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The five-stage vetting process has evolved
over decades and its aim is to achieve a cost-effective professional assessment
of a particular horse's suitability to perform a certain task. We asked three of
the country’s top equine vets for their opinions on the different aspects of
the five stage vetting process.
Jeremy Mantell, a partner in the Liphook
Equine Hospital, based in Hampshire and past president of the British Equine
Veterinary Association recommends anyone buying a new horse or pony to have the
animal vetted before making a decision to buy.
“The key to a successful veterinary
examination is that you discuss what you want to use the horse for before the
examination. A good vet will be able to identify, assess and quantify the risk
to give you the information to decide whether or not to proceed with your chosen
purchase,” he says.
“Bear in mind that no horse is perfect
and that the examination will highlight imperfections - it is whether these will
affect the performance of the horse that you must discuss with the vet and
insurance company before deciding whether or not to buy.”
Ian Camm, of the Bushy Equine Clinic in
Gloucestershire, emphasises that a horse is always vetted with the owner’s
specific use in mind. – “A common scenario is that a horse is bought for
hacking, the rider grows in confidence, and then the horse is stretched into
jumping - which it was not originally vetted or bought to do. Meanwhile, the
horse develops a physical condition that could result in costly vet's fees and
loss of use - then the owner starts to question why this was not picked up in
the vetting process.”
“An old settled tendon injury for
example is unlikely to bother a horse for hacking, but it may not stand the
strains and stresses of jumping. It is also important to talk about the results
of the examination in the context of the horse as a whole with this in mind it
should help towards a happy purchase.”
The vetting process looks at the physical
condition of a horse on a particular day, following a UK standard procedure with
a form completed. But, as vet Dr Sven Kold, an equine orthopaedic specialist
with the Willesley Equine Clinic in Tetbury, Gloucester explains, “the success
of the vetting process is to look at cases in an individual light and evaluate
any risk that arises in a positive way. I spend about one and a half to two
hours on the examination. The horse is first checked out of the stable - eyes,
ears, lungs, heart etc. I also look at the horse standing, walking, trotting
ideally on different surfaces and examine the horse under saddle.”
“Having completed the vetting and
produced a detailed report I would advise owners that it is essential to clarify
with their insurer if any of the results will impact on the insurance. With Kbis
we get a knowledgeable and helpful response which makes our life much easier.”
Communication is key!
All three vets point out that the
five-stage vetting process does not protect you against anything ever going
wrong. In fact it would be more useful for the vetting examination to be thought
of as a risk assessment.
The pre-purchase examination continues to
respond to changing needs; however the key to any successful examination remains
the same - communication between buyer, vet and Insurance Company at all stages.
For further information contact any one of
the vets at the numbers below, or visit Liphook Equine Hospital’s website: www.liphookequinehosp.co.uk
Jeremy Mantell, The Liphook Equine Hospital, Hants. Tel: 01428 723594
Sven Kold, Willesley Equine Clinic, Tetbury, Glocs. Tel: 01666 880501
Ian Camm, Bushy Equine Clinic, Glocs.
Tel: 01453 811867
Knowing
that your insurance company is knowledgeable about horses is a godsend -
otherwise you could end up with unnecessary exclusions.
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