Pre-purchase exam neccesary?

[CMR]

Right now I'm looking at a seven month old colt(posted pictures of him earlier today) I was just wondering if a prepurchase exam is neccessary at such a young age?

[Mehitabel]

you can only do a 2-stage vetting at that age - it checks heart and lung function, eyes, and basic soundness. i'd have it done, unelss i could wield a stethoscope usefully.

[nutkin]

A lady I know brought a warmblood filly with very good blood lines. She didn't bother with the vet check and everything seemed fine. The only thing we all noticed was that the foal was rather quiet. Just a few weeks later the foal was running around the field and just dropped dead. They had a PM done and it had a heart defect. Luckily for her she spoke to the breeder and they gave her a free foal to replace her which she did have checked and was fine.

[CrazyDaisy]

I didn't have my three vet checked before I got them but I also had them given to me. I payed nothing to get them and all three are great horses.

[Skyhuntress]

It's not a bad idea. I wouldn't bother with Xrays or anything like that, simply because a lot of foals tend to show something anyways (whether its minor OCD, crooked legs, swollen hocks, ect, but a lot of them are never bothered by it and grow out of it)

I would go ahead with a basic vet check though, to make sure there is nothing obviously wrong with him.

[horsey_woman]

I would say it depends on how much you are forking out. I have a 2yr old filly who only cost me £200 she is now standing at 13hh and is exactly what they said she would be - a cobby section D x. I didn't have an exam, but did have her checked out when she had her vaccinations & microchip done by the vet, he said she was a good buy.

[CMR]

I would only be paying $500 for him.

[horsey_woman]

Will you be gelding him? That will push up the expense.

[Mehitabel]

I would say it depends on how much you are forking out. I have a 2yr old filly who only cost me £200 she is now standing at 13hh and is exactly what they said she would be - a cobby section D x. I didn't have an exam, but did have her checked out when she had her vaccinations & microchip done by the vet, he said she was a good buy.
i don;t think purchase price has anytihng to do with it. a lame horse costs just as much to keep as a sound one, so if the vetting isn't done and the horse breaks, you're still stuck with a lame horse and all its upkeep costs, regardles of purchase price - which is the smallest part of the expense of horse-owning.

[horsey_woman]

But we are talking about a baby here. For instance Laminitis doesn't usually show this young. Also you give the baby a good look over yourself, checking feet, ect...

[Mehitabel]

so for 'lame' read 'unsound' or 'unhealthy' - heart murmur, sight trouble, bad lungs - the things a 2 stage vetting picks up. a 2 stage isn't rteally about lameness, which is normally visible to the naked eye - it's the internal health and we lay people can't assess that like a vet.

[horsey_woman]

To me personally it wouldn't matter.. I have a mare with COPD and she has a healthy ridden life. I am able to have my vet out when needed. I suppose it depends more on how fortunate you are.

[*Sez*]

I always get a horse checked. Simply because I don't want to get attached and have it drop dead a week later from something that could have been picked up on the 2 stage vetting. The purchase price isn't an issue. Also, not everyone is knowledgeable enough about what goes on inside a horse to be able to check in the same way a vet could. And if you're very keen, you may over-look something in your eagerness for the horse to be okay. It's always worth getting an experienced unbiased person to check the horse out for you.

[Mehitabel]

To me personally it wouldn't matter.. I have a mare with COPD and she has a healthy ridden life. I am able to have my vet out when needed. I suppose it depends more on how fortunate you are.
either way, i think it's important to make an informed decision - if you have the facilities to cope with COPD - plenty of turnout, well ventilated stables, dust-free hay and bedding, then great - you can take a risk and give a useful horse a home, but if your yard only uses straw, and is in an american barn stable, then a horse with COPD isn't suitable for your facilities - but you won't necessarily find out about the COPD if the seller doesn't disclose it, without a vetting.

[horsey_woman]

I don't believe in stabling any horse unless necessary (my COPD mare lives out 24/7 without any symptoms but her breathing rate) also COPD can be picked up by watching a horses respiration rate and hearing coughing upon riding or exercise.. they have to put a lot of effort into breathing in comparison to a healthy equine. Also lots have a heave line.

[CrazyDaisy]

I think if you dont know much of what to look for in warning signs etc also know what questions to ask when buying if you don't a vet is a great idea otherwise you should be ok.

[Mehitabel]

I don't believe in stabling any horse unless necessary (my COPD mare lives out 24/7 without any symptoms but her breathing rate) also COPD can be picked up by watching a horses respiration rate and hearing coughing upon riding or exercise.. they have to put a lot of effort into breathing in comparison to a healthy equine. Also lots have a heave line.
your beliefs on horse management aren't what we're discussing though, are they. COPD can be disguised, a vendor can say the horse is unfit, or has had a cold, if it's winter and not dusty around then the cough isn't always seen. the only real indication is crackly lungs, and you need a vet unlesss you are pretty good with a stethoscope.

not everyone has a yard which is flexible, many yards inist on stabling overnight at least in winter - this is the kind of thing many many owners would have a problem managing.

