Flexion Tests - if a horse fails.....

Serephin

Serephin

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I have just had a horse 5 stage vetted - he passed everything apart from the flexion test on his front legs - he is 9 years old and hasn't done much over the past year, just light hacking.

I know that flexion tests are quite contraversial - would it make you back out of a purchase? I really like this horse and really don't know what to do now. The vet said that he was surprised he failed the flexion at his age.
 
depends on what you want the horse to do and the price? if you really liked the horse and decided you were still interested it should give you some good bartering potential on the price!

Has it only been light hacking for past year for a "believable" reason?
 
I would be tempted to ask why they think it failed and what the vet thinks the horse will be capable of doing.

One girl I know sold her horse - it failed the flexion test with the 1st buyers but the vet said it would be fine as it was only minor, anyway they didn't buy it but about a week later it was flexioned for a 2nd buyer and it passed and its out now competing BD and BE.

My horse was recently flexioned on his fronts for a lameness exam and despite having possibly sprained his coffin joint (virtually sound on trot up, lame on concrete lunge) he passed the flexions
 
Hi,
Flexion tests can be slightly untrustworthy as a horse can go unlevel if :- the Vet has squeezed the tendon a little too hard or rotated it, held it for slightly longer than normal due to chatting to the Vendor! (i'm not talking out of turn as my OH is a Vet himself) I was under the impression that the RCVS were going to change the ruling that they couldn't fail on purely flexion alone unless significantly lame!! I will check with my OH on the new ruling!
 
When Murph was vetted he went slightly lame for a couple of strides after hind flexion. Vet left it a minute and repeated test and he was sound. He said that the first "blip" was certainly not a problem in his view and he was happy to pass him.
 
I had a horse 5 stage vetted and it failed on the flexion test too. I really liked the horse and was gutted. My vet said if it was just that alone, I could have a think about getting it done again in a few weeks. But it had a skin condition and something else as well and he advised me to start looking elsewhere for a horse. I did and I know have a wonderful wonderful little man
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So I guess it would depend what you wanted to use the horse for, how much they wanted for it and if the vet noticed anything else he was concerned about?
 
he said he would of expected a 9 year to flex sound - the horse had been standing in since 3pm yesterday, would this affect the results as well? He said he was sound on a circle, a little short striding. Said that he would be suitable for hacking and light work, and to avoid jumping on hard ground or excessive trotting on roads - I asked about hunting and he said that would be okay as it is mostly on soft ground. Basically he will do a job at a lower level.

has only been lightly hacked due to lack of decent hacking and novice owner as far as i can ascertain.

he is up for £3,750 and that was with haggling.....
 
Certainly if the horse has been standing in for a long time will hinder his suppleness to trot off freely, as a 9yr old he should be fairly problem free but if he has been hammered he will show ware and tare, unfortunately, you may struggle to insure him should the insurance company insist on a certificate as the Vet will have to write his findings down and you can guarantee the insurance company will exclude his legs and all soft tissue connected with it!! depending on your financial situ, £3,750 isn't a huge amount for a horse so he may be worth the risk if you can knock the vendor down a little then even better.
 
As I understood it there was not such thing as "Pass" or "Fail" just a recommendation about whther the horse is likely to be sound for the work required?

It sounds as though this vet thinks the horse is suitable for light hacking only - I'd buy if that is what I wanted to do.

Most insurance companies won't ask for a certificate for a horse under 5k - so don't tell them it was vetted!
 
the vet said that the horse was still showing signs of the flexion lameness after 8 or 9 strides - thats not good is it?

I am really disappointed - have been looking at neds for months now and was so sure I had found the right one. I am tempted to take the risk, but others are all in my ear saying walk away, its too much money and so on.

*screams*
 
I know you don't want to hear it, but no I wouldn't say it was good. I had a 5 stage yesterday and made a point of asking the vet about flexion tests as they can be seen as contriversial. She said she would expect the front legs to come sound after one or two strides if not straight away. Apparently there is more leeway with hindlegs, six or seven wouldn't necessarily fail. I went with the attitude that if he failed it wasn't meant to be and I would have walked away.
 
My vet allows 4-5 strides of unlevelness aftera flexion. Some horses won't flex completly sound esp as they get older. I wouldn't be too worried by a nine year old but would want him to come up sounder after exercise (in the final flexion tests). If a four year old on the other hand came back with possitive flexions I would walk away. Go with your gut instinct.
 
my insurance requested a 5 stage vetting certificate on the horse i just bought for £3900. i think there are others out there who wont though. if he has been vetted you cant withold the info from the insurance though - that is fraud. i would walk away at a youngish horse failing flexions. even my 22yr old can pass flexions now his suspensory has healed, but a failed flexion test was the main sign when he damaged his suspensory - he wasn't actually lame.

oh, and do check the horse over yourself - i've just learnt that one to my cost. the horse i bought a week ago has a sarcoid that was missed on the vetting!
 
My horse failed badly on left fore flexion test. We stopped the vetting and walked away, looked at loads more and went back and bought him, he was quite cheap though. He was rising 4 at the time, that was 5 yrs ago and touch wood he has not had a problem.
They are contraversial, my vet says it depends on the vet doing it as one may cause the horse to be lame and the other may not depending on how the joints are bent, held etc.
 
the vet did say that he decided to carry on the vetting, despite the flexion test failure - I am wondering why he did this - I don't want to walk away but it is a lot of money if he is going to be unrideable in a few years time - but he might be fine - its all based on what ifs as far as I can fathom - is very frustrating.
 
My horse will pass a flexion test, he has them every couple of months to keep an eye on his..................... wait for it..................... Seriously arthritic fetlock... .with joint mice thrown in for free!!!!!!!!
shocked.gif


So to be honest even if it passed it would not mean that it was never going to have a problem, it might not even mean it has not got a problem on the day of the vetting!!!
 
i have brought 2 that failed flexion.

the first was a 148cms jumping pony. i only paid £4500 for her so thought for the talent she was worth the risk.

she was!! i got her to JA in a year having brought her in newcomers and when i sold her i advertised her for a lot of money eventually settling in £18,500 for her.
she had the hardest vetting i have ever seen to this day - and passed!!

the next is my Robbie trouble!! he also failed hind flexion but again he was a bargain for what he is so i risked it again.
he now has all his DC for B novice and Discovery and i have already had offers for him.

i had my vet out for jabs and asked him to flexion him again and he said that in a vetting he would pass him.

i would definatly haggle the price for him - but i would go with your gut instinct.

if you accept the risk and really like the horse i would buy him.
 
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