Why can't I have a 2 stage vetting?

Persephone

Persephone

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I am attempting to purchase a youngster, 2 years old and am trying to get her 2 stage vetted before I drive the long way to see her.

Vets just rang back and said will have to be a 3 stage. I said filly is not broken, so it will need to be a 2 stage.

I have now been told that there is no such thing as a 2 stage!

In my mind stages 1 & 2 = a 2 stage while stages 1,2,3,4,5 make a 5 stage.

Am I thick?
 
A 2 stage is a very limited really when you compaire it to a 5 stage, obviously it does not include important checks such as a horse's respiration and heart rate as well as a final trot up and checking of the feet, this still can be done with a youngster to a degree (if there handled enough) as they can be free schooled or lunged a little just to get them puffing a bit and get some movement in there, I suppose it depends on the vets too as some may be a little wary of just doing the 2 stage.
 
i got my last horse a 2 stage vetting so they do exsist lol. vet checked her feet, legs, heart rate, eyes, ears and did a trot up. obviously it was just a quick check but thats all i wanted. Think it depends on the vet tbh so i would ask around.
 
I've had a 2 stage before, and a few quotes from other vets for a 2 stage. Had to sign a disclaimer saying I refused a 5 stage, but was happy to do so. As a novice owner I just wanted an expert eye to make sure I wasn't overlooking something obvious.

Not sure whereabouts 'down south' you are, but I can PM you names of two vets around Reigate, Surrey area that will do 2 stage.
 
Some vets don't like to do 2 stage vettings anymore due to liability claims.

As an aside, being unbroken doesn't stop you getting a 5 stage vetting as long as it used to being handled.
 
My last vet refused to do a 2* on a cheap horse that I was looking at. A recpetionist said "Oh we don't do them" very snottily. When I asked the reason why, she didn't know. I then rang up my present vets and had a chat with one of their vets, who fully understood that I wasn't bothered if a £1500 horse would pass flexion tests, but I just wanted to know eyes, legs, heart and lungs seemed to be ok.

In the end I didn't have the horse vetted or buy it, due to a dodgy vendor constantly changing the date, but I did get myself a new vet of the old fashioned, sensible variery!
 
We do a 2 stage BUT you do have to sign a disclaimer form saying that you understand the difference between the 5 stage and 2 stage and how limiting it is.
 
Never heard of a 3 stage unless a horse fails a 5 stage during excercise. (well, not in the south of england anyway - who knows what goes on north of the M4 ;) )

Stage 3 is where the horse goes off for excercise - its purpose is to let the vets hear the horses wind during excercise and see that the horse is sound whilst ridden - stage 4 is the rest,heart and lung sounds directly after work and form filling, and stage 5 is the final trot up and checks to make sure the horse is sound after excercise.

So in short - theres no reason why you shouldnt be allowed a 2 stage vetting - though millitiger is quite right - if the horse is handleable (and lungeable!) its perfectly possible to do a 5 stage vetting on a youngster if you want one. You will get made to sign a disclaimer just to say that you accept that it is very limited in what it will show up - but other than that, its no problem, and your choice !!!
 
You have to remember that some breeders would be unhappy to have a 5 stage vetting done at that young age purely on account of the damage that sort of work up could do to young joints especially on something that hadn't been used to being lunged and lunging a two year old (or younger) is not a good idea at all. Perhaps if the vendor has a decent sized safe footing school, it would be different but not everyone has schools and you'd never risk that strenuous enforced exercise just in a field, you're asking for trouble.
2 stage is the norm for youngsters that young around here.

If you say which area it is perhaps someone on here knows a decent vet you could use that will do what you want.
 
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Thanks guys!

There are no facilities to lunge or loose school the filly. Plus she is a big girl and I don't want her thrashed tbh. I just want an objective opinion.

The vetting as far as I'm concerned is for eyes/heart/significant lumps and bumps! Her purchase price is less than £5000 so not needed for insurance purposes. I am happy to sign a disclaimer.

Maesfen we seem to think alike thank goodness! What is it about vets receptionists that makes them an expert on vettings? I had to argue to say I didn't want the 3rd part!

Anyhow, is all sorted for this week. Fingers crossed she flies through :)
 
Having been a vet receptionist I can honestly say I never pushed a 5 stage vetting on anyone, mainly because after buying 4 horses I've never had one! Saying that, a 5 stage vetting would have cost more than the horse in some cases :-) we had to say we recommended a 5 stage in case the purchaser had problems later on and says we never told them but loads had 2 stage- i've never heard of a 3 stage vetting! As far as i was aware, the exercise was the 3rd stage? For a youngster i'd probably only have a 2 stage too unless it was particularly expensive! Good luck with your vetting- hope she sails through for you!
 
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They call that particular stage 'strenuous exercise', doesn’t mean an unbroken youngster is expected to do anything strenuous, it’s just to get the wind up, not cause exhaustion and so the vet can watch the gait closely on a circle (or as near to) to access the movement better.

Any decent vet will take into consideration the horses age and fitness which includes youngsters, so a basic walk, trot and canter round that’s all, which I bet most youngsters will do far more of when there out playing about in the field.

I can see in some instances why it would be an issue if you didn’t have the facilities to do so safely as well as depending on the youngster.
 
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