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Sports Medicine, Lameness & Pre-Purchase Exams |
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Pre-Purchase Exams: The prospective buyer selects the veterinarian, schedules the exam, and pays for it. In order to avoid conflict of interest, the veterinarian should not be the seller's regular vet. Often both the owner and the seller are present during the pre-purchase exam. If you are at all concerned about a horse's health or soundness, he should have a thorough pre-purchase exam performed, especially if you are inexperienced. A pre-purchase exam is a fact-finding session. It is not a guarantee, an insurance policy, or a value appraisal. It is a physical examination for evaluating health and serviceability on a particular day. All horses have defects. Any horse can develop a future unsoundness or health problem. You also may wish to retain the opinion and services of a qualified farrier. The greatest emphasis in the examination of a riding horse is centered around the legs and hooves. In examining the hooves, the veterinarian may request that the shoes be removed, so it may be necessary to schedule a farrier to be present to pull the shoes and to re-shoe the horse. Lameness Exam: The lameness examination is the most important means of initially evaluating any gait abnormality. Lameness exams at MEC are scheduled so that the clinican can spend at least one hour with each client. The whole horse is considered during the in-depth analysis of the problem. The exam begins with the owner supplying the history and the veterinarian observing the horse at rest. The veterinarian makes note of body type, condition, conformation, weight shifts, abnormal stance and general attitude. Secondly, the veterinarian looks for any abnormal wear in the feet, hoof cracks, lacerations, swellings in joints or tendons and swelling of the muscles. Then the horse is observed at the walk and trot on hard and turf surfaces. The trot is the most advantageous gait for the exam because of its symmetry. The examination includes watching the horse move from the front, the side, from behind and in a circle to accentuate a lameness. The veterinarian will flex or stress different regions of the limbs to accentuate a lameness. At this point the veterinarