Vettings and X-rays help

ellie_e

ellie_e

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Help!! So many of you know I lost my boy recently, sadly he was only 10 and was pretty knackered so I'm going to see 3 horses, 2 unbacked 3 yr olds and 1 that's been recently backed. Now the question is, do I have 5 stage vetting, bloods and a full set of X-rays costing nearly 1k, or just a vetting? I'm super paranoid about this one breaking hence why I'm buying something so young as stand a better chance of it not been broken. Price of horses range from 4.5k-5.5k
Lots of been have said not to bother with X-rays! What would you do?

Any advice?
 
I don't insure so that gives me a lot of freedom to do as I chose .
I don't routinely X-ray on vetting I will X-ray if the vet wishes to but usually I don't .
I often get some front feet X-rays just before their first shoeing with me so the vet farrier and I know where we started with them .
TBH I have had disasters with carefully made desisions to buy blank canvases and years of service out of vet failures I have bought despite failing the vetting I really don't know what the answer is .
 
I was once told that unless there is a clinical reason to xray at vetting then they are best not done as you would have to xray everything to really know what is going on and could still get a false picture as there will be no old ones to compare, it makes sense to xray an area of concern at the time but that will still only give you part of the story as without nerve blocks you could still be looking at the wrong area.

If they have a conformational fault then be really critical and don't bother vetting unless that fault is something you feel the vet can best advise you on, it may then be worth xraying to check there is no underlying issue.
 
I would just go with 5 stage vetting unless vet then wanted X-rays

I have had a lot of bad luck with horses breaking and all of them have been fairly young with low or no mileage

My vet advised to buy one that has already proved it can hold up to the job I want to do. So I did, don't want to tempt fate but 12 months later :). It's the first time I've ever had a horse for a whole year that hasn't broken. I wouldn't mind but I don't ask much of them either.
 
I would just go for a 5 stage, no x-rays. Also be super honest with yourself when buying and be patient. If there is something niggling at you about a particular horse, even if you can't put your finger on it, then just walk away. It is a buyers market at the moment and there is plenty of choice so take your time and go with your gut, as well as getting the best professional advice (vet) that you can. I have recently bought a new horse and found it useful to ask on here for recommendations for vets, if the horse was out of my area. Also if it was a big practice that was recommended I would ask to have one of the partners conduct the vetting, as that way you are getting a more experienced vet. Good luck!
 
thanks! its not local for me but have asked my trainer who lives down there for her vet so have spoken to them. I'm going to see 2 at a dealers which are unbroken, any advice on what to look for?

Sprig said:
I would just go for a 5 stage, no x-rays. Also be super honest with yourself when buying and be patient. If there is something niggling at you about a particular horse, even if you can't put your finger on it, then just walk away. It is a buyers market at the moment and there is plenty of choice so take your time and go with your gut, as well as getting the best professional advice (vet) that you can. I have recently bought a new horse and found it useful to ask on here for recommendations for vets, if the horse was out of my area. Also if it was a big practice that was recommended I would ask to have one of the partners conduct the vetting, as that way you are getting a more experienced vet. Good luck!
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What are you planning on doing with it? For me, as I wanted a riding club all-rounder but also something to do quite a bit of endurance with I was very interested in good feet, clean legs and straight movement. Apart from that as long as it was reasonably well put together the main thing was temperament. Especially if it is going to be a long term horse for you I think having the right personality to suit you is so important. I went to look at a lot of horses and there were plenty that were good horses, as described, but just did not have the personality I was looking for. I am pleased I kept looking as the one I ended up with is great. I think especially as you are looking at youngsters you need to try and find one that is bold, but not too yobbish and you think you can spend a lot of time working with. I personally would avoid anything that is too nervous as I bought one nervous youngster and he never really got over it and it caused all sorts of issues. Is your trainer, or anyone else going with you? It can very often be useful to have an impartial second opinion, in case you are likely to fall for the wrong one!
 
I agree that it depends what you plan to do with the horse - if I was hoping to compete at a high level then I would have a five stage vetting, especially so if I was going to insure. If I was buying an unbroken youngster in your price bracket then I wouldn't have it vetted though.
 
