A new one on me... 5 stage vetting and the vet will

HeresHoping

HeresHoping

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ride the horse :eek: :confused:

Is this normal? Apparently owners are adept at hiding things so this vet - who apparently show jumps at a very high level - does the riding stage himself. It's a good job she's not 15 hh.

Someone explain to me, please, how he watches the leg movement from on top?
 
Hereshoping said:
ride the horse :eek: :confused:

Is this normal? Apparently owners are adept at hiding things so this vet - who apparently show jumps at a very high level - does the riding stage himself. It's a good job she's not 15 hh.

Someone explain to me, please, how he watches the leg movement from on top?
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Gosh ! Never heard of this. I think I would refuse,as you say, how can he possibly look at movement etc.
 
Never heard of this either, agree with what bestdogdash said. If he's on board, how can he possibly look at how they're moving? And how could you hide lameness by riding anyway?
 
I had a vet ride a horse I was selling in 1976.

Vet was a good rider and known to me so why not. I would imaging it is less common now due to liability & lawsuits. The hosre was also trotted up on a roadway and watched under another rider but the vet rode before heart testing.
 
not heard of it before but why does the vet have to see the movement-he will feel it. it is you that has to like the horse not the vet, a good rider will feel more than the best horseman will see with regards to the horses way of going
 
Never heard of this either! Perhaps he just likes riding and with his busy schedule doesn't have the time. Actually, I find it easier to detect a subtle lameness when aboard as I know my horses so well but then I'm not a trained vet. If they can't see it from the ground, I'd be a bit worried.
 
Yup - I expect them to be ridden and jumped (if necessary). But by either the owner or me or another third party. Just didn't expect the vet, and wasn't sure how I felt about that.

This is the third horse I am having vetted in my quest for a new horse. 1st one did not get ridden; he had failed before we got that far on some extra checks I had asked for. Sore back - a real shame because he was a super young horse. The second one was with a dealer and I rode. After cantering a gazillion circles, vet asked me if I needed my heart checking and whether he should get the defibrillator out of his car :o. He was a vet who is quite well known on the event circuit. He didn't 'fail' the horse but drew a conclusion from watching her being ridden that she wouldn't be fit for purpose (wonky hocks). I had noticed these on the videos but wasn't sure it wasn't just a lack of muscle.

I can't be at the next one because it's over 3 hours away and I have to attend something with my son. I am having sleepless nights already - not because I think she will fail, but because I think I have found the horse of a lifetime and I will be heartbroken if she does fail.
 
I wish the vet had ridden our mare when she was vetted. It was James Robinson 4* eventer! Useful to have feedback both on and off the ground. Not that we've any complaints.:)
 
Yep, I have had vets ride a horse I am selling. I think he enjoyed trying different horses and afterwards turned to the purchaser and said "I hope you are not just going to keep this horse in a field and not use it much" which is, sadly, rather what happened. We also disagreed about the age, I said 12, he said 15, but he had a cushy last home.
 
It is very very very rare for this, but not unheard of.

I'd actually be over the moon for a good rider vet to do the ridden work ... it's actually reasonably easy for a decent jockey to cover up an issue, and for very subtle problems I find it easier to feel on top than see from the ground
 
I'm not exactly an amateur and have often been able to detect subtle lameness not generally visible from the saddle. But when this has been the case, it has been with horses I have known well or at least ridden regularly. I guess I was just surprised, that's all.

What should have alarmed me more was the fact that I phoned up the vets to confirm a time and asked when to expect a call from/when to call the vet doing the vetting to be told 'he doesn't talk to the purchasers before the vetting.' Really? So how you establish whether there are any concerns, what I'd like to do with her, etc?

However, he has agreed to call, now.
 
I think it's a brilliant idea and what better way to be sure the horse is sound - if he is an accomplished rider he will 'feel' how the horse goes and the balance. Remember the vet is the one who is signing the vetting and you can sue him if the horse has something wrong he missed, so he wants to take every precaution to get it right. I am sure he will watch the horse move in hand or on the lunge, afterall horses don't have to be ridden for a 5 stage and my WB passed with flying colours only for me to get LOU 6 months down the line for chronic sacro illiac dysfunction :( I love my horse, but it's a shame my vet didn't ride him for his vetting.
 
