Prior to Purchase Examinations (PPE)

Caring for a horse is a big commitment and as such we would always recommend you do everything you can to ensure your new horse is as healthy as possible. A 2 or 5 stage Vetting is the best way to assess the health of a horse before you buy. In a world of "buyer beware" it's money well spent.


It is advised that for transparency and to avoid any potential conflict of interest a PPE should be performed by a vet who does not do the regular equine work for the seller.


We can perform 2 and 5 stage PPE's. These consists of:


Stage 1: This is a thorough clinical examination of the horse at rest to detect any apparent signs of injury, disease or physical abnormality. It includes a thorough palpation of all the limbs, listening to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope and an examination of the horse’s eyes in a dark stable with an ophthalmoscope.
Stage 2: Observation of the horse walking and trotting in hand in a straight line on a hard, level surface, including flexion tests. The horse is normally also trotted on a small diameter circle on a firm surface to detect subtle lameness issues.
Stage 3: Observation of the horse performing strenuous exercise, normally under saddle. This allows further evaluation of the way the horse moves and assessment of the heart and respiratory systems’ response to exertion. If ridden exercise is not possible (e.g. if the horse is unbroken), this stage may be conducted by exercising the horse on the lunge.
Stage 4: A period of rest in the stable to give time for any stiffness induced by the exercise to become apparent. During this time the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are monitored as they return to their resting levels. The horse’s markings are normally recorded and the passport examined.
Stage 5: A second examination of the horse at trot in hand. This is primarily to check that the strenuous exercise has not exacerbated a subtle underlying lameness problem. Flexion tests or trotting on a small diameter circle are sometimes repeated at this time.