Vettings for an unbacked horse???

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I was wondering whether someone could give me any advice with regards to getting an unbacked three year old vetted?

She already has xrays (she is a PROK mare) which were completed in September 2009 so it is more for my peace of mind (and my insurance) that I get her vetted.

Would a 2 or a 5 stage be more suitable?
 
Have you spoken to your vet? They'll be able to advise you on up to what level this unbroken youngster could be vetted.

But assuming that it is lunging there's no reason why it couldn't be done up to 5* as they would be able to check the wind via the lunge.
 
If she can lunge or freeschool, they can do a 5 stage
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Depends how old she is tbh?
 
Get her x-rays looked at by your vet.

5 stage, but obviously without the riding bit. You will want any nasty surprises to be revealed now, not after two years of work when you may want to sell her on for a lot of money!
 
Yes, she lunges and free schools... Think the vet already thinks he is doing a 5 stage (he is the lameness specialist who has treated Grace all through) but someone mentioned to me that unbacked most have a 2 stage done.

I can't get hold of the actual xrays at the moment... I am trying, but they are still with the vet who did them in Holland and it has to go through the breeder etc as they are their property. I do, however, have the results (certificate) from the KWPN vets who gave her mostly 1s and a few 2s with her microchip number so all that can be confirmed in the vetting. I am hoping to get the xrays though eventually...

I certainly don't want any nasty surprises... the only thing so far that I have spotted is that she has one foot slight flatter than the other in front which I have pin pointed for the vetting to look at but she has not had her feet done for quite some time from what I could see.
 
Well, if I were buying her I would have a five stage done.

the xrays are tricky. I would want my own vet to see them. i know the KWPN criteria are quite strict but I'd still want them seen - just to make sure. all this because when (if) you do come to sell on as a trained horse the buyer will want to have a complete vetting done with full set of xrays. I know too many high value horses who have failed vettings (and sellers who have lost tens of thousands) on things that should have been spotted earlier
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I had a 2 stage for my the 3 yr old, but she hadn't had anything done with her at all so she couldn't be lunged. I think if she had been I would def have had a 5 stage, I don't think it's much more expensive. Also re xrays done abroad I would def have your own vet look at them, I think foreign vets can have a different opinion to ours about what is acceptable & what is not. I think you also need to check your insurance as they may want a 5 stage if you are insuring for a high value.
Fingers crossed for you that she passes.
 
Be careful about x-rays that were done abroad. My friend bought a horse with x-rays, the problem was, they were NOT x-rays of that horse. Within 6 months the horse was dead because he had dreadful navicular and she had to get solicitors involved because it was done in Denmark. In the end all she got as a replacement was a foal for a 5 year old horse.
 
Thanks everyone... I really am struggling to get the xrays at the moment and it is already a week since I said I would have her vetted.

They were assessed by the 5 vet panel of the KWPN to grant the PROK status to her on 19th September 2009 (all on the certificate). I would ideally have preferred for my vet to have looked over them, but I am finding it difficult to get in contact with the relevant party. I know who the vet was who did the xrays, and I know the breeder but I am not having much luck getting any further at the moment. I have emailed the KWPN so waiting to hear back from them too as was wondering if they kept a copy.
 
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Be careful about x-rays that were done abroad. My friend bought a horse with x-rays, the problem was, they were NOT x-rays of that horse. Within 6 months the horse was dead because he had dreadful navicular and she had to get solicitors involved because it was done in Denmark. In the end all she got as a replacement was a foal for a 5 year old horse.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately I know of two people who have been through this exact same predicament... that is why I am always so suspicious. However, the mares xrays were done by a KWPN approved vet and then examined by a panel and have her microchip number on (obviously have to check they match) so a bit more above board if that makes sense.

I would never go on a dealer's say so though with regards to the xrays, as I know too many who have proved to be the wrong horse's xrays!
 
Agree with Druid, ive seen a couple of people end up with problems & wishing they had done there own x-rays, so i would always re-xray now if the horse was of a good value which from your post she seems.
Not that i will ever get the chance mind you.
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Im very jelous btw
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!!
 
When we bought Frodo as a two-year-old we had a 5-stage vetting and full set of x-rays done. If you can't get hold of the original x-rays have your own set done now. It's not a huge amount of money, at least compared to how much you would save/lose if a problem is discovered.
 
I think I will go with my original plan of having the five stage done with her, better safe than sorry
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She does not need a 5 stage for my insurance due to her price, but I would rather have it done regardless...

I am going to have a think about the xrays. When I mentioned the PROK status given to her last month (and most of her xrays are 1s, the others 2s) to my vet seemed to be adequate as I asked whether they would they be required and he seemed content to look through the results on the certificate.

