Before Buying a Horse – Health Checklist
When considering a new horse, one should check its health before making any commitment. A veterinary’s advice (preferably one specializing in horses) is useful in this regard. There are also a number of checks which you can do in order to identify most of the potential issues.
One begins with the general external appearance. The coat should be even, shinny and lie flat. The body should be well filled out, with well toned muscle. It should not be overweight or underweight. It should stand evenly on all four legs, with all four hooves pointing straight ahead. It is normal to rest a hind leg (but not a front leg), provided that it is not always the same leg which is rested.
Run your hands slowly down each leg, feeling for any swellings, bumps or hot spots. Give special attention to joints and the bottom of the leg. Check that each hoof is smooth, even and crack free.
Lift each foot in turn and carefully check the sole to ensure that it is correctly shaped and has no apparent injury. Both the angle and tilt of all hooves should be correct and uniform. If the horse resists lifting one or more feet, it may just be inadequate training but it could also be due to a reluctance to lift a good hoof and thereby put more weight on a bad one. Unless you are very familiar with hooves, you may wish to ask a professional farrier (blacksmith) to advise you on these various points. Remember that the hooves is perhaps the most important areas to check in terms of horse health.
The gums should be shinny, moist and pink. If one presses on the gums with a finger, they will turn white, but should return to pink within two seconds of removing your finger.
Check the teeth (you may want to use the services of a horse dentist) for spurs, unevenness or excessive wear. Try feeding the horse hay and watch how it eats. It should use both sides of its jaw equally and eat steadily. Dropping hay or leaving hay partly chewed indicates a problem either with the teeth or the jaw joints.
Examine the horse’s droppings. They should be firm, with a mild and inoffensive odor.
The horse should look happy, alert and interested in what is happening. Its ears should stand up and should move alertly in response to sounds. It should be interested in what is happening around it, but not nervous.
Have someone work the horse in an exercise ring while you watch. They should gradually go through all the gaits (walk, trot and gallop), in both directions. The horse should show easy, smooth strides, with the weight distributed evenly on all four legs.
The horse should not sweat (except during hot weather) or breathe hard until it has been worked at a fast gait. As it speeds up, there should be a gradual but moderate increase in respiration. As it slows down, the respiration should quickly follow. Once its stops, it should quickly return to its resting heart and respiration rate. It should not show any sign of discomfort or limping either before or after vigorous exercise.
One should also ask the current owner about the medical history and ask permission to discuss the horse with its regular vet. Ask to see the inoculation and medical records for the horse. Ask if it has every had any illness, in particular colic or laminitis. Be concerned about any incomplete or evasive answers.
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Consideration will needs to be given as to where the horse or pony is to be kept and whether it is to be kept at grass or stabled and whether help will be needed on a day-to-day basis in looking after it.