Failed vetting

E

EmilyWright

Member
Joined
22 January 2010
Messages
26
Visit site
Had a horse vetted (5 stage) and it passed everything until he was lunged. He started looking unbalanced and then when taken onto concerete he looked quite lame. I had ridden him that day and he felt 100%. It was only after he was lunged in the menage that he went lame. The surface in the menage wasnt great - hard and then boggy.
Any thoughts / opinions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
 
if he was lame in the menage (which is where I am assuming you rode him?) and then was lame on the concrete, this is a failed vetting.

The boggy menage etc could lead to the horse looking unlevel, but would not "cause" lameness.......

Sucks but if you really want this horse, then maybe ask the owners to investigate and let you know what the outcome is etc........
or you could get a 2nd opinion vetting, but just be aware that the insurance might be a bit fuzzy if they find out you had 2 vettings for the horse./

Not sure if thats any help, but id just be warey until you find out the possible cause of the lameness and don't forget the vet is just doing their job, and trying to prevent you getting an unfit for purpose horse!
 
Walk away. My lovely boy who I've retired was often sound to ride but when lunged was unlevel. He went to Liphook for investigation and it turned out to be soft tissue damage in the foot. We retired him eighteen months later. If a horse is lame on the lunge I wouldn't risk the heartache.
 
Thanks everyone. Some people i've spoken to have said he may have knocked himself whilst on the lunge...what are your thoughts on that..........?
He did pass the flexion tests and was fine on the straight.
The owner has said she will get her vet out to investigate the lameness so i'll see what the outcome is.
I'm so gutted as I did really have my heart set on this horse, but I know I need to be sensible about it
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks everyone. Some people i've spoken to have said he may have knocked himself whilst on the lunge...what are your thoughts on that..........?
He did pass the flexion tests and was fine on the straight.
The owner has said she will get her vet out to investigate the lameness so i'll see what the outcome is.
I'm so gutted as I did really have my heart set on this horse, but I know I need to be sensible about it

[/ QUOTE ]


Had the same thing happen to a friend who had found her perfect horse.

After much soul searching ( as she already had 1 written off horse at livery!) She decided to have the horse vetted by a different equine practice a week later.

He passed with flying colours and is a super horse.
 
Thanks LeFox. It's nice to know there are some happy endings. Did your friends horse fail the first vetting then? Do you know what your friend did insurance wise?
I've had so many different opinions on this, I just don't know what to think anymore.
 
Did he look like he'd knocked himself? Did he limp straight after? Did he have boots on?

Depends what you want to do with this horse as to whether to pursue it.

The results suck, but this is what you're paying for so think of it as lucky maybe?
 
Hi Madhossy - he did start off fine on the lunge and then deteriorated. He did get excited at one point and could have easily knocked himself then. No he didn't have boots on.
I want to show the horse.
 
TBH I would walk away.

Yes, lots of horses have 'off' days where they don't look quite right but I wouldn't want to buy one when it was having one of those days and always have a questionmark over his head...
 
Long story as I do actually now care for the filly in question, but I had her vetted with a view to purchase and vet failed her as soon as I went to trot her up as she had mild carpal valgus both forelegs and has a slight wing with her feet.

My own vet subsequently checked her over when he gave her her tet jab and said she moved fine, very minimal deviation and dished less than 90% of her breed, he said he would have passed her as she was absolutely sound.

The same vet that failed her subsequently vetted another horse on the yard and seeing she was barefoot asked her to be lunged on the hard stony car park - then failed her as soon as she took a tender step...after 10 minutes!!!

Another vet passed her with flying colours a week later......
 
The horse did look unsound (only on circle - not straight), but i guess im wondering if it could be something silly like a knock or that he has only been in for a week (he had winter off in field) so maybe the work or having shoes put back on could have had an effect.........?
 
Why did he have the winter off? I would be very suspicious of any horse who had been recently out of work. As Marchtime says her horse is often sound to ride and trot up but is lame on a circle on soft ground - however on a good day he may well pass a vetting as he flexion tests sound and is only unlevel not obviously lame. I would never buy a horse who had been off work and who was lame on a circle.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks LeFox. It's nice to know there are some happy endings. Did your friends horse fail the first vetting then? Do you know what your friend did insurance wise?
I've had so many different opinions on this, I just don't know what to think anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes, friends horse " fell" so to speak at the last hurdle in the first vetting.

