Pre Purchase / Vetting Examinations
Buying a horse is expensive and it is important to ensure that the horse is not only physically suitable but also is educationally suited to the intended use.
It is also an advantage to have spent time with the horse and to have ridden it; particularly doing activities it is being purchased for before organising a vetting examination. A trial period arranged before vetting and purchase is very useful to ensure that the horse is capable of doing what you want and that it is of suitable temperament for your level of experience.
If possible get your instructor or a knowledgeable friend to view your potential purchase with you to help decide suitability.
At Aireworth Vets we regularly carry out Pre-purchase or 'Vetting’ examinations. These are conducted in ‘stages’ following a particular format.
The horse is assessed in terms of its suitability for purchase for a given use. The findings from the examination can then be used as a guide as to whether the horse is suitable for that particular use.
The full 5-stage vetting is the usual examination performed and is designed to enable the vet to adequately assess the horse’s suitability.
Stage 1 – Preliminary examination
This is a methodical examination of the animal’s body to assess general appearance and condition. It includes examination of the teeth, the resting heart, the eyes by ophthalmoscope, the skin, the limbs and feet, and flexion of the limb joints to reveal pain or limitation of movement.
Stage 2 – Trotting up
The animal is walked and trotted on hard, level ground in order to detect gross abnormalities of gait and action.
Stage 3 – Strenuous exercise
The animal is given sufficient strenuous exercise (1) to make it breathe deeply and rapidly so that any unusual breathing sounds may be heard; (2) to increase the action of the heart so that abnormalities may be more easily detected; and (3) to tire the animal so that strains or injuries may be revealed by stiffness or lameness after a period of rest.
Stage 4 – A period of rest
The horse is allowed to stand quietly for a period. During this time the breathing and the heart are checked as they return to their resting levels.
Stage 5 – The second trot and foot examination
The horse is walked and trotted again, turned sharply and backed, in order to reveal abnormalities exacerbated by the strenuous exercise stage.
In order to conduct a full 5-stage vetting the horse must be examined at a suitable location; for example an indoor/outdoor school with a trot-up area, a gallop area and a stable that can be darkened.
An abbreviated 2-stage vetting is also sometimes performed where facilities are not available to conduct a full 5-stage vetting or there is a limitation of the horses educational standard (for example an unbroken animal).
If you would like to request a pre-purchase examination, please contact the Equine team by phone (late morning or early afternoon is best), or by e-mail.