Buying a Horse/Prepurchase Exams
Buying a Horse/Prepurchase Exams
by: Harry Werner, VMD
June 01 1999, Article # 2799
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Add to FavoritesQ:I’m in the market for my first horse. I’ve seen people at my barn buy horses, and they always have a veterinarian check the horse over before making the purchase. What exactly does the veterinarian check for and why is this so important?
A: For the sake of space and the amount of information available on this topic, this article will deal with the private sale of horses. The term "private sales" refers to a horse being sold by a seller to a buyer, and not to horses which are bought at auction. Buyers who buy horses at auction have concerns that will not be addressed in this article.
There will be at least three parties involved in the sale of a horse. The primary parties involved include the buyer, the seller, and the horse. However, in some cases there will be secondary parties involved which can include, but are not limited to, an agent for the buyer, an agent for the seller, a trainer, insurance agencies, or other advisors of some sort.
In a private sale, the veterinarian hired by the buyer to conduct the purchase exam may ask for full disclosure of the horse’s medical records and the name of the horse’s veterinarian. This information should be made readily available to the veterinarian hired to conduct the purchase exam.
One thing to keep clear is that the veterinarian always is working for the buyer and is embarking on a fact-finding mission on his client’s behalf. The role of the veterinarian is not to give the buyer a "yes" or "no" answer as to whether or not to buy the horse, but rather to present facts about the horse which will enable the buyer to make an informed decision as to whether the horse has any physical abnormalities that may preclude its intended use.
A reasonably provocative physical exam will be administered to the horse by the veterinarian hired by the buyer. The tests will evaluate the horse’s systems that are readily available for examination. These exams may include, but are not limited to, a neurological exam, heart and lungs examined at rest and after work, joint flexion tests, oral exam, evaluation of the gaits, exam with hoof testers, etc. Once the exams are complete, the buyer will be provided with a report of the results of the exams.
An important aspect of the whole process is keeping the channels of communication open among the buyer, seller, and the veterinarian. It is important that the client ask questions if he or she does not understand terminology or the significance of a finding. By asking questions, the client will be an informed buyer. Communication begins when the client makes the initial call to the veterinarian to hire him/her to conduct the purchase exam. Communication ends with a report by the veterinarian at the conclusion of the exam.
Clients need to understand the main point of a purchase exam is to inform them as buyers of the health status of a particular horse. To arrive at this information, the veterinarian may use imaging techniques or modalities such as X ray, scintigraphy, ultrasound, and thermography; electrocardiograms; and clinical laboratory studies that could include a Coggins test, blood count, fecal tests, and drug tests to detect mood affectors or pain killers.
The buyer needs to be aware that no drug testing is 100% accurate. There always will be room for error. However, with quality laboratories processing the results and with proper handling of the samples, accurate results can be expected in most cases.
The buyer must understand that a purchase exam is not a warranty or guarantee for the horse or a pass/fail exam, but rather information that allows the buyer to make an informed decision before making a purchase. Another common mistake made by buyers is that they look at the purchase exam as an appraisal of the horse’s monetary value. Determining the monetary value of the horse is the responsibility of the buyer or the buyer’s agent, not the veterinarian. The purchase exam is also not to be taken as an exam for the horse’s athletic ability to perform a given job–that is the trainer’s job.
The veterinarian’s job is to interpret the results of the tests and to present facts to the buyer in terms that the buyer can understand. The veterinarian also should answer questions from his client that are within the limits of veterinary medicine.
Another important fact that buyers need to keep in mind is that a purchase exam is not a breeding soundness exam. In a purchase exam, the veterinarian can’t evaluate the mare or stallion’s reproductive status. Assumptions regarding fertility and, in mares, pregnancy can’t be made without more specialized examination procedures. With geldings this is not an issue, but with stallions or mares, breeding soundness can become an issue. If the horse is being purchased for breeding purposes, then a breeding soundness exam should be conducted. (For further information on prepurchase exams see our June issue article.)
Toxic Trees: Keep Your Horses Safe at Pasture
in Equine, Health Care
as poison to horses, poisonous trees., toxic trees, trees and colic
Toxic Trees: Keep Your Horses Safe at Pasture
As great as trees are, there are a few situations where horses and trees definitely don’t mix. Make sure your horse pastures don’t have these toxic trees.
As praiseworthy as trees are, there are a few situations where horses and trees don’t mix. In some cases, fruit- or nut-bearing trees contribute to colics when horses gorge on their produce. In others, falling branches or uprooted trees injure nearby horses. But the gravest dangers arise with the few tree species that are toxic enough to sicken or kill horses.
