A novice's experiences of buying a horse, an ongoing report...

vallin said:
Update!

I was really hoping to have exciting news and be able to fill this post with pictures of a new horse. Alas, life is not that kind to me and horse number 11 also failed the vetting. Booooo! So I am once again returning to the chalk board and still on the look out for a nice youngster to bring on for eventing, 15.2-16.3, 5-7yo, not to heavy and not to light, and relatively sane. Budget £3000-4000 pm if you know of any!
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Have a chat with Gamebird - she has a super young horse for sale. He doesn't fit your brief exactly but he is sane, sensible and a proper little dude!
 
vallin said:
Update!

I was really hoping to have exciting news and be able to fill this post with pictures of a new horse. Alas, life is not that kind to me and horse number 11 also failed the vetting. Booooo! So I am once again returning to the chalk board and still on the look out for a nice youngster to bring on for eventing, 15.2-16.3, 5-7yo, not to heavy and not to light, and relatively sane. Budget £3000-4000 pm if you know of any!
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Jo Chipperfield may have one, he's turned out at the moment as she's busy eventing several. I think he's six, she bought him off the breeder last year unbroken. He's going very nicely under saddle, but he won't make a higher level eventer though, so he's on the back burner. I think he's TB x AA, and a very sweet person. PM me if you want pics. I've got some somewhere. She's near Royston, so not a million miles from you.
 
vallin said:
Update!

I was really hoping to have exciting news and be able to fill this post with pictures of a new horse. Alas, life is not that kind to me and horse number 11 also failed the vetting. Booooo! So I am once again returning to the chalk board and still on the look out for a nice youngster to bring on for eventing, 15.2-16.3, 5-7yo, not to heavy and not to light, and relatively sane. Budget £3000-4000 pm if you know of any!
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Oh dear :( What are the horses failing on?

I'm having a horse vetted this week and i'm paranoid she will fail. The worst thing is she is a horse that has been at my yard for some time and there is a long list of people wanting to buy her, I just happened to get in first! I know if she fails and I don't get her, a guy I know will buy her without vetting and then sods law says he will have her for years without issue and i'll regret it!!
 
TT55 said:
Oh dear :( What are the horses failing on?

I'm having a horse vetted this week and i'm paranoid she will fail. The worst thing is she is a horse that has been at my yard for some time and there is a long list of people wanting to buy her, I just happened to get in first! I know if she fails and I don't get her, a guy I know will buy her without vetting and then sods law says he will have her for years without issue and i'll regret it!!
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Then why are you getting it vetted if you want it so much! Never ever get them vetted anymore for myself.
 
vallin said:
Update!

I was really hoping to have exciting news and be able to fill this post with pictures of a new horse. Alas, life is not that kind to me and horse number 11 also failed the vetting. Booooo! So I am once again returning to the chalk board and still on the look out for a nice youngster to bring on for eventing, 15.2-16.3, 5-7yo, not to heavy and not to light, and relatively sane. Budget £3000-4000 pm if you know of any!
Click to expand...

That's a shame :(. What did she fail on?

P
 
TT55 said:
Oh dear :( What are the horses failing on?

I'm having a horse vetted this week and i'm paranoid she will fail. The worst thing is she is a horse that has been at my yard for some time and there is a long list of people wanting to buy her, I just happened to get in first! I know if she fails and I don't get her, a guy I know will buy her without vetting and then sods law says he will have her for years without issue and i'll regret it!!
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If she fails buy her anyway and ask the vet how to manage her to minimise the risk- if you think that much of her! Oh, and maybe be prepared to change your aspirations!
 
11 horses failed vetting ............ ? Why?
google vendors phone number and name and address
1] tell vendors the horse will be 5 star vetted before you go, wait for excuses and cross off list
2] go to vettings and learn how to identify the obvious
3] analyse your expectations v your budget, are you looking at horses which are being sold off due to considerations which vendor is not happy to tell you.
4] have regular lessons with a good instructor and ask her if she knows of anything suitable, consider taking her with you when you go to see a horse.
I would think finding a good sound sound young horse of 16.00 hh ready to compete, good breeding, scope, and good conformation, and no vices would be quite hard to find for £3000, probably impossible if the current owner has paid all the bills for a few years. There are a lot of Irish horses which may look the part but they are unknown quantity having been through horse sales [
If you have a horse which needs a lot of basic work, you will soon spend a £1,000, but if you have been looking for a year, you have saved yourself about a £1,000 at least, so budget could be expanding.
 
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TT55 said:
Oh dear :( What are the horses failing on?