The vet wanted to see him on a small circle on hard ground.
He was ok on one rein but def not quite right on the other.

We were all gutted as he was a lovely horse. Vet said he couldn't advise buying him as he was unlevel at the end although he had been fine with all flexion tests and everything else.

We all talked about it over a drink later and thought the most likely explanation was that he is a young, unbalanced horse who had maybe knocked himself.

She booked another vetting with a different vet practice for a week later and he came through with flying colours. So everyone was happy. Friend had her dream horse, Ins company had clean vetting cert and all has been fine since.
 
Could be a million and one reasons, but like someone else said I walk away, I'd rather them fail a vetting on something else than that.
 
pilfer failed his vetting on the tight circle on concrete- he was fine to the right but 3/10 lame to the left.

i bought him anyway and he has since done 5 seasons of BE eventing with wins and placings.

pilfer was insured with NFU for £5k including LOU and only last year did i drop the value and take the LOU off.
 
I agree with MISST..... don't touch with a barge pole.
We had a 5yr old imported from Holland. Fine for 10 weeks, then started to get low grade lameness on a circle.
MRI Scan revealed historical soft tissue damage in the foot that was degenerative. His Xrays were clear, and he passed a full 5 stage vetting at time of purchase in the UK.
We suspect he was injected whilst in Holland.
And even whilst being diagnosed, his Xrays were still clear.
He was turned away for 3 months with his shoes off and looked totally sound.
I would also be very suspicious of a horse who has a competition gap / time off unless I knew the horse well - based on our experience above.
 
ok contraversial but this time last year the horse I had on loan failed his vetting.. very very badly, but i brought him anyway. yes there are insurance problems but all of the things he failed on is now fine apart from the odd stiff day in the winter when cold.

See if you can have it investigated. I fully believe that no horse is 100% sound and so its worth looking at. It might be like you say and he just knocked himself.
 
Hi,

I think you should get a 2nd opinion from another vet. If the horse is everything you want then its worth another vetting to be sure he wont pass.

You could negotiate price wise depending on how lame he is and why.... you could also get the owners to Xray him if the vet thinks it would be worthwhile.

Be careful you dont get in too deep emotionally when it could end in tears.

X

X
 
I am going to get the horse investigated as I do think he is worth the effort, but if it is something very serious I will have to walk away. Never simple is it!
 
Horse has now come sound!!! Vet saw the horse and checked him out, trotted on circle, concrete and soft ground and is completely sound. He did have front shoes removed. Any thoughts......?
 
if you like him i would go for it.

did the vet say why he thought he was lame before?
make sure you get bloods done in the vetting though.

and i would probably get my farrier to have a look at the feet too (Pilfer was lame on the circle due to poor foot balance).
 
if the front shoes came off and he was lame on the circle ON A FORELIMB! then the shoes could have been either - left too long so were causing balance problems, sore area, tension areas etc in the hoof, or could have been poorly applied and have caused problems.

If he was sore on a hind leg and the front shoes were taken off and he is now sound then I wouldnt say it has anything to do with it!
However, every vetting should contain a blood test. This is especially important in your case now as if he is now sound then there is a small risk (not saying these people would but its always a risk) that they have given him bute or some sort of pain killer to mask the underlying problem!! The blood test will pick this up!!!!

Also I would maybe consider asking (if its not already offered) a 2 week return policy or something, incase any drugs that were given and not picked up wear off and he goes lame as soon as you get him home! (do you get me?! Not meaning to sound too sceptical but it would be heart breaking to bring him home and him go so lame you cant ride him or do what you want with him, and not be able to give him back and say right, don't screw me around coz its not ok!)

Id ask your vets opinion on it and see what they think!
 
I think it is worth having another look but did you say he had only had shoes on for 1 week before the vetting? If that is the case I would wait until after the next shoeing incase it is simply bruised soles from not having shoes on. Also it is really the owners resposibility to ensure as far as they can that the horse is sound before you go back. I would ask them to get there vet out and confirm that the horse would now pass the stage of the vetting he failed on (at their own cost) and then you can get another opinion.
 
Hi everyone - thanks for your comments, much appreciated. The vet that saw him was her vet, who I also spoke to on the phone later that day. I would def get my vet back out to 5 stage vet him and take blood samples, etc. He had his shoes back on this weekend so will give it a couple of days then see how he is. I will also ask for a months trial to see how he goes. Does that sound a sensible way to go forward?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top