Of the non-ornamental native trees, the most deserving of the skull-and-crossbones warning are those that produce cyanide in their wilted leaves. Cyanide suffocates animals by blocking oxygen transport via the red blood cells. The red maple (Acer rubrum) is one such tree whose leaves are harmless most of the year until wind damage or seasonal change causes them to fall from the tree and wilt. Red maple leaves have serrated edges and can turn either red or yellow in ghe fall. "There are other trees that shed red leaves in the fall, but the red maple has some distinctive features," says Anthony Knight, BVSc, MRCVS, who specializes in toxic trees and plants at Colorado State University. "The underside of the red maple leaf tends to be silvery in color." Signs of poisoning, including lethargy, discolored urine and darkened gums, may not appear for four days.
Equally toxic are cherry (black cherry, chokecherry, and fire cherry) peach and plum trees, all members of the Prunus species. These leaves also produce cyanide when wilted, affecting horses within a few hours of ingestion.
To be safe, remove these deadly trees or relocate horses away from pastures or paddocks bordered by or containing them. In general, horses are not likely to eat leaves or any other tree parts unless they are quite hungry. However, when curiosity or boredom spurs exploratory bites, the horse may ingest enough of the deadlier species to do harm.
The following trees have no place in horsekeeping areas because of their toxicity or potential for causing digestive distress. They are listed in order of the risk they pose to horses, starting with the most hazardous:
Yew (taxus sp.)
Oleander (nerium oleander)
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Cherry trees and relatives (prunus sp.)
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Cherry trees and relatives (prunus sp.)
Black Walnut (juglans nigra)
Black Locust (robinia pseudoacacia)
Horse Chestnut, Buckeyes (aesculus hippocastanum)
Oak trees, acorns(quercus sp.)
Russian olive, also known as oleaster (elaegnus angustifolia)
For more information on toxic trees, including detailed descriptions and photographs, visit the Colorado State University website
This article first appeared in EQUUS magazine.
Hot Summer Tip: Pay Attention to Horse’s Physical State
in Equine, Health Care
as body temperatureAnhidrosis, heat tolerance, horse heat, horse heat tolerance, humidity, inability to sweat, summer tip, temperature
Hot Summer Tip: Pay Attention to Horse’s Physical State
Summertime temperatures are running wild across the United States this week, with Oklahoma hitting approximately 105°F, which is leading a number of equine owners to study their horse’s heat tolerance with more than a little caution.
"Other than a general lack of enthusiasm and desire to move to shade, a normal well-acclimated horse should be able to handle Oklahoma’s heat and humidity with little concern," said Dave Freeman, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension equine specialist. "However, the need for owner awareness increases when a horse begins to exercise and engage in more strenuous physical activity."
A horse’s body temperature–if it is normally around 101°F–will increase a few degrees with exercise in hot summertime environments. If not exercising, a horse’s heart rate should be around 40 beats per minute; respiration rate 12-20 breaths per minute, though this is variable; and body temperature around 101-102°F.
Maximum heart rates during heavy exercise may reach 200 beats per minute or more, and respiration rates can triple or race even higher. Intense levels of work can raise a horse’s rectal temperatures to 104°F, plus or minus, which for any substantial length of time will be harmful.
"This means that it is vital that the horse has the ability to decrease excessive body temperature quickly during recovery," Freeman said. "Otherwise, heat stress becomes a big concern."
Under most conditions, equine owners should expect a horse’s major physiological measurements–heart rate, body temperature and respiration rate–to decrease dramatically within 5 minutes following heavy or prolonged exercise.
"A horse should reach characteristic ‘resting values’ within 10-15 minutes at the longest," he said. "If the horse is really ‘hot’ from exercising, recovery is best done by hand, walking the animal in an area with good air flow and away from direct sunlight."
Freeman explains that cooling the horse’s body with water is recommended as long as the equine’s heart and respiration rates have dropped to near ‘resting value’ levels, and possibly even sooner under critical heat stress conditions.
"Humidity and air flow causes evaporation; as a result, your horse may sweat more than you think," Freeman said. "That makes it especially important to pay attention to the animal’s physical clues–its respiration rate, heart rate and body temperature–during times when your horse may be at risk from the heat."
If a horse does not appear to be producing sufficient sweat, the owner should contact his or her local veterinarian, who can quantify the animal’s sweat rate and take appropriate action.
"Veterinarians have evaluation methods in which drugs are administered that cause a horse to sweat, and might even use absorbent pads to quantify losses," Freeman said.
Anhidrosis, or the inability to sweat, is a problem with a small percentage of horses, but one that should be diagnosed accurately so that an equine owner is able to determine the extent of use to which the horse can be put during periods of excessive summertime temperatures.
