Vetting?

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iAMASHOWJUMPER

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Just curious,
In your opinion, is vetting a must when buying a horse?
At sales is vetting even an option?
If you were buying a horse that was a 4 hour or so drive away from you, would you make that journey an extra time just to have the horse vetted?
Just wondering:D
 
I think its a good idea as the last horse I bought without a vetting was fine, but I spent the following year worrying about whether I had missed something!
 
If the horse was over say £2k I would have it vetted, even more so if it was miles away (sellers don't always want horses with issues being sold on their doorstep) I appreciate it is only a snapshot of the horse on that day but it does allow you to make an informed decision.
I didn't get our last 3 vetted though, 1 had a vetting a year before which i saw, 1 was a mare who had been recently graded and the other a 2 yr old who went to futurity and had a quick vet check.
 
The distance doesn't matter, you don't have to attend vettings, the vet will ring you afterwards to discuss the findings unless something dire is discovered early on.

I know people generally say a vetting is very important but some vets can be mega picky and can certainly miss important things. I think the money is best spent on insurance. Vets put every little thing on a certificate and they end up being excluded from your policy
 
It's a personal choice at the end of the day. As above its only a snapshot of that day & insurance companies don't seem bothered about them if the horses value isn't high.
 
iAMASHOWJUMPER said:
Just curious,
In your opinion, is vetting a must when buying a horse? For me, yes
At sales is vetting even an option?Yes
If you were buying a horse that was a 4 hour or so drive away from you, would you make that journey an extra time just to have the horse vetted?Yes
Click to expand...

Answers in red.
 
If the horse is relatively low value, (less than £2000 ish) then, no. Out of six over the years, we have only had two vetted, and that was because the insurance company insisted. However, if I was buying something to sell on, and expected to ask £2-£3k upwards, no matter what I paid, I would have a vetting. This is on the basis that if it won't pass for me, it won't pass for a prospective purchaser. I have also insisted that if ever a "project" is purchased from a market, if it becomes apparent that it is mentally or physically beyond redemption (and we are NOT numpties!), it does NOT get put back in the sale ring. That hasn't happened yet, but I won't perpetuate the misery.
 
I would never buy a horse without a vetting and yes I would be there.

Have heard too many horror stories even concerning people who on the face of it you would think would be genuine but aren't.
 
On the two occasions I have bought a horse I have not had them vetted. If I was buying a horse for a particular discipline, say I was seriously into SJ/Eventing when you start getting into high value then I probably would.
 
Clippy said:
The distance doesn't matter, you don't have to attend vettings, the vet will ring you afterwards to discuss the findings unless something dire is discovered early on.

I know people generally say a vetting is very important but some vets can be mega picky and can certainly miss important things. I think the money is best spent on insurance. Vets put every little thing on a certificate and they end up being excluded from your policy
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I wouldn't vet unless the horse was over £3k or suspiciously cheap! I have had one vetted in the past that threw up things that our insurers (and other companies) then excluded, and that have never been noticed in the four years that I own the horse. That said, I trust my judgement to a small extent!

Re the vetting a sales horse. I'm not sure - could those who put yes please explain how you go about it. At bigger sales, like Goresbridge in Ireland, the horses are all pre vetted and there are vets to do further vettings if you like. At smaler scale sales, such as York, I have never noticed any facility to have a horse vetted. Some of the horses are sold in a way that you can return them within a few days (can't remember the type of sale - was it warrented?) so you could get them vetted afterwards perhaps.
 
Whatever the price of the horse, ALWAYS, and 5-stage. If I had just had a general vet check, and not insisted in a 5 stage vetting, then a major heart murmur would not have been realised until later if I had purchased this particular horse. The vet found the murmur after exercising the horse, so I would always recommend a 5-stage vet - obviously after this was found, the vetting was halted and obviously I did not purchase, poor lad, he was a lovely chap :(.
 
I always have a vetting & I am always there when it's done. I appreciate that you don't have to be there & the vet will phone you & tell you how it went but when you are there you may see something & can immediately ask about it & get an answer. I'm certainly happier being there.

There again, I'm always there for the farrier, chiro, dental, never missed one over all the years......it's just the way I am. :)
 
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