Would you PPE?

[Slaptail]

I looked at a 7yo OTTB, really cute but much greener than I expected. I enjoyed riding him and they said he was sound but as he was walking back to the barn, I noticed he was a little short on his LH. His LH was stepping maybe 1/4 the way into the print of his LF, but his RH was tracking up a bit more.

He is extremely green. As in, he doesn’t really have transitions. He offered his right lead much easier and had trouble bending left. He’s been OTT for over a year, was restarted last year I believe but has been off all winter.

Is this something to be concerned about given his history? Would it be worth it to spend money on a PPE, or is it time to walk away? I can only afford one horse. Would an experienced vet be able to distinguish stiffness vs lameness?

edit: I also wanted to say I’ve looked at the video of me on him, and sometimes he appears to track evenly and sometimes he’s a little short on one leg or the other…the area I was riding him in was just a field and it wasn’t completely flat, and he’s super unbalanced, so I can’t really attribute it to one thing or the other.

[Redlei44]

Why wouldn’t you PPE? All of the things you mention - can only afford one, potential issues, you don’t have a long prior history with him, he doesn’t have a long prior work history - are really good reasons to have one done. They’re all reasons why they’re usually done.

It’s somewhat a philosophical choice. Some folks rarely or never have one done, especially for low-dollar purchases, because it seems wrong to spend what may be close to the purchase price on a PPE. But often those are experienced, frequent buyers who have a pasture or three to retire or rehab a lemon. And they don’t need or want the baseline data that you get from the PPE.

[Lusoluv]

Yes, I would PPE, for all the reasons listed above!! My friend got a free, unstarted Arab gelding in a breeder dispersal. They just needed a home for the 3 yr old gelding and my friend took him, no questions asked. She had him slowly started by a pro, great care, etc. and within a couple years he had issues in both hocks. Between diagnosis, treatment, time off, etc. the horse wasn’t able to be used for her low-level dressage purpose. Her “free horse” became an expensive pasture puff. Not saying this WILL happen to anyone else, but it CAN. She has a farm and could afford to keep this horse. I board out and could not afford this for 20+ years and not have a rideable horse.

[BigMama1]

Why would you buy any horse and not PPE?

[Slaptail]

I’m not asking whether I should PPE prior to buying him…I’m asking if it would be worth it to PPE, or to just walk away now.

As in, would slightly short behind coupled with being stiff on that side in an OTT with not much retraining be something to worry about or be something more towards typical?

And would a vet be able to distinguish if this is a balance issue or if he is lame? I will PPE before purchasing a horse. I’m wondering if it is worth exploring with this specific horse.

[TheDBYC]

Comes down to how much you like this particular horse, I suppose. Enough that you will be unconsciously comparing subsequent prospects to him?

[BigMama1]

Ahh, sorry. Now I understand. If you like the horse enough, then it’s worth it. How suitable is he in other ways and how much do you like him overall?

[mmeqcenter]

@Slaptail

As in, would slightly short behind coupled with being stiff on that side in an OTT with not much retraining be something to worry about or be something more towards typical?

If you like him enough to want to buy him, yes it’s worth a PPE. Yes, it could just be lack of strength and balance and maybe he needs an adjustment or two. Yes, it could be something else.

@Slaptail

And would a vet be able to distinguish if this is a balance issue or if he is lame?

Yes, I would hope so.

[Slaptail]

Hes really sweet, sensitive to the leg but not hot. I see a really nice walk in him when he first comes back from a trot and his canter is smooth.

Hes really green but I’ve got the time to work with him. I feel safe and comfortable on him, and that is the most important thing to me.

[Tucker5]

Oh gosh, I found myself in a similar position a few weeks ago; I ended up walking. The horse was a nice, just started 3 y.o. quarter horse gelding. I noticed that he rope walked, landed noticeably turned out on the left front, had a hard time maintaining left lead canter, and appeared shorter on the right hind while trotting to the left. I do have baggage from my last 2 horses so am fairly gunshy about any hints of lameness. My thought process was a bit tumultuous because I wasn’t sure how much of this was baby/unbalanced/just started versus actual soreness. I was going to go ahead with the PPE just in case, but then I received the estimate and said, “Nope.” One other thing that factored into my decision was that I didn’t think the horse was trained enough to cooperate enough for a good PPE, i.e. trot out promptly and straight for flexions. In your case, I don’t think that would be a problem… One other thing I’ve discovered the hard way, PPE skills vary quite widely with the vet’s experience. How confident are you with this vet?

In the end , I agree with others - how much do you like this horse? If you really like him and he checks most boxes, then, yes, follow up. If you feel more backed into a corner due to the inflated market, then I’d walk.

[Posting_Trot]

If you like the horse then it’s worth doing a PPE. You say the horse is green, and that may indicate that he’s still figuring out how to use his body at slower gaits and in a more controlled way.

Did he race? How often? Do you have any reason to believe that he’s been hurt or that lameness ended his career?

[Slaptail]

He had 12 starts, he only placed 3 times. The seller is the people who raced him. They told me he is uninjured and was just too slow.

He does have a 4 month gap between races, after running 2 in the same month.

All the others look consistent.

He is definitely still figuring out his body. He tends to drift and his top line is tense. He is unbalanced. The footing was also uneven and had some slippery spots.

[Tha_Ridge]

What are your long-term goals for this horse? That will impact my answer too…

[Slaptail]

Low level dressage and maybe low jumpers!

[Tha_Ridge]

Then yes, I would PPE. As you said, stiffness definitely doesn’t mean lameness and what you’re seeing could entirely be a result of poor fitness, shoeing, riding, footing, or any number of minor issues that may not be a problem in your program. If you have a good vet, they’ll take all of those things into account as well as your long-term goals for this horse.

[enjoytheride]

No, I would not PPE. I would walk. Don’t waste your time PPEing a horse that a regular person can tell is visibly lame

A friend of mine looked at a OTTB who was tracking short in one leg under saddle and had no right lead. Sellers said she was pretty green.

Was lame during flexions and trotting on hard ground during PPE and had significant chips.

Remember, OTTBs get a lot of wear and tear even lightly raced, and a sound race horse isn’t necessarily a sound riding horse.

There is no reason to PPE a green horse that is already visibly lame, UNLESS it’s a older upper level schoolmaster that is stepping down for a huge price cut, your vet is experienced and thinks you can get a few more years with maintenance, AND you have the space to retire it.

[Clover5]

I would walk away. Despite the current market, there are lots of horses out there who are not visibly off at a walk. Even if it takes a few more months of looking, better to start with a very sound horse than a potential rehab/retirement project.

[Tha_Ridge]

@enjoytheride

No, I would not PPE. I would walk. Don’t waste your time PPEing a horse that a regular person can tell is visibly lame

Where does she say he was visibly lame? It sounds like he simply tracks short behind and is stiffer going one direction. I didn’t read anything about being visibly lame.

[punchy]

Tracks short behind on one leg only. Aka lame.

[enjoytheride]

Tracking short behind is lame. On a teen aged horse packing an adult ammy or kid around, no problem with some equioxx. But on a green 7yo? Wouldn’t waste the money on a PPE.

While I normally don’t even think that a green horse with one lead is an issue, the combination of the one lead AND tracking short has me thinking it might be related