Sooo wish I hadn't had her vetted - your expert advice needed (again)!

Pearlsasinger said:
Well, I have never had a horse vetted and have never had cause to regret that BUT if I had paid for a 5 stage vetting then I would take the vet's advice.
In this case I'd either insist on the scan or walk away. Certainly if the owner continues to refuse to allow a scan, it sounds as though she knows what will be found, so I would find another pony to buy.
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This. If the vendor doesn't want anyone else to know the horse has been scanned, then what else is she not telling you?

If I were the vendor I'd rather you did the scans, and I got a copy of all the documented outcomes of the vetting and scan. If you didn't want the horse I'd then readvertise the horse as a happy hacker and show would-be purchasers the paperwork.

Might be worth suggesting that to the vendor, since they could end up going through this process several times before being able to sell the horse?
 
you do not need to shave to scan, we scan up to x 10 horses a day and trust me they dont shave their rumps. Tell the vet to get on with the scan and stop trying to make problems. One of the horses here had a bump on the tendon and 10 months later there has been no change. You could buy it or any horse for that matter and it could break a leg 2 days later, who knows what the outcome will be for anything in life.
 
The thing that I find most suspicious is the attitude of the seller, like she has something to hide. It is in her best interests to find out more about the potential problem, especially if you are offering to pay for the scan.

My horse had a problem on vetting, a low grade heart murmur. The vet said that lots of horses had them, and it was probably OK, but that I could have an extra scan to make sure.

As he was quite expensive, I wanted the further scan, and the owner couldn't have been more supportive - she arranged transport to the vet hospital, came with us and also discounted the purchase price to make a contribution to the cost. Thankfully the scan was fine :)

The other thing was that the vet who did the scan wrote a report saying that it was just an innocent murmur which wouldn't affect him or get worse, and I was able to send this to the insurance company and so they didn't put any exclusions on the policy.
 
Evening everyone :)

Just to say thank you for all the additional comments. Interesting that you can get the scan done without shaving anything off as that seems to be what's causing the issue for her owner. Just to give the whole story, she's a 6 y.o. native, which is why I was initially thinking I'm perhaps freaking out unnecessarily. My last horse was a TB and I was kind of assuming that you'd have to do a lot more to permanently damage a native leg than a pansy TB leg but perhaps that's just wishful thinking :) Btw I had a 2-stage rather than a 5-stage vetting although don't know that that makes any difference to this particular issue.

Also I should say that the impression I have of her owner is that she's very genuine and nice - hope I didn't imply anything else! She says she's against the scan because of the hair issue and what she'll do if I decide not to buy her. Obviously I've already spent a fair bit of time and cash on her and I've said I would only back out if it's something that's going to stop her jumping or doing regular work but maybe she thinks I might just change my mind anyway... She seems to be saying that I'm over-reacting and if I don't buy her she'll find someone who will - although she put it much more nicely than that :)

Hmmm, but also accept what someone said about vets being overcautious - I guess they need to cover every little thing even if it then turns out to be nothing.

After all your very helpful ideas, I'm going to find out if they can scan her leg without shaving her. But if I don't get anywhere with the vet or the owner I guess I'll have to look elsewhere as I agree with most of you who think it's too much of a risk otherwise. I'll let you know what happens :)

Diddy x
 
if i were you, i would walk away. its impossible to know how the pony will turn out in future or whether the tendon injury will continue to go un-noticed or whether it will cause problems for you. im sure you will find another pony who you will fall in love with, who will pass its vetting with flying colours and who you will have a very good future with :)
 
The pony may appear sound but without blood being taken how do you know that it has not been buted up? The seller may seem nice but does not always mean they are being honest.

How long have they had the pony, why are they selling? Is there anyone such as a pony club instructor who could vouch that the pony has not had a soundness problem. What work is the pony doing at the moment?

It could never be a problem but if it it might the vet has a duty to point it out to you after all that is what you have paid them to do. If the vet does not know what exactly the problem is then they cannot predict if it will be a problem or not.

It the seller is worried that shaving the leg will put other buyers off if you do not buy that will only be the case if there is a problem, if not then even if you decide not to go ahead with the purchase then at least the seller will be able to say that the leg has been scanned and it is fine which would be beneficial, maybe you could say that if the leg is fine and you decide not to buy after the scan that you will give the vet report and x-rays to the seller to show to other potential buyers. If there is a problem and the seller is an honest person then they should be informing future buyers anyway so again the shaved leg will not be a problem if they are not trying to hide anything.
 
The owner does not sound that genuine and nice to me, and why you are regretting having the vetting when it found a potentially serious problem is beyond me.

