How much did your PPE cost? How much did you spend, what did you get done, and why? Also, where are you located?
Depends on the horse, but I like a more thorough picture than most people need. It serves as a baseline for the horse for the rest of their life. I think it is valuable. I don’t PPE a horse unless I’ve resolved to purchase them…assuming nothing catastrophic comes up on the PPE. So, to me, it’s as much a very comprehensive medical exam as it is risk management.
For an adult in full work, as long as nothing pops up to end the PPE, I have a physical exam, lameness with flexions, neuro exam, radiographs of pretty much everything (including neck, back, all four feet), ultrasounds of the suspensories, CBC/Chem. That was maybe $2,500 in KY and $3,500 in the North East.
For a weanling/yearling, I order a physical exam, attempt to observe at the walk and trot which is usually hilarious, radiographs of the hooves and most joints (not spine), CBC/Chem. The last one I did was in the SE and was about $2,500.
For any horse, I send the images to multiple vets for consult (usually about $400), and have my farrier look at the images and at video of the horse.
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Just did this yesterday in ohio. Very comprehensive exam, full work up (lameness, flexions, neuro, eyes etc…)… Rads of feet, hocks and stifles. $1,500
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A PPE is only a snap shot of a living animal on a particular day. One vet will see something of concern that another vet will discount as insignificant. One thing the vet is looking for is whether or not the horse is suitable for the work it will be required to do. Potential owners should be honest about this. A PPE is an expert opinion based on experience and a structured approach but it is still, fundamentally, subjective so it is definitely not a “100% guarantee”. Given their nature, a horse may “pass” the PPE and then suffer a catastrophic colic the next day.
If you are spending the equivalent of the budget of a small country, then obviously get the most detailed PPE, blood tests, Xrays, scans, anything. Check the performance history of the animal, the pedigree, the record of the breeder. Ask for opinions from your trainer, your friends. Asking your farrier for advice can be a good move because they should be expert in limbs not just feet.
If you are buying a horse and want to insure it, you may find that the insurance company requires a PPE - so they know what to exclude from the cover! This is usually the basic level of PPE, which is just sensible due diligence by a potential new owner.
If the horse is not expensive (and everyone has a view about what “expensive” may mean) is it worth even paying for a PPE? When buying for leisure and riding school use, rather than competitive ones, I personally didn’t bother.
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With the last two horses I bought, I did a PPE because the one before them, had undiagnosed ringbone that made him unsuitable for riding less than a year after I bought him --once burned, twice shy. My vet had “looked him over” and had him trot on a hard surface, and passed him. No x-ray or flex test.
So, never again. The horse was 11.
Most recent was Bob —I had all the background on him --he was 8 when I bought him, turned 9 shortly after. I had the vet come, and we start with an exam --runs hands over, flexes, watches him trot, looks in his eyes, ears, listens to his heart (DD didn’t buy one that had a heart mummer, FYI) --and if ALL that is good, we go to the x-rays. I pick one joint, vet picks one joint. I always pick front pasterns because of that surprise ringbone. In Bob’s case, the vet picked hocks. Then he asked if I would let him do knees too --$100 more --but if the vet thought it was a good idea and he had the equipment out –
Well, Bob passed everything.
Basic exam was $250 ($200 + $50 barn call), then the x-rays were $200 for the first, $100 for each picture after that. My total bill, including a fecal (dumb move, should have just had my usual vet do that for $20 cheaper) --anyway, my total bill was $750. I am in Northern Indiana where there are many, many large animal vets and a boat-load of horses —
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I don’t think that I’ve ever had a PPE done on any horse I have purchased in the last 50 years. I don’t ever pay a lot of money as a purchase price. If I like them, and I think they are sound or have issues that are going to heal up fine given some time, and the price is right, the deal is done and they come home with me. When and if I go to sell the horse, sometimes someone gets a PPE done, if they want to. I’m not interested either way in the results, because I know my horse. I have never had one that I’ve sold “fail” PPE.
