Hi everyone,
I havent been on here for a while, so I hope you and your horses are all doing well and happy new year!
I am buying my first horse in March (by agreement with owner as need to save). He is a 7 yr old comtois x arab, it is all very exciting! I have ridden him a couple of times a week for about 2 months so far and he has been sound/healthy so far but I am unsure whether to get him vetted prior to purchase as I will have been riding him regularly for about 4 months at the point I buy him..
Do you think it is still worth getting him checked out for any underlying problems? Also, do the French vets offer the different vetting levels that they do in the UK?
Thanks
Claire
Hi Claire
I also rode my horse for six months before he became mine and I didn't have any vet checks done - I had a level of trust with the people that had had him before and he seemed to have no problems - he fell ill 8 months later - but that's just the risk of having a horse, no one could've predicted that (don't worry he recovered well and is encore en forme!) A friend of mine had a vet check her horse before she bought him, and all he did was listen to his heart, feel his legs and look at his hooves! Several weeks later his knee became swollen and it seemed that it was an old injury that would probably always flare up from time to time....I think that the best thing is, you are getting to know your horse now and any underlying problems will show up anyway. Maybe the vet check will give you peace of mind, but it won't be a guarantee - I think the point about getting a signed contract and selling a horse on though is very important and if you do both you're as well covered as you can be!
Enjoy him, he looks great (mines an anglo-arab!) all the best
Sharon