EventingMum
Well-Known Member
I've had a few fail over the years but two really stick in my mind and to me demonstrated the value of an experienced vet.
First was a first horse for my son when he was moving off ponies. It was a horse that he could event with the potential to do at least JRN's. The vet said he was sound on the day but she just had a feeling that he wouldn't stay that way although couldn't say exactly why, it was just something about the way he moved. I suggested x raying him but the vet felt they would probably be ok so wouldn't help. The horse had been placed in his last two novice events and after we turned him down he was well placed in his next one but after that was never evented again and I often wondered if the vet's prophecy came true.
The next one was a few years later, we travelled to the opposite end of the country to view a horse with the same sire as my son's horse. My son rode and got on really well so we agreed a price subject to vetting. I asked the seller her surname as we were leaving and she seemed to hesitate and then said "Smith". I booked the vetting and on the day the vet phoned and said "Can you give me a couple of hours and in the mean time we haven't had this conversation. I have some detective work to do." It turned out the seller had signed a form to say the horse hadn't been seen by the vet's practice however when he looked at the passport one of the vaccinations had been done by that practice. He said this put him on alert and he was ultra careful vetting the horse. She was sound but he felt her fore feet were slightly different and actually measured the depth of the cleft of frog and found a slight difference between the two. He then went back to the practice and could find no record of the owner but spoke to the semi retired senior partner who remembered the horse well as he had treated her for foot problems and said it had taken a long time to get her sound and from x rays taken he doubted she would stay sound long term. He remembered the owner but she had a different surname! The vet said if it hadn't been for the passport he probably wouldn't have been bothered and passed her. When I told the owner we wouldn't be buying the horse she claimed that the horse was fine and asked me to call her farrier and speak to him regarding the feet as there wasn't a problem. I did phone the farrier who claimed he had been asked to lie about the horse, he had never known her use the name Smith and we should walk away quickly! Thank goodness for an alert vet!
First was a first horse for my son when he was moving off ponies. It was a horse that he could event with the potential to do at least JRN's. The vet said he was sound on the day but she just had a feeling that he wouldn't stay that way although couldn't say exactly why, it was just something about the way he moved. I suggested x raying him but the vet felt they would probably be ok so wouldn't help. The horse had been placed in his last two novice events and after we turned him down he was well placed in his next one but after that was never evented again and I often wondered if the vet's prophecy came true.
The next one was a few years later, we travelled to the opposite end of the country to view a horse with the same sire as my son's horse. My son rode and got on really well so we agreed a price subject to vetting. I asked the seller her surname as we were leaving and she seemed to hesitate and then said "Smith". I booked the vetting and on the day the vet phoned and said "Can you give me a couple of hours and in the mean time we haven't had this conversation. I have some detective work to do." It turned out the seller had signed a form to say the horse hadn't been seen by the vet's practice however when he looked at the passport one of the vaccinations had been done by that practice. He said this put him on alert and he was ultra careful vetting the horse. She was sound but he felt her fore feet were slightly different and actually measured the depth of the cleft of frog and found a slight difference between the two. He then went back to the practice and could find no record of the owner but spoke to the semi retired senior partner who remembered the horse well as he had treated her for foot problems and said it had taken a long time to get her sound and from x rays taken he doubted she would stay sound long term. He remembered the owner but she had a different surname! The vet said if it hadn't been for the passport he probably wouldn't have been bothered and passed her. When I told the owner we wouldn't be buying the horse she claimed that the horse was fine and asked me to call her farrier and speak to him regarding the feet as there wasn't a problem. I did phone the farrier who claimed he had been asked to lie about the horse, he had never known her use the name Smith and we should walk away quickly! Thank goodness for an alert vet!