Stop the selling or moving on of clearly dodgy horses

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As horse owners, we have a responsibility to them when we sell them:

1) to be open and honest of their medical history
2) to be upfront, no matter how it affects us, of their behaviours
3) being realistic of their capabilities

I for one would like to campaign that insurance companies and vets share information. Too many times horses/ponies are vetted and fail, for whatever reason. Someone else comes along afterwards and vets the animal, unbeknown to them the previous week the horse failed a vetting which the owner does not disclose to the prospective buyer. Whilst we all want to sell our horses, have we lost sight which you would fail to disclose?

Obviously I am not tarring everyone with the same brush. The Passport system is as useful as the information given. In my experience, my horse whom I just put to sleep had an empty passport, despite being examined by a top UK vet. He'd also been on Bute for the last few months, none of which was in his passport, neither were the last 4 owners!

DEFRA - if you are listening, help the genuine horse owners!
 
I completely agree. When I had a potential purchase vetted and he failed with ataxia, I knew from how unbothered the dealer was that they had no intention of telling anyone, they would just market him again to the next person and hope they didnt have him fully vetted (I found afterwards they had a bit of a reputation...)
 
I agree to a point, but what about the vet failings due to inconsistent vettings? If I was reading this I'd dismiss what I'm saying as madness but read on...

We had a lovely mare over from Ireland about 10 years ago. Passed the vet there with flying colours and a friend of a friend decided she was just what she wanted and asked to buy her after us having her for only 3 weeks. They had her revetted by a local vet who said she had broken wind and advanced sidebone. My vet who had never seen her came out that afternoon and said she was fine. Purchaser spoke to her own vet who suggested we send her to the vet school and get her scoped and xrayed, me to pay the cost if she failed and we'd go 50/50 if she passed. Needless to say they couldn't find a thing wrong with her and the people bought her and she was perfect for them.

The vet who failed her and who clearly was talking nonsense is still practicing in the area and I would not not let him vet a horse I was selling. However, to the point of the post, this sound horse would under your suggestion have a vetting failure around her neck which was entirely unwarranted. Oh, and I do get any horse I buy vetted and am not anti vets!
 
maybe not vettings for purchase then, but what about vet records going with the horse. that would be actual conditions, not made up stuff. only danger is peeps not seeking treatment from vet?
 
You also have to remember that horses are vetted, or should be, on the basis of what they will be used for. A horse may pass the vet if to be used as a hack but not if you intend to compete at Badminton. A lot of the failures these days stem from young and over cautious vets who do not take into account what the horse will be used for. and yes it is possible for horses to pass with one vet and fail with another. The over zealous flexion test is a primary cause.
 
It would be great to have a system that made the system more open and 'accountable'.

It would also be good to have a system whereby better standards could be applied before breeding from a mare with either heriditary health or severe conformation (or even personality) issues. If there was a system where for example vet signed something saying in their opinion the horse was suitable for breeding - it might limit the amount of 'doomed' horses on the market in the first place?
 
I also agree with inconsistent vettings. My horse whom has just been put down passed a 5 stage vetting with flying colours but had kissing spine and long-term chronic sacroiliac joint pain. Now I am not saying it was the vets fault??? but he had just been qualified????????

The whole selling and purchasing system is a mess! Maybe horses should be sold with a HIP (horse information pack!) like they do for houses. I know my own vet is keen for horses medical records to follow them from one owner to another.
 
ditto, i have a mare that is very unsuitable for small children as she is as boystrus as sin but was advertised as great with children, kids can groom her for hours (yes as long as they can dodge the constantly stomping feet!) & she is a nightmare for me to ride & im quite strong unlike a child (& she tanks off with me)

why sell something that that badly advertised that it could harm someone. she wasnt seen ridden due to her health state (very malnourished) but passed vetting on everything else.
 
Sorry but whilst i agree in principle - it will never happen - and how would it be policed -come on look at the bent politicans whom are held up for apparant public scrutinty and still get away with millions of pounds from us lot?

Also - some vets do not know the backend of a horse from the backend of a cow -and just think how much a vetting would be to cover every eventuallity.

OK what would happen if this did happen - no one would be insured - as most horses would have virtually everything excluded on them over a 12 year period ie - a horse with an allergic reaction has his skin excluded - an abcess causes the hoof to be excluded as the insurance co's would always say this is related etc....

What happens to the mis-diagnosis of horses? etc etc

I have had horses for gone 40 years.... in the old days we brought what we saw on the day- and got on with life - not looking to blame everyone and everything when we had an issue (usually caused by us riders thinking we are a lot better judge of horse flesh and an over egged riding ability).

The internet/mobile phones are the biggest cause of mis fortune - again in the old days dealers lived and died by their word of mouth reputation and the land line number that they could not so easily "change"
 
Ditchjumper2 said:
You also have to remember that horses are vetted, or should be, on the basis of what they will be used for. A horse may pass the vet if to be used as a hack but not if you intend to compete at Badminton. A lot of the failures these days stem from young and over cautious vets who do not take into account what the horse will be used for.
Click to expand...
See I think this is bullsh!t. A sound horse is a sound horse. Decent conformation with the likelyhood of the horse staying sound is exactly that. People have a right to expect a vet only to pass truly sound, reasonably well put together horses whether they are to be used for high level eventing or hacking at weekends. Type, temperament and athletic ability should, of course differ between top competition horses and happy hackers, but soundness and conformation should have exactly the same standards IMO.
 
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