Advice please re: failed vetting

Yeah, there's no guarantees with horses, are there? I wouldn't be offering much more than £800 to £1000 for this mare, with tack, but it's the possibility of vets bills...
 
She's offered a 6 month loan with view to buy... Do you think it would give me enough to go on to make a more informed decision?
 
Yes, it very fair and I suppose a second test after handling her hinds would put my mind at rest either way. As you say, sooner rather than later though, or it would get increasingly hard to send her back!
 
Thinking back over what the vet said though, she felt that the lameness was ongoing and would continue to be so and that to find out the cause would require nerve blocks, etc. I think I'm kidding myself if I try to think this is a simple problem and won't present in the future. It sits alongside the discomfort with her hinds, but also uneven wear on her feet that my farrier found and some stiffness in the saddle area which the vet thought was coming from behind.

I think the longer I'm involved the greater the heartache... best to back out now, while I still can!
 
Also, if a loan didn't come off it would be a lot of upheaval for the mare - she's a fairly sensitive and highly strung Arab and I don't think the changes would do her any favours. Plus more potentially wasted expense in the form of transportation back and forth.

No, I think this is one I can't solve.
 
Thank you.

Everyone has been very helpful as I most probably would have let my heart rule my head. I suspect you've saved me a lot of disappointment and money. And, hey, if she is brilliant underneath it all, I'll never know, so I won't be kicking myself!
 
PandorasJar said:
Personally I wouldn't have a flexion test done as they are known to throw bad results.
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It is my experience that only the seller of the horse thinks it is a bad result.

Flexion tests require careful interpretation, especially in hind limbs, and to me it is more of a comparison of left to right rather than an absolute positive or negative. Many sound horses will fail on flexion tests, but remember the vet is trying to determine not only soundness on the day, but the likelihood of staying sound into the future.
 
Irishbabygirl said:
I would walk away - but just to add, if you do decide to take her on (at a very reduced price) you don't always have to show the insurance companies a copy of the vetting if they are not insured for much.
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No, but if you subsequently try to claim you have to disclose all veterinary attention and treatment, and therefore your insurance would be invalidated for failing to disclose an existing problem.

Tough decision OP but I too would walk away.
 
Haven't read the whole thread as on my phone so this may have already been said, but I personally put no faith in flexion tests. If I held my legs up for a minute then ran flat out I'd be lame! My cob failed the vetting on flexions and the only time he's been lame is when he got an infection after scratching his leg. If the horse is 100% in every other way then is probably go ahead :)
 
What a shame as she is young and I find it strange the owner is riding lightly too? Telling you something?

Dont say yes and regret it. If the owner cared they would perhaps look into it a bit more if its a potential problem?/

Good luck probably would walk away(completely understand as hear folks say flexion tests can cause problems etc with pulling around..but sounds like horse does have problem)?
 
I would be tempted to take her on loan for a few months and get your own vet to check her during that time. Depends how much you can be bothered with the hassle though. As others have said there are plenty of sound horses out there.
 
Hello.
I would be inclined to have the mare vetted again by someone else,,, some vets can be over keen in my eyes,,, a good horse can be hard to find & how many of us could honestly say we have a 100% sound horse?
Lots of horse do not recover as fast as others from a flexion tests.
Was you there for the vetting if so could you see the laimness? was she only lame as a result of the flexion tests? or is she lame anyway?
 
metalmare said:
Thank you.

Everyone has been very helpful as I most probably would have let my heart rule my head. I suspect you've saved me a lot of disappointment and money. And, hey, if she is brilliant underneath it all, I'll never know, so I won't be kicking myself!
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I had 2 horses fail a vetting before I found my horse. It is very frustrating when you spend the money on vettings and get a negative result, however, it may save you money in the future. I would walk away if I was you.

However, I have seen one of the horses that failed competing recently and I have to say I was a bit jealous. I felt that horse was very suitable for me and the mare I ended up buying has been very challenging so far, to the point that I can't compete her yet, yet here was this other horse and it had no lameness issues when I saw it compete. I think vettings can be great, but are a snapshot of time and if the horse is having a bad day then you miss out on a great horse.

