I’m going to try a coming 6 yr horse out of state. He has a set of survey x-rays from when he was started about 18 mos ago. My vet viewed them and OK’d them. If I decide to buy and nothing comes up on the physical exam and flexions, would you have another full set of xrays done? Horse has been in full training ever since and is kept at a well-known training stable. I don’t want to be “pound wise and penny foolish”. I also don’t know if doing another $1800 worth of xrays would be overkill. Any advice is appreciated!
Absolutely get your own X rays.
I know someone who bought a young warmblood from the well-regarded yearly warmblood auction, where X rays were a requirement. He brought him home and had issues. He had new rads taken and the vet said the originals must have been from a different horse because there was no way they could have been clean when he bought him a few months prior. A lot of work and rehab later he got a solid jumper, but definitely wouldn’t have bought him had he seen the real x rays.
When horse buying I take everything said with a heavy grain of salt, no matter who the seller is. Trust but verify.
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Yes. Always. If the seller has x-rays, my vet will\ review them before I go try the horse as a screening mechanism. No reason to try the horse if we know it has an issue we won’t accept. Old x-rays also make a huge difference when we find something odd/questionable. If we review the old x-rays and it hasn’t changed, we’re much more likely to take the horse than walk away.
Thank you. Will follow your advice!
Perhaps you don’t need the vet to take an entire set, just compare with old ones to ensure they look good. Unless the horse was expensive, then maybe I would want a full set.
YES - please !
I would plan and getting new x-rays too. Maybe not a full set. It depends on a lot of factors. How the flexions went or if your vet had any concerns. Also the price of the horse.
