Buying without vetting

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Tai.Ni.Po.Ni

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How many of you have bought a horse without a vetting? I'm looking at buying a 3yo and not sure wether to have a vetting done ? Owner has bred him and said he has never been lame but I don't want to be caught out. Advice please ? :)
 
As above-never had one vetted as they have either been youngsters, old crocks or young crocks! :D

The horse I recently sold was 2 stage vetted and breezed through. Bit nerve-wracking though!
 
Its a gamble but sometimes pays off. It would be just my luck I wouldnt get a vetting and he would go lame the day after haha. My thinking is he is only 3 and hasn't done anything do would it be worth it ? Hmmm decisions.
 
Hi

I found a lovely cob and had it vetted, it failed on the flection test and very stupidly i didn't buy him as a lady in our village went to see him, a different vet passed him she bought him and he has never had a days illness in over 5 years. I have since bought a lovely chap and i decided not to have him vetted.
 
When I found foxy I had the cash to buy her there and then, but not enough cash to pay for a vetting also. If I had saved the money for a vetting and gone back, she'd have been gone!
Luckily all is well. Its a gamble but its paid off here :D
 
Me. Don't do vettings or expensive horses. Buy cheap, take a chance and PTS if its no good. But then I'm never after a horse for a specific job, just something to ride. I'll do whatever it turns out to be capable of, so a work limiting issue isn't the end of the world for me. I don't believe in retirement either. So I don't worry about being stuck with a lame 6yr old for the next 20yrs.
 
Ive had some vetted, some not vetted.
Ive never bought a dud or had one 'break' either way (Ive had a couple need PTS for various reasons but nothing that would have been influenced by a vetting, ie kick resulting in a shattered hock, horse not recovering from an operation that happened 20yrs after I bought him, stuff like that).
We bought a weanling a couple of years ago, and he cost more than we had ever paid for a horse and so he was vetted. Others havent been but have still been fine. The last one we got we had the full works including bloods taken and tested and xrays.
 
I personally have never had a vetting done so would anyone be able a rough figure for a standard vetting ? Because I'm not paying a huge amount of money for a lovely horse i wouldnt be devastated if he turned out lame. I'm just thinking along the lines if I get him vetted then take him home the next day he could slip in the field and go lame.
 
bought 3 year old - unbacked - watched it trot/canter round an arena (it didnt lunge) didnt have it vetted - is now 9 and have never had a problem.

OH bought me suprise 6 year old - I had been riding it for over a year - didnt get it vetted and within a year it was unrideable with giant sidebones !

But as long as I could watch a 3 year old trot up and it wasnt expensive I prob wouldnt get one vetted - ridden horse I think I would though - always worries me why people are selling ridden horses - I am sure many are genuine but I am suspicious !
 
Tai.Ni.Po.Ni said:
I personally have never had a vetting done so would anyone be able a rough figure for a standard vetting ?
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I would think it would vary massively regionally and between practises. It always seems a lot cheaper when I get a horse vetted in Ireland :D I will see if I can find a couple of bills.
 
Sugar_and_Spice, whilst I desagree with your approach entirely it is lovely to see such clear, logical, thinking.

OP, if paying a lot, and especially if not insuring for LOU, you'd probably want to get the vetting for as much due dilligence on your investiment as possible.

For something cheap that you will PTS if it 'breaks' don't see a lot of point.

If you're in a position to keep something 'broken' then no worries either, no?
 
I don't bother. Have had horses that failed a vetting and been sound as a pound 15yrs later. Better off putting the money in the bank especially if owners are selling for a genuine reason.
 
Having 'sold ' a horse to a friend who was blind in one eye and had an estimated 30% vision in the other ( honest he was jumping hacking out the vet was amazed, you could not tell ) and had another vetted to buy who had passed a five stage vetting twelve weeks before but when I had a vetting done it failed , it had contacted a virus during the twelve weeks which had damaged his heart and was unsafe to ride I could have sent my OH to the hounds on a death trap.
I will never ever buy a horse without vetting.
 
I've had some vetted and some not, my most recent not, but had a 5 stage 6 months earlier so just went with my gut, and if i hadn't gone back and got him the next day he would have been gone! We've had one issue with him but that was his own fault running about! My mums 18yo, was 12 when bought also not vetted and he's always been fine. I had one vetted that was more expensive just as didn't want to chance it, but i think it really is a gamble and all luck, as any horse can get anything wrong with it.
However if it was me, buying a youngster and seen sound etc id not vet x
 
Tai.Ni.Po.Ni said:
I personally have never had a vetting done so would anyone be able a rough figure for a standard vetting ? Because I'm not paying a huge amount of money for a lovely horse i wouldnt be devastated if he turned out lame. I'm just thinking along the lines if I get him vetted then take him home the next day he could slip in the field and go lame.
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When I was buying my horse, I got her vetted for insurance reasons. She is insured for £3500 and anything over £2500 or £3000 you have to have a 5 stage vetting for that. It cost me about £285 - £300 for the 5 stage vetting.

