Chances of 11yo passing X-rays?

[EquestrianFairy]

I have a healthy budget for a new horse thanks to my amazing boyfriend but it has to pass a 5 stage with X-rays.

Obviously you would expect a 7yo to have more chance of this but the horses I like are 11/12 (all competition/alrounders).

I do have viewings on 7yo’s booked but they lack the extra experience the 11yo’s offer but then I know they are more likely to pass the X-rays.

I don’t want to waste too much money on vettings and im wondering if there is perhaps an age limit I should set to save both money and upset?

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[ihatework]

‘Passing’ xrays is subjective as I’m sure you know. It’s not a clean v not clean. I’ve seen a set of xrays interpreted by 4 different vets and all gave a different interpretation.

My advice is only to X-ray if there is a question mark on the 5-stage or if you need them for insurance.

A couple of years ago we xrayed 5 horses before we got an insurable horse ....

 

[Littlebear]

Well a few years ago one of mine went a little wonky and i pretty much xrayed the whole body, feet, joints, entire spine the lot and found absolutely nothing on them - she was maybe 11 or 12 at that time, i actually couldn't believe everything was clear i expected something somewhere even if it wasn't the cause of the issue! so there is every chance they could still be clear.

My sisters horse on the other hand was only 4 and was found with hock arthritis so i am not sure the age thing would affect my decision to xray or not.

 

[EquestrianFairy]

I had a horse fly a vetting only to be retired 6 months later riddled with arthritis and kissing spine.

It’s why I want to at least make sure that doesn’t happen again.

I understand I can’t account for every issue but I’m trying to not be in the same position if I can help it.

That particular horse was 12.. buying horses used to be fun years ago

 

[ihatework]

I had a horse fly a vetting only to be retired 6 months later riddled with arthritis and kissing spine.

It’s why I want to at least make sure that doesn’t happen again.

I understand I can’t account for every issue but I’m trying to not be in the same position if I can help it.

That particular horse was 12.. buying horses used to be fun years ago

And that’s understandable.
But just be aware that a full set of xrays, to what sounds like US specs, is going to cost you at least £500.
The likelihood is they won’t be squeaky clean. How you interpret the clinical significance of them is really difficult in some circumstances, but if there are X-ray changes noted then that part of the horse will be excluded on insurance. The horse might be fine. It might not. But if it’s got to over 10, in regular work and with a consistent record then it must be doing something right ....

Do you mind me asking how much you are spending? If over 10k you often need xrays, but if under it might be worth filtering funds into a LOU policy if you are nervous at spending money on a horse

 

[Goldenstar]

Buying horses was never fun , it was just that there where not masses of expensive things you could spend thousands on when a horse went wrong so you knew when started what you where going to lose .
I always tell the vet X-ray what you want to but we need to discuss it first .
So a minor reaction to flexion X-ray the hock see what’s what it might be a good choice .
Last time I was buying a seller would not allow us to do the lunge on the hard so my vet said fine I will X-ray the hocks instead good call the horse was five the xrays where awful .
There’s no guarantees in all this it’s just a question of a good briefing to the vet before hand and praying for luck .

 

[Annagain]

As GS and IHW say I'd let the vet guide you. X-rays won't necessarily show a problem. When M was intermittently lame a few years ago he would have flown vettings on his good days even at 20 years old. Flexions were great and never made things worse even on his worst days. After the debacle of the nerve blocks when we nearly lost him to a severe reaction we started x-raying to try to find the problem. His x-rays (front legs from foot to knee) were perfect - and not just for a 20yr old horse, but absolutely perfect. Vet him on the right day, even with x-rays, he'd have 'passed' but he still had a significant issue. After the knee x-rays, rather than chasing the problem round his whole body, we went for a bone scan (should have done this first with hindsight) and found the problem in his elbow. No vetting x-rays would have picked this up because it's such a rare problem, no vet would want to x-ray it on the off chance.

 

[eggs]

Years ago I bought an 8 year old who was working at advanced dressage at home competing elementary/medium. Due to his value I had to get x-rays for insurance - did feet and hocks. Some changes were picked up on x-ray but with nothing to compare them to it was hard to know what was 'normal' for that horse. My vet's opinion was that for a horse to be doing the work he was doing and to be sound it was definitely worth taking a punt on him but to get a bit knocked off the price due to the x-rays - she also said that she would expect to see some changes on a horse with his work history but that his were far less than she would have expected. He never had a day's lameness and pts 8 years later following an operation to remove a cancerous tumour.

 

[oldie48]

Just to add to the comments already made, I think lots of 12 year olds would have clean x rays and some much younger horses would not. If you really like a 12 yr old because it has the experience etc that you want I'd be guided by your vet. TBH I think it's more about conformation, how they have been worked and just plain luck. Good luck with your search and I've never found horse buying to be fun either!

 

[sportsmansB]

It depends a little what you are willing to do with what you find.
For example an xray could be otherwise perfect but pick up a small bone chip which has not done the horse any harm (and at 11 with a consistent competition record you can judge that) but would 'fail' it. It could be easily ignored or removed.

The best way to judge xrays is with ones of the same horse from a few years before, if the seller has them. Then something which could appear to be potentially degenerative can be shown to not be if it hasn't changed. In competition horses you might find this is possible, its definitely worth asking.

 

[Leandy]

I'd be more guided by a consistent competition record to show soundness in an 11/12 year old than X-rays. If you do X-ray you need to be prepared that they show a bit of wear and tear, and so long as it is currently sound, has a good verifiable record of soundness and the wear and tear is commensurate with age that should be fine. So it depends what you mean by "pass". A horse with no wear and tear and no record may not be a good bet at all.... It indicates it hasn't worked consistently which I would find suspicious in an otherwise apparently nice horse of that age. Out of interest why does it "have" to pass x-rays?