Vetting a horse before sale

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poiuytrewq

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Just reading though new and old threads and find it interesting the difference on opinions on having horses vetted pre purchase.
I can see everyone agree's pretty much that a novice buyer or someone buying a more expensive horse is advised/expected to get a vetting.
However I also see/know of and have even done so myself people taking on horses without vetting when they are cheaper, more experienced or maybe know the owners etc.
Personally I have 3 horses only one was vetted (3 stage )and he's the one I have problems with! the other two I knew of an issue each before I got them and those issues have been our only problems.
I think if I was to buy another I would get it vetted just because in my opinion it costs the same to have a problematic horse treated by vets however cheap or expensive the purchase price (unless you have the mindset of just pts it was only however many hundred nothing to loose?)
I did also however get a substantial price reduction due to a few things the vetting brought to light, in fact more than the vetting cost me!.
Would you/did you vet and if not why not?
 
No, littlun was cheap and unhandled and I knew the history of her, other was freebie (sister) and now with person who sold her to me so all are homebred.

I'd vet if buying unknown and pricier as gives a leg to stand on if horse is not suitable. For return or insurance (as lots require this for pricey horses).

I'd buy taking into account that there may be problems and building into the risk. If ridden I'd get second opinion from someone I trusted and probably vet. Vetting wouldn't be cut and dry though, a horse may fail a vetting and I'd still buy...

For a novice, I've found vets will often comment if they think it's suitable for what they're buying for, not just if it's healthy.
 
Out of the 6 I've owned at one time or another I only vetted one, that's my current youngster, this was for two reasons, one that the breeder was pretty dodgy and the second because I wanted her to do mid to higher level dressage, and possibly eventing with another rider later on in life. She was only a yearling at the time though so was only a 2 stage. The others, well the first was a very elderly 16.2 IDxTB at a riding school a friend went to for lessons. He cost me £400 and gave me two amazing years, the next was my current cob, also a yearling and bought from a friend of a friend who was getting divorced so had to sell her 6 horses. The next was my daughter's first pony and we had her on lwvtb for 5 months, next pony was bought from a reputable pony club home so I didn't bother.

If I were buying now I'm not sure which way I'd go. I suppose it would depend on what I were buying and who from. I'm not a hugely confident rider by any stretch but I'm totally confident in my ability to spot lameness issues, and I'm incredibly cynical to boot!

Ultimately though it costs the same to keep a broken horse as it does a healthy and sound one so it is sensible to vet. That said I've been very lucky with all of mine. Yes my cob had issues last year, but my vet confirmed the majority of his problems were caused by very dodgy shoeing whilst out on loan so not something a vetting would pick up on. To my mind a first time horse buyer should vet six ways to Sunday with a trusted vet recommended by a trusted friend, take at least two very experienced people with them (instructor and potential yard owner maybe?) and be sure to visit at least twice, once turning up very early. I did say I was cynical didn't I? ;) Sad that it seems necessary to do this but it's too huge a commitment to not go in with your eyes wide open.
 
Out of my three i have only had one vetted , first horse Dudley i had known for about 10 years so had a good idea of his history and 2nd pony was 18yo school master for my son and also came with full history (she's now 23 and fit as a fiddle) but last pony Meg had a 2 stage vetting 4 months ago so not had her long , i had her vetted beause she seemed to cheep £1500 with tack and rugs , she passed with no problem and has been fantastic :D
 
Im having mine 5 stage vetted tomorrow. It isnt cheap but neither is buying a horse with problems (appreciating a 5 stage vetting doesnt guarantee you a healthy and problem free horse). My insuarnce also wont cover unless she has a 5 stage vetting so made the decision fairly easy for me.
 
It depends on the horse and your own level of experience, whether to vet or not to vet, at least in my experience. I would almost always do a 2 stage vetting to check basic heart, lung, and eye function, as those are things I wouldn't be comfortable checking myself. For an expensive horse or a high level competition horse, I'd be tempted to do a five stage - but I tend to take flexions with a pinch of salt and the vetting really only tells you if the horse is okay on that particular day, whilst potentially getting 'possible' issues excluded on the insurance...
 
I know plenty of experienced people who don't vet and I imagine they have a keen eye for any abnormalities. Having said that, they will 5 stage vet expensive horses! However, I had a friend looking for a safe pony club type for her sister, found a lovely pony and had her vetted only to find out it was blind in one eye! Seller had no idea!
 
I didnt vet the first one which resulted in the horse PTS within 10 months with severe kissing spines, navicular and stifle pain, she cost me £3,000 to purchase. Learnt my lesson and the new one was 5 stage vetted. I would also vet a horse now no matter what the purchase price.
 
Had lots of ponies and horses over the past 36 years, never had one vetted. That's not to say that I don't agree with getting them vetted it's just that I've been prepared to take a gamble. Most expensive one I've bought was £2500k and she'd failed a flexion test on a vetting. She's an absolute cracker of a mare and is doing great with us, may get arthritis as she gets older which we'll deal with but then she's a heavy cob.
 
None here were vetted. One off people we know and he came with us with us knowing he can get stiff the morning after jumping. We think this is as he's been worked too much from a young age. So we're giving him the winter off.
One we bought from strangers for very cheap. Again, nothing wrong with her what-so-ever.
Another we got given via preloved. She turned out to be lame due to an untreated old injury. Sorted now with box rest.
Vets recently given them all a good look-over and says their all healthy :)

That said, if I was paying 2k+ I'd get a vetting just so I wasn't risking throwing a lot of money away.
 
For over £5kyou have no choice if you wanted to insure it, to be honest I'd vet anything even if it was £100 because a knackard £100 horse can turn out to be Extreamly expensive..!
 
So mostly not then?!
The insurance exlusion in a very good valid point.
The one I had vetted is currently out of work due to KS and a wither problem. His back did show up on the vetting but i discussed with the vet and we decided probably saddle issue and that as it was very mild pain i decided i'd risk it- Maybe i shouldn't have but tbf its only caused a problem 6 years on. The other bits he failed or that were pinned up to me have never been problematic as i figured they wouldn't be.
 
Do bear in mind if you have a horse vetted and decide to purchase whatever health issues / old injuries are picked up on that vetting will be excluded on your insurance.
 
I didn't bother to get mine vetted. If he was over £5k I would have as it would be required for the insurance. I took my physio friend with me to view him and also ha a 3 months trial so decided it was worth the risk!
 
Never had one vetted. First I got as a 2yr old, I was 10 & had ym with me who ran a sideline buying at auctions, so he was very good at spotting anything. Learnt a lot from him, & anything else I bought from mid teens on were cheap projects. The one expensive one I had been groom for 2yrs, & knew his history. Didn't have an issue with insurance swop over, even though he was insured for a fair whack. Daughters pony cost £10, if she'd had 3 legs I would have bought anyway just to pts.
 
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