The pre-purchase examination is the most important safeguard you possess, and people who earn a living by buying horses never omit it. It is a veterinary examination which you arrange and pay for, providing you with information about the horse’s condition before you make your decision. Rather than attempting to pass or fail the horse, since very few working horses are entirely perfect when examined thoroughly, its purpose is to inform you of what you are agreeing to so that you can make your decision with full awareness.
There is one rule regarding the vet which cannot be overlooked: the vet should work for you and must be independent of the seller. Even if the vet who usually looks after the yard is convenient, or if the seller says ‘our vet can look after it while you’re here’, this is not acceptable. The seller’s vet has a conflict of interest and may have medical records that they are not at liberty to share. If at any time the seller tries to prevent you from obtaining your own independent vetting or encourages you to go to their vet, then that should be taken as the most clear warning sign of all and you should leave the situation. Genuine sellers welcome a proper vetting since it also offers them protection.
A typical European examination involves looking at the horse when it is standing and when it is in motion, includes flexion tests as well as work performed on the lunge and while the horse is under saddle, and since the prices that dressage horses fetch usually have a set of X-rays taken and a blood sample collected and stored. If the buyer is not able to be present, it is necessary to arrange for all the images and the report to be sent to your own vet at home so that they can give a second opinion before you make your decision, since interpreting X-rays requires judgement and having two opinions is better than having just one. The stored blood serves as a quiet but important safeguard in that if the horse had been sedated or given medication during the viewing it can be tested later on, and the knowledge that such a sample exists keeps all concerned honest.
When the results are available, most horses will have a few minor remarks, and that is entirely normal. The issue isn’t whether the horse is perfect; it’s whether the findings are suitable for the work you intend to carry out at a price which reflects those findings, together with an awareness of what your insurance company will and won’t cover. The vet handles the first aspect, while you handle the rest.