To vet new purchase or not

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IseeU

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Some advice please. Potential new purchase , 11 years old. Would you get it vetted. I know history and I’m conscious if vetted then it writes off anything they find or am I better off just insuring and dealing with as I go along ?
 
I would always do a vetting , even a 2 stage , to at least make sure there are no eye , heart , lung problems observed and the horse is sound.
Unless you can afford to keep him as a field ornament if he turns out to have serious issues like a heart murmur
 
This is what I’m debating in my mind , it’s difficult as then the insurance writes everything off that fails so then I’m thinking what’s the point of insurance
 
IseeU said:
This is what I’m debating in my mind , it’s difficult as then the insurance writes everything off that fails so then I’m thinking what’s the point of insurance
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What's the point buying a horse who might not be fit for purpose?

A vetting is just a snap shot on the day, but it's usually better than nothing.

Unless you can afford to lose the 3k (plus pay vet bills of they go beyond insurance limited &/or fund another horse od do a 2 stage just to check the basics. Its so easy for bi lateral lamenesses to be missed as one example
 
IseeU said:
Thanks ycbm , this is what I’m thinking as I doubt she will pass absolutely everything given age ?
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Vettings aren't a pass or fail.
It's the vet's opinion on if the horse's purchase represents an acceptable level of risk.
An 11 yo should absolutely not have anything the vet finds unacceptable (unless aimed at 5 star eventing or similar).
 
IseeU said:
This is what I’m debating in my mind , it’s difficult as then the insurance writes everything off that fails so then I’m thinking what’s the point of insurance
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If there's anything found like that surely you wouldn't buy the horse ? The vet would probably find the horse unsuitable then especially if lameness.
 
Sossigpoker said:
Vettings aren't a pass or fail.
It's the vet's opinion on if the horse's purchase represents an acceptable level of risk.
An 11 yo should absolutely not have anything the vet finds unacceptable (unless aimed at 5 star eventing or similar).
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They're a pass or fail as far as an insurance company is concerned. Flat feet? Future risk if not sorted, not currently unsound. Feet/legs uninsurable. Slight wind noise, might get worse might not. All lung conditions uninsurable. Teeth need a dentist visit. No dental issues covered. etc.
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I think it's different if you already know the horse, and also, as in my case, if you can prove that the horse has no vet history and was performing at a high level and there's a believable reason why it stopped.
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ycbm said:
They're a pass or fail as far as an insurance company is concerned. Flat feet? Future risk if not sorted, not currently unsound. Feet/legs uninsurable. Slight wind noise, might get worse might not. All lung conditions uninsurable. Teeth need a dentist visit. No dental issues covered. etc.
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My old horse had a mild "roar" and lungs weren't excluded. Also have has a horse with a visibly deformed foot and claimed over 5 grand on that leg.
If the vet recommends the horse for purchase- they may just put exclusions on any findings.
 
Sossigpoker said:
My old horse had a mild "roar" and lungs weren't excluded. Also have has a horse with a visibly deformed foot and claimed over 5 grand on that leg.
If the vet recommends the horse for purchase- they may just put exclusions on any findings.
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I'm not sure how long ago that was but because of spiralling claims since covid the exclusions are getting tighter and tighter.
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The exclusions were what concerned me as in last time I insured a horse so much was excluded that it wasn’t worth continuing , Ie hocks needed medicating so any arthritis changes written off everywhere , that’s my dilemma however your right there shouldn’t be anything there that is so awful I shouldn’t but her and would rather know as I don’t have an endless pot of money !
 
Also, why wouldn't you want to know that the horse is at least sound on the day of purchase?
Most lay people can't tell an unsound horse , that's what we ask for professional opinion for.
I was liveried on a very high end event yard. They were trotting horses up after competing on hard ground and were very pleased with them....they were all lame behind (I was riding in the arena so had a good view point)
I certainly wouldn't take anyone's opinion on soundness apart from my vet's.
He actually "failed" two horses for me for lameness and I couldn't see that they were lame 🤷‍♀️
 
Sossigpoker said:
Also, why wouldn't you want to know that the horse is at least sound on the day of purchase?
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You would. I'm pretty good at working that out for myself, but if you're not then a vetting is the only way to know.

Again I would say this is a very different situation if you already know the horse well as the OP does.
 
IseeU said:
The exclusions were what concerned me as in last time I insured a horse so much was excluded that it wasn’t worth continuing , Ie hocks needed medicating so any arthritis changes written off everywhere , that’s my dilemma however your right there shouldn’t be anything there that is so awful I shouldn’t but her and would rather know as I don’t have an endless pot of money !
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So you'd rather not spend a few hundred quid and know if you're buying a sounds horse ?
Insurance will pay for some treatment but what if the horse has a bad heart? Will you retire her to the field and buy another one ?

It sounds Iike you're going yo buy the horse regardless, personally i just would want to know the horse is sound with good lungs and heart and eyes , at the very least.
 
Would you insure anyway, and what would you insure for? If you know the horse and are looking to buy anyway do you need to insure given that insurance will be xx a month with an excess of xxx for treatment. A vetting to check heart, eyes and wind would let you know on the day but would you then be prepared to walk away if things weren’t ok. Good luck whatever you decide.
 
Clodagh said:
If you can afford to lose the purchase price, in a worst case scenario, then don’t worry.
I’ve never vetted any purchase, but I’ve always paid very little and I could pts if needed.
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I didn't vet the first 2 due to naivety, vetted the next two, then realised it was no guarantee they'd stay sound (neither did) and I haven't vetted one now since 1989. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've never had a vet bill or a PTS related to not vetting.

You do need to understand that you may need to really harden your heart if the horse is unsound and you aren't prepared to spend a lot of money on it.
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gallopingby said:
Would you insure anyway, and what would you insure for? If you know the horse and are looking to buy anyway do you need to insure given that insurance will be xx a month with an excess of xxx for treatment. A vetting to check heart, eyes and wind would let you know on the day but would you then be prepared to walk away if things weren’t ok. Good luck whatever you decide.
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I think that’s the issue, she ticks all my boxes so will be hard to walk away
 
You know the horse, presumably you can see (if you haven't already) its vetting history, you know the reason its being sold ... do you have any doubts/concerns about the horse??? If not what are your reasons for wanting a vetting??? If your only concern is will you be able to insure - maybe speak to a few insurance companies and see what they require.
 
Insurance aside, I use vetting to help manage my future risk. I need to know I have both the financial and emotional resources to manage potential problems.

One young horse we bought as a yearling we were advised could have certain problems down the track. It did but knowing these were on the cards we proactively managed this horse so the issues showed up much later than was originally predicted. Still with us at 23yrs, had career changes throughout life to improve longevity and comfort and it’s worked out well for all.
 
IseeU said:
My plan is hack and pony club , think cheap as going no where fast , def won’t make a Grand Prix horse ! more stop than go, wasn’t advertised either so lady offering what she paid for him 2 years ago
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He's obviously doing the job you need at the moment but I don't think you'd find much for 3k at the moment and even less so 2 years ago so it would be a massive red flag to me.

I always vet but I don't insure. I've had 11 and 12 year olds pass vets with no issues, it gives me peace of mind that the horse was at least sound and well in that snap shot of time.
 
I have tried all options from not vetting, two stage, and five stage (have never gone as far as x-rays). It has never been a guarantee of soundness and the horses I haven't vetted have been as good on average as the ones I have. However there were a couple I didn't buy due to them failing, and maybe they really would have been a heap of trouble. For a 3k horse I would not. If I were in the market for a 15k horse I might.
 
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