Would you vet 3 year old, potential happy hacker, under £1500?

[Archiesmummy]

I have mixed feelings about vetting, being the observations only from that inspection and am wondering whether or not to have vetted a horse I am interested in.

It is a 3 year old, Kinsky, recently backed. It is my intention to turn away until next year. It has done very little, as expected.

It is advertised for £1500 ono and the owner has told me that it does have a sarcoid, which I am not unduly worried about. I have had two horses with sarcoids. One was missed on a 5 stage vetting and the other erupted from nowhere. Both successfully banded.

I am purely a happy hacker, just poodling around the forest and countryside.

I am able to give a horse the once over, eyes, gums, limbs and general health but my eye cannot always detect mechanical problems.

What would you do? Weighing up age and lack of education.

In the event things did go t*ts up I would keep and not offload but nevertheless, need general concensus x

Many thanks x

 

[Spottyappy]

No.
I never vet anyway but I also don't buy anything over £1500.
Vetting only means horse is ok on that particular day. Anything could happen the next!

 

[meesha]

I wouldn't vet as long as it trotted up sound, watch it trot away and towards you and on lunge. Good luck

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

It could have poor eyesight or a bad heart, if you are not 100% confident, it is best to get a 2 stage vetting, it is £200, not a lot in the way of things.

 

[Archiesmummy]

Thankyou, I tend to agree but don't want to be irresponsible at the same time.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

No.
I never vet anyway but I also don't buy anything over £1500.
Vetting only means horse is ok on that particular day. Anything could happen the next!

Passing a vetting means it was sound on the day, but there are lots of things that can be wrong which will be picked up.

 

[Archiesmummy]

Thank you x

 

[aspirit]

Problem is when it goes wrong. I didnt vet . She was only £800 , but was then diagnosed with a collapsed pharyngeal , lots of vets bills and semi retired now potentially left with duff horse. Bought a horse previously that failed a vetting marginally , but hey I was only a happy hacker. Coffin disease , had to be put down . Think about the implications afterwards .

 

[webble]

I did vet a 3 year old happy hacker. For the sake of £250 it's worth it to know the important parts are in working order. It could save you money in the long run

 

[Archiesmummy]

Thank you x

 

[stormox]

I wouldnt vet - I know of 2 horses this year passed 5 stage vettings. One was mine and buyer had to have her put down 7 months later due to navicular, one was a friends who turned out to have kissing spines 3 months after he passed vetting....

 

[Louby]

Its a difficult one, my horse of a lifetime failed miserably on LF flexion, I still bought him (weeks later) but never had a days lameness and was PTS years later for something completely unrelated. A friend had her horse vetted, passed with flying colours, farrier suspected he was a laminitic, turned out he had EMS and although she managed it well she wouldnt have bought him if she would have knew. I have to say despite my past experiences I wouldnt vet unless the horse was serious money.

 

[Llee94]

I had a yearling vetted when I purchased him (he was the most expensive I have ever got at £2500). I bought him with the view he would be my next event horse so I got the vet checked his eyes as best best he could, listened to his heart, and breathing/lungs before and after he was trotted up to check there was nothing nasty going on, look at his conformation and to give me his view as he is an FEI vet.
However, he is the only horse I have ever had vetted. If you only want to hack and have fun then I wouldn't bother. As long as it is sound when trotted in a straight line and on a circle on both a surface and hard ground then I would be happy.

 

[BlueSocks]

I had a yearling vetted when I purchased him (he was the most expensive I have ever got at £2500). I bought him with the view he would be my next event horse so I got the vet checked his eyes as best best he could, listened to his heart, and breathing/lungs before and after he was trotted up to check there was nothing nasty going on, look at his conformation and to give me his view as he is an FEI vet.
However, he is the only horse I have ever had vetted. If you only want to hack and have fun then I wouldn't bother. As long as it is sound when trotted in a straight line and on a circle on both a surface and hard ground then I would be happy.