I'm having a horse vetted this week and i'm paranoid she will fail. The worst thing is she is a horse that has been at my yard for some time and there is a long list of people wanting to buy her, I just happened to get in first! I know if she fails and I don't get her, a guy I know will buy her without vetting and then sods law says he will have her for years without issue and i'll regret it!!
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Both failed on flexion (second was slight flexion failure, then failed the ridden) :(
 
MrsD123 said:
11 horses failed vetting ............ ? Why?
google vendors phone number and name and address
1] tell vendors the horse will be 5 star vetted before you go, wait for excuses and cross off list
2] go to vettings and learn how to identify the obvious
3] analyse your expectations v your budget, are you looking at horses which are being sold off due to considerations which vendor is not happy to tell you.
4] have regular lessons with a good instructor and ask her if she knows of anything suitable, consider taking her with you when you go to see a horse.
I would think finding a good sound sound young horse of 16.00 hh ready to compete, good breeding, scope, and good conformation, and no vices would be quite hard to find for £3000, probably impossible if the current owner has paid all the bills for a few years. There are a lot of Irish horses which may look the part but they are unknown quantity having been through horse sales [
If you have a horse which needs a lot of basic work, you will soon spend a £1,000, but if you have been looking for a year, you have saved yourself about a £1,000 at least, so budget could be expanding.
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Not 11 failed vetting! Lol I've looked at 11 horses, two of which I've had vetted and failed :)
 
Saw an ad for a grey last night not sure of any details but was on Facebook hope farm livery, the girl I think has in people's horses to back and bring on etc but not sure if this is being sold for a client or actually hers.
 
TBF if you have a vet who is worth their salt, more horses will fail a vetting than will pass. It's how you interpret the fails really...
 
RachelFerd said:
TBF if you have a vet who is worth their salt, more horses will fail a vetting than will pass. It's how you interpret the fails really...
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Agreed, both were done by very respected vets from rossdales and it was there long term future that was questioned as much as anything.
 
RachelFerd said:
TBF if you have a vet who is worth their salt, more horses will fail a vetting than will pass. It's how you interpret the fails really...
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Just thought I'd stop by and find out how you were doing vallin. Sorry about the 2nd disappointment but surely that means 3rd time lucky?!

Interested in what you said RachelFerd - I'd really struggle with being able to interpret a fail as anything but that, ie to walk away cos it's failed. Assume insurance would be invalid, or at least they would exclude whatever gets shown up. Are there more grey area than I'd thought when it comes to vettings?
 
Basically the vet tells you if the horse is suited to the purpose you require, so if you say you want something to take to Badminton 2015, and last for ten years, he is going to have a big problem finding something suitable, if you want a hack to plod around on for a few years, many horses will meet your criteria.
If you tell the vet what you want, and he says it does not meet your requirements, as a novice, you should really take his advice.
If the horse is too spirited for a novice, he may have to take this in to consideration.
 
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Plenty of fails are based on an uncertainty rather than a definitive. If we projected that around 50% of horses are not 100% sound (as per AHT recent study), and lets face it, probably a greater proportion in terms of horses for sale, since they are often sold due to not meeting up to current owners expectations in one way or another...

so yes, many vettings are a fail, but the reason for fail may well be something you'd consider taking a punt on, albeit at the right price.

I have sold a horse that failed on its wind - very very low grade COPD type symptoms - ultimately the purchaser decided that for the job that they wanted the horse to do, it was going to be ok. We are talking in the under £3000 bracket where you don't require a 5 stage vetting pass to be able to insure.

I personally wouldn't have a vetting done on anything under £3500 as I don't feel they offer value - I would still get a vet friend to take a serious look with me. If spending more than that I would be more interested in having ultrasound scans of hind suspensory ligaments along with viewing of the horse trotted up on straight lines and on the lunge on the soft and hard, than I would be in having a 'proper' vetting as it were.
 
RachelFerd said:
Plenty of fails are based on an uncertainty rather than a definitive. If we projected that around 50% of horses are not 100% sound (as per AHT recent study), and lets face it, probably a greater proportion in terms of horses for sale, since they are often sold due to not meeting up to current owners expectations in one way or another...

so yes, many vettings are a fail, but the reason for fail may well be something you'd consider taking a punt on, albeit at the right price.

I have sold a horse that failed on its wind - very very low grade COPD type symptoms - ultimately the purchaser decided that for the job that they wanted the horse to do, it was going to be ok. We are talking in the under £3000 bracket where you don't require a 5 stage vetting pass to be able to insure.

I personally wouldn't have a vetting done on anything under £3500 as I don't feel they offer value - I would still get a vet friend to take a serious look with me. If spending more than that I would be more interested in having ultrasound scans of hind suspensory ligaments along with viewing of the horse trotted up on straight lines and on the lunge on the soft and hard, than I would be in having a 'proper' vetting as it were.
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A high proportion of the vetting cost is the visit, I had a purchaser who had my mare 5 star vetted for £160.00 ........ it was cash, how much less could it be?
He spent twenty minutes looking at the mare and doing stethoscope things. Due to weather, ice and snow, I had to spend quite a bit of time cantering up and down and up and down a small field, after the exercise there was another exam, I assume this was the 5 star bit. All in all the whole thing took about an hour.
It was sold as a pony suited to a novice teenager girl, not an eventer, as I had to remind the vet. Mare had been sound for the 15 months of my ownership.
 