Oh, I had one… I bought him as a 7 year old off the track, with 55 starts under his belt, he had a bowed tendon that was done several years before I bought him, and a 5 foot long scar down one side of his body where he had run through a fence (it took 200 stitches to close him up, I was told). I bought him for $1000 after his last race. It was either me, or the chuckwagons, or a whole lot of cans of dog food. I just had “a feeling” about him, the power in his step. I had my great old vet take a look at him… just “because” there was so much to see. He found a slight heart murmur at rest that disappeared as he got moving, and a partial cataract in one eye (probably from being hit by a rock in the eye in a race). All other issues were called “of no consequence”. I bought him, and showjumped him for 5 years up to the 4’9" division. Then I went to sell him to a fellow competitor… they thought he was a “World Cup” horse. Their vet “failed” him because of the bowed tendon ROTFLMAO!!! Made me laugh. Then they had another vet look at him, and he failed him because he thought he was slightly off when trotting in a tight circle on pavement. (The potential purchasers had been jumping him up to 5’ in a tight ring to try him out). So I brought him home. So then I kept on competing with him I sold him to someone else, through the same contact who had rejected him previously, and he jumped on for years in California as the barn pet. Kindest horse you would ever meet. And he liked jumping a whole lot better than being a racehorse. Point and shoot to anything.
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Fall 2023
Area: mid Florida
Besides the general exam, heart, eyes, lungs, flexions of front and back legs, watched in a round pen both directions. I did X-rays of front feet, hocks, stifles and vet wanted X-rays of all 4 fetlocks as there were some general filling in the fetlock region (15 year old horse). I skipped X-rays of back and neck because it was a 15 year old horse, out doing the job I wanted. Vet said the horse did not show any back soreness and could maneuver their neck equally in both directions.
I wanted the hind suspensories ultrasounded as my last horse was purchased with a chronic hind suspensory. (Did not want to get burned again although this new horse did not show any of the symptoms, but I wanted to sleep at night.). I also elected to do a drug screen because hey, it was a 15 year old horse and I wanted to sleep at night.
Bill: in the neighborhood of $2800 for everything.
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2022, PNW, $1,380
Shared call- $45
PPE fee- $400
Sedation (xrays)- $75
X-rays (12) - $720
CBC equine screen $120
PPE included general physical exam, flexions, ocular exam, lunge line observation session
Xrayed all 4 feet, hocks and stifles
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My take on this is that we should stop comparing the price of a PPE against the purchase price of a horse, because that’s going to be one of the smaller costs of ownership.
Instead, add up the cost to own this horse from the day you buy it until it dies, because if it has very bad PPE findings you’ll have a hard time selling it, and will be responsible for it’s costs for many, many years.
That FAR outweighs a PPE, and unless you’re wealthy and own land, is the real showstopper.
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I did a PPE in 2023 for a 22 year old dressage schoolmaster (PSG) that was less than $20k. I did what I consider to be a pretty basic PPE. Full physical exam including flexions. I x-rayed only pasterns on all four and hocks. I did test for EPM because of some asymmetry in his muscling, which in hindsight I think was a bad idea but was kinda forced because of timing and because I was remote when the PPE occurred. Oh and I tested for cushings and a full blood panel. I think all in all I spent about $2k.
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Cheapest? about $100 to have trusted vet review X-rays already on file.
Most expensive? >$1000 to do full lameness (flexions, jog, lunge), X-rays (feet, stifles, hocks).
Ontario pricing! I’d say in our area, basic PPE with flexions, lunge, physical is about $250 to $300, plus imaging that will push that price up.
Caveat: ANCIENT HISTORY 
THE 1 & Only PPE I had done was my very 1st horse of my own (after a lifetime of Schoolies & shareboards)
Midwest - 1989
$200 - no rads done
6yo TB owned by a H/W team of racetrack trainers. Too slow as a 2yo, so he ponied for them until I bought him as a 6yo.
PPE by my H/J trainer’s vet.
Who deemed him fit for B-rated shows.
I had no ambitions to do more at the time.
1st season, local trainer offered 3X his purchase price.
2yrs later local BNT offered 10X that.
I kept him for the next 20yrs & never regretted it.
Horses I bought after that got a P(ost)PE by my vet.
After I eyeballed, ran hands over, watched them go, rode myself & decided from there if I’d buy.
Not high dollar horses, mostly low 4s.
All held up to what I used them for, lost to issues unrelated to use.
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I’ve only PPE’d one horse and had basic lameness exam and X-rays of front feet and hocks at vets recommendation. Horse had foundered previously and had some knarly hocks. Passed on that one as he was only 8 y/o.
I gave the vet a budget and let them guide me based on what’s in front of them.
My other horses were owned by people that I know are reputable and doing the job I wanted them to do with no issues. And owners were lovely about sharing previous maintenance and vet records.
Last year, I PPE’d two horses. I only X-ray or do further work up indicated on flexions, lameness or the vet’s observation. Note that I am a pleasure rider and both horses were Walking Horses so no jumping or western speed.
