Failed vetting on flexion test. Would you/have you proceeded?

[Alphamare]

Aside from the fact that I think they serve no purpose? Let me hold your leg above your head and see if you run off sound! Besides as mentioned above gentle flexion can show problems so what's the point of doing this? It's rare for a horse to trot off sound. And if it lames a horse that means it hurts!

Anyway don't they expect soundness after x number of strides? Vet dependant though, OP sounds like your vet was very hasty to fail a horse that came sound within three strides

 

[natalia]

Difficult one, I personally prefer flexion tests when done twice on each leg for knee and fetlock and hock. I think these are much more acurate and tend to show up problems. I think flexions have their place and for initial diagnostics they are useful. If you still like the horse and are worried I would personally have the leg in question xrayed and scanned for piece of mind, you will be looking at a few hundred quid but if it saves you heartache its worth it. My own horse I didn't have vetted but got him cheap for what he is and I'm sure he has his problems but was prepared to go with the flow and see what shows up.

 

[AmyMay]

Aside from the fact that I think they serve no purpose? Let me hold your leg above your head and see if you run off sound!

But the leg is not held above the horses head

I agree that there is a lot of controversy over flexion tests, but to call them barbaric seems a little ott to me..

 

[Zimzim]

End of the day, a horse may pass a vetting and then several months down the line, develop something and not be able to work anyway - its just how it goes.

I know several people who had horses who failed vettings, but went on to do extremly well with them and had no further problems.

I've never had mine vetted, because I always wanted the youngster I have, knew and rode his dam, knew his owners and watched him grow up. So Im prepared to put up with what happens in life.

 

[Black_Horse_White]

The vet did pass my horse because he trotted up lame at the first flexion test, he then did a second one after he'd been ridden and he was sound. He also had him lunged on tight circles on hard and soft ground again sound. My previous horse was 2 stage vetted and passed, was PTS 11 months later with severe ringnone :-(

 

[Black_Horse_White]

"Ringbone"

 

[HashRouge]

My sister's gelding failed a flexion test 3 years ago, was vetted again several weeks later and passed. So it really depends on the day as to how certain horses react to the flexion test. Of course, we found out earlier this year that he has navicular so whether the failed flexion test was a very early warning I just don't know.

 

[sammiea]

A vetting is only as good or bad as the day it is done when it comes to a lot of problems.

 

[Bubbles]

As you say the horse showed a very positive reaction, I'd walk away. So often people buy a riding horse and end up with a field ornament, and whilst I agree in part about flexion tests, many many horses will trot up totally sound in the same test conditions.

 

[Alphamare]

Amymay my phone doesn't let me quote sorry.

I know the leg is not held above the horses head, I was likening it to how it would be for humans if we were flexion tested.

It's an out dated practice that serves little purpose and causes pain so yes I use the word barbaric. Maybe a little harsh but still appropriate.

 

[AmyMay]

Amymay my phone doesn't let me quote sorry.

I know the leg is not held above the horses head, I was likening it to how it would be for humans if we were flexion tested.

It's an out dated practice that serves little purpose and causes pain so yes I use the word barbaric. Maybe a little harsh but still appropriate.

Interesting viewpoint.

 

[Alphamare]

That is all it is at the end of the day. My opinion.

 

[minesadouble]

I would definitely want to chat further with the vet about it and certainly wouldn't reject a horse simply for failing a flexion test. The main reason I don't like it is that it is a very subjective test. How much 'flexion' and how tightly it is held can vary hugely between one vet and another.

A quote from my own vet "you can make anything lame with a flexion test" - in my view they are too subjective and outdated.

 

[Luci07]

Well I am in the minority as I do think they have a purpose. My horse I sold earlier this year sailed through his vetting, aged 11. One 10 year old I tried to buy some 3 weeks ago failed and it showed all kind of warning signs. Most people who are anti don't seem to want to do a lot with the horse competitively in which case its not a big deal but I wanted to buy a horse to event upto Novice. Very very sadly, in his case he showed lame on the flexions - we had expected some degree of flexibility as he had been well hunted and competed. Vet came back and flexed again at the end of the vetting and was still not happy. I then paid out for x rays and it transpired that this horse had an advanced bone spavin. The owner didn't know about it. My own vet looked at the x rays as well for me and, while she is normally fairly pragmatic/realistic her very very strong advice was to walk away and that this horse had a very limited career competing ahead of him. I also read the posts on this forum plus talking to a friend whose horse has the same condition...