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RachelFerd said:
Plenty of fails are based on an uncertainty rather than a definitive. If we projected that around 50% of horses are not 100% sound (as per AHT recent study), and lets face it, probably a greater proportion in terms of horses for sale, since they are often sold due to not meeting up to current owners expectations in one way or another...

so yes, many vettings are a fail, but the reason for fail may well be something you'd consider taking a punt on, albeit at the right price.

I have sold a horse that failed on its wind - very very low grade COPD type symptoms - ultimately the purchaser decided that for the job that they wanted the horse to do, it was going to be ok. We are talking in the under £3000 bracket where you don't require a 5 stage vetting pass to be able to insure.

I personally wouldn't have a vetting done on anything under £3500 as I don't feel they offer value - I would still get a vet friend to take a serious look with me. If spending more than that I would be more interested in having ultrasound scans of hind suspensory ligaments along with viewing of the horse trotted up on straight lines and on the lunge on the soft and hard, than I would be in having a 'proper' vetting as it were.
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If I were a vendor, I would not be too happy to have your "vet friend" come and examine my horse as you describe, it is either a professional examination or it is not. If you are in two minds about suitability fair enough to ask if you can try it again, maybe bring an instructor friend, but your vet friend is presumably working for a vet group who pay their wages and their training, I am not sure how you stand if vet friend misses something, or if you are just trying to avoid paying for professional services. Personally, I am not too keen on being asked to do work for someone just because they are friends. Do you accost a doctor at a party and ask about your hernia?
 
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Well precisely - If a vendor was unhappy for me to have a vet come and scan the horses legs and do a basic lameness workup, I'd be pretty quick to run away!! The fact that the vet is my friend is irrelevant to the seller, but sensible on my behalf since they know my requirements - I am still paying for a professional service from a vet.

MrsD123 - looking at your edit I think you misunderstood me - I don't mean to avoid paying (!), just rather to pay for the information I want to know, not just the criteria for a five stage vetting. I have just spent 18 months working at a vets hence knowing lots of them very well and therefore keen to take their opinions over and above any other vets...
 
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MrsD123 said:
A high proportion of the vetting cost is the visit, I had a purchaser who had my mare 5 star vetted for £160.00 ........ it was cash, how much less could it be?
He spent twenty minutes looking at the mare and doing stethoscope things. Due to weather, ice and snow, I had to spend quite a bit of time cantering up and down and up and down a small field, after the exercise there was another exam, I assume this was the 5 star bit. All in all the whole thing took about an hour.
It was sold as a pony suited to a novice teenager girl, not an eventer, as I had to remind the vet. Mare had been sound for the 15 months of my ownership.
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It might be useful to read this which helpfully explains all about 5 stage vettings (5 stage - not star ;) - so called because there are 5 stages to the vetting......)

http://e-venting.co.uk/2013/02/the-ins-and-outs-of-vettings/
 
RachelFerd said:
Plenty of fails are based on an uncertainty rather than a definitive. If we projected that around 50% of horses are not 100% sound (as per AHT recent study), and lets face it, probably a greater proportion in terms of horses for sale, since they are often sold due to not meeting up to current owners expectations in one way or another...

so yes, many vettings are a fail, but the reason for fail may well be something you'd consider taking a punt on, albeit at the right price.

I have sold a horse that failed on its wind - very very low grade COPD type symptoms - ultimately the purchaser decided that for the job that they wanted the horse to do, it was going to be ok. We are talking in the under £3000 bracket where you don't require a 5 stage vetting pass to be able to insure.

I personally wouldn't have a vetting done on anything under £3500 as I don't feel they offer value - I would still get a vet friend to take a serious look with me. If spending more than that I would be more interested in having ultrasound scans of hind suspensory ligaments along with viewing of the horse trotted up on straight lines and on the lunge on the soft and hard, than I would be in having a 'proper' vetting as it were.
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Aha I get what you mean now thanks. Friend had two fail but they were on the basis of what she wanted them for, so walked away. One did seem to be on slightly odd criteria and he passed with another vet for the same kind of use, go figure. Happy ending though as she's just found one who sailed his vetting so vallin, there's a 3 rd time lucky !
 
meardsall_millie said:
It might be useful to read this which helpfully explains all about 5 stage vettings (5 stage - not star ;) - so called because there are 5 stages to the vetting......)

http://e-venting.co.uk/2013/02/the-ins-and-outs-of-vettings/
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Yes, a bit of a slip, yes i did get a vet to explain the stages to me one time, though I don't think I ever had a horse vetted after this as most I took on were unbroken and I am pretty experienced [ used to work in racing, so would be assessing / seeing about 40 horses every day at various gaits.
 
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