I did a PPE on a 15 year old I had know for seven years. He was really a great horse and had all the buttons including a lovely canter. We did the physical exam- eyes, respiratory, as well as flexions. He unfortunately did not pass flexions of hind fetlock and vet offered an ultrasound to rule out DSLD. We did u/s and his ligaments were bad, so I passed. I did the u/s so I could rule the horse in/out. That exam was around $700. Had he passed the flexions, I probably would not have done any diagnostics and would have bought him.
The next horse was 4- almost 5- did not have much history riding wise. We did the usual physical exam, flexions and he was palpated and observed on the lunge at various gaits. Horse passed so I purchased him. That exam was about $500.
Different practices used for both. The first was SE Wisconsin and the latter was NE WI south of Green Bay.
I tend to buy from Europe. Most have a full set of X-rays on file, so most of the cost is simply having my vet review them. I don’t bother with flexions, and we make decisions off x-rays, performance record, and how the horse is going currently. If the x-rays on file are old or incomplete, I’ll retake either the images I need or the full set. In Germany, Belgium, and Holland, that’s usually under $2K for legs, feet, neck, and back.
PPEs are expensive when they find nothing and cheap when they keep you from making an expensive mistake. One horse I had vetted had cataracts. Seller did not disclose before PPE and after said Big Vet Hospital said it was fine. Asked for the report and it was carefully worded in lawyer-eze but basically said ride at your own risk. Another horse was a 4yo not long under saddle, ever so slightly unlevel. He had a navicular bone that was two pieces, probably born that way. Consulted several vets and did a literature search and passed. I have bought horses I knew well with no exam. There is no right answer to the how much to PPE question. Be sure to talk price with your PPE vet because prices vary by region and practice. Here in SE PA eyes, heart, lungs, jog, flex will run $250 plus HC. Whole shebang including full set of X-rays $2500.
Take your knowledge of the horse and your tolerance for risk and the size of your pocketbook and mix well!
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I do think it depends on the value of the horse, as in a 5+ or 6+ digit horse should for sure have a PPE done, rads of joints (hocks, feet, stifles, ankles) and flexion (I take this with a grain of salt though).
I personally have never done a PPE as I tend to purchase all of my guys as foals or unbroke. So I take the risk. They are all 4 digit ponies at the time. If I sell one of mine, I encourage PPE’s as they tend to be in the low mid 5 range (after over fence and show training) and I want to make sure everyone is happy and comfortable with such a big purchase.
Now my sister who was recently shopping for a reiner always did PPE’s and would encourage to have someone always do this. She was looking at younger horses, 3-4 years old and you would be surprised on how many failed their PPE’s. As in really, really bad xrays and her vet said to not even touch them with a 10 foot pole. Not talking about flexions. And these horses were not cheap (mid 5’s) and young and green. She paid $1200 for rads, flexions and pulled blood. This is in Ontario. It cost her quite a bit as she PPE’d 3 horses before she found one that passed.
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Interesting. Not to derail, but reiners and western horses generally are often started much younger - “futurities” at 2 years old often requiring them to be under saddle before 2. I wonder if that impacted on the poor PPE results!
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@Mouse_amp_Bay My own opinion of course, but I think with early starts as well as conformation issues, 100% it has made for poor x-rays. QH are not my thing or sport, so I’m only hearing it from my sisters side (she came from dressage and sport horses as well, so QH are fairly new to her which is why she was asking me about some PPE results). I’m no QH pro by any means, I was just so surprised when I heard this. I know they tend to end their careers early as well as a 12 year old is aged in the reining world. My sister did have a 18 year old that she was still competing with (that won at Congress, so a very nice mare) and everyone told her how old she was and was still surprised she was showing her. Now she had many on and off days, and at times she would bring her to a show and she would be lame so she would scratch. She did retire her at 18 and she was a broodmare afterwards.
The amount of either hock injections needed at 3,arthritis found in the hocks and ankles, navicular shown, needing knees injected or even a coffin bone injection shocked me. And this was on several different horses she was looking at as well as a barn mate who was looking at the same time (so about 5 horses in total). Also her coach (who has been in QH for ever) did not bat an eye at the PPE’s and said to buy them. She had no concerns with hocks being done at 3, having arthritis or even slight navicular changes. All normal to her, she just said to keep injecting them and they will be fine. Very different world and what is “normal” and accepted is totally foreign to me.
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That’s exactly my routine and around what I spent in 2019.
Next time I’d probably add in ultrasound and consider neck and back. You don’t ride rads but I’ve found some ugly stuff on PPEs that ended up being career limiting for a horse I passed on in short order.
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