This thought just occurred to me. When a vet comes to do a flex test on a horse, whether to determine lameness, or for a prepurchase:
If a horse is just taken out of its stall, where its been hanging out for the last 12-24 hours, versus a horse that is living outside and moving around, would the flex test show the same outcome. I am thinking that any horse (even human. i.e.ME) moves better and freer and perhaps less sore, if they have been moving around awhile. Just wondering if this would make any difference in the outcome of a flex test.
My Vet whom I have used for over 35 years does NOT do flexion tests on horses for pre-purchase examinations. Ever!
He feels that quite often if not done correctly they can produce positive results when nothing on rad’s proves that observation. I have utmost faith in him having purchased many, many horses over the years with no issues whatsoever.
Any Vet can make a horse appear lame on a flexion test. Of course, if you flexed many humans they would not “pass” either and still be “sound”. I don’t ask for flexion tests to be done on any horse I am considering purchasing. If my Vet has any concerns whatsoever we go right to radiographs.
A vet I used in the past (we’ve since moved) said the exact same thing as cherham’s vet. She said flex tests were not a good way to test horses as many would not pass them, yet have nothing wrong with them. A lot would depend on how they are done, the horse itself, it’s condition, age, use etc. I’d rather have radiographs.
My vet does flexion tests after walking/trotting in straight lines and circles on hard and soft ground. The horse has been moving around plenty. If one is positive, he’ll repeat them after the under saddle portion of the exam to see if they’ve worked out of it, or if it remains.
A good vet will evaluate the whole picture - not just one test.
Any time I have had flex tests on a horse, whether for a PPE or lameness, it hasn’t been a case of pull the horse out and flex them. They’ve observed the horses moving ahead of any flexing – whether free or lunged or trotting a straight line. So the horse is given time to warm up no matter what, as one needs a baseline to compare to as the flex tests are performed.
And as stated above, a good vet evaluates the whole picture, not just the one test. And I do think that flex tests are a piece of that picture.