There is other stages of vetting that you can get and I am not sure if its a different price for the reason that you are buying them.
 
Didnt vet one, had her for years, rode her until her arthritis at 24 stopped her working, retired now.
Had eyes and heart check on a 2yo general look over at movement by the vet all ok, djd at 5.
5 stage vetting on another, a 7yo passed with flying colours for eventing, injured in the field collaterall ligaments, wont jump again :-(
Im looking again, will probably vet, although i do have checks i do myself before vet is involved
 
Thanks for everyone's responses. Going to see him this week so if he is sound and good to go I will probably go with my gut and not vet but If I feel It would put my mind at rest I will go for a vetting. Just scared taking the time to vet another person will snatch him as he is VERY good value for money ... Which I am also skeptical of.
 
I didn't have my mare vetted, to be fair she was probably a bit of a pitty buy, bless her! She was very underweight, worm belly, not very healthy looking at all! So I didn't see the point in having her vetted.
Unfortunately in January she was diagnosed with Ringbone, sidebones and DJD in the same leg which probably would have been picked up by a vetting :rolleyes:
I do love her all the same though :D
 
Tai.Ni.Po.Ni said:
Thanks for everyone's responses. Going to see him this week so if he is sound and good to go I will probably go with my gut and not vet but If I feel It would put my mind at rest I will go for a vetting. Just scared taking the time to vet another person will snatch him as he is VERY good value for money ... Which I am also skeptical of.
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Normally you would be commiting to buying the horse on the outcome of the vetting, so would be very unfair if they sold the horse from underneath you
 
If someone else comes along and will commit there and then without the vetting, Id say its likely the horse would be sold before the other person has the vetting done, if theres no deposit. I wouldnt be surprised to lose a potential purchase in that situation.
 
Capriole said:
If someone else comes along and will commit there and then without the vetting, Id say its likely the horse would be sold before the other person has the vetting done, if theres no deposit. I wouldnt be surprised to lose a potential purchase in that situation.[/QUOwould totally agree. I would like to think someone would give me the chance of a vetting but in the real world if someone made an offer I'm sure they wouldn't reject just incase I bought him lending the vetting.
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Didn't have either of mine vetted, I'd known them for years and both would have failed so no point in this case.

For an unknown horse, it would come down to value, if its under £1.5K I'd go with my gut, anything £1.5k - £5K would get 2 stage, if I'm ever in the fortunate position of buying something worth £5k plus it would be a 5 stage.
 
I always have them vetted, wether it be 2 stage or 5 stage but I figure a vet knows more than I do & can pointy out potential problems. I don't think they pass or fail now, they just advise you about issues & what those may lead to. Some people say that they only buy cheap horses so it's not worth paying for a vetting. I think it is worth it because it costs just as much to treat a cheap horse for an issue as an expensive horse.

There again some people won't bother treating a horse, they'll just pts. They won't retire a horse they'll just pts. Some obviously consider a horse is just a tool to do a job for them & when it falters just pts & buy another. This I'm afraid doesn't work for me & never will.
 
Bree's vetting was part of my assessment of whether to buy her for more than just health reasons. I was buying her for her temperament as much as anything else.

Having watched the vet prodding and poking her, sticking dental equipment in her mouth, taking blood and then her being cantered and lunged at speed around a field and chased up the yard with to get her to trot straight out if the flexion test and how quickly she calmed down after when put into a strange stable she backed into a metal wall that made a huge clatter it was pretty clear that this was a lovely, trusting mare who would put up with most things if spoken to kindly and that no one had ever mistreated her.

The Insurance also required it as she was over a certain price and £250 for a five stage with the opportunity to discuss her minor faults was well worth it.

Oh and she had overgrown molars that had cut her tongue that needed treating ASAP - it might have been a few weeks before I got the dentist out for a checkup without the vet check. If it had got any worse she may have become a problem to ride.

So yes I'd always pay for a 5 stage.
 
1st horse bought without vetting had her for less than 1 year & had to be put down due to ill health which had been present before I bought her (solicitor made previous owner hand over vet records) 2nd horse bought passed 5 stage with flying colours & never had a problem even though she's much older than the last horse. ****touches wood!**** a friend of mine had a well bred youngster fail a vetting & vet advised against purchasing incase of future problems.....I would always have a 5 stage vetting done. No, there are no guarantees obviously as they are animals after all but at least if some thing goes wrong u stand a chance of a financial comeback.
 
Ps. In my opinion it's also not just about the money. It doesn't matter how much the horse costs to buy your going to love it & be emotionally attached to it regardless of price & I would go through the avoidable heartbreak again.
 
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