I am still looking for my next 3ft hunter jumper prospect. Have had 4 PPEs done that did not go well (OCD, Kissing Spine, stifle lameness, arthritis). I am hoping to vet a horse this week and am not sure what to x ray. Definitely at least the back, hocks, and front feet which were recommended by my trainer. But I’ve also been hearing a lot about fetlocks and stifles. If the horse has been off track for 1-2 years and sound (supposedly) in regular light/moderate work since then do I need to go overboard? I’m hoping to not spend 2k on a ppe for a horse I don’t buy. Would you suggest a blood test to look for NSAIDs? What do you all typically do for PPEs on OTTBs? TIA!
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As someone who sells a lot of OTTBs, my most recent buyers have done back, front feet, and fetlocks. Honestly, a lot of horses have something in their hocks I really don’t often see it as a cause of lameness. I’d probably let flexions be my guide.
Doing blood is pricey and can slow down the process. If you’re considering it, know that some clinics can take a week to get labs back—my deposit contract states that buyers have 48 hours after a PPE to make a decision. If you’re concerned, I’d pull blood and just have your vet hold it for 30-60 days just in case.
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Feet, knees, ankles, mouth, back.
I always recommend pulling blood. I don’t think it’s that expensive for the peace of mind it provides.
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If you’re already planning to do front feet, do the hinds as well. NPA in the hinds created a mess of issues for my OTTB, and it’s something easy to rule out.
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Why xrays of the mouth?
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Was going to ask the same. Have never heard of that.
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I’m probably going to get a lot of flack for this, but I don’t think back X rays are worth doing. Assuming you’re looking for kissing spines, the way they present and go under saddle is much more telling than images.
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Most recently, I did front and back feet and hocks. Wanted to make sure that he is sound enough to
begin a career in the jumping ring, but looking back I should have also done fetlocks. There’s nothing wrong with his, thankfully, but I just wish I would have done it for my own sake ¯_(ツ)_/¯
If a budget didn’t exist, of course I’d do everything, but I live by “do as much of the legs (especially on OTTBs) as you can afford - comfortably - potentially a few times over while you’re vetting multiple horses”
For me, neck is high on the list these days.
Also hocks, stifles and front feet.
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I totally agree, but alas, people like to do them. Funnily enough, my most recent buyer did do back, found very mild kissing spine, and still bought the horse. The horse showed zero sensitivity or issues and the vet made the assessment that she never would. 
I did feet, hocks, and stifles.
I will pass on the nugget of wisdom my vet gave me which is that you have to look at the exam holistically and not put too much weight in any one thing. You also have to look at what the horse has done.
My guy raced 40 times up until he was 6. We knew we weren’t going to get perfect with that kind of heavy work, so then it was a matter of what felt worth the risk. The things that looked/flexed perfect we’ve had to address therapeutically later on whereas some questionable imaging has revealed nada to this day.
I guess it wouldn’t be horses if there wasn’t some element of mystery
I bought my last 3 with no PPE until a year or two after I bought them. I buy what I ride/see. A vet check does little as a prognostic determinant, in my opinion, and I am a medical scientist. I only rely on a PPE to eliminate a clear and debilitating condition but that would also show up just watching a horse move or listening to the heart etc.
Otherwise, I would do a typical lameness exam and only make a choice as to rads or such only if the physical brings up something that needs to be investigated.
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Glad you asked! I often talk with my dentist about this, and he comments how no one ever checks the mouth when doing PPE.
I’ve had 2 off the track who ended up with cracked teeth. One required 3 extractions ($4500) and the other required 1 extraction ($1500). Another one of my mares has an awkward angled shape to her mouth and needs done every 6 months, along with the 2 who had teeth pulled.
Both that had teeth pulled were very inconsistent in the contact but not bad by any means, but rather shocking when we opted for x rays to see what they had been dealing with.
An acquaintance bought a seasoned jumper, mid 5 figures and had the dentist out and the horse had his entire back molars cracked and needing extraction. They had no idea, hadn’t even bothered to look in the mouth.
I just think it’s a smart thing to add to PPEs these days. It can add to maintenance, vet bills, etc and also issues in training you might battle with without realizing there is a simple solution.
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I have literally never done a PPE myself on anything LOL I probably would now going forward but I’m not shopping anytime soon lol
My last purchase was sight unseen, but for those who want to do PPEs they should go for whats the most useful.
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better to spend $2000 now than buy it, and have to spend more than 2x that later. Kissing spine surgery, multiple joint injections, OCDs, neck issues…the list goes on and on. And do pull blood for titers of whatever is prevalent where you live. Lyme and EPM come to mind immediately (Marquis is now at least $1k to buy now, and if you don’t treat one that needs it, you have even bigger issues down the road)
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I don’t personally PPE often - but I also buy directly off the track and my connections are very forthcoming and will sign off for me to have access to films if they’re available. I’ll look at all rads from the knee down with a special concentration on the feet (coffin/navicular bone). I am pretty good at spotting stifle and I expect to inject hocks.
Edited to add: I ALWAYS check their vision. I don’t care if they’re blind or limited, but I like to know. I’ve known a few people buy a horse after extensive PPE’s that had limited vision but the vet didn’t catch it.
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Could you expand on always expecting to inject hocks? Do you mean down the line or early in their retraining post track?
Those who take several sets of images - are you taking these every time regardless of the physical findings? Meaning, if they trot up sound in flexions you are still taking them? Are you taking them as a baseline for yourself for later? Or looking for specific issues that would “disqualify” the horse from being bought? How severe (or mild) of an issue is your cut off?
I am curious as I’ve done one PPE and it was to get pics of a known injury/issue (that was really a non issue). I’ve always felt that if you go looking you will always find something abnormal on rads (provided you take enough), but that doesn’t necessarily mean the horse is affected or limited by it.
I think it depends on where the horse is coming from. If its currently showing and sound its less of a worry.
Coming straight off the track I would if I had the funds, just because it’s very hard to know even with trusted contacts.
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