It will BS, ideally to Foxhunter and age classes. Agree with having something bold, Zu was very nappy and a rearer so ideally would have something pretty easy going and not nappy, although how do you look for this when theyve never been sat on? Mine was great in hand and would always leave his friends and follow you, it was only when you were riding he became nappy. I will be going with mother, best friend and hopefully 3* event rider who worked with my last horse who is an utter God!
 
First of all sorry to hear about your horse. Personally i would just go for a 5 star vetting at that price and that age, unless there was a reason the vet wanted an x-ray. X-rays can be misleading. I x-rayed one horse which showed up a chip on her fetlock - bought her anyway. Has never had a problem with fetlock but has umpteen problems with other things!!
 
Funny enough mums horse has a chip in his fetlock and not had a days lameness. Good old hardy ISH!
Thanks for the advice, think it will just be 5 stage vetting then! I know a few of the dealers include vettings and xrays anyway, would you accept their vetting or get it re done?

Supanova said:
First of all sorry to hear about your horse. Personally i would just go for a 5 star vetting at that price and that age, unless there was a reason the vet wanted an x-ray. X-rays can be misleading. I x-rayed one horse which showed up a chip on her fetlock - bought her anyway. Has never had a problem with fetlock but has umpteen problems with other things!!
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ellie_e said:
Funny enough mums horse has a chip in his fetlock and not had a days lameness. Good old hardy ISH!
Thanks for the advice, think it will just be 5 stage vetting then! I know a few of the dealers include vettings and xrays anyway, would you accept their vetting or get it re done?
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Also from experience ...........get your own vetting done. Horse with fetlock chip was bought from dealer. Dealer said they would give vetting (vet was actually a friend of my trainer as well so i thought this would be ok). I asked for x-rays, specifically the fetlocks. Vet rang me to say all fine with vetting and xrays ok. Assumed all x-rays had been done. Went to pick horse up, glanced at vetting certificate seemed fine. Got home, looked in more detail at certificate and x-ray cd and realised fetlock hadn't been xrayed. Went off to my own vet the next morning to have xrays - found chip on fetlock. So in summary i expect the dealers vet had done the xray and ripped them up!! As it turns out it didn't matter but i would never trust a dealers vet again!!
 
popsdosh said:
Dont see a lot of point forking out for a 5 stage in an unridden horse
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It's a hard one that .
I tend to have as much of a vetting as can be done without upsetting the horse to much.
I want to know they can see and are sound on flexion and the heart sounds ok at rest but I don't want a young one who has not been started chased round on the lunge for the wind bit I made this mistake once and it took ages to calm the horse it on the lunge afterwards .
I don't insure so it's easy for me to do as I please .
 
Goldenstar said:
I don't insure so that gives me a lot of freedom to do as I choose"

Ooh this is intriguing - can someone help me understand this? I've heard it expressed before but never had the chance to ask about the underlying reasoning. Why would somebody NOT insure? Are there ADVANTAGES to not insuring?? I'd really like to understand this one - I had presumed naively that insurance was a mandatory/ordinary/sensible thing to do but this comment (plus others I've seen or heard) is pricking my interest and making me question it entirely - please help me understand!

Thanks
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Goldenstar said:
I don't insure so that gives me a lot of freedom to do as I chose .
I don't routinely X-ray on vetting I will X-ray if the vet wishes to but usually I don't .
I often get some front feet X-rays just before their first shoeing with me so the vet farrier and I know where we started with them .
TBH I have had disasters with carefully made desisions to buy blank canvases and years of service out of vet failures I have bought despite failing the vetting I really don't know what the answer is .[/

Ooh this is intriguing - can someone help me understand this? I've heard it expressed before but never had the chance to ask about the underlying reasoning. Why would somebody NOT insure? Are there ADVANTAGES to not insuring?? I'd really like to understand this one - I had presumed naively that insurance was a mandatory/ordinary/sensible thing to do but this comment (plus others I've seen or heard) is pricking my interest and making me question it entirely - please help me understand!

Thanks
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Why don't you insure? Can you help me? It's a genuine question (not a judgey one!!) as I genuinely thought everyone must do... It's very pricey and the must be reasons not to do it. Is it just to do with money or does it offer other benefits?
 
