Advice please vetting from owner's view.

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morrismob

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Hi

Anyone give me some advice. My horse was vetted today. 16h, 11 yr old mare. BE evented to BE100 as well as all PC stuff. She has done this most of life. Very sweet kind mare. Vetting all well until flexion tests:eek: She was lame on her off fore knee following tests. Now buyers are very keen and its their vet, who thought the mare might have tweaked something maybe in the stable the night before. There is no heat or swelling and she is sound in trot up and all other work. There is no history of former lameness with us or previous owner.

The buyers want me to box to them next week when the vet will have another look at her. This is their 3rd horse that has failed a vetting. But my problem is what the hell do I do with her in the meantime. Due to ground condition I am only turning out in sand school but they are being ridden every day. Please give me your views on how to manage her. Thanks and white wine and crisps to those who got this far.:D
 
I'm not sure. Mine's just failed, not on a flexion test, less than 1/10ths lame behind lunging on a hard surface, can't even see it but they want her vetting again in 2 weeks, so I'm keeping her in full work so they're getting an honest look at her in work.

Flexion tests are tricky though. I'd be inclined to keep her working as normal so you can see if its any worse etc, it may be something or nothing.
 
Get your vet to have a little look and go from there.

I certainly wouldn't box the horse anywhere, bit make it clear they're welcome back with thier vet, once yours had reviewed and appropriate treatment is concluded.
 
amymay said:
Get your vet to have a little look and go from there.

I certainly wouldn't box the horse anywhere, bit make it clear they're welcome back with thier vet, once yours had reviewed and appropriate treatment is concluded.
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This. If they want to have their vet recheck the horse they are welcome to do so, and they can take bloods to make sure you're not buting it up . . . but I wouldn't be allowing them to take the horse anywhere.

P
 
Thanks for replies. I will speak to my vet tomorrow. I have already agreed to box her to them as they are just the right people for her and they have spent a fortune on failed vettings, I know thats not my problem.

I will give her tomorrow off while I hear from my vet but do agree that keeping her working is best for the mare as there is nothing to show except the failed flexion. She is not advertised but I saw a wanted ad that she fit perfectly...... Daughter has given up and the plan was 2nd daughter would try and run her alongside her own horse but is too good and willing to be a field ornament. Ho Hum horses don't we love them :rolleyes:
 
Have their previous vettings all failed on flexions?! If so would have to wonder is their vet the issue?
 
I would do exactly what you are doing I would take the horse to them and get advice from my own vet in the meantime i would tick over the horse on walking exercise if your vet thinks that's ok.
Sometimes you go the extra mile when the home fits your horse so I would do it good luck if the horse fails again I would have get it to worked up by my vet I would not be able to leave it.
 
A friend had a similar problem a few years back. She had bought a horse subject to vetting and it failed. The owners were genuinely surprised and as they wanted to sell the horse, so arranged for full xrays to find out on the agreement that if there was nothing wrong, friend paid half but if there was something wrong, the seller paid. Owner wanted to know what the problem was as if friend didnt buy then the situation could possibly come up again on a future vetting. Sadly for them the horse had the start of Navicular, friend didnt buy the horse.

I would let my own vet look at the horse and go from there. Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.
 
My friend has had the same problem with vettings. Out of 5 horses she has seen only one passed the vetting and that one bucked. Lot while working in the school.

Each vetting was done by a different vet(including Bristol Vet College)

Unfortunately I believe the first horse we saw had knocked herself in the field the night before and was only just less thn 1/10th but she was said to be lame so the insurance company would not cover her. She has not been lame since and has competed in Endurance with success

Hopefully we have found a nice youngster now.
 
Vettings are tricky things. My friend looked at a horse, had it vetted and it failed miserably. She asked another vet from the same pracise to look at it a second time and he passed the horse with no problems, he said it was within acceptable parameters considering it's age (10). If I was buying your horse I'd take into account a report from your vet, showing the vet history of the horse. Ask your vet to print one out, it will show you have not had any lameness problems in your ownership. It might sway them.
 
The whole vetting thing is a nightmare, to be honest I would only walk/light exercise the horse for a week, make sure the stable walls are a foot high and a foot wide, box her to the new owner, expecting a vet to do the vetting there and then, and either take it home or leave with payment [which can be done online instantly]
I would probably be anal enough to put a linament [legal stuff] on the "leg"
If you have a top class farrier you might ask him to look, only shoe if he advises. I know a dealer who only ever has his horses shod by the best farriers because he says it makes a big difference, he should know.
 
