Vetting cost?

kerrysgold

How much does it cost approx. to get a horse vetted? (a horse that your thinking about buying) Thanks!

togster

Depends how extensive the vetting will be. What are you getting done? X rays as well?

skink

Can cost from 50 euro to nearly 1000 euro depending on what you want done!

kerrysgold

Just a general vetting to make sure there are no problems with breathing or lameness or anything like that I suppose. *stupid question time* Are x-rays recommended for just a normal riding horse or is that only if it's an eventer or something?

togster

I would always get x-rays on an older horse 8+. Also depends on what the horse has been doing. A hunter or a horse that has done alot of hard work i would get xrayed. Depends also on the cost of a horse, and how much of a risk you are willing to take.
Make sure the vet does flexion tests at least, and lunge him on a small circle on some solid ground. Any major problems will show up on these with these tests. Make sure you get the vet to check the horses wind and make sure the horse can back up without difficulty.

Also make sure whoever is showing the horse to the vet, does not hold the horses lead rope to tight when trotting it. People often do this to stop a horse bobbing its head which indicated lameless.

Also stand behind the horse and make sure the muscle cover on its quarters is uniform i.e. balanced distribution of the muscle over the top of the quarters. A horse with a dip or lack of muscle on one side probably has a problem with a hind leg. Starting from the withers run your fingers down either side of the horses spine applying pressure. If a horse flinches you should investigate the problem further.

ALSO Get YOUR own vet. Do not accept the owners vet. I've seen too many dodgy horses passed by unscrupolous vets interested in maintaining business in a small local area.

Borderfox

Try to call up on spec once or twice, it wouldnt be outside the realms of possibilty to dope a horse for sale

togster

Rosey E wrote: »

(a new one I've heard of is doctoring the horses teeth with enamel to disguise the age)....
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You tell a horses age by the position of teeth and length of teeth. I can't see how enamiling a horses teeth would disguise age tbh.

Tabletwotop

Ah im buying a horse too and was wondering the same thing!!! How much would the full 5 stage cost do you think? and does 5 stage automically cover x rays or is that extra? Thanks

finbarrk

€100 should cover a proper vetting. Xrays are hardly needed, I don't know why some people are so particular about them. You could pay 100k for a racehorse and no Xray so why an Xray for a 10k showjumper?
Its sometimes a good idea to get a blood sample taken and kept in case the horse shows up with a problem afterwards the blood sample can then be sent away to be analysied.

togster

i don't know any race hore owner who would invest 100 k in a horse without getting x-rays tbh. X-rays ARE important depending on what you want a horse to do. If you are buying a horse to go on and compete then x-rays are a must. I have seen too many horses with the on-set of vavicular or side bone sold without people x-raying them.
So to dismiss x-rays as pointless is naive and ill informed. OP depends on what you are going to spend and what you want the horse to do.

convert

togster wrote: »

i don't know any race hore owner who would invest 100 k in a horse without getting x-rays tbh. X-rays ARE important depending on what you want a horse to do. If you are buying a horse to go on and compete then x-rays are a must. I have seen too many horses with the on-set of vavicular or side bone sold without people x-raying them.
So to dismiss x-rays as pointless is naive and ill informed. OP depends on what you are going to spend and what you want the horse to do.

I fully agree with togster on this point.

finbarrk

Its just that I don't understand why racehorses are usually sold without Xrays, and I would imagine that their bones and joints are put under more pressure than other sport horses.
Maybe like yourselves I would like to get Xrays done if I was paying 100k, but maybe not for one for 10k.

convert

finbarrk wrote: »

Its just that I don't understand why racehorses are usually sold without Xrays, and I would imagine that their bones and joints are put under more pressure than other sport horses.
Maybe like yourselves I would like to get Xrays done if I was paying 100k, but maybe not for one for 10k.

Sometimes people purchase horses more for the breeding than for the performance. I've seen racehorses with full vet certs make much less than those without simply because their breeding wasn't as good.

Regarding whether or not racehorses' joints are put under much more stress than other sport horses, I don't know whether it's entirely accurate. I think it's impossible to compare all equestrian sports on the same level as each one requires a much different focus than the other. It's not necessary to delve into a full, in-depth comparison on it here as common sense should prevail (and it's a little off topic for this thread...).

Suffice it to say that I know people who have bought both racehorses and young horses without x-rays, and I don't know whether or not it was the luck of the draw, but it was actually the sport horses which caused more problems due to injuries they had received before they were sold (even though they hadn't actually competed much, or at all).

just a comment

Regarding the post from togster :
“Make sure the vet does flexion tests at least, and lunge him on a small circle on some solid ground. Any major problems will show up on these with these tests. Make sure you get the vet to check the horses wind and make sure the horse can back up without difficulty.

Also make sure whoever is showing the horse to the vet, does not hold the horses lead rope to tight when trotting it. People often do this to stop a horse bobbing its head which indicated lameless.”
This displays a lack of understanding of the process of vetting a horse, it is a standard procedure and is followed in a stepwise fashion.
Furthermore for you to besmirch the profession with the comment : “ALSO Get YOUR own vet. Do not accept the owners vet. I've seen too many dodgy horses passed by unscrupolous vets interested in maintaining business in a small local area” , is downright libellous .
If you feel a veterinary surgeon has acted improperly the correct thing to do would be to complain to the vet. in the first instance and if you are still not satisfied you should contact the rcvs to make a complaint or if worst comes to worst consult your solicitor

togster

It's not libellous. I didn't name anyone. Maybe you should research that a little further. In MY experience i have met many great vets and also many not so scrupolous vets. It is understandable in rural areas as many will want to retain the custom of horse dealers who could sell up to 10 horses a week.

So are you suggesting that i am lying? I have seen one vet fail a horse because it was obviously lame. The vet got an earful from the dealer and the next day the horse passed. I could go on and on and on-.....

convert

Just a comment, I think you've over-reacted somewhat to togster's post.
Kerrysgold asked how much vetting a horse would cost, and quite rightly togster replied that it depends on the extent of the vetting process, whether x-rays, etc were needed.

From my experience, when buying a horse I've always made sure to have my own vet examine the horse, regardless of whether or not it has a cert from another vet. It's not that I have any doubt in the other vet's opinion, I just want to have peace of mind. There's no point in forking out a lot of money for a horse only to find out it's not as sound as I originally thought. Buying a horse is an investment, just like buying shares, etc on the stock market. You wouldn't dive head first into that without doing some research. Purchasing a horse is the same.


Finally, on the point of watching the person who is leading the horse while trotting him up for the vet: it's a well known fact that some people will use 'tricks of the trade' in a bid to try hide the fact that a horse is slightly lame, especially if the buyer isn't very experienced. A well-trained eye will pick it up quickly, but togster was just pointing out some things to watch out for rather than, as you claim, to 'besmirch the [veterinary] profession'.