Vet check vs Trial

[Lexibrooke1]

I’m back in the market looking for a horse, and I’m stressed about how to go about the whole vetting process. For a prospective horse, should I get a vet check from an unfamiliar vet that is local to the seller, or should I try to take the horse on trial and get my local vet to check the horse?

The problem is, the horse in question is a few hours away and I would not be able to be present for the vet check due to my work hours. I’d feel better being present and using a vet I know, but it might be a hassle trailering the horse to my place only for it to not work out. Though, I also figure if I like the horse enough to bring it on trial, then the vet check could also be a confirmation to purchase the horse and start a health plan, that is if the findings are promising.

Should I just get a vet check where he is, despite not being present for it, or ask about a trial first (seller might not be open to a trial but worth asking). Thanks !

[BeeHoney]

There are pros and cons to each choice. Overall, it is optimal to vet a horse BEFORE taking it on trial. It documents the condition of the horse before it enters your care and protects you as the buyer from being blamed for any issues that might show up. Also, it protects you from assuming the effort and risk of a trial with a horse that ends up failing a vetting. It also protects you from hard feelings from a seller who might be upset that you chose to return a horse from a trial (usually a seller should be okay with that since that’s the whole point of a trial, but sometimes people are funny).

Also, ideally purchase price should be agreed upon and and handed over (even if just to be held) while the horse is on trial. But, it’s possible that the vetting could discover an issue that might affect the value of the horse–something that’s not a deal breaker, but that might cause you to say to the seller, hey, I still want to buy him but I can only offer you X amount given the concerns related to X veterinary finding. It’s really awkward and difficult to negotiate if you have already have agreed on a purchase price and have the horse on trial.

Also, many sellers are not open to trials, and many trials require the hassle of contracts and insurance, again, enough hassle that you’d probably want to vet the horse first.

My advice is to make every effort to attend the vetting. If you cannot, be sure to use a reputable equine vet in that area that does not have any association with the seller. Also, you might be able to request something creative, such as having a vet tech or even the seller FaceTime you during key portions of the vetting. Definitely make sure you are immediately available by telephone during the vetting. On occasion, a serious issue will present quickly during the exam, and in this scenario you might wish to terminate the exam early to avoid the extra expense of a full exam and report. Be sure to schedule a private conversation with the vet (out of earshot of the seller) after the exam to review and discuss findings immediately after the exam.

[Lexibrooke1]

Your response was very helpful! I think if I do end up liking the horse that I will try to schedule with a vet around there. Due to the limited staff at my workplace right now, taking time off to attend will not be possible, and from what I’ve seen the vets in that area do not work routinely on weekends. Hopefully both the vet and seller will be okay with me not attending, though having the vet call in during or immediately after the vetting is an excellent idea.

[173north]

I would definitely vet check before setting up a trial. It protects you from any issues should you send back the horse as noted above, and also protects you from the hassle (and heartbreak!) of setting up a trial and liking the horse only to find there’s a vetting issue.

It is not out of the ordinary to have a vet you don’t know do a long-distance vet check and communicate with you via phone or FaceTime. I am sure folks on this board or the local equine FB group can recommend reputable vets in the horses area. Have the vet call you ASAP (or mid-check if needed), take notes, then discuss with your trainer and your vet. Something that vet doesn’t mind might be a dealbreaker for you, your trainer or your local vet.

There are some trial situations where a friend of my trainer may send her a horse with a “see if any of your clients like him, send him back if not” handshake agreement. In that situation I’d try the horse for a few weeks and vet it if I felt it was a good contender - but that’s reliant on the trust between myself & my trainer, and between my trainer & her colleague. Not a path I’d advise with a seller you don’t know!

[Madison]

Don’t stress too much ahead of time, that’s not something you can completely sort out until you’ve found one you like enough to be willing to do the PPE, and find out of shipping to your vet is even an option. Not every seller is going to allow that. And if the horse is in an area where you have good vets to choose from, you then can decide whether to use a local vet with no relationship with the seller, since there are good options, or see if they will let you take the horse on trial and vet it at home. I have done more than one long distance PPE, and I’ve done it both being present and with the vet calling either me or my trainer while they are doing the exam to report findings and make decisions on what radiographs to take, etc . . . . If you are going to do a long distance PPE, once you identify the vet you want to use, the best thing you can do is set up a call with them in advance to talk about how they usually approach it and make sure you have a plan you are comfortable with and the vet knows what you want. And, you can also make clear to the seller and the remote vet that you want to review the results with your home vet so time would need to be allowed for that.