I agree. A friend of mine also bought a horse that passed a five stage vetting, again turned out to have ks, ended up nearly killing her after throwing her onto a concrete yard. I had my lad vetted when I bought him at 5 - he failed on a heart murmur - bought him anyway - hes 23 now!

 

[maccachic]

I've had about 15 horses none vetted my purchases have all been under $2.5k and normally off the track or unbroken never had an issue and hardly any vet bills to date. My only issue is from one impulse buy at auction in Ireland on my OE, 3 year old unbroken had a clean vet then and when I sold him vet check had wind issues.

 

[planete]

I really prefer to know that a young horse I am buying, hopefully for keeps, does not have a heart, lung or eye problem on the day I buy it. What I pay for him is irrelevant. Potential vet bills and hassle would be the same irrespective of price. Enough things can go wrong without walking into them blind.

 

[asmp]

When I read the title I thought I'd write and say that we didn't get our youngster vetted and were a bit gutted when we realised we'd missed a sarcoid between his front legs but you mentioned sarcoids in your post (and he's turning out to be a lovely horse). I did get my other horse vetted as he was a lot more expensive and the vet 'missed' that he had a wound under his jaw.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Only horse I've had vetted has a potentially career ending muscle disorder which wouldn't have been picked up on any vetting.

Rest of them I took my chances.

 

[Cocorules]

I have had 2 vetted and one not. The first one a heart murmur was missed but it did not affect her with the work she did. She lived to 27. The one I did not have vetted was a 2.5 year old who had a locking stifle which became apparent within hours of arriving. She was semi feral at that point. The vet had to sedate her to check her. If I had her vetted I may not have bought her and would have missed out massively as she is an absolute dream in every respect. The locking stifle is not an issue provided she is worked consistently. She needs to have workloads increased and reduced slowly and weight kept on sufficiently to keep her ok.

I would generally vet however cheap the horse is to buy as it is knowing what you are letting yourself in which is helpful.

 

[Spottyappy]

Passing a vetting means it was sound on the day, but there are lots of things that can be wrong which will be picked up.

But, I have had horses over 40 years, and like to think that I have a reasonable eye for problems.
Yes, maybe I take a chance on heart or eye issues,but I'm never going to compete at badminton! We do, however do county level showing and daughter has done BS and BD.
I am happy to live with my decision should something go wrong, I woudk face it at that time.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

But, I have had horses over 40 years, and like to think that I have a reasonable eye for problems.
Yes, maybe I take a chance on heart or eye issues,but I'm never going to compete at badminton! We do, however do county level showing and daughter has done BS and BD.
I am happy to live with my decision should something go wrong, I woudk face it at that time.

Yes, you have had horses for 40 years, but OP has not, this will be her one and only horse, so my advice stands, pay out £200 and get a two stage vetting.
I have had cars for 50 years, but the next one will have to go to my garage and have an MOT before I buy it, I will not have the cash to sort it if it goes wrong on me, and it is my one and only vehicle.
I had my first horse vetted, and after that none of them were, but none have been unsound, on the day of purchase, or after. I took the risk because by that time I knew a lot more about horses and ailments and the vendors, but in those days grazing was cheap and vets were not expensive.
We shot unsound horses if they did not come good after a year off. People do not think that way nowadays, horses are seen as pets rather than working animals.

 

[Archiesmummy]

Yes, you have had horses for 40 years, but OP has not, this will be her one and only horse, so my advice stands, pay out £200 and get a two stage vetting.
I have had cars for 50 years, but the next one will have to go to my garage and have an MOT before I buy it, I will not have the cash to sort it if it goes wrong on me, and it is my one and only vehicle.
I had my first horse vetted, and after that none of them were, but none have been unsound, on the day of purchase, or after. I took the risk because by that time I knew a lot more about horses and ailments and the vendors, but in those days grazing was cheap and vets were not expensive.
We shot unsound horses if they did not come good after a year off. People do not think that way nowadays, horses are seen as pets rather than working animals.

He will be my forever horse but I am a horse owner and have been for some time. The difference is, I am choosing one for me as opposed to being found by those who were in need, when vetting was not a priority, giving a safe secure home was x