Would she fail a vet?

[happilyhacking]

Hi folks. I've been a lurker on here for quite a while now and today decided it was time for me to get involved.
for quite a while now I've been looking for another horse to replace my old lad who sadly passed away last year. I'm hoping to finally do some affiliated eventing and think I have found the perfect horse. She is a beautiful 16.1hh wb x tb. She is 12 years old and actually belongs to a friend of mine, who has had her since she was a youngster. I've known of her most of her life and always liked her and luckily she has come up at just the right time.
The only thing is is that a few years ago I recall her getting an infection in one of her knees after she fell on the road. (a car came pelting up behind from what I remember, and she spooked and slipped). She was looked after following the incident and had the infected knee flushed by the vet. She had a bit of time off before being brought back into work. Her knee is a little lumpy now and just to be extra careful they make sure she has her legs bandaged if she is stabled for a prolonged period. She is turned out everyday and this seems to be beneficial. She's never had a problem with it since, but I am hoping to get her vetted if I do decide to go ahead with the purchase. Would she fail a vet based on her slightly lumpy knee? (not really that noticeable) or would it be taken down by the vet but not 'failed on' so to speak?

 

[alainax]

As far as I've seen with vettings, they don't pass or fail. They ask you what purpose the horse is required for, and they note wether it is fit for this purpose or not.

 

[TarrSteps]

As above, despite what people say horses don't pass or fail vettings specifically, they are pronounced fit for purpose or not.

For a horse to event though, I would want a bit more investigation of such an injury. Any time a joint capsule is compromised it's a fairly big deal and I'd want to make sure there was no lingering trauma or degenerative changes. Has she been eventing steadily since the injury? Make the vet aware of the mare's history and possibly even discuss an x-ray if the very feels it's justified. If you get the all clear though, you will have the piece of mind of knowing it has been investigated. Even if they do find something you can discuss with the vet what sort I'd long term support might be needed and if you love her and she's right for you in every way, you can be proactive in caring for her.

 

[paulineh]

I have had 2 horses and a pony that have had a joint flushed out due an injury.

The first was a pony I bought cheaply ( he was 10 at the time), he had damaged his knee when the prevous owner tied him up to a slip rail and he broke it and dragged it around the yard. He went on to be a top Endurance pony and retiring from the sport at the age of 26 never havind a day sick and never lame.

The second is an Arab mare that slipped and fell cutting her knee (a tiny cut) we cleaned it up and continued the ride. She became lame before finishing the ride. At the venue it was discovered that there was some infection. She was taken to the vet hospital where it was flushed out and medicated. She too continued to do endurance and she is still fit at the age of 24.

The third is another Arab mare that I bought cheaply she too had fallen over (Before I bought her) and damaged her knee. The knee was flushed out and cleaned up. Unfortuntely the prevous owner did not care for her well so there is a noticable scare. Again the mare has gone on to do Endurance.

If the joint has been treated well and it is a number of years ago and also the horse has not had anymore problems I would say that there is no reason why it should not pass the vetting.

 

[Honey08]

You're in the fantastic position where the owner will be honest, you know the history, and it can all be discussed with the vet to make a sensible decision as to whether the horse would event. Doesn't sound like it would be a problem to me.

 

[happilyhacking]

Thanks for the response.
She is currently doing quite a lot of dressage, but has been hunting and done some unaffiliated ODEs

 

[ihatework]

The main question will be does she flex sound on that joint?
If no then vet will most likely put on the certificate that in his opinion she is unsuitable for affiliated eventing.
If she is sound on flexion then he would probably advise suitable.

Either way this will be noted on an vetting certificate and will be excluded on insurance. For that reason I would strongly suggest an xray of that joint prior to purchase just to rule out any nasties that might spring up down the line.