RED DEER – People in the market to buy a horse should have their prospects examined by a veterinarian.
Mike Scott, a private veterinarian based in Alberta, has examined about 3,500 horses offered for sale. The checkup is not set up to set a pass or a failing grade for the horse, but provides a fair assessment so a buyer can make a better decision.
Sometimes experienced horse owners do not have the exam done because they trust their own judgments but they might miss problems that cause trouble later.
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“Many times the problems we find are subtle,” Scott said at the Alberta horse breeders conference held in Red Deer Jan. 12.
The buyer pays for the information that includes a physical exam and X-rays of feet and legs to make sure there are no deformities. Scott recommends hiring a veterinarian who does not know the horse. It is not a good idea to use the seller’s vet. Do not hesitate to ask the local vet for recommendations on who could do a competent examination.
“The regular vet who sees that horse the most may not be the best guy to do the pre-purchase (exam),” he said.
“You are paying for honest, ethical unbiased information and guidance on the qualities of this horse and its prospects for what you want it to do.”
The examiner should provide an easy to understand written report of the findings and explain it to the buyer. It is the responsibility of the buyer to read the report and ask questions.
Buyers may develop “barn blindness” and want to buy the horse regardless of what the report tells them. A person may feel forced to make a deal because of pressure from family, a sales agent or the breeder.
Some experienced sellers have exams done before the horse goes up for sale so that problems can be found and corrected and the horse marketed to its advantage.
“If you know ahead of time whether you have got one that is really solid or not, that helps you price appropriately,” he said.
“With more valuable horses it makes sense to know what you have.”
An exam takes about an hour and a half. The vet needs to know if a professional or a child is riding the horse and if it is for pleasure or competitive riding.
There is no standardized approach for these kinds of exams but Scott recommends sellers should show off their horses by bringing them in halter broken, clean and well groomed with trimmed feet.
A history of age, breed, sex, markings, type of work it did, medications and whether it received injections in the joints should be available.
The initial physical inspection includes a look at the general appearance, body condition and examination of the heart, lungs, feet, legs, back, teeth, ears, eyes and skin.
It will be walked and trotted to see how it places its feet and flexion tests may be done on the joints using moderate pressure to see if the horse exhibits signs of lameness.
Up to half of all horses show some signs of lameness but if they were ridden on soft surfaces the problem may be subtle and go unnoticed. A horse may be allowed to rest for two weeks and this also gives the buyer time to think about the purchase or have specific lameness tests done.
“Subtle lameness matters because with chronic conditions it starts off very mild,” he said.
While the animal is exercising Scott listens for breathing problems and checks hearts and lungs afterward.
“In horses that have mild heaves, for example, you won’t notice it when they are standing still but after they work a bit, then you will hear those abnormal lung sounds,” he said.
X-rays may be taken but are not essential. They picture the bones but do not show ligaments or tendons.
“X-rays are really valuable if you are looking at a really young horse because you don’t have a performance history,” he said.
Blood tests will be done for conditions like Coggins disease or drugs in the system.
Scott’s report assesses the potential risk a horse has to develop problems.
“The responsibility for the final decision lies with the buyer and many times the buyer is in a hurry,” he said.