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amymay said:
Get your vet to have a little look and go from there.

I certainly wouldn't box the horse anywhere, bit make it clear they're welcome back with their vet, once yours had reviewed and appropriate treatment is concluded.
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This^^

My vet is incredibly sensitive and incredibly thorough. Some local yards won't allow her to vet a horse on their yard because it will more than likely fail - even though the horse would still be perfectly fit for purpose.

The last time I was looking to buy which was about 18 months ago, she failed 3 horses for me, and then the fourth horse I eventually found that I liked did pass. I also had xrays done.
If it were not for the fact that I had recently bought a horse from a racing yard that passed a 5 stage vetting, done by their own vet - only for me to find that 12 months later the same horse had so many problems that it had to be completely retired from any ridden work - I would have probably bought the first horse. However at the time I was feeling especially sensitive due to the TB being written off, and I wanted to take no risks this time round.

If I were ever to sell a horse, I think the vetting would be the most worrying part of it, in case the buyers bought a vet like mine along!
 
I might sound tight but I think the cost of vetting three horses that failed and coming home with nothing might make me give up altogether!
 
mandwhy said:
I might sound tight but I think the cost of vetting three horses that failed and coming home with nothing might make me give up altogether!
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I know, each failed vetting was about £300. I think if the fourth had failed I would have given up!
However, by buying something that potentially is more at risk of breaking down early, the chances are that it will cost a lot more in vets fees than that, not to mention all the heartache. I also couldn’t afford to keep two retired horses. I know I sound possibly a little over dramatic, and I know any horse can have an accident that is unavoidable, but under the circumstances I didn't want to take any chances in the first instance of getting my new horse.
 
Once again thanks for replies. Waiting for my vet to call but on very close inspection this morning there appears to be some heat behind the knee very slight and can only just feel any difference between knees. So mare on box rest with cold hosing awaiting my vets call. Mare still trots up sound.

Have no problem with the vet she was very thorough and nice too ! I hate vettings whether buying or selling but a necessary evil !
 
I agree with the poster above that suggested getting your vet to print off your horse's history for them. When I bought my boy his owners consented to this and is was great as I was able to look at everything he had been treated for in the whole time they'd owned him and make an informed decision - e.g. he had a splint which she told me he'd thrown in the field when turned away but had never caused a day's lameness, and the vetting history confirmed that :) She said he'd had a hoof abcess but had come sound quickly and it confirmed this too - made me trust her a whole lot more as she'd already told me all this before I asked about getting his history, and it all tied up :)
 
MissMincePie&Brandy said:
My vet is incredibly sensitive and incredibly thorough. Some local yards won't allow her to vet a horse on their yard because it will more than likely fail - even though the horse would still be perfectly fit for purpose.
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This just makes no sense to me, when the entire point of a vetting is to assess whether a horse is fit for purpose, not whether the horse is absolutely perfect... :confused:

Think I'd have asked a different vet to do the vettings for me in your shoes!
 
amage said:
Have their previous vettings all failed on flexions?! If so would have to wonder is their vet the issue?
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+1

I also would never want a flexion test done on any of mine or any I was interested in buying.

A vet I have a lot of trust in gave me plenty of reasons why they weren't worth doing. Can cause as much damage as they show up.

Pan
 
xspiralx said:
This just makes no sense to me, when the entire point of a vetting is to assess whether a horse is fit for purpose, not whether the horse is absolutely perfect... :confused:

Think I'd have asked a different vet to do the vettings for me in your shoes!
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^^^ this is exactly my query, the perfect horse has yet to be born, so every horse could be rejected by this person, not professinal.
 
Not a happy bunny at all :mad: Mares leg is now hot all the way down the back from knee to fetlock ! Rang my vet who said to check her soundness which I will do when daughter home and if not sound they will come out in the morning, absolutely fantastic !!:rolleyes:
 
PandorasJar said:
+1

I also would never want a flexion test done on any of mine or any I was interested in buying.

A vet I have a lot of trust in gave me plenty of reasons why they weren't worth doing. Can cause as much damage as they show up.

Pan
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i would be very interested to know what damage a flexion test can do?
 
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