Personally the owner of the ponies response to the potential problem would make me walk away right now, I would not bother getting the scan not worth the risk, what else is she hiding?

Yes you will loose the vetting fee, but that is the least of your worries if it prevents you from buying a pony with serious problems.
The owner knows more than they are letting on, or they would be more concerned!
 
Six year old hairy native with a bit of a lump with no symptoms, passed every thing else?
Unless this pony is loads of money if it ticks all the rest of the boxes I would have it. I can certainly understand why the owner doesn't want it scanned, if its not been a problem. If its a good pony someone like me would come along and not even bother having it vetted. I would be buying it for temprement and suitabilty.
I know its a buyers maket but if I was selling I just couldn't be bothered with the ag.
 
I wouldnt of thought they needed to shave the area to have the scan done...

have you considered phoning round other vets in your area that will do the scan without shaving the leg??
 
WALK AWAY WALK AWAY WALK AWAY!!!!

I hate to say this but there are so many natives out there with clean legs...why risk it?

Perhaps ask for a 3 month loan or somrthign? But do not hand over any cash whatever you do.

A useless lame horse is not nice and trust me it can and does happen to anyone~!!

:/

Good luck in your search though!
 
As someone who has spent 2 years getting a horse right after a leg operation, I would walk away if I were you! As others have said, there are lots of ponies out there who want good homes and will pass vets.
 
A thought on the shaving issue: maybe they can do it without shaving BUT they might not get such a clear image? Ask the vets for the reason - if this is it, I would walk away.

I just wouldn't chance anything with a tendon abnormality if I wanted to jump.
 
Just to give the whole story, she's a 6 y.o. native, which is why I was initially thinking I'm perhaps freaking out unnecessarily. My last horse was a TB and I was kind of assuming that you'd have to do a lot more to permanently damage a native leg than a pansy TB leg but perhaps that's just wishful thinking Btw I had a 2-stage rather than a 5-stage vetting although don't know that that makes any difference to this particular issue.

Also I should say that the impression I have of her owner is that she's very genuine and nice - hope I didn't imply anything else! She says she's against the scan because of the hair issue and what she'll do if I decide not to buy her. Obviously I've already spent a fair bit of time and cash on her and I've said I would only back out if it's something that's going to stop her jumping or doing regular work but maybe she thinks I might just change my mind anyway... She seems to be saying that I'm over-reacting and if I don't buy her she'll find someone who will - although she put it much more nicely than that
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I don't see why its so massively relevant that she's a native - yes they are hardier than tbs, but a leg injury is a leg injury. It might be nothing or it might be something but you absolutely cannot tell without the scan - and being the age she is, has she ever had any hard work to prove she can stand up to it?

As nice as the owner might appear, she's still being pretty disingenuous. As has been said, if the scan shows up a problem and you don't buy, then she ought to disclose that to future potential purchasers anyway - she is obviously hoping to hide the issue and trust that no other purchasers will get the horse vetted. That is not the sign of a nice, genuine seller!
 
If she had a thought for the pony, she'd want to know. If it's OK, you'll buy it. If it isn't, and she doesn't seem too worried that you might end up with a problem instead of her, then isn't she passing the buck? I can't think of an instance where any of mine (were I ever to sell, which is unlikely) would be passed on with any unanswered questions about them.

ETS (and just to throw a spanner in the works)

We bought a jumping pony with an enormous bony deviation to her hind leg - she's jumped 1.15's and XC and everything for four years and no, no vetting. She was sound for the few months we had her on sale/loan and a lump on her leg is the least of our concerns with her, the potty animal :p Her owner wanted shut but only for genuine reasons - she didn't get on with her and had no time. A bit of digging pulled up no hidden secrets either. I'm still in touch with the owner/seller and her loaner before we got her. Happy Days
 
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brighteyes said:
We bought a jumping pony with an enormous bony deviation to her hind leg - she's jumped 1.15's and XC and everything for four years and no, no vetting. She was sound for the few months we had her on sale/loan and a lump on her leg is the least of our concerns with her, the potty animal :p
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Theres bones and there's tendons & ligaments though, isn't there, although I'd love to see a pic of your mare's leg just out of intererst! I for one would probably happily buy a horse with splints, spavin, or a stable calcification, but tendon problems, or conformation likely to result in tendon problems later on in life? I'll pass.

OP, what will you do if the scan shows that it IS a tendon issue? Presumaby your vet can only make an educated guess at whether or not it is likely to be a problem in the future. Just yet another thing to think about, because you sound like your heart is likely to rule your head, (not necessarily a bad thing, buuuut....) if you are going to buy the horse anyway regardless of the scan results, is there any point in having the scan done anyway?
 
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