To vet or not to vet?

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Trekker

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Hi, Im about to buy a pony and am only going to use it for happy hacking.

I was going to get the vet out once I'd got him home for a full health check and vacinations anyway.

But some friends have suggested that i should get him 5 stage vetted before i part with any money.

The problem is that the horse isnt local, so my usual vet is unable to travel out there anyway..this is why I was going to have him checked when i get him home. I would find it hard to trust a vet i didnt know.

He is not worth very much..but to me I found my ideal match..

What would you all suggest??
 
I'd never have anything under 2500 vetted as I think it's a total waste but I wouldn't pay more than 1500 for a horse purely to hack (unless it was capable of a lot more but I wanted it anyway). But we always check back, legs, flexion etc when we go to try a horse, if u aren't comfortable checking it maybe an experienced friend would look with u.
 
If it's not worth that much and you only want it as a happy hacker then personally I probably wouldn't bother with vetting. But if you have any concerns at all then get it looked at before buying.
 
A horse that's too ill to hack or unable to hack due to a physical problem is going to cost you the same to keep regardless of what it cost you to buy. If you can afford to have a retired companion for life then don't vet. In all other circumstances get it vetted. To be honest I don't understand what the point of getting the vet out AFTER you have bought it will be. At that stage you are committed whatever condition the horse is in, so only get the vet out if you see an actual problem. Or, which is much more sensible in my mind, get the horse vetter before you buy. Your vet should be able to recommend a reputable equine vet in the purchase area, turn up for the vetting, observe what the vet does and ask any questions you have. The vet will look at the horse in light of the activity you want it for, so a horse that might fail a vetting for advanced dressage may well pass for hacking, so the activity makes no difference to my mind as it is already taken into account by the vet. I would never not vet a horse because I thought I wanted it for a simple activity (the only exception being a companion animal), loads of things can go wrong that prevent a horse from being able to hack.
 
Totally agree with BooBoos, always get it vetted as can save a lot of money and heartache further down line. Also you might want to sell it at some point and you don't want any nasty surprises. Ask your vet for recommendations for a vet to use, and make sure they have no connections with the seller. If it is a long way either agree to go to view with your trailer and if passes, get the vetting vet to do vaccinations and pick it up at the same time, or explain to the vet that you can't be there but are contactable by phone to discuss any issues at the time.

Also if you don't have a vetting check you can get insurance. I once sold a pony for a lot of money, people didn't get her vetted as they wanted to collect her the next day, got her home and found they needed a vetting for the insurance. She passed with flying colours, but if she hadn't there is no way I would have been in a position to have her back, and I suspect your seller will be the same.

Good luck and have fun with your new pony.
 
I agree with Booboos too. My pony was under £2.5K 7 years ago and I still had a 5 stage vetting and always would do in the future. In my case it was worth it - the vetting was stopped as he was showing very mild lameness on one leg, vet recommended that owner had his back checked which she did and vet came back 3 weeks later and he was totally sound again - owner found big rabbit hole in field so we assume he possibly got caught in it and pulled something. Before I had the horse vetted I had been up and ridden it twice across a couple of weeks for over an hour each time so I knew it was sound and that something must have happened in the field or stable. But as the vet said at the time of the initial vetting, for me as a buyer this could be something straightforward like a tweak or it could be arthritis in the hocks. I was lucky in that it turned out to be a minor problem which sorted itself quickly and I bought the horse. When you think of the cost of a vetting versus what you could have to pay out with a new horse that maybe won't be initially covered by your insurance policy if it goes crook very quickly after purchase I think it's worth it.
 