It's such a difficult one. Good luck on your decision.
 
6 months loan, agree on a price now as a companion on the reccomendation of the vet saying horse is now a companion.

on the money you save on the difference of purchase price use to investigate lameness. if horrific and wont be rideable, then offer to help owner find companion home from your end without the uphevel for the horse again.
 
I hate this but wanted to say 'Hi' and nice to see you back on here and getting back into horses!

ETS

My lad would have failed on hind flexions when I bought him (aged 6) 11 years ago. He is still in work and although a tad stiff on startup, jumps and gallops with the best of them. £1500 well spent and none wasted on a vetting!
 
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I see you have made your mind up but for what its worth I would have taken her with the six months option. Its NOT just old owners who say flexion tests can be inaccurate but I know of a lameness specialist vet, and a veterinary research phd who both say that too, in fact it was even mentioned at the recent BHS lameness conference. Thats not to say they aren't worth anything but they need to be taken in context: and although she is young, the mare not being in very athletic work coupled with not being used to lifting her hinds for people, oh and no other signs of lameness paints a different context. Is there another perhaps more senior or specialist vet at the practice you could speak to about interpreting the findings? If you took her on loan yoy could find a decent eqyine vet hospital with a good lameness vet to give her a thorough work up for not too much money.
 
Was she lame ONLY on flexion? If she was entirely sound before and after (once she'd recovered) you should take it with pinch of salt. Any lameness (even the slightest bit) before/after AND a positive reaction to flexion would be a huge NO, but flexion tests themselves can cause the lameness.

If she's otherwise perfect i'd def go for a 6month/years loan with view to buy. Work her hard, get her fit and do everything you're ever going to do with her, then get her revetted before buying if you still have niggles.

You have a golden opportunity to try before you buy that you rarely find!
 
I would go for x-rays. I had something questionable come up on a vetting once - I opted for further tests. The owner offered to go halves as she wanted to know too. Turned out to be OK, and due to the extra report I have no insurance exclusions either. The horse has turned out great, best money I ever spent :)
 
Ooh, this is hurting my head.

She was only lame on flexion, which the vet then said worsened with further trot ups. I was there and I only saw the lameness myself at one point, and then it was a shortening of the stride. In my eyes in was very subtle. It didn't help that it was on soft wood chip and she was throwing her head around and playing. She doesn't have perfectly straight action anyway... She dishes slightly and her feet aren't straight, so although she scores marks in other areas her limb conformation isn't textbook.

My farrier came to see her on a previous occasion and noticed that both hind legs are swung slightly to the left, which she felt indicated a back problem... And it was her who recommended a vetting. She seems to think I'm right to walk away.

Someone wondered earlier why she has only been used as a light hack... The owner has a serious long term back problem, which is the reason for selling. It's making her very rigid in the saddle so school work has been limited and she's only really comfortable walking.
 
My farrier came to see her on a previous occasion and noticed that both hind legs are swung slightly to the left, which she felt indicated a back problem... And it was her who recommended a vetting. She seems to think I'm right to walk away.
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In that case walk away. You've had two professional opinions on the horse, both of whom have said don't buy.
 
Personally I would walk away.

Because she is young and hasn't done much I would be worried as to why she is showing a lameness in her back end. You also have ot factor in with her age that if she were to become un-ridable in a few years, you then have a long long time of looking after her into her old age! So the question is, can you afford to keep her if she becomes un-ridable?

I know it must be a very difficult decision to make, but there is always another horse out there!
 
Yep, you're right amymay.

I've emailed my farrier to say it's a no, so she'll think I'm really mad if I change my mind now!

Just have to put this one down to experience. Next time my farrier says she's got a bad feeling I probably shouldn't bother spending the extra n the vetting because she was pretty much bang on the money anyway!

Thanks again for all the advice everyone, it's much appreciated.
 
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