Horrible viewing...

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skyhigh

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So having got all excited to go and pick up what I thought would be my new horsey we started our journey down to staffordshire to pick him up. I jad spoke to woman a few times and all seemed well. What a mistake that was...

After 6 HOURS travelling down we finally got there. Seeing him in his stable I was pleased that he done the pics I had seen of him justice and so we got him out to see him going. Loose schooled him, jumped him and lunged. All was going well. I did notice however his right quarters were sloping a bit and he was slighty dragging his leg, it wasn't really noticeable tho. So after I asked if we could do a flexion test on him.....well! All he'll broke loose! It was like I had just sake to steal his kidney or something.

I got told by the daughter who was holding the horse to ******* off back home, that I wasn't p***** about with this ********* horse and wasting her time and proceeded to drag the horse into it's stable. I was so shocked as was the mother. She made the other daughter to bring the horse back horse back out but we were so disgusted we left without a thought and head back on the 6 hour drive back home.

This has been my first viewing as normally the horses I buy find me. I have to say it has really put me off looking for another. I got my hopes up so much with this guy and it went so horribly wrong, was it really that unreasonable to do a flexion test for potentially buying a horse? I suspect he was lame and they were trying to cover it :/
 
I would never allow anyone but a vet flex test my horse.
You were viewing a lame horse there reaction shows that but I have to say I would never go to a viewing to see a horse for the first time with a trailer what about vetting ? Or paying for the horse.
 
That was exactly what I thought reading that! Wow, I would have done the exact same thing if someone I was potentially buying a horse from spoke to me like that. Unbelievable. There is no need to be so rude, and if that is their attitude, good luck selling the horse! :eek:
 
How awful - I must agree with Goldenstar...I wouldn't want anyone except a vet doing a flexion test. You are braver than me...I wouldn't buy a horse on first viewing either.

Nothing warrants that behaviour though! just a simple...''sorry we would prefer a vet to do anything like'' that would suffice!
 
What a weirdo! That's the thing about viewing really far away, I am trying to only view horses within an hour's drive so I can view it twice at least and then arrange for pickup, that would be a right nightmare if it was 6 hours away and what about all the others I would go to see and not want to buy, it would take FOREVER and so much petrol too!
 
I have actually had someone want to do a flexion test on an exmoor that I was selling when I dropped it off for her and she wouldnt take no for an answer so I gave her the money back and took the pony straight home! Dangerous to do a flexion test if you're not properly trained wouldn't have anyone but a vet do one on any of my horses
 
Would of possibly asked to see it trotted up on hard ground and on a smallish circle rather than to do a flexion, and dip or dragging would surely be shown up in this?
 
Unless you are a vet I too would have told you no way. I would have been more polite about it, but no.
 
Another one who would have told you to get a vet to do the flexion or sling your hook I'm afraid.
 
I agree that as an owner I would want a vet to do a flexion test, but the outburst from the daughter was totally uncalled for. A polite "Yes, but it must be done by a vet" would have been better.

As someone else said, I wonder what their reaction would be to having it vetted?

No excuse for rudeness.
 
I would tend to agree about the vet if it were one or mine however it was more the response I was annoyed about not the actual refusing to do a flexion test. I just would never speak to someone like that no matter what the circumstances.
 
In your opinion.

The fact they didnt want you doing a flexion test on their horse doesnt mean they are hiding anything.
 
Given that they're sometimes questionable with even a vet doing them then i wouldn't have let someone do it either. But.....no need to have been rude about it - a simple no would have done!

Buying is a nightmare as we found out when viewing, we had a lot of wasted trips from sellers who apparently lose the ability to tell the truth when writing an ad! Hope you're next viewing goes better.
 
I think there was a high chance there was something wrong, it was a cheap horse for it's breeding and when we arrived there was a big barn with lots of horses and good facilities so I questioned why they didn't just break it in themselves and sell ot for more... I'm not a cynic but I know there wasn't something right.
 
As it is now well documented that flexion tests, even when performed by qualified vets, can actually cause lameness in a horse, I would also have refused to allow you to try a bit of amateur 'vetting' on my horse.

