Buying a horse horse witout vetting??

[WishfulThinker]

My friend is buying a new horse, price is 5k+, and hes an eventer. She has just told me that they are not getting him vetted and the seller (private) as said they have the old vetting cert that will do.

This sounds a bit risky to me...................what do you think??

 

[Marbs]

Risky to buy any horse without having a vetting, regardless of money. Horse could have changed a lot since the vetting health wise to name one problem

Didn't think you could insure for +5k (less with some companies without having a vetting done (although, suppose it will depend on just how recent the vetting was)

 

[tigers_eye]

If buying for myself I don't vet. Only if I'm selling something on and I think it will be the type that people want to vet then I will too. I think it's up to the individual.

ETS: Marbs, we insured with Shearwater - they only ask for a vetting from 10k upwards.

 

[pixie]

When is the vetting cert from?!

I certainly wouldn't spend that much on a horse only to not get it vetted (and blood tested)

 

[wizzi901]

at that price if they can afford that then they should get a vetting.

However I dont usually bother for cheaper horses as it would be unlikely most cheapos for hacking would pass a vetting anyway!!

Like the little ex racer we just bought! Vet would have laughed but he is a little cracker!

 

[spike123]

no insurance company will touch the horse at that value without a vetting certificate and in most cases they want it to be less than 30 days or so old.If your friend wants to spend that kind of money on a horse she would be wise to have it vetted.If they have told her that the old vetting certificate will do and its more than 30 days old then no it won't.It sounds like they are hiding something to me. If the vetting certificate is less than 30 days old why are they selling the horse on so quickly.It all sounds a bit iffy.

 

[horsegirl]

Most insurance companies want a vetting cert under 30 days old for insuring over £2K. If they have one already I would want to know why, did a buyer back out?

 

[horsegirl]

I disagree, I paid under £2K for my horse and he passed with flying colours!

 

[cariadssogreat]

Def not a wise idea!!!

 

[Forget_Me_Not]

!) insurance wont touch him! Ive just had a send photo copy mine off and im only insuring him for £2500!! 2) He could be lame and druged and she'd be buggered! I would go for a two stage vetting or blood tests.

 

[pagancluf]

I bought one without a vetting and he is ace (ok got arthritus in one hock but only mild) the other I had vetted and he did not see that he had a hobday opp in past?!! but he is still fine - I think if over £2500 I would get a a5* star vet - if under and only hack etc - then poss not.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

A vets cert is like a car's MOT, it's only really valid on the day of the test. How many of us have been with the horse today & returned 24 hrs later to find it's lame & maybe got tendon injury.

As previous poster's have said, without a certificate there is no insurance company that will give them cover for for a horse of £5k or more in value. An old vet cert isn't worth the paper it's writen on.

Your friend's either very naive, foolish or have more money than sense buying under those circumstances. I wish them luck...they may need it.

 

[WishfulThinker]

He is to be for eventing/rc/pc.

I have told her that she could lose thousands if she doesnt get him vetted. I would feel sick if they got it and something apperared that they missed!

I didnt get B vetted, but for a hairy beast that was never going to he a super start didnt see he point as he is a pet/friend/ psychotherapist

 

[Weezy]

Never had a horse vetted pre-purchase

 

[Molineux]

Erm no!
If its a recent Vetting Cert then I would say yeah go for it!
But you said it was an old one!
For that amount of money its worth to have him vetted.

I got bit on the bum with a horse I brought - its a little different as I only paid £1,500 for him!
However they told me he was 14, so rode him loved him, took him home! got the vet out to do his injections and said could you do a little vetting for me!
Well he thought he was over the age of 20

and blind in one eye

so rang them up where I got him from and to be fair they did take her back - however some people are not as nice!

Its worth to pay for a vetting for a horse that price

 

[mrdarcy]

For anything £5k plus for competing I would always get the horse in question vetted. If you've got that sort of money to spend on a horse the £170/£200 for a vetting is not a lot extra to pay out.

