Getting a horse vetted

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If you adore horse riding, you will know that there is little more exciting than buying a new horse. The process of searching through the online horses for sale ads, visiting prospective buys and test-riding means that it can sometimes take a while to find that perfect match. However, when you appear to have found everything you are looking for in a horse, all you want to do is take him or her home to ride immediately.

As well as being an exciting process, it can also be an expensive one. With many horses being sold over the £1,000 mark, buying a horse is a real investment. It is thus important that you make a good decision when you purchase a new horse, otherwise you could leave yourself open to substantial financial loss should he or she turn out to be unsuitable to ride.

Unfortunately, many horses are sold with existing medical conditions which the owners are reluctant to mention as they would compromise the amount they could be sold for and, in some cases, the chance of being sold at all. While some conditions would just need short-term treatment to resolve, others sadly render the horse completely unrideable for life.

Although many people are willing to take on a horse with such a condition as a companion for their other horses, it is vital that they do not buy one with the mistaken impression that it is suitable for riding. Doing so could mean that the horses health is endangered, which is something that every horse riding enthusiast wants to avoid.

As well as failing to disclose medical information about a horse for sale, some vendors will also modify some other "facts", such as age. Older horses may be passed off as being younger than they actually are, whilst very young horses may be presented as being older than their years. This can lead to horses being ridden harder than they should be, again potentially leading to health problems.

In order to avoid these kinds of problems, it is vital that to get a horse vetted before purchasing it. The vets expert eye will often be able to pick up on any inaccuracies and things that just do not sit quite right with how the horse is being presented by the vendor. A check of its teeth by a vet can determine its age quickly and quite reliably, and can help you to avoid a bad purchase. Before the vetting is carried out, your requirements should be discussed with the vet and it is by these standards that the horse will be assessed. You may wish to have a basic vetting or a full vetting, depending on insurance and how much the horse is worth. A basic vetting consists of an examination, whilst the full vetting involves an examination and watching the horse in action.

In both the basic and full vettings, the vet will perform a review of the horses general wellbeing, with checks on its heart, lungs and eyes that should pick up on any existing problems. Any issues with temperament or behaviour will also be noted, as these could be related to underlying medical conditions that the current owner did not know about or has not disclosed.

A full examination of the horse will then be carried out, with special attention being paid to the lymph glands, spine, limbs and any wounds or abnormal lumps and bumps that are present.

Once the examination part of a full vetting has been performed, the horse will then be observed in movement. The vet will be looking for any signs of lameness, pain or any other signs of restriction in the horses movement while it walks, trots and canters. The respiration and heart rate after strenuous activity will also be monitored to ensure that there are no abnormalities in these respects.

The vet will then give the horse a pass or fail depending on how it has performed. Any problems will be highlighted and put into context with consideration given to the level at which the horse will be ridden.

Once the vets report is complete, it can then be used to make an informed decision as to whether the horse will be suitable for you. The cost of the vetting will depend on whether you have a basic or full report carried out, but prices start from around £75 and can reach up to around £250. However, it is well worth this outlay, as it provides you will peace of mind that the decision you make will be the right one - for both you and the horse.

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