Booboos said:
A horse that's too ill to hack or unable to hack due to a physical problem is going to cost you the same to keep regardless of what it cost you to buy. If you can afford to have a retired companion for life then don't vet. In all other circumstances get it vetted. To be honest I don't understand what the point of getting the vet out AFTER you have bought it will be. At that stage you are committed whatever condition the horse is in, so only get the vet out if you see an actual problem. Or, which is much more sensible in my mind, get the horse vetter before you buy. Your vet should be able to recommend a reputable equine vet in the purchase area, turn up for the vetting, observe what the vet does and ask any questions you have. The vet will look at the horse in light of the activity you want it for, so a horse that might fail a vetting for advanced dressage may well pass for hacking, so the activity makes no difference to my mind as it is already taken into account by the vet. I would never not vet a horse because I thought I wanted it for a simple activity (the only exception being a companion animal), loads of things can go wrong that prevent a horse from being able to hack.
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This is very sound advice.
Personally, I've not had either of mine vetted due to one being on loan for a year before I bought her and the other was an unhandled 3yr old so vet wouldn't have got near her. I made the decision before buying that I'd prefer her to be a ridden BUT the reason I was looking for another was as a companion to my first - so I was happy taking the chance that I may end up with a field ornament! Happy to say, she will be backed in near future.

Can you afford financially and emotionally to keep a companion instead of a happy hacker? I always look at worst case scenario and then decide if it's worth the risk.
 
Trekker said:
The problem is that the horse isnt local, so my usual vet is unable to travel out there anyway..this is why I was going to have him checked when i get him home. I would find it hard to trust a vet i didnt know.
He is not worth very much..but to me I found my ideal match..

What would you all suggest??
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I understand what you mean about not trusting another vet, if you decide to get the horse vetted ask your own vet if they know anyone in that area, you might be surprised, my vets seem to know someone pretty much everywhere!

Of course there will most likely be someone on here too that could recommend a vet for vetting in that area.
 
I would always have a horse vetted, even if the purchase price wasn't much. Vets bills would cost just as much for a cheap horse as an expensive one, and I would rather know about any potential problems in advance of purchase, so I can decide whether it is a good idea to go ahead or not.

I have had 4 horses vetted, two cheap ones and one expensive one. One of the cheap ones failed outright, one picked up some things that the seller wasn't being truthful about, so I pulled out of the purchase. Even the expensive one had an issue picked up which wasn't there when he was vetted a year earlier - I was able to have further investigations done to check it was nothing serious though and still bought him. I also like to see how the horse behaves in the vetting.

When I needed to find a vet out of the area, I just asked around for a recommendation.
 
I would always reccomend to friends they have any horse vetted- even if its a free horse!

However I have never had my own vetted lol! My current riding horse was brought for a low price only because I felt sorry for him and he has a beautiful face! I still have him 11 years later and believe I am very lucky to have him- the kind of luck you get with 1 horse!

I brought my youngster at 6 months (chose him at 2 months) so apart from things like eyes and heart etc I dont think theres much to pick up on... she says!

So really I took a gamble with both my boys but I will keep them whatever. In the future I think I'd have a two stage vetting at least if I had another horse, but

A friend brought a horse who flew through its 5 stage vetting, she used him for prelim dressage and light easy hacking but after 9 months or so he was intermittently lame then it got to the stage where he was lame most days. After £100's and countless vet visits he has major probs in his front legs and is now lame every day and obviously retired.

The point to that was the fact the vetting didn't pick this up even though the vets say this condition the horse has would have built up over the years- also found out that the owner sold the horse as he kept going lame!!!

Just throwing another angle in but I'd reccomend a vetting!!
 
Perhaps get a 2 stage vet done?
Find out local vets and which one is cheap and has a good reputation. You would hate it if 3 months down the line the horse becomes un-rideable due to somethign which may have been picked up in a vetting.
 
I had my first horse vetted but not my second. The vet is coming up in the week though so she will have the once over. I took 4 people with me - at different times for their opinions though. The first horse was bought for happy hacking but found to be unsuitable and the second will be for happy hacking and local shows. I would always recommend at least a two stage vetting.
 
Always get a vetting done IMO. You may be happy the horse is sound but even the most experienced horse owners can't check heart, lungs, eyes or teeth. Imagine you get it home to find it has a heart murmer and you'll never be able to more than a walk - I bet you wish you'd spent that 200 quid then.

