Prepurchase evaluation of horses: 134 cases (1988-1990).

This research looks at prepurchase evaluations of horses, a process of assessing a horse’s health state before potential buyers decide to buy. After reviewing records from 134 evaluations over two years and following up through phone interviews, the results were broken down to understand common practices, differences between clinic and field evaluations, and reasons horses were deemed unserviceable.

Methodology

• The study analysed 134 horse evaluations from a two-year period (1988-1990).
• These evaluations assessed were a mixture of both clinic-based (62%) and field examinations (38%).
• All horses underwent physical and lameness examinations but other tests such as radiography, endoscopy, nerve blocking, transrectal palpation, hematologic analysis, drug testing for analgesic agents and ultrasonography of the flexor tendons were not consistently performed.
• The results of the evaluations were then followed up via phone interviews to understand the outcomes.

Findings

• Almost half of the evaluations performed at a clinic involved radiography, compared to just one-third of field-based evaluations.
• Just over a third of all horses evaluated were considered suitable for their intended use.
• It was found that 48% of horses intended for pleasure riding were classed as serviceable, compared to lower percentages for horses intended for athletic purposes such as eventing (33%), showjumping (24%), showing (31%) and dressage (30%).
• Lameness was the most common basis for deeming a horse unserviceable, accounting for 88% of such decisions.

Implications

• The findings of this research provide potential horse buyers with critical information about what to expect during a prepurchase evaluation, particularly the difference between clinic and field evaluations.
• Additionally, the commonly identified issues could inform prospective owners what to be aware of, particularly the high incidence of lameness. It underlines the need for thorough physical and lameness examinations.
• Further research could build upon this data by exploring deeper into why certain tests, like radiography, are often excluded from field evaluations and their impact on the assessment of the horse’s suitability.