However, I would have agreed to let you run it up, turn it on small circles etc. etc. and encouraged you to have a full vetting done. In fact I have always insisted on that as then there is no quibbling at a later date about the horse's condition and health when it left me to go to it's new home.

But I have to say they sound extremely rude and were probably very concerned that their horse wasn't entirely sound and you probably had a lucky escape.:(
 
astonsmummy said:
Would of possibly asked to see it trotted up on hard ground and on a smallish circle rather than to do a flexion, and dip or dragging would surely be shown up in this?
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I have Worked in Dubai for 2 years at an equestrian club and dealt a lot in buying polo and ex racers and we always dome a flexion test so maybe I am just use to doing that. It is also a first go to for vets over there. But as I said I am not posting this because I didn't get to do a flexion test. It was just the attitude of the people selling and was just wondering if this was common when searching for a horse.
 
Merry Crisis said:
I would have sent you on your way home too I am affraid. I hate bloody flexion tests with a loathing. If you thought the horse was lame, walk away or drive 6 hours home. Sorry.
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As I've said before i was not annoyed the slightest at them not wanting a flexion test, it's their horse their rules. However I was annoyed at being told to ******* off home etc etc. It was really a disgusting way to talk to someone, even a dog and the family were clearly embarrassed at the girl.
 
I would have offered to do the test for you myself. It does sound from the behaviour of the horse and the owner combined that the horse was dodgy.
 
The attitude of the daughter was clearly unacceptable, however I would never allow anyone but a vet to do a flexion test on my horses - and to be honest I don't even like them when done by vets.
 
skyhigh said:
As I've said before i was not annoyed the slightest at them not wanting a flexion test, it's their horse their rules. However I was annoyed at being told to ******* off home etc etc. It was really a disgusting way to talk to someone, even a dog and the family were clearly embarrassed at the girl.
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I have to say I was gobsmacked you asked to do a flexion test yourself while you wont get that level of response usually as most people are polite but you won't endear yourself to buyers in the uk . Flexion tests are part of the vetting process but in more than forty years I have never come a across a buyer asking to do one themselves I would have ended the viewing and shown you to your car.
 
I have been asked only once in selling quite a few horses. I refused and the potential buyer was really put out and expected me to trust her that her vet said she could do them. I said the horse was open to vet but she couldn't do them herself. I think that's probably a normal reaction, from the posts on here.
 
Nah said:
Can I just butt in and ask what a flexion test is?

Sorry to hear about the rude daughter and bad viewing experience :(
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It's where you hold up a leg with the joints you want to test under as much of a bend as you can put on, keep it like that for between 30 seconds and a minute, let it go and trot the horse off immediately.

They are very subjective. The result can depend on how firmly you held the bend, how long for, how old the horse is, how much work it has done in its life, etc.

Some stiff or lame strides are acceptable, depending on the horse and what it is wanted for. One vet's "fail" could easily be another vet's "pass". Many horses that fail a flexion test will never go on to become lame.

But they are also quite a good predictor of a horse who is likely to have trouble in the future even though it does not now, which is why they are pretty routine in a 5 stage vetting. For example, a friend of mine had a horse vetted who failed a front flexion. She liked him a lot and he was a terribly expensive dressage horse, so he was xrayed to see why he failed. Although he was perfectly sound, a tendon had pulled away from the point of a bone in his foot. It was very likely that without an operation to clear away the bone chip, the horse would not remain sound, so she turned him down.

They are also used for diagnosis of lameness, because they will often make it much more obvious which leg/s have a problem.
 
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Nah said:
Can I just butt in and ask what a flexion test is?
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A flexion test is where you hold a joint (stifle, hock, fetlock, in a hyperflexed position for an extended time (2 minutes I think) then get the horse to trot off immediately the flex is released. It is supposed to be an indicator if there is lameness anywhere in that particular joint.

But you have to be careful of which joint you're flexing, and how much pressure are putting on the joint, as you can actually damage the ligaments and tendons.
 
I would never allow anyone to perform a flexion test on my horse apart from a vet.

Nobody, I don't care how experienced they are/think they are should be doing a flexion test other than a qualified vet.

Sorry to hear about your bad viewing though OP - better luck next time.
 
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