I once had a horse vetted to find out she was blind in one eye - not exactly ideal.
 
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I usually buy unbroken but I have them two stage vetted. I'm not sure how I feel about flexion tests so that would be my concern with the five stage. I think when incorrectly done they can induce lameness. So important to have a vet you trust though.
Unfortunately all a vetting can do is reduce the risk of something being wrong, not eliminate it. The last mare I had two staged passed, then developed moonblindness and glaucoma, which triggered founder and eventually organ failure, all over about 6 months. Nightmare. But I'm still glad I had her vetted, because at least I know that I wasn't taken for a mug and the seller was genuine. Don't regret having her for a second though :)
 
Trekker said:
Hi, Im about to buy a pony and am only going to use it for happy hacking.

I was going to get the vet out once I'd got him home for a full health check and vacinations anyway.

But some friends have suggested that i should get him 5 stage vetted before i part with any money.

The problem is that the horse isnt local, so my usual vet is unable to travel out there anyway..this is why I was going to have him checked when i get him home. I would find it hard to trust a vet i didnt know.

He is not worth very much..but to me I found my ideal match..

What would you all suggest??
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i would suggest you have eyes and heart checked and you can prob check yourself for lameness on a tight circle etc but if the vet is there checking heart and eyes then itys worth having a quick trot up and once eyes arent really obvious but if they have a problem its good to know about it and maybe stay away
 
Booboos said:
A horse that's too ill to hack or unable to hack due to a physical problem is going to cost you the same to keep regardless of what it cost you to buy. If you can afford to have a retired companion for life then don't vet. In all other circumstances get it vetted. To be honest I don't understand what the point of getting the vet out AFTER you have bought it will be. At that stage you are committed whatever condition the horse is in, so only get the vet out if you see an actual problem. Or, which is much more sensible in my mind, get the horse vetter before you buy. Your vet should be able to recommend a reputable equine vet in the purchase area, turn up for the vetting, observe what the vet does and ask any questions you have. The vet will look at the horse in light of the activity you want it for, so a horse that might fail a vetting for advanced dressage may well pass for hacking, so the activity makes no difference to my mind as it is already taken into account by the vet. I would never not vet a horse because I thought I wanted it for a simple activity (the only exception being a companion animal), loads of things can go wrong that prevent a horse from being able to hack.
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Absolutely this. At the very least get it 2 stage vetted and get the jabs done at the same time if the horse passes that way you save the call out fee. To find a vet just google but make sure you ask them if the seller is their client. If they are - look elsewhere!

Good luck.
 
Its a difficult one. Sometimes Ive had horses vetted and they have found certain little things that I've never seen any sign of afterwards, but the things they found have been exluded by my insurance companies!

I would think about having a two star vetting - getting the heart, lungs, eyes and legs checked - without flexion tests and bloods being taken.

I too do not see the point of having the vet check the pony over afterwards - nothing can be done at that point even if there is a problem. Lots of people seem to do this nowadays. Someone I knew did it. She bought a £2500 "bargain" and insisted she knew what she was doing, didn't get it vetted, started having problems, livery yard owner thought it had been drugged when they tried it, no comeback as the vet hadn't seen it until it was home, and no bloods had been taken, so the pony was later sold for £250 to a dealer, following a winter when the lady and her daughter had been knocked about by this pony..
 
Honey08 said:
I too do not see the point of having the vet check the pony over afterwards
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There is sometimes a point :D - I bought an anglo arab and didnt have him vetted because he was in such a state, I had no money for it and just wanted to rescue him - and when I my very loud vet out at home to check him all he did was rave over his quality, and how he was a 'diamond in the rough' :D :D All the liveries who had been mean about him heard, and later one offered to buy him off me. Thank you vet :D
 
Thank you for all your advice..Ive arranged for a 2 stage vetting to be done this Friday..if he passes the vet is going to vacinate him too. I managed to find a very well recommended vet that covers the dealers area.

Will let you know how it goes..fingers crossed he passes!
 
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