Failed vetting advice needed

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madeperfectly007

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Hi All

I've had my horse out on loan for the past 4 months. He's 4 1/2. They been coming on fantastically, getting weekly lesson and really progressing well. So well that they asked to buy him and had a vetting done on Friday but he failed! Lame on right side both legs while being lunged on hard ground. Loaner hasn't noticed any lameness. Any suggestion to what could be going on? Will get full report on Friday and be getting the vet to investigate more, just hoping for some idea as now I'm really worried.

Thanks xx
 
Lame on off side both legs, is a bit strange to be honest.
When you say lunged on hard ground, this is usually only ever done on a vets premises , where there is suspect lameness.
It has to be a specially prepared level circle for lunging, not grass.
One would not generally lunge on hard ground for a vetting, one would trot up on something like a level hard concrete road at worst.
Lunging would be on a normal arena surface.
Find a good [senior] equine vet, explain the situation, and send him out.
 
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I know lame on hard ground is a hard tissue problem so bone or joint problems. Was he lame after flexion as if its not been noticed, it could just be something subtle that's been aggravated by the workup.
 
Bonkers2 said:
Lame on off side both legs, is a bit strange to be honest.
When you say lunged on hard ground, this is usually only ever done on a vets premises , where there is suspect lameness.
It has to be a specially prepared level circle for lunging, not grass.
One would not generally lunge on hard ground for a vetting, one would trot up on something like a level hard concrete road at worst.
Lunging would be on a normal arena surface.
Find a good [senior] equine vet, explain the situation, and send him out.
Click to expand...
I have been present at many 5 stage vettings, and they always lunge in the arena or field, and then out on the roadway as a matter of course, after the trot up and flexion tests usually. But only at trot. When they do the fast canter for wind its always in the arena or field.
 
wish upon a star said:
Sorry Bonkers?
Click to expand...
I know lame on hard ground is a hard tissue problem so bone or joint problems. Was he lame after flexion as if its not been noticed, it could just be something subtle that's been aggravated by the workup.
?
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...led-vetting-advice-needed#1ZW1hd3O7Zul2edr.99

I have seen quite a few horses vetted, and not one has been lunged on a level surface hard ground, only ever seen this at something like the Willerby Equine Clinic where they have level hard surface designed for lunging.
For a normal RS type horse vetting, the vet accepts the facilities available at the premises, and these would not include a level hard [gravel] surface, but would include the surfaces a horse would be expected to work on. Most horses which are lame are lame on one leg, and it shows up on the lunge on a normal surface.
If lame, they are lame on one leg, rarely on two legs on the same side.
That is something different.
 
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The lungeing on a hard surface is not that unusual IMO. Two horses I have purchased have been vetted at the owners' premises, without me present, and were lunged on hard ground. If I had been there I would not have wanted it, but one (many years ago) was lunged on a concrete car park, the other (just last year, by a senior partner in an Equine Hospital) was on compressed gravel.

Co-indecently both were sound as a pound, and the vet had added it in as an extra test, as they could find no other fault!

For my previous job all horses were lunged on the hard as part of their pre-purchase vetting. This was at an Equine Hospital, where they had a special area set aside for the purpose. I must have seen 40 horses done this way, over 20 years. Sometimes it would throw up issues not seen on flexion.

As to what you should do OP, I guess you were happy with the loan situation? Would they be happy to continue? Or, would they purchase at a lesser price? If you wished you could have further investigations done, but TBH if the horse has always been sound I would personally not.

Now the issue has been raised it will be an insurance issue. You don't state shod or barefoot. If barefoot, could he be sore from the ground being baked hard?
 
I have always seen horses lunged in a tight circle at trot on concrete in a 5 stage. I hate it. I used to ride for a dealers yard and they hated it too, but there wasn't much you could say without looking like you thought the horse was lame.
 
Is he shod or barefoot? Without seeing him it's very difficult but both feet would make me think a foot balance problem.
 
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