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I had a vet ride a horse i had vetted, but vet was 4* eventer and the horse was 2* schoolmaster so they could also tell me a lot more about whether it really was suitable for the job I wanted than just being physically able :-)
 
I think it's brilliant...

You can FEEL a horse much better when ridden.

I don't see the problem...
 
I've not heard of it happening either but after getting beaten by my vet every time we're in the same class at Dressage, it's something I would consider :D
 
Our lovely vet rode my irish mare when he vetted her some 20 years ago, at the time he was point to point riding so I had some faith in him. He rode for around half an hour, in the school and stamina testing across the fields, came back and said "That's just the sort of little horse my wife should have bought!" Gave me a huge confidence boost in the process.
 
I'd be very happy. It'd be worth booking a vetting to see a 4* eventer vet riding a Shetland.
Picture this; The vet asks who the purchaser is and you reply, 'Oh, I'm not selling, just wanted to see you ride it.':D
 
Years ago my vet used to ride during vetting. First of all he would watch from the ground while I (or the vendor) rode at walk and trot. Then he would hop on with short stirrups as he was from a racing background and no hat! He used to do the fast work because he could hear any wind problems, although it was a bit alarming when he leant right forwards to within inches of the horse's nostrils!
 
I used to go out with a vet who also evented at a decent level and he often poped on the horses during a vetting. A great addition to the vetting IMO if you can get it!
 
I supposed it would work in he could feel something.
But he would still need to see it ridden aswell.

say maybe he rides aswell as another person .
Sounds good to me.
But if he only rides and doesn't watch them no. I wouldn't like it.
 
In the OP didn't it say that the sellers of said horse were adept at hiding things? If they are known to the vet this would make me think twice about buying off them. Sorry if I have misread the post.
 
Further to above... unless the vet was referring to 'owners' in general rather than the specific owners of said horse...xx
 
Sounds a good idea to me.
Sure I've read on here a poster who rides an unsound horse & it is schooled/ridden in such a way it appears sound alot of the time, this is a poster who seems extroadinarily competent & knowledgable.
So I'm sure it could happen that horse is slightly 'off', with a competent rider this could be 'disguised' from the ground but once with a different rider on board could show up. I can never look at a horse & think it's lame (unless it's hopping, I'm useless!) but can tend to feel pretty well if it's not right (the joy of having a 'broken' horse!) so if the vet will/can & is competent then why not. Still would want it observed from the ground too tho.

In regards to the vet not talking to the purchaser before-hand I can semi-understand that. Purely because of taking mine to the vet for lameness work-up & I said what I thought was wrong & vet said whilst it is worth talking to an owner sometimes they are better to watch the horse move first as an owner can get it wrong & it mis-leads them/they focus on the wrong area, even if only sub-consciously and then need to step back & re-assess the whole picture rather than focus on the area the owner thinks is the problem. Suppose vet may have similar view to viewings tho I can understand your concerns!
 
I know of one vet who will ride the horse if they think it makes a noise I think it's a real risk for them if they where to fall off and not be able to work.
As a buyer I would be happy if they wanted to.
 
abi31 said:
In the OP didn't it say that the sellers of said horse were adept at hiding things? If they are known to the vet this would make me think twice about buying off them. Sorry if I have misread the post.
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Sorry I think you misread my post. I generalised on a sweeping generalisation provided by the veterinary surgery: 'The vet will ride himself. He feels owners can be adept at hiding things and this way he can be sure'. I have no qualms about buying off this owner. She has a very good reputation and is only selling due to a significant lifestyle change.

I have no problem with him riding her (on the proviso he's a kind and sympathetic rider ;)). I was just very surprised, that's all. I had not encountered this before. But I do hold score with a horse being observed under saddle, too, and wondered how he intended to do this. Because the way it was presented to me, he would not be seeing anyone else ride her.
 
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