Failed flexation on previous vetting - would you buy?

Zirach

Zirach

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I have enquired about a lovely horse that sounds perfect for what I want (happy hacker, low level Rc) but when I asked about any previous injuries/ailments I was told that he has recently failed a flexation test. Passed everything else.

The horse in question is rising ten. I would maybe have felt more comfortable if the horse was older and had a harder life.

He looks rather straight hocked but not so noticeable that would ring alarm bells.

The horse isn't a massive price but obviously it isn't the buying it's the keeping and it costs as much to keep a lame horse as a sound one!

What would you do?

I must point out that I haven't actually viewed the horse as yet as I have to travel a bit of a distance and I need to weigh it all up first.
 
I would buy providing horse was sound in all other areas, including lunging on a hard surface.

Flexion tests aren't a reliable indication that there is an issue, any vet can make a horse pass or fail if done incorrectly.
 
Ive know horses fail a flexion with one vet and pass with another. if you like the horse, get your vet to see what they think.
 
A lot of vets are lunging on a hard surface instead of doing flexion tests now because, as 3Beasties said, it's easy to get an unreliable result from doing a flexion test incorrectly.

If I were you, it wouldn't put me off, but I'd want the horse checked for soundness.
 
I would go and look, it may not be the horse for you anyway, it could have failed on the previous day but pass another day.
I have bought a horse that "failed" hind flexion tests, the vet recommended to pull out but I knew it had suffered a fairly recent injury, just soft tissue, to its hocks and he failed to take that into account, the horse was fine never had a days lameness and flew through a 5 stage when sold.
 
Yes I had heard about lunging on hard ground. It's been ages since I bought a horse and find it all a bit of a mind field. I just thought if was a bit young to fail a flexation but yes it did pass everything else. He hasn't had any recent injuries apparently and the owner seems very honest about previous medical history.
 
There are just as many likely to fail a vetting on hard ground in a 10m circle longeing as there are for flexions, its a very tough test on a horse, id almost guarentee if it failed a mild/mod flexion test, it'll fail a hard ground lunge.
 
I did!
My horse failed miserably on his left fore with one vet. I thought hard about it but decided to buy. He was tested again a few months later, out of interest really, whilst the senior, more experirenced vet visited... and he passed. Vet said, flexion tests are controversial and if the limb is held slightly wrong, it can give a negative result. He did say, when done correctly however, they can be useful and show up problems, so its a bit of a no win situation really as, how can you judge if the vet did it right etc etc.
Ive had my horse 10 years and touch wood frantically, he has never had a problem.
 
Keenjean said:
Ive know horses fail a flexion with one vet and pass with another. if you like the horse, get your vet to see what they think.
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^^^ this. I have known of one horse who failed flexion test and was then seen by friends of both of us who vetted it with knowledge of failed vetting and it passed. I sold a horse last year who failed flexion test on one front. 3 days later my vet passed it. I took it to new owners and their vet ( same one who failed) did the most strictest vetting I have ever witnessed and passed her. neither horses went lame and both event.
 
We bought a rising 10yrs 15.2hh coloured show cob mare last May who had just failed a hind limb flexion test. Her price had been reduced by £1700 and she seemed a good buy. Lovely mare, forward going, non spooky, well mannered and good in every way (just what I was looking for for my 11year old daughter). I put her straight onto a joint supplement and have to say she's been perfect since we bought her. So glad the failed flexion test didn't put us off. She's a one in a million!
 
I'm sorry but I wouldn't go and see it. I do my own flexion tests and I hold them hard and for a full minute, and I've never managed to lame a horse who did not have a problem. The horse is not too young for the development of spavins, one of mine got them at eight.

There are a lot of other horses around at the moment who will meet your needs. I would wait.
 
Have another vetting done.

Mine had a positive reaction to the flexion test when done buy one vet who insisted on doing it on a rubble lane. The sale fell through.

The same horse passed not long after with another vet who insisted on doing the flexion test on the concrete path as he said the rubble was unsuitable. He did have to do the lunge on a small circle on the rubble though but he allowed for the ground (although it didn't throw up a problem anyway). This was on a 14yr old xx
 
OP bear in mind that the only answers you are likely to get from people with experience of a failed flexion is from those where the horse's life was known and it had no subsequent problems. Not many people will post saying that the horse failed a flexion and they bought it anyway and it's been unsound. Even a repeat flexion doesn't mean the horse is OK. A friend of mine had one fail on a front flexion. She waited two weeks and had the test done again and it passed. So then she got xrays and the horse had pulled a tendon off the pedal bone in not one but both front feet and would need surgery to prevent it turning arthritic in the future.
 
I have bought flexion failures before always horses who where to hunt I did not pay a lot for them and was prepared to PTS if it all went pear shaped ,one was older when he came to us very fat and bolsy he did five hard seasons and yes the reason for the flexion failure caught up with him in the end but he had five great years but I managed him very very carefully the whole time.
OP this horse may have something transient and may be fine but IMO its too young look for another .
It's owner should investigate the issue and make a plan based on the reason for the flexion failure.
 
Personally I do not really like flexion tests, they are very controversial anyway and a lot of people do not want the vet to carry them out. I'd defo be lame if I had a flexion test LOL :D

If the horse is perfect for you and passes everything else then I would buy it.

The horses that have given me medical issues are the ones that passed x rays and 5 stage vettings.....the cheapy ones I bought, which had some failure ended up never having a lame day in their life!

You may find if you got him/her vetted again it may pass this time (just don't tell next vet as they like to cover themselves of course ;))
 
Just to give you an update. Decided not worth the risk, on recent videos he looks rather poor and doesn't have the best if confirmation so best to give a miss. Plus, did you all know if if a horse fails a flexation on vetting then your insurers will exclude anything in that area!
 
Zirach said:
Just to give you an update. Decided not worth the risk, on recent videos he looks rather poor and doesn't have the best if confirmation so best to give a miss. Plus, did you all know if if a horse fails a flexation on vetting then your insurers will exclude anything in that area!
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That's a good desision you will find another just keep looking.
Yes of course insurers exclude failed limbs that have failed flexions, horses fail flexions because of pain that pain is there for a reason .
I should have been clear in my post I never insure my horses .
Good luck with the hunt.
 
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