Edited to add, I agree with the people who posted while I was typing my response and said the only time you usually see a horse going on trial and being vetted at the buyer’s farm is where the selling and buying trainers have an existing relationship. I bought a horse in FL this spring and the seller was willing to let me bring her home to vet her, but we opted to vet her there rather than assume the risk of something happening in transit or at the farm. We used a well-known vet with a good reputation, and the seller knew we needed to also allow our vet at home to view the report and the radiographs before we would give them an answer. With everything being digital now it is quick and easy.

[Janet]

I have dealt with along distance vetting several different ways.

• I drove my vet to the horse (about 3 hours each way), and paid for her time for the whole day
• I used a vet local to the horse who was not the seller’s vet (this was for an 8 month old, so not an elaborate vetting), and talked to him on the phone immediately afterwards
• I asked my vet to recommend a vet local to the horse. He then checked with a vets-only mailing list he is part of, and got a unanimous recommendation. I was on the phone during and after the vetting, and the vet sent a written report to me and my local vet.

When I was selling a horse, a long distance buyer had me take the horse to a local vet school for his vetting, and they shipped the x-rays to her local vet…

It is highly unlikely a seller will let you ship a horse, or take it on trial BEFORE it is vetted. Too many things can go wrong, either in the horse actually getting injured,or in the vet finding something that the seller claims was caused by the shipping.

[atl_hunter]

I remotely vetted a horse in January. Horse was 4.5 hours away but was in FL. Since they have a dual agency clause, the vet had to provide full disclosure as it was the seller’s vet and there was some legal paperwork involved, which made me feel extra confident since the situation was extremely unusual. While I had the law on my side, I still arranged to have my home vet review the radiographs and PPE report. One thing that was found at the PPE was what appeared to be a scratch or scar on the horse’s eye. The vet performing the exam was great - he called me to let me know, advised it could be a scratch or could be something more.

My home vet reviewed the report and radiographs and advised having the seller send the horse to the closest board certified ophthalmologist to see if the scratch was new or a scar.

One other thing the PPE vet found was something that potentially could have been a chip. My vet also reviewed the radiographs and it was inconclusive. We collectively decided to send the radiographs to an orthopaedic surgeon who believed it might be a small chip, didn’t advise surgery, and didn’t see it as an issue.

I regrouped with my vet and waited for the horse to visit the ophthalmologist, and when that came out to be just a scratch, I felt confident making a deal and my vet felt like we were good. My sister is also a vet, but across the country, so I also reviewed everything with her and felt confident with the decision.

Remote vetting is possible - definitely coordinate with your regular vet since he/she will be the one to support you long term.

Best of luck!

[GraceLikeRain]

I got burned badly on a PPE because I wasn’t present. The seller told me the vets they used so that I could pick a neutral party. They indicated they were only loosely familiar with the vet, vetting went great, sale finalized, and things immediately fell apart. In a subsequent conversation, the seller referred to this “loose acquaintance” by a cutesy nickname and it turns out they had been buddies forever.

If I could not be there in the future, I’d leverage horse connections to find someone who can attend and video every second, upload, and send privately as a single file. It is great records in general about soundness but also keeps everyone accountable. For my most recent vetting, I drove 7 hours to be there in person. I videoed the entire thing and no one batted an eye. I had my home vet watch the flexions, review the x-rays, etc. It is not a substitute for watching things live but it’s also a different perspective than the vet and may catch something that was over looked.

[MsJump21]

After my experiences, I suggest you take the horse on trial and get a PPE. I definitely recommend using your own vet as opposed to using one of the owner/trainers vets. If you take the horse on trial and set up a PPE at the end of it then you have some time to decide whether you even like the horse or not before you PPE it. There are some risks to that though, since I presume your trial contract will have “must be returned in same condition” in it but it’s up to you. I’ve always gotten a PPE at the end of the trial and that’s worked out very well for me and several of my friends.

[AppaloosaDressage]

Been in this spot twice (actually, I currently have one on trial and have yet to schedule the vet check.)
First mare was tried at her farm, insured her and took her on trial for two weeks. Fell in love, vetted her, she failed miserably… but… still loved her so seller knocked 2k off purchase price, she had stifle surgery, and 2 years later she’s an excellent ranch/ trail horse.
Current horse, honestly what I’ve been looking for for years- young, tall, fancy with great temperament…seller loves the horse, bought him as a weanling but life changed drastically for her and she has to move him. Fortunately, since my family owns a small training barn, she was open to me taking him on a free lease/trail for a month… I get to know him/vet check here, she gets some free training if it doesn’t work out. He had his first ride two days ago and he handled everything like a champ… part of me is scared to do the vet check since I like him SO much already, but the opportunity to get to see if it’s a fit is pretty great.

