Vetting a horse you know

[evsj]

I have a 5 yo KWPN mare on loan, bred by my friend and in-hand shown/backed/ridden by me.
I’ve handled her since she was a yearling and she’s the first horse I’ve backed myself and apart from a couple of minor spills I’ve successfully taken her xc schooling, RC SJ, dressage and fun rides - we’ve even earned a few ribbons and a couple of 8’s in our intro tests. She’s a fab little mare, very biddable etc etc and I want to buy her.

My question is what stage vetting do I go for? Is it worth going for 5 stage when I already know the horse? I have no desire to go beyond RC open level, poss BE Novice but if she had the ability to go further I’d consider selling her in a couple of years

 

[AmyMay]

I probably wouldn’t bother tbh.

 

[wren123]

I'd definitely go for the basic just to make sure her eyes and heart are OK.

 

[Equi]

If she’s more than 5k then a 5* will be needed for many insurance.

 

[Prancerpoos]

I think this needs to be decided by how much you are paying, as above. If she is serious money then, irrespective of insurance requirements, I would go for a full vetting. There may be issues there that no-one is currently aware of.

 

[Puzzled]

I’d just do a two stage.

 

[evsj]

Thanks everyone, I wanted to get opinions and I will take note. She’s a little over 5k although nothing to suggest any issues I’m not aware of, I guess it’s good to know what might be a prob in future.
Have a great Christmas all ?

 

[rara007]

If you’re insuring check what they need…

 

[Xmasha]

When I was selling my homebred I got him checked over by the vet before I advertised. Well worth it , did everything bar the riding . As he’s never seen a vet apart from gelding and vaccinations I just wanted to make sure everything was ok .
he went on to pass 5 stage for the buyers .

 

[utter-nutter]

I had one on loan for two years before we brought him..we had the vet check his heart, eyes and did a blood test (someone mentioned he might have Cushings as his coat went curley when he sweated, this played on my mind as he drank a lot too, so for the sake of it we had it done) all came back clear..and he’s still hunting once a week 13 years later. Would say it’s price dependent, this horse was 3.5k….if it was much over 5k I think I would want something more detailed done.

 

[Squeak]

I think I'd probably get her 5* vetted just for piece of mind. If something comes up on the vetting then you can take a pragmatic approach to it.

Also if you're considering selling her then chances are she'd need to pass a vetting then so it would be worth knowing if she would pass a vetting as it could have a huge impact on being able to sell her.

 

[YorkshireLady]

very similar to my last horse.....i had him to bring on and sell but he stayed and i didnt have him vetted as by that point he had been with me and was already insured as with me

 

[RachelFerd]

I wouldn't bother - most insurance companies don't need a vetting for values below £10k. If you have a vetting and you discover minor issues they'll be insurance exclusions.

 

[teddypops]

I would only vet if needed by the insurance company.