When purchasing a horse I would always recommend to:
1. Go and visit the horse in person NOT to purchase by video only.
2. When you go to see the horse, take along a friend or your coach that has more horse knowledge.
3. Be 15-30 minutes earlier than your scheduled appointment to see the horse. This is so you can see how the horse reacts in the paddock from catching it, all the way up to putting on the tack and if the horse requires lunging before riding.
4. Do Not on any circumstances ride the horse first; allow the owner to ride first before you do.
5. As the saying goes, always take the horses’ background history and what the owner/seller is saying with a small grain of rice. Remember they are selling the horse so they may not always tell you everything.
6. Things to ask: 1. Has the horse had any injuries? If so, when did it happen, what was the injury and where on the horse, and how long did it take for the horse to recover. 2. When was the last time the horse went out and performed and if the owner rode the horse not anyone else. 3. And of course the general stuff eg how it floats, stables, acts around other horses, gets shod, what sort of training has it done etc.
7. Always ask to see the horse in a different environment than the one they live in or are familiar with.
8. Once you have seen the horse and test ridden it and you are fully comfortable with seeing it in a different environment. Then I would get a vet check done.
9. Ask the owner what vet they use. This is a good way so you don't use their vet and there is no biased judgment involved by the vet or owner, when having a vet check completed before purchasing.
10. When asking the vet to check the horse out ensure they perform a flexion test no matter what the age is. If the horse is halter broken and the vet can watch the horses movement in walk and trot on a halter, then the vet is able to do this test.
11. MOST important X-Rays. From my experience no matter what age from 6 months up, or if you are looking to purchase a riding horse or a young weanling or yearling I still recommend x-rays. I know it is an expensive outlay but in the long run it will save you the pain and money, especially when it could have been picked up before purchasing the horse.
12. Before having x-rays completed, it is a good idea to do research on the breed of horse you are looking at purchasing, as you will know what areas will need x-rays.
I say this so people do not have to go through what I have experienced. If one of my horses had x-rays when she was 6 months old, the vets/owner would have picked up her condition. We got a vet check completed before purchasing her at 15 months, however, the vet did not do a flexion test which we found out later on, after looking at the paper work. It was stated that she was too young but the vet did look at her walking and trotting on the halter, in which she was being lead. So you must check that the vet completes all aspects of the pre-purchase vet check, including the flexion test. My horses condition would have been picked up here if this flexion test was completed.
After purchasing her and not having x-rays conducted, when she was 2 1/2 years old, she was diagnosed with OCD in both front legs. This means that BOTH front legs are nearly completely fractured in the extensor process of the P3 with
bony re-modelling of the coffin joint, with indicative moderate arthritis at such a young age. We are doing our best to keep her as comfortable as she can with special food and medication.
Remember there are lots of people trying to sell horses you just need to find the right one, but this is a great tool to get you started.
All the best when purchasing a horse. Good luck.
Danielle
No comments:
Post a Comment