The Pre-Purchase Exam
Once you have found a good match, it's important to have a pre-purchase exam (PPE) done. Many people question the necessity of a PPE, but since most sales are final or "as is", shouldn't you know what you're walking into? A PPE isn't a guarantee of future soundness or perfection, but it can often help a lot in finding issues which may become big problems in the future.
A PPE is a full nose-to-tail exam. We take a look at everything (well, everything that's possible). While every vet may have a slightly different take on how to do a PPE, here's what we do.
First is the standing exam. During this portion, we take the vitals (temperature, pulse, respiration) and listen for gut sounds, lung noises, appropriate heart sounds, etc. We'll stand back and take a look at conformation, attitude, body condition, and posture. Then the palpations begin. "Palpate" is a fancy vet word for "feel really carefully." We palpate lymph nodes, musculature along the neck and back, check for range of motion of all the joints of each limb, and palpate the soft tissue structures of each limb (suspensory ligament, deep digital flexor tendon, etc). We'll closely examine the feet and apply hoof testers to check for sensitivity. All the while, we're looking at the skin to see if there are any problems. We'll be noting any spots that we touch or manipulate that seem sensitive or painful, and try to determine what might be causing this sensitivity.
Once we have finished the standing exam, we continue on to the movement portion of the exam. This involves trotting the horse straight and in a circle, followed by flexion tests of each limb. For a flexion test, we hold up a limb in a specific way that stresses a specific region or joint, hold for a specific length of time, and then trot the horse off. The flexion tests can help determine if significant pain arises from a specific area/joint. We'll also perform a brief neurologic exam as part of this movement exam. Given that soundness is usually the most important aspect of the PPE, we spend a fair amount of time on this portion of the exam.
Once we have decided whether or not there may be any lameness issues, we go back into the barn where we dilate the eyes. This allows us to fully visualize the back part of the eye to look for any abnormalities. While waiting for dilation, we place a speculum in the mouth and perform an oral exam.
It's a common misconception that vets "pass or fail" horses. We don't ever really do that. Instead, we gather as much information as possible, and present it to the buyer. It is then the buyer's decision to purchase or not, based on that information. We are happy to discuss our opinions, and give you educated guesses of what the horse may be capable of long term - but the decision to purchase is always the buyer's. The buyer can also choose whether or not to share the information from the PPE with the seller - however (and this is important!) the buyer has NO obligation to do so. In other words, the information belongs to the person paying for it.
Additional Testing
It's really hard to find a perfect horse. Many times we find something minor that may need further diagnostics. Radiographs of feet or hocks is a common request to determine if there are any current issues. If a problem is noted on the exam, imaging (radiographs, ultrasound, endoscopy) can often determine if there is an underlying problem that the buyer should be aware of.
Blood testing can also be performed. A Coggins test is often done (if not current), and occasionally screening tests like a CBC/Chemistry or Lyme titer are requested. Drug testing can also be performed - while not common, less-than-honest sellers may use drugs to make a horse more comfortable or quiet during the exam. This may not become apparent until after the horse is purchased and starts to buck you off, or a lameness becomes evident. Drugs can be tested for by drawing blood and submitting it to a lab - the tests aren't cheap, but can be helpful for peace of mind in some situations.
Want to read more about PPE's? Check out The Horse's article: Understanding the Pre-Purchase Exam, or the AAEP's page: The Pre-Purchase Exam
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