Pre-purchase Examinations – or ‘Vettings’

So, you’ve been looking for months, you’ve finally found ‘the one’! You can’t wait to get him home and get started; his career is mapped out… But hold your horses! Is he all that he seems?

A pre-purchase examination, or ‘vetting’, aims to assess a horse’s suitability for his intended career – be it riding out on country lanes or around Badminton,  to try to avoid both heartbreak and expense later on. Whilst no one can see into the future, a thorough veterinary examination can highlight potential problems and help you make an informed choice about what can be a very big decision.

Vetting falls into two main categories: the limited 2-stage and full 5-stage. The full five stages of a pre-purchase examination are:

• A thorough preliminary examination: This takes into account not only the obvious points concerning the eyes, heart, lungs (at rest), but also the horse’s conformation and its potential implications, any evidence of previous or current injury, external tumours, skin conditions, dental problems and a whole raft of potential pitfalls.
• An examination at walk and trot: Obviously this examines soundness, but also more subtle gait changes and neurological conditions can be detected at this point.

(2-stage vetting ends here)

• The strenuous exercise phase: The horse is worked so that it is breathing heavily and its heart rate is raised. This also allows a far better examination of soundness in ‘wind and limb’.
• A period of rest
• Final trot up and foot examination: Occasionally lameness or stiffness can become apparent as the horse cools down, which might not have been noticed initially when the horse had been brought from his stable.

Blood Sampling

During vetting we also take a blood sample which is sent for storage at a specialist lab. In the event of a dispute, for example over whether drugs had been administered prior to the purchase of the horse, this sample can be tested and act as an invaluable safeguard for everyone concerned.

What is the difference between a 2-stage and a 5-stage vetting?

A 2-stage vetting omits the final three stages listed above. The first two stages are conducted just as thoroughly as in the full 5-stage examination; it is important however to realise that some problems simply might not become apparent in this limited version.

What do we need?

For the examination to be conducted properly we require a handler, a level hard surface to trot up on, and a stable or other suitable area that can be darkened for the eye examination. In addition for a 5-stage vetting we normally require a rider, and a level non-slip surface where the horse can be exercised at walk, trot, and canter  – a school is ideal. We can also conduct vettings at our equine clinic in Rathmell. The horse’s passport should also be available – please note it is now illegal to sell a horse without a valid passport!

Additional examinations

During the examination we may find something that we feel requires further investigation before we can ‘pass’ the horse – or not as the case may be! Insurance companies may also request x-rays before they will insure a horse, especially in more expensive animals. This can be done on-site though when many x-rays are to be taken it is usually most practical to bring the horse into the clinic at Rathmell. Specialists are also occasionally required to clarify the likely importance and future impact of abnormal findings, for example some heart murmurs and eye conditions.