That the vendors are trying to persuade them the old vetting cert will be okay sounds alarm bells to me.

 

[debbielinder]

if i was spending that much for a horse i would deffo have it vetted and for insurance purposes you need a 5 stage vetting if you want to insure for over 5k. unless i was only payin a few hundred for a horse i would always have it vetted saying that i didnt get mine vetted but she had been done 3 days before we got her as she came over from ireland then and was vetted before she was shipped over if that made sence! and we only paid 1800 for her as we knew the dealer, and also had no intension of selling her on

 

[Skhosu]

I always vet. We're not nearly knowledgeable enough to pick up faults.

 

[GatefieldHorses]

in my opinion, if the horse already has a recent vet report i wouldnt bother with another if it passed the other as at the end of the day, it could sail through a 5 stage vet and break its leg the next day. A vetting only covers you at the time of vetting not afterwards. Its a big risk what injuries happen, vetting or no vetting

 

[Bess]

I have bought a horse without vetting, but I got my vet to phone their vet and check out its vet history.

 

[Snowberry]

I usually get a horse vetted before buying it, especially anything of that value. However, as someone has already said, vetting is like an MOT in the way that the vet is assessing a horse as he sees it on that day.
We bought a horse for £4k and she passed 5stage with flying colours, we had the works done including bloods. less than 6months later she was diagnosed with bone spavin in both hocks - 2weeks later (after an operation) she was PTS. Point being that vets certificates are great but dont necessarily pick up everything.
I would still get one done, just for piece of mind really.

 

[Miss Tipps]

I think the only question I would ask is "Why is she not having him vetted?" For the sake of £200 to me its a small price to pay for some peace of mind and at the very least, as everyone else has said, will make insuring him far less of a hassle.

I would ask to her seriously reconsider. I bought a horse recently (and had him vetted). For two weeks solid after we bought a seemingly solid and sensible horse, he acted like a lunatic, carting me all over the place. But all the time I was wondering what on earth was wrong with him I could at least feel fairly safe in the knowledge that there was no real physical problem and that he hadn't been doped up to the eyeballs when I'd tried him out.

 

[riotgirl]

I've never had a horse vetted, but then I don't pay much and I mainly hack with a bit of dressage. If I was paying 5k+ for an eventer then I probably would.

 

[eahotson]

If I was buying T 5+ i WOULD HAVE VETTED BUT DIDN'T HAVE LAST HORSE VETTED AS (sorry caps) as not overly impressed with previous 2 vettings.

 

[Kelly1982]

I personally wouldn't buy a horse without a vetting but i learnt the hard way.

And old vet certificate is nothing as so much can change in a day in a horses life.

Also she will find it difficult to insure if she wants to insure him for what he is worth as most companies want a current vets certificate for a horse worth more than £5,000.

 

[BenjaminBunny]

i agree with snowberry - a vetting doesn't neccessarily pick up everything - I admit i relied too much on the vetting

my horse i got stage 5 vetted - but after a month of owning him something wasn't right (wasn't lame or anything just knew something was wrong)

anyway he was diagnosed with hindlimb suspensory desmitis (sp?) which he's had treatment for and is slowly on the mend

but in this case alarm bells are ringing as the vendors are saying and pushing this old vet cert - to me this is just not right - sounds like something has happened since

i'd either get it vetted or not buy it

 

[samp]

She may not be able to insure the horse without a vetting for that price. She will need I imagine a minimum of 2 stage, needs to ask insurance companies really

 

[SillyMare]

Most recent horse I bought came without a vet cert, but then he was a racehorse out of training and we didn't pay much.

In this situation I would certainly get it vetted - £5k is a lot to gamble and however knowledgeable she is it is always worth getting a second opinion (at least to check heart, eyes and lungs and take a blood test).

 

[FMM]

http://www.chilternrider.co.uk/localnews/localnews.htm#hancelegal

 

[Patchwork]

I would wonder why the seller is so keen for them to buy him with just the old certificate...