Navigating the Pre-Purchase Veterinary Exam
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You need a positive plan
and realistic expectations.
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You’ve
found what could be your next dressage horse but before you write that
check, conventional wisdom tells you to have a pre-purchase veterinary exam.
This part of the buying process might be an emotionally unpleasant
and disappointing experience unless you have a positive plan and realistic
expectations. You may be shocked to hear the high percentage of sales that
buyers back out of during the pre-purchase process – following these cases often proves the veterinarian's caution or the buyer's concern to be exagerated as the horse in question goes on to lead a competitive career in dressage. By the time most serious dressage riders find the next "horse of their dreams" they've typically invested quite a bit of time, money and emotional energy. Turning your back on what could be the best ride of your life because of issues of concern that turn up at the vetting MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN YOUR BEST INTEREST. The purpose of this article is to give you a leg up on navigating the pre-purchase exam so you can make a wise choice.
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You are probably going to be working with a
veterinarian that you don't know.
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Most of the time buyers find horses that are
geographically distant from their own veterinarian. You are probably
going to be faced with finding a veterinarian in a geographic proximity of
the horse - and chances are you won't know this veterinarian. This can
make the situation even more complicated. Is the veterinarian you
choose as thorough as you would like? If there is something wrong with
the horse, will they find it?
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Should I use the seller's veterinarian or
choose another one?
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The subject
that often comes up is, "should I use the seller's veterinarian or
should I find one on my own that is NOT the seller's normal
veterinarian." The old school of thought was to NEVER use the seller's
veterinarian because of their alleged conflict of interest. In other
words, they may be tempted to slant their exam in the favor of the seller
rather than to protect you, the buyer.
In my experience, there has been a lot of change in
that attitude especially among professionals. Especially in the United
States, fear of liability has caused veterinarians to be extremely cautious
- ESPECIALLY if they are evaluating a horse that belongs to a regular
client. There is no absolute answer to the question about which
veterinarian to use and there are good arguments for both sides.
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Two Points of View
Use the Seller's Veterinarian
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He or she knows about the
horse's prior health history.
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If it's the choice of the owner,
chances are its one of the better equine vets in the area
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If it's the seller's vet,
chances are he/she is used to working on sport horses
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Conflict of interest is a non
issue because veterinarians are professional enough to understand
their obligation to you and their danger of liability.
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Use an Independent Veterinarian
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He or she will likely have a
more objective point of view.
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He/she won't be tempted to
"help" the sale in any way.
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It will be more clear that the
veterinarian is working for you the buyer.
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The veterinarian will be looking at the horse with a fresh perspective.
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Decide which veterinarian to use on a case
by case basis.
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The way I
make this decision is on a case by case basis. If I don't feel
comfortable with the seller's integrity I will be much more inclined to look
for an outside veterinarian. In that case, I might use my own
veterinarian to recommend a veterinarian in the horse's geographic vicinity.
When my customers buy a horse in Europe, I'm able to help them by making
available the veterinarians that I use regularly over there. The vets
then understand that they're not working for the seller, and my clients are
connected with veterinarians that I happen to know are world class.
Many times when professionals come to
my farm, they'll asked which veterinarian I normally use because they assume
that it's the most competent in the area.
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The seller may want to have a say in who
the pre-purchase veterinarian will be.
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That's who they'll use in many cases. I
think that's also because they like the idea of having an insider knowledge
of the horse, which my veterinarian can often give them. Sometimes customers
like to use their trainer to help them make this decision.
Keep in mind that the seller may reserve the right
to have a say in which veterinarian examines the horse and to what
extent. As a number of veterinarians are now openly admitting that
their clients often don't buy horses after they do a pre-purchase exam, and many
veterinarians conduct (what seems to the seller like) a pre-purchase "witch hunt" (as opposed to a
practical appraisal of health), sellers are understandably nervous,
defensive and selective. If you encounter this in a seller, don't
assume that he or she is unreasonable or has anything to hide.
Similarly, you may encounter a seller that is
unwilling to have a horse hauled to a university or outside clinic for the
pre-purchase exam. The "norm" is quite different in various
parts of the country and in Europe as well. Again, don't assume that
the seller is being unreasonable with this position. Technology has
improved the ability for veterinarians to get great radiographs at a farm
location. Also, many farms have much better places to lunge, ride and
do flexion tests than do equine hospitals.
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Don't ask a veterinarian questions about a horse's suitability for dressage, potential or specific
gait analysis unless they've had extensive training in these areas.
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Some have
recommended that the buyer finds a veterinarian that has knowledge and
experience in dressage. Unless the
veterinarian has had extensive experience and training in dressage, don't
assume they have enough expertise about a horse's dressage potential, the specific
movements, biomechanics specific to the sport or temperament
requirements. Use an experienced trainer with specific education and
proven expertise in these areas and ask them questions regarding
sport. For that reason, I think that finding a veterinarian that
"knows about dressage" can be a dangerous focus. I have had
surprisingly frequent encounters with veterinarians that are eager to speak
authoritatively about a horse's potential for dressage, speaking about
biomechanics, conformation and movement when indeed they have had only
exposure to dressage sport and no extensive education to draw from on these
subjects. For this reason I would recommend that you don't ask your
veterinarian questions relating to potential, sport suitability and gaits as
you may tempt them to answer outside of their realm of expertise. Ask
your trainer or a knowledgeable professional these questions. Along the
same lines, be careful how much veterinary counsel you take from your dressge
trainer.
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Try to use a veterinarian that has had
experience with the type of horse you are vetting.
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While I don't
recommend seeking out a veterinary "dressage expert" you should certainly choose one who is familiar
with and has had significant field experience with horses in the breed that
you are buying. For instance, there are significant differences of
interpretation of vascular lesions of the navicular bone if you ask a
veterinarian that has practiced on thoroughbred race horses than those who
have looked at warmbloods. Certain breeds have inherent weaknesses and
strengths that should have a strong impact on your examination's focus and
your findings.
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Notice: This article has been published for
information purposes only. Author strongly advises reader to seek out
expert advice for their particular situation.
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