But then I have heard horror stories which say the xrays do not belong to the horse. These results have her microchip number on them from the KWPN...
 
if you are planning the sell the horse on for a large figure in a year or 2, get your own x-rays done.

i have a friend who produces eventers and even though they only cost around £1-2k for her to buy, she always has them x-rayed as she sells them on for £10k+ when x-rays are standard
 
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I think I will go with my original plan of having the five stage done with her, better safe than sorry
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She does not need a 5 stage for my insurance due to her price, but I would rather have it done regardless...

I am going to have a think about the xrays. When I mentioned the PROK status given to her last month (and most of her xrays are 1s, the others 2s) to my vet seemed to be adequate as I asked whether they would they be required and he seemed content to look through the results on the certificate.

But then I have heard horror stories which say the xrays do not belong to the horse. These results have her microchip number on them from the KWPN...

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Trouble is, it's not beyond the wit of man to have her microchip number, and then place that on the plates used to x-ray another horse. If I wanted x-rays done, I would always, always get my own. I'm not saying anyone involved with this horse would do such a thing, but there really is no way to prove they are hers sadly, and the horror stories I have heard about even high level pros getting ripped off would make me very, very wary.
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The reason I have not fully made my mind up about the xrays is because they have not been done by just any vet, they have to be done by a KWPN approved vet. Don't get me wrong, this does not make them 100% accurate by any means, but it takes a small amount of risk out of it than just any vet completing them in Holland.

I have still heard of this going wrong though.

I am not buying her for a large sum of money, she is my little bargain pony, but I would also like to be able to sell her if she is not the one for me. I do trust my vet 100% though, so will see what he says this afternoon when he goes up there.

We had a chat last night and both agreed that a 5 stage would be the best option.
 
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The reason I have not fully made my mind up about the xrays is because they have not been done by just any vet, they have to be done by a KWPN approved vet. Don't get me wrong, this does not make them 100% accurate by any means, but it takes a small amount of risk out of it than just any vet completing them in Holland.

I have still heard of this going wrong though.

I am not buying her for a large sum of money, she is my little bargain pony, but I would also like to be able to sell her if she is not the one for me. I do trust my vet 100% though, so will see what he says this afternoon when he goes up there.

We had a chat last night and both agreed that a 5 stage would be the best option.

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Yes, and if you'd been there and watched them get taken, then had them handed to you, I'd be with you.

Trouble is, you only have everyones word for it that those x-rays were taken by Vet X of Horse Y on Date Z
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Imagine the scenario - you have two horses, one with a bone chip, one without. You and an unscrupulous vet mock up KWPN-type x-rays with microchip number of the bone chip horse, but actually x-ray non-bone-chip horse. You then tell the buyer they can have x-rays done only a month before, and KWPN ones which makes buyer think they are safe. Bone chip horse gets sold for more money than it is worth, vet gets a kick-back from seller, new x-rays done of non-bone-chip-horse, that is also sold for lots of money. Buyer and vet win, new owner of bone-chip-horse loses, either when/if it goes lame/arthritic or when they come to sell it on and new buyer gets real x-rays done.

It's not the quality of the x-rays/vet that took them I'd be worried about, it's whether they are actually of your horse's legs!
 
But surely the KWPN has something in place for this kind of scenario... after all, they are handing out the PROK status based on these xrays alone? And the KWPN in my humble experience (and I mean that quite literally, I am still learning as I go here) are a pretty tough stud book to be involved with.

I am not trying to justify or stick up for anything, I am genuinely interested.
 
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But surely the KWPN has something in place for this kind of scenario... after all, they are handing out the PROK status based on these xrays alone? And the KWPN in my humble experience (and I mean that quite literally, I am still learning as I go here) are a pretty tough stud book to be involved with.

I am not trying to justify or stick up for anything, I am genuinely interested.

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But you aren't getting the x-rays from the KWPN, are you? You're getting them from the breeder...so the possibilities for mocking something up which looks like the real deal is there!

If they were coming from KWPN then great.
 
You know my thoughts! Ask your vets specifically about the scenario I suggested. It's possible they may not know the system behind PROK 100%
 
If she lunges etc I'd def go for 5 stage, we didn't with ours but he was 2 and had never been xrayed, and there wasn't a suitable place to loose school even, so we just had a 2 stage.
I think if was buying anything I intended to sell on for say £5k + I'd get xrays done too, and would want to be there when they did them.
 
Also echo getting your own x-rays done - for the reasons already posted. It happens too often to risk it, even if you're not paying that much for her.

Exciting though Rebecca! Bet you can't wait to get a baby to play with.
 
QR- someone else has probs said this but i had a 5 stage for my 4 year old when he was unbroken. i just had to confirm that i was ok with him just being lunged for the movement assessments and the heart rate stuff....
 
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