FAO: New Ex racehorse owners

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ktxsuperstar41

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Thought I would write my recent experience on here to save others the heartache I have been through recently.
March: Bought an ex racehorse, needed retraining had a 5 stage vetting / blood test and miraculously this guy passed the vetting... 2 weeks later (after I have taught him to lunge) wouldn't go on the right rein turned violent... Something seriously wrong... Had 2 vets out, physio, chiropractor slightly stiff / mildly lame but good for want you want they said, (Endurance!?) nobody had any real answers. Decided to have a full body scan and X-Rays done - results were; previous fractured pelvis in racing shunt, been raced hard on it, severe sacral damage, suspensory ligament damage to name just a few. He shouldn't have left the racing yard... Everyone please, please do scans and x rays before purchasing a horse (especially ex racers!) it will save you alot of stress and emotional heartache down the line... 5 stage vetting is not enough, as it is merely 'eye / basic movement' structure is most vital...
 
I am sorry you have had such a bad experience, most ex racehorses will have some wear and tear or racing injuries some will be fine afterwards others will not just like any horse that has been worked fairly hard, possibly worse for the racehorses that have started so young.
It is why most are very cheap compared with the equivalent age horse that has not already had a career, it is why they are a gamble especially if not already retrained as they seem to cope with race training but the injuries start to show once they are asked to work in a different way.
If everyone that bought a horse had scans and xrays done first, it may save a lot of heartache but would make the purchase so expensive that it would be unrealistic for most people, the vetting would be in excess of the purchase price, a fail or two would mean never buying as the money would be long gone, totally unrealistic to spend £1000 plus on vetting a £500 ex racehorse or even on one costing £2000 not many sell for over that amount unless exceptionally correct and usually retrained.
 
It would be totally impractical to have scans and x-rays before purchasing a horse for the price that ex-racers sell for. I have an ex-racer, who similar to yours had a number of issues and when I had had her for 7 weeks ended up in hospital for 3months and then two months later had other operations on her leg. She has a number of leg issues and is also a headshaker. I worked with the lameness issues despite being advised she would be suitable for nothing more than a field companion. It's luck of the draw with ex-racers - in fact it's the same with any horse. I'm sorry for your predicament, but these things happen unfortunately. :(
 
That must have been a phenomenal X-ray machine to tell all of that. Most horses that are "raced hard" on a fractured pelvis are dead! It also doesn't take a "shunt" for a horse to fracture a pelvis...fractures resulting from that kind of impact are generally not clean and are messy breaks. For the litany of issues you found then the vet who did the 5 stage vetting should be held accountable as they must be utterly useless. Indications of all those issues should have been evident with correct flexions prior to ever needing X-rays etc.
 
Exactly as Amage says, you need to take it up with the original vet who should of picked up on all those issues at the time of vetting. Don't tar all ex racers/race yards with the same brush, as in any game you just need to view a horse with your eyes wide open.
 
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