So, I do not knock flexion tests. I was truly gutted to have to turn down this horse (who was lovely) and in petrol, vetting and x rays have spent over £600 to find he will not do the job I want. I already have one very healthy semi retired horse and definatly can not afford another one. Owner was lovely, had no idea and was also gutted. Horse effectively passed all other elements of the vetting so without the flexion test I would have purchased a horse who would probably have ended up being a hack within 18 months.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

would walk away without a shadow of doubt.
both our ex racers trot up 100% sound after being flexed hard, one is 7yo and schooling PSG dressage with never a lame day and the other has raced on concrete ground in Oz with never a lame day and completely clean legs-i do think they are an indication of general soundness as highlight any niggles/aches/potential problem areas.

the one horse we have who does not flex sound, is a very niggly horse, a few problems here and there that have kept him out of true work and ultimately meant he is now only going to hack as we cannot keep him right in hard work.

if you flexed me i would not walk away sound, but then i also cannot run for any distance/several days in a row, as go *lame* on my knee and ankle ligaments, so a very true indication of whether i could be a top athlete-i couldnt! no differrent for horses.

 

[Honey08]

For me it would depend on the price of the horse and what you wanted to do with it.

I watched the vetting for my friend's horse years ago. It was a 13yr old warmblood that had done well at lower levels of BSJA. He wanted to learn to jump on it, hack and occasionally hunt. The horse was up for £2000, which I thought was too cheap. On the flexion test the horse was distinctly lame. I was there going "Ah thats why it was cheap" and the vet (very experienced vet who also judges at county level) said "Don't write it off for that, it will be fine at local level and is a nice horse otherwise. He was right. The horse did all RC activities and hunted without any problems. It was sound for the five years that he had it, and I believe is still going strong now with it's next owner..

I don't agree that its a barbaric test if done properly. Lots of horses don't limp after them. It may be slightly uncomfortable for a horse that does have stiffness issues, but not majorly. I would never worry that much about a flexion test, in fact I much prefer a two stage vetting overall. Its just something to know about and to make your mind up on..

If an owner refused to let a vet perform a flexion test I would definately walk away!

 

[Cedars]

If an owner refused a flexion test I would walk away too!!

We had one fail the vetting on flexion, we were SO keen on her. Owners told us she fell out the lorry, we said we'd think about it. Looked back at the videos (and posted on here) and she was lame in that same leg three weeks before so we walked away. Owner got really funny, so we knew was the right decision.


Interestingly (she was an eventer) she did nothing else all season - and is now up for sale on BE again - will be really interested to see if she does sell or whether that lameness is more permanent.

 

[sharky]

The horse i had vetted before my current one failed flexion on his right side but was completely sound on the other leg.

It was a complete shock to the owner and like Luci07 i was out of pocket by quite a few hundred quid.
I walked away from the sale, although looking back, because the vet had found one or 2 other niggles (not enough to fail) and as it was my 1st horse i do think she didn't really want me to have the horse and so pushed the flexion test a bit far to get the failed result.

He was such a lovely boy, but i do think the vet was contributory to the 5 stage failure by being a tad overzelous with the flexion test.
(i know her motives were in my best interest though)

 

[ABC]

I had a mare who I bought for a rock bottom price because the stud where she was born didn't want a bad reputation for producing lame horses. When she was put up for sale she had a vetting from the first buyer and failed the flexion test. I got her for less than £500, and she was never lame with me.

I loaned her out after 6 months because at the time I had three and she was a dressage horse through and through, and we didn't "click". I sold her to her loanee earlier this year, and she's out competing medium dressage with potential go to up another level.

It depends on if you want to take the risk but I got a bargain and the horse turned out to be a little superstar

 

[Mlini]

Mine failed on trot up but I still bought him

 

[Kenzo]

A horse can fail one day and pass on another, it really depends how quickly they work out of it an if there is any other signs of a problem in that particular leg, flexion tests have their place, they wouldn't be part of vetting otherwise but they are not the be all and end all.

 

[Laafet]

My own horse passed two flexion tests, one fairly close to purchase and one a month ago, a week after passing the last test he was X-rayed and scanned, he has a bone spavin and PSD. Neither showed up on flexion.