[Gay]

When I purchased my colt at least one insurance company wouldn't cover him unless a 2 stage vetting had been done. I didn't have him vetted as it would have impacted his overall price - I went through an insurance broker to quote the best insurance without a vetting certificate.

[Imp]

Sorry, sort of still on topic; what's COPD? I rode a mare in lesson today and at first in trot then in canter she coughed loud, this entailed her putting her head down and forward abruptly and I lost the rein the first time because the noise shocked me. She kept doing it but RI said she probably had a bit of hay stuck because she'd gone into somebody elses' stable before my lesson and pinched their hay :rolleyes:

[Mehitabel]

Sorry, sort of still on topic; what's COPD? I rode a mare in lesson today and at first in trot then in canter she coughed loud, this entailed her putting her head down and forward abruptly and I lost the rein the first time because the noise shocked me. She kept doing it but RI said she probably had a bit of hay stuck because she'd gone into somebody elses' stable before my lesson and pinched their hay :rolleyes:
it's equestrian asthma - it stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known now as RAO - recurrent airway obstruction.
normally caused by a dust or mould allergy, and like asthma it can range form slightly inconvenient to really seriously debilitating.

[iluvhorses28]

Is a pre-purchase exam necessary for an older horse? I have been leasing this 16 or possible a little older mare. Have her on lease now for a month,granted she is no spring chicken....but is it silly to do an exam on her? I am getting her at a very good deal for the same reason, she is not a young mare....what does everyone think on older horses and exams?

[Imp]

Mehitabel, thanks for putting me straight; RI was probably right then, she had grabbed an inpromptu mouthful of hay on her way to the lesson, naughty girl :D

[Mehitabel]

Is a pre-purchase exam necessary for an older horse? I have been leasing this 16 or possible a little older mare. Have her on lease now for a month,granted she is no spring chicken....but is it silly to do an exam on her? I am getting her at a very good deal for the same reason, she is not a young mare....what does everyone think on older horses and exams?
not silly at all, IMO. 16 is not old at all these days, unless she has had a very hard life - but it is an age where you may see the beginnings of arthritis, and the wear and tear of the younger years will start being seen. if a horse at 16 had a lot of wear and tear, i'd want to know about it. if it doesn't, then marvellous - i know that the horse should have another 15 years easily elft in it. if a vetting showed that the horse had wear and tear and was already getting stiff, i'd reassess thinking it may only have 5 years before retiring.

insurance aside, i would always vet, even if i were hopelessly besotted with the horse and going to get it even if a leg fell off - just so i knew what i was dealing with. if there is a problem lurking, i want to know so i can start preventative treatment, make appropriate management decisions etc.

[iluvhorses28]

not silly at all, IMO. insurance aside, i would always vet, even if i were hopelessly besotted with the horse and going to get it even if a leg fell off - just so i knew what i was dealing with. if there is a problem lurking, i want to know so i can start preventative treatment, make appropriate management decisions etc.


Thanks Mehitabel!
We have no formal papers on my mare, was just estmated to be roughly between 16 and 20.
But I have heard many pre-purchase exams do not do such pass/fail conclusions, more of "here is where this horse is at health wise...up to you what you wish to do".
I suppose it is better to get her checked overall anyway. :D

[Peace]

a lot of foals tend to show something anyways, whether its minor OCD, crooked legs, swollen hocks, etc.

What is OCD please? All I can think of is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I'm pretty sure that's not right.:D

I'd get the vetting done. I mean, I didn't with either of mine, but I know better now.:) Not from personal experience, thank goodness, but a barn friend bought a young horse from a very fancy stud near here without a vetting - the first time the farrier saw it he informed her the horse had one leg shorter than the rest!:eek: Several fairly experienced horse people had seen this guy before she bought him, but as it's very slight - I still can't see it and I know what I'm looking for - no one noticed. And the breeders weren't telling! :rolleyes:

[Mehitabel]

osteochondrosis - there's info about it here. http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=234

also, iluvhorses, you're right about the conclusions - it's very rarely a pass/fail situation, for a pleasure horse. they can be more specific if the horse has a definite purpose, like my loan horse with a heart murmur who was passed 'fit for any activity except 3 day eventing' because of it, or a horse bought to be a show animal who moves crookedly, for instance.

[iluvhorses28]

I guess I just didnt want to seem too silly for vetting a horse that is not for show or a young mare that is worth several thousands, she is a beautiful "MATURE" ;) TB mare who is a great first horse for my daughter and I... I did not want the vet or my RI (who's selling to me) to think that I am over doing it... especially since she is priced less than most due to her age.
I dont usually care much by what people think--- but since I am new to the horse ownership thing-- I just wanted to be sure I was on the right track of thinking. :p

[horsey_woman]

Thanks Mehitabel!
We have no formal papers on my mare, was just estmated to be roughly between 16 and 20.



I would at least have a vet to age her if she doesn't have a passport. Some oldies can look a lot younger.

[justjay]

i didnt get my six year old thoroughbred vetted but then again i had ridden him for almost a year with no problems. its probably a good idea but we have had no issues. talk to the seller about his history, he might have been looked at recently if he is young