[skysthelimit]

please don't give me too much flack for this...but i was thinking....on horses that are dirt cheap (but with potential) is it even worth vetting them? For example, I'm seriously thinking about buying this little nearly unhandled 4y/o dun qh from a woman for $275. I probably won't be able to get my hands on this horse that well...so do you think that in this particular instance I could waive the prepurchase exam and take my risks? If she proves to be horribly lame or something, I can always give her away. i'm not afraid to lose such a small amount of money.

And if you think this is alright to do...when do you draw the line? I've known some very experienced horse people to do their own 'examinations' on horses under $1000. Then it was my own experience in trusting an incompetent vet to do a check before a purchase of mine years ago that proved horrible. The horse was bad anyway! and the vet couldn't see it....

So what do you tihnk? And if you were to buy a horse like I am, what would you at least try to do with it, aside from round penning it to see the different gaits and look for lamenesses.~Brittany

[Jess!]

I do not get vet checks on a majority of my horses.

Anything over $4,000 I will vet check.

Haven't ran into anything bad yet. *knocks on wood*

[equinelover]

You have a point when you say a vet check may not be worth it for a cheap horse. Of course this doesn't mean a cheap horse is not worth doing a vet check on but in some instances you can spend more for the vet check than what you'll pay for the horse.
If you are confident in your skill to do your own vet check (or you know someone well-experienced who can help) then you can do without the regular vet check.

[wyldterv]

I personally won't bother with a Vet check on anything $5,000.00 or under. Of course I will do some flex testing on my own, watch the animal move in circles and straight aways in all gaits, etc.

[skysthelimit]

wow! 4 or 5k??? really?? I ALWAYS get vet checks done on the horses I buy, no matter how little I'm paying... (usually between $800-$1000). So that's kind of surprising to me.

well, now I feel better about this. I had plans to go get this horse without one- and I've never not done a vet check before, so I wasn't sure if it was a bad idea or not. I've looked at tons of horses over the years, many of which I did not buy, so I know how to make a good observation and follow my gut if something seems off.

Thanks a lot guys and wish me luck!~Brit

[wyldterv]

Originally Posted by skysthelimit

wow! 4 or 5k??? really?? I ALWAYS get vet checks done on the horses I buy, no matter how little I'm paying... (usually between $800-$1000). So that's kind of surprising to me.

well, now I feel better about this. I had plans to go get this horse without one- and I've never not done a vet check before, so I wasn't sure if it was a bad idea or not. I've looked at tons of horses over the years, many of which I did not buy, so I know how to make a good observation and follow my gut if something seems off.

Thanks a lot guys and wish me luck!~Brit

Well considering a full vet check with x-rays etc will run about $1,000 around here, to me, it's not worth it until I'm going to spend more then $5,000. Especially since I am pretty good at flexion tests myself and can see lameness pretty well, even when very subtle.

[skysthelimit]

ah, I see. Standard vet checks start at only $100 trip fee and all. That includes physical, visual examination, overview of history, checking the eyes, ears, nose...x rays are only $18 a plate after that. So, a vet check isn't much cost wise around here. But I can see if it were more expensive how I wouldn't do it.~Brit

[Arco]

It's a tough one isn't it. I guess the horse could end up costing you an awful lot more than the vet check would have, cheap horse to buy or not, if there is something wrong with it that you can't pick up on your own. But then again, it's equally possible to get a full vet check done and for something to go wrong the following day that costs a fortune! Horses are just that way aren't they - always somewhat of a risk.

I don't think theres anything wrong with you not vet checking this horse if you are prepared to risk your money - look at the horses that are bought 'as-seen' at auctions and stuff. Good luck and I hope it goes well for you.

[Just_me]

The vet check on a cheap horse like that will probably cost you more than the horse.If ýou have the knowledge to see what a healthy horse looks like go for it:check his legs,let him run on soft and hard ground and see if he is lameing(if you know how you can also do the flex test that most vet checks include.But,imo,they are not 100% correct anyways so you might as well not do it),check his teeth(which will probably not be easy on an unhandled horse!),and back.
You might as well just take him and go with the risk,after all he costs under 300$.

[melissa2027]

Well I just learnt that the horses heartbeat should be around 36 beats a minute. If that helps... Look for swelling in eyes, pick up hooves and tap all round and the horse will let you know if they are foot sore if you tap a sore spot.
Flexion test, you will need someone to help you with this.
Lift up back leg and have someone ready to run with the horse.
The leg needs to be held up for at least 1 minute.
when the person releases the leg tell the person to trot the horse.
This is to check that joints are ok. Do the same with other leg.
This is a very basic Vet Check.

This is what I have seen with Vet checks, so far...
Hope it helps a little...