I live in Ontario, Canada and have just agreed to buy a horse in Oklahoma. How does one go about finding a vet to do the PPE?
Rely on the seller’s recommendation? She seems reputable but I am buying the horse off the video…
I’ve investigated what I need to do to get the horse to me, so I don’t really need help with that, but anything else I should be careful of?
I would be careful of buying a horse off of a video. If you are going to invest in buying it and shipping it, I think the cost of a plane ticket would be well worth it.
I sell most of my horses off of video, but they are foals so that may be a different situation. We are in an area with few equine vets familiar with WBs. I recommend the one that does the most WB work (and he’s pretty tough) and give a couple of other choices. Buyers can look at their websites, call them, get independent references, whatever. It has never been a problem and the vets have never been anything but professional.
Do NOT use the sellers vet….do some calling/googling/networking to find your own.
Where in Oklahoma? There are more than a few COTHers in Oklahoma. I’d suggest PMing CrosscreekSH and Silver Creek for recommendations.
And let me clarify. The vet I recommend is NOT my primary vet.
Hopefully, the horse is not in a remote area where there are limited choices. Oakridge in Oklahoma City is excellent.
Make sure to have the vet measure the horse. A horse being sold sight unseen as 16hh+ can end up being 15:2 when measured by the vet.
Have a thorough exam done, including xrays and an under-saddle evaluation.
What b ^ said - get an official measurement.
Ask someone to video the jog and the undersaddle portion.
I won’t sell a horse off a video look only. What a horse does at my farm with my riders may not be the same when it gets to a strange, unfamiliar environment with who knows what kind of rider on its back. I have had TOO many people show up saying/thinking they are an advanced rider when they are more like an intermediate.
To each their own on this.
As to vets. I have no problem using a sellers vet and or a vet known to them. I would like to get some outside references. Anybody that has been in the business of buying and selling horses long enough knows. There are vets that we like to use when buying a horse and vets that we would like the buyer to use when selling.
All PPE vets are not created equal when it comes to expertise. Some vets are just plan ridiculous when it comes to their idea of “pass/fail”. There are a couple that I will not allow on my farm. If the buyer takes exception, fair enough find another horse. That has yet to happen.
No vet is going to risk their reputation “fudging” a PPE for a seller to make a few dollars. Now if we are talking about a high 6 figure horse and the seller is back handing the vet 5 figures that’s a different story. Everybody has their price. Sometimes I am amazed at how cheap some people will “sell” their integrity/reputation and risk their livelihood.
We buy and sell from video all the time. I usually have to use who is suggested but ask them to video the PPE especially flexions so my vet and I can review it too. Good luck!
I’m in Oklahoma and sell almost 100% of my horses off video…to far away buyers!! I tend to be overly thorough in my descriptions, and feel intense pressure when selling that way, but thankfully ALL of my clients to date have been delighted with their purchases!! There are good, better, best vets in the area…but we have a lot of space between them. My primary vet is overly picky…but tells the customers all of her findings. In this day an age of liability…I would think any vet would be held to the highest standard to cover his own a$$!! I had one vet actually video the horse to prove he had vetted the correct animal!! There are a lot of bargains to be found in "Cowboy Country, Oklahoma!! But DO have the vet measure the height!! These folks think 15.1 is HUGE and get a little “off” on the measurements above THAT!! I bought one Reg. APHA, foxhunter…off only snap shots…He turned out to be fantastic…and an inch taller…and two years younger!!
If you can give details about what part of OK, some of us can probably help you out with recommendations. I’m an Okie - feel free to PM me!
She is in Perry. The breeder uses Red Earth, and has been able to give me one name, a Dr. Katy Simpson. A Google search netted me Perry Veterinary and Red Dirt as other large animal vets.
I have no problem buying this horse off the video. I bred almost everything else I own, so actually seeing a video of my new horse is more information than I usually get 
She is not started, so I don’t feel like it makes a difference if I go down and meet her before buying her. If she doesn’t work out, I will find her a new job or a new home.
I am definitely having the height checked - she is advertised as 14.2, and while I don’t care if she’s over that, I want to be certain she isn’t under 14.1 as that is getting too small for me.
Plus a good cardiovascular exam, blood work, Coggins, X-ray front feet and hocks. And check teeth as I have had 2 horses who have needed dental surgeries so I want to make sure there isn’t anything in her mouth that will lead to surgery.
http://www.oakridgevet.com/veterinarians/ is the best, 50 min from there. Worth paying to have the horse hauled there. Even here in MO, vets refer clients there.
And in this digital age, the local vet should be able to email or Skype with your own vet throughout the process.
