Pre purchase exams on minis?

[Grace67]

As a buyer do you do them on horses that you plan to drive and show? I have always done PPEs on any big horse I was buying especially for specific riding purposes however I'm getting mixed feedback from sellers when I ask about doing them. Is it uncommon with minis? If you do them what do you specifically have checked?

 

[Jill]

Personally, I've never done this, not even on some of my more expensive purchases. But, I woildnt discourage it if it makes a purchaser feel more at ease. There's nothing to lose, other than the vet fee.

 

[Sandee]

I would guess it would depend on your vet. IF he/she is well versed in minis then, all you'd be out would be the vet fee. However, some vets I've run across treat them,mentally, as a cute backyard pet and wouldn't give a detailed exam. I've had vets tell me that my mare "LOOKS ok to breed" and not want to examine. So see, you might be better off with someone that knows about minis or a reliable chiropractor looking over the horse since a lot of these minis problems are not GLARing physical problems.

Best bet is to deal with a reliable breeder that takes pride in what they sell and not just a seller of horses.

 

[Joanne]

We have had our veterinarian do them occasionally at the new owners request. The BUYER pays for these and the veterinarian gives the BUYER the assessment.

As they are not riden, it is rare that these are done, but they could be done for a stallion, or a mare for reproduction reasons, verify that a mare is in foal, or to check for a specific conformation or other reason.

Typically it is done because the new owner is buying sight unseen and wants reasurrance.

 

[Blue rose]

I have done PPE on minis before. Mostly for performance horses, because just with a big horse I wanted to know that the horse I was buying was fit for the job. I think there are less health issues with minis but you can still find heart/lung problems, leg issues.... Any animal is an investment in time, money and hope, it is heartbreaking to get an animal that you hope will succeed only to find out that there is some problem that prevents that dream.

As others pointed out sometimes it can be hard to find a vet that understands miniatures and what you want from that exam. But if the exam gives you peace of mind then do it.

Good luck

 

[Grace67]

Thanks Blue Rose I'm looking at an experienced driving and show gelding who is 10 and I want a basic health exam plus a look at his hooves, stifles and hocks. He is in another state so I can't see him in person and having been this route with big horses I've learned sometimes its better to know about an issue upfront rather than find out a few months down the road. We're not doing a full PPE with lab work up and x-rays.

 

[Blue rose]

I would definitely do a PPE for the situation you are looking at. Make sure the vet does a flex tests on those legs, somethings may show up that would not be seen other wise. Not that that means don't buy but at least you have a full picture of what you are looking at. I have had horses not pass parts of their flex test and still be great performers but knowing helped me plan training and diet to help them. Every horse has pros and cons.

I hope it comes out well, a good show gelding is fantastic.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

If I was buying more than just a pet, yes I'd do it in a heartbeat. Even a free horse can cost you thousands. My mini I bought for $200, didn't do a prepurchase, and am paying an arm and a leg for issues I would have discovered. (Molar issues, not placement, just a previous injury) But would anything have changed had I known? No. Hence why I didn't do the prepurchase. He needed rescuing, so I did it.

 

[Jill]

I have to say, I am once again made aware of how lucky I am to have access to my vets at Keswick Equine Clinic. They know minis are real horses, and they know they are not a bit insignificant in either monetary or emotional terms.

 

[Sandee]

Jill, you are lucky. We have a good vet around here but only because the mini owners in the area insisted on her "learning" a few things. When she first started treating my animals, I swear, she could not understand why I would want be concerned about examining their teeth every year or have sheaths cleaned. She was terrible for floating (still lacking there) and popping off caps, "who does that?".

As for a physical, she listens to the heart, takes their temp, looks to see if they have a runny nose and then they're "good". She has a backyard mini and wanted to treat them as cute pets that you do as little as possible for. She's a good vet just not into treating them as if they were "real" horses or maybe I should say she not into treating show horses.

 

[lil hoofbeats]

I think it is a wonderful idea! It protects the buyer, and it protects me as a seller!

 

[disneyhorse]

It certainly can't hurt. I've never had one done, but the horses I purchase are usually very young so I figure it's a gamble either way.

A prepurchase also isn't a guarantee.

 

[chandab]

Would a fertility check be possible in a young colt or filly, say at about 8-9 months old?

 

[MiLo Minis]

Actually a prepurchase exam is a sort of guarantee by your vet that the horse is healthy and sound. They can be held responsible if you purchase the horse on their advice that the horse IS healthy and sound and it turns out not to be. This does make me wonder though why more vets aren't a bit more cautious when doing a pre purchase exam.

 

[disneyhorse]

Chandab... I would doubt it since the horse wouldn't be sexually mature.

 

[chandab]

Chandab... I would doubt it since the horse wouldn't be sexually mature.

That's what I thought, so a prepurchase exam would have done no good on my colt, who turned out to be infertile. [breeder did offer to do something about it, but by the time I gave up on him possibly being fertile I was too in love with to let him go, and he's a fine gelding.]

 

[HGFarm]

I recommend one as someone I know just purchased a colt for a future driving horse, etc... and it arrived with some pretty bad stifle issues!

 

[Minimor]

In all my years with horses, and with all the horses we've bought--Morgans, Minis and Shetlands--we have never done any sort of pre-purchase exam. We have mostly bought youngsters but there have been a few older ones too and we've never had cause to wish we had done a vet exam first. We pretty much know what we do or don't want in terms of conformation, and so we've managed to avoid bad stifles and such in our small equine.

 

[Charlotte]

I REALLY encourage buyers to get a PreP on horses that are going any distance. I ask them what they are going to use the mini for then I be sure that whatever vet they choose knows this and can taylor the exam to the buyer's needs. Sometimes the buyer can communicate their needs to the vet, but some people overseas may not have the english skills to do this.

Our vet's standard exam includes an extensive soundness exam but no x-rays unless specifically requested. And he gives a written report.

For myself, I usually don't ask for a PreP and the reasons for that are varied. I do ask a LOT of questions and I listen not only to the answer, but also to the 'feeling' I get from our conversations...phone or email.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We don't get them, but if a potential buyer wants one that's not a problem.

I have to say our clinic does a pretty good job vetting our horses. I'm not thrilled with the intern they have right now (she thinks the Minis are cheapo pets

) but our regular Vet is awesome. HE treats our guys like the champions they are...