Page 48 - Libro_MariaA_26agosto

María Alejandra Ramelli

Pre-Purchase Veterinary Check

Once you’ve found your soulmate, you can’t wait to sign the paycheck and
get your horse in the trailer. Yet, even though the horse seems to be healthy,
and the seller promises that the horse is completely fine, there is one big step
that you should never skip: the vet check.

At first sight, vet checks may seem expensive, and
in some cases, even unnecessary. However, they are
cheap in comparison to all the expenses you would
have to pay if your horse has any health problems
you didn’t know about before making the purchase.
Vets are the only ones who can tell you the truth about
how healthy a horse is. Sometimes, they can make you
change your mind because the horse you want is not
healthy. Always inform your vet of your goals with
the horse. Vets cannot ensure your success, but they
will know if the horse is physically able to achieve
your goals. The idea of the vet check is to determine
if there’s any existing problem that may affect your
horse in the future. Never miss the vet check even if
you’ve known the horse and the seller for many years.
You might end up very surprised.

One essential part of
the vet check is choos-
ing the veterinarian
who will perform the
exam. You must choose a veterinarian special-
ized in equines, and who has experience work-
ing with sport horses. Your vet should be totally
impartial. This means that the vet mustn’t work
for the seller, nor receive any kind of payment
if the horse is sold. The best would be if the vet
you choose hadn’t work with the horse before, as
he would have a new perspective on the horse.
However, you can make an exception if you trust
the vet who knows the horse to be truly fair. You
may also choose to get a second opinion from
another vet if you have some doubts with the re-
sults the first vet gave you.

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