Questions and answers
Pre Purchase vet check (Veterinary)
By CC - 3.5 months ago
When a purchaser requests a standard pre purchase vet check on a horse, what should one expect ? I'm not talking about a full x ray examination just a regular vet check. If the vet is aware of the type of work the horse would be expected to do and the said horse has a blatant and obvious conformational fault / and physical weakness which could prevent the purchaser from being able to preform the particular work, should the vet be expected to tell the potential purchaser ? What if on the veterinary report the vet clearly states that the horse has a good confirmation and would be well suited for the particular discipline ?
Pre Purchase vet check (Veterinary)
By Paul - 3.5 months ago
Hi there
Strictly speaking, there is no "standard pre-purchase" exam that one can perform on horses. Should you request a "standard" exam, the vet should enquire on what you intend to use the horse for. If he does not, he will probably only make sure that the horse is healthy at the time of the exam, and should also point out any old injuries, blemishes, obvious defects, etc. Should there be a problem, the vet should also advise you on additional tests/special examinations that you should perform, if any.
When requesting a pre-purchase exam, it is preferred that one should be specific by informing the vet on what you will be using the horse for, and that he should specifically examine the horse to determine whether it will be suitable for that purpose.
Keep in mind that the vet will issue a certificate stating that the horse, in his opinion, was fit / unfit / fit with reservations AT THE TIME of his examination.
If a vet issues a pre-purchase exam certificate which, in your opinion, is incomplete, you should obtain a second opinion as soon as possible. Based on this, you can refer the matter to the SA Veterinary Council (www.savc.co.za), requesting an investigation into the incomplete certificate issued by the first vet.
If you do not get a second opinion straight away, the first vet could argue that the problem arose after his examination.
Should you have purchased a horse based on a vet's pre-purchase exam, and found that the horse was not suited for the purpose, and if you can prove that the vet was at fault, you can obviosuly take legal action. The SA Veterinary Council can advise you on this too.
Regards
Paul
Pre Purchase vet check (Veterinary)
By CC - 3 months ago
Paul - thank you for your response. It's good to know that there are avenues to persue if the purchaser wished to do so. The horse in question purchased by a friend is quite severley behind at the knee my friend is a serious competitor and with this obvious conformation fault she will need to take extra care. Unfortunatly the vet did not make a mention of this on his report and actually said that this horse has a good conformation and in his opinion will be well suited for competition. With the cost of these reports I felt this conformation fault should have been noted. However the new owner is smitten and has decided to work carefully with her new horse.
Pre Purchase vet check (Veterinary)
By Paul - 2.5 months ago
Hope it all works out well..... Paul