[gertie06]

If you’re able to take the horse on trial and use your own vet for the PPE, that’s optimal. I did that last year, and I’m glad. We caught an issue that affected the horse’s value, and I was able to negotiate the price down.

[gertie06]

@AppaloosaDressage

Been in this spot twice (actually, I currently have one on trial and have yet to schedule the vet check.
First mare was tried at her farm, insured her and took her on trial for two weeks. Fell in love, vetted her, she failed miserably… but… still loved her so seller knocked 2k off purchase price, she had stifle surgery, and 2 years later she’s an excellent ranch/ trail horse.
Current horse, honestly what I’ve been looking for for years- young, tall, fancy with great temperament…seller loves the horse, bought him as a weanling but life changed drastically for her and she has to move him. Fortunately, since my family owns a small training barn, she was open to me taking him on a free lease/trail for a month… I get to know him/vet check here, she gets some free training if it doesn’t work out. He had his first ride two days ago and he handled everything like a champ… part of me is scared to do the vet check since I like him SO much already, but the opportunity to get to see if it’s a fit is pretty great.

Sending jingles to you for a satisfactory PPE!

[Madison]

@QcJumper03

I definitely recommend using your own vet as opposed to using one of the owner/trainers vets.

Honestly, using the owner or seller’s vet shouldn’t even be a consideration for anyone, absent extenuating circumstances. In some cases you risk dishonesty to help a sale, but even in the cases where there isn’t an intent to deceive, you risk that the seller’s vet has an inherent bias that makes them unintentionally less than 100% objective, or predisposes them to a willingness to give the horse or the seller the benefit of the doubt.

[Sport]

Do you have a horse friend/trainer that you trust that you could send in your place? Then you have a representative on the ground.

[Bogie]

I have let a horse go out on trial but had them to a PPE first. I wanted everyone to agree on the health of the horse before she left my farm. The trainer was a known quantity and she went to a place where I could stop by and check on her. I would be very uncomfortable sending a horse off without an independent evaluation in case something came up or the horse got injured. Horses do stupid things when they arrive at new places!

[vxf111]

I don’t mind having a horse vetted long distance at a major vet clinic/vet school. I’m a bit more leery of “just some random field vet” type unless I know the vet well by reputation. Vets differ in style/quality but a good teaching vet school meets a pretty consistent standard of care IME. I also always have the vet that does the long distance PPE send films and talk to my home vet.

[Madison]

@vxf111

I don’t mind having a horse vetted long distance at a major vet clinic/vet school. I’m a bit more leery of “just some random field vet” type unless I know the vet well by reputation. Vets differ in style/quality but a good teaching vet school meets a pretty consistent standard of care IME. I also always have the vet that does the long distance PPE send films and talk to my home vet.

Ironically, one of the worst long distance PPE experiences I had was with a vet at a major/very well known equine medical center at a university. Vet’s verbal report downplayed significant radiograph findings, written report wrote them up as major deal-breaker type findings, and he walked out the door for vacation and never returned our calls to reconcile the conflict, so basically never finished the PPE. Oh and he told the seller how great everything was and how lucky we’d be to have the horse, and didn’t tell them what he told us, so they were shocked and unhappy when they learned there were findings that caused us to walk away. And of course my bill was four figures. It was a bad enough experience that I contacted the medical director to relay the experience, and he ended up not only calling to apologize but also refunded all of my exam fees, a not-insignificant amount. Fortunately, the radiographs were worth it and told me what I needed to know.

And in contrast, I had two great experiences with smaller practices whose reputations we had thoroughly researched and were comfortable with - they talked with us in advance about what I wanted, communicated appropriately on any findings, and got everything to our home vet for review promptly. Neither I nor my trainer was present (one was in Canada).

[CHT]

I have done many long distance purchases. I have not had significant issues using an “unknown” vet, and often am able to find a vet, that somehow my local vet clinic knows in some way. I always have the x-rays and findings sent to my vet for review. I have used the sellers vet before, but only if they agree to release ALL previous vet reports on the horse. The only real issue I have had is that different vet’s have different tolerances: for example Izzy had wedge shoes and cut out wedge pads. The local vet described the shoes as “regular”.

I definitely agree PPE before trial though; even if you book it the same day as you haul it in to try. Not only does this protect you from risk of being blamed for breaking the horse, it also helps you be more objective…after a trial you will hopefully be somewhat fond of the horse!