very down to earth and will spend as much time as you need discussing things with you.
 
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