Horse Health

Pre-Purchase Exams

September 18, 2008

Follow these tips when looking to buy a horse.

By Hailey Harroun

  • Pre-purchase exams are necessary to ensure the health and soundness of a horse you are considering buying.
  • Pre-purchase exams should be performed by a licensed veterinarian before the actual sale is completed.
  • To ensure an objective third-party opinion with your best interests in mind, choose a veterinarian you know and trust to perform the exam.
  • The pre-purchase exam should include a lameness test on all four legs; dental exam to verify age and evaluate tooth health; eye exam; heart, lung and digestive system evaluation; and full body exam to check for old injuries, scars, etc. that might cause problems in the future.
  • If the veterinarian finds potential health problems, you might want to reconsider your decision to buy the horse. Evaluate the risks and costs associated with the problem, determine if the problem will interfere with the intended use of the horse and decide if the total cost is worth the investment.

Learn more about your horse’s health with the Common Horse Health Issues report. In this detailed downloadable report, you’ll get an understanding of strangles, laminitis, founder, West Nile virus, equine herpesvirus, EPM, allergies, colic, insulin resistance and other diseases and illnesses that affect our equine friends. Get your copy immediately for just $14.95. Click here to order.

Keep Hooves Healthy

A tip from AQHA Corporate Partner Bayer Animal Health.

Hooves need your special care. Clean your horse’s hooves before and after riding. This way potential hoof diseases or injuries, which restrict the animal’s well-being and the rider’s pleasure, can be discovered early.

Heel to Toe

To clean your horse’s hooves, scratch out dirt and dead horn constituents from the heel toward the toe.

Get the low-down on more equine diseases and illnesses by downloading Common Horse Health Issues, one of AQHA’s valuable downloadable reports. For just $14.95, you’ll get a better understanding of the illnesses and diseases horses can face.

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