I love horses. said:
Why don't you insure? Can you help me? It's a genuine question (not a judgey one!!) as I genuinely thought everyone must do... It's very pricey and the must be reasons not to do it. Is it just to do with money or does it offer other benefits?
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I don't insure mine, I own several and there is a risk of a huge vets bill but generally the amount saved by not insuring pays for any normal bills that come in, it allows you to decide on treatment, which is certainly one good reason to not insure, without being pressured by insurance companies or vets to do treatment you may feel is not in the best interests of the horse or the opposite it gives you freedom to do diagnostics or treatments that otherwise may not be acceptable to the insurance co.

If you only own 1 and cannot afford the bills or to replace it if it died the you need to have some form of insurance in place but this could be a savings account that you put the premiums you save into, let it build up and hope you don't need to use it too soon.
 
I love horses. said:
Why don't you insure? Can you help me? It's a genuine question (not a judgey one!!) as I genuinely thought everyone must do... It's very pricey and the must be reasons not to do it. Is it just to do with money or does it offer other benefits?
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Same with a friend of mine. Insures them the first year but not after that, on the basis any underlying issues should come up in year 1. After that, she reckons she has covered the cost of vets in what she's saved on insurance premiums. I think as a minimum you should have third party but you can get that through BHS gold membership I think. Assumes you have access to a pot of money in an emergency and are comfortable with making decisions without knowing there is insurance cover.

I have thought about not insuring myself, but I'm too conservative and sods law something would come up when I cancelled, so I do insure still.
 
i def wouldnt bother with x rays for all the reasons already mentioned.

TBH for me, anything un broken i wouldnt vet anyway, esp not as such a relatively low price.

ETA-none of ours are insured either. Knowing the insurance industry(!) its all such a con.

it wouldn't affect my decision making in the slightest and in a way it stops you chasing every option to the detriment of the horse with the same outcome.

for Fig and Goofy if it was fixable we would go the whole hog and borrow the money to pay it off. Bruce is an old man now and i wouldnt put him through major surgery insured or not.
 
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Having had three insurance claims maxed out on three horses in the last three years I would never NOT insure for vets bills. I don't however insure for loss of use as I think it's ridiculous.

This being said I had my unbroken 3yr old 5 stage vetted last year and very much wished I hadn't, as it did upset her and I didn't like they way it was done... to be honest I wouldn't vet anything unbroken again, but then I wouldn't pay any more than 5k for a horse anyway.
 
Thanks all, in the end I decided to have a 5stage vetting and bloods taken. Vet commented that flexion tests were pretty pointless as she wouldn't hold her leg for longer than about 10seconds but everything else seems fine and was happy to go ahead with the purchase. He did comment that she has 1 loose woolf tooth and to get this removed, would you use a vet or a EDT to do this?
 
I love horses. said:
Goldenstar said:
I don't insure so that gives me a lot of freedom to do as I choose"

Ooh this is intriguing - can someone help me understand this? I've heard it expressed before but never had the chance to ask about the underlying reasoning. Why would somebody NOT insure? Are there ADVANTAGES to not insuring?? I'd really like to understand this one - I had presumed naively that insurance was a mandatory/ordinary/sensible thing to do but this comment (plus others I've seen or heard) is pricking my interest and making me question it entirely - please help me understand!

Thanks
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I have of course third party insurance but that's all.
Once I buy the horse I consider the money gone so no need to insure for loss .
I don't like anyone interfering in what I do , no claim forms no mucking about ringing people up when something goes wrong , no rushing to treat stuff because the clocks ticking towards the point to where that limb or whatever gets excluded .
When stuff goes wrong it's between me and the horse I like it that way.
Also when you have several horses it's expensive to insure it's better to carry the risk your self .
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ellie_e said:
Thanks all, in the end I decided to have a 5stage vetting and bloods taken. Vet commented that flexion tests were pretty pointless as she wouldn't hold her leg for longer than about 10seconds but everything else seems fine and was happy to go ahead with the purchase. He did comment that she has 1 loose woolf tooth and to get this removed, would you use a vet or a EDT to do this?
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Specially trained vet ,after one bad experience and one disaster I'll never let a EDT on the yard again .
 
If it's displaced it would be illegal for an EDT to do, if it's just loose then either is fine though obviously only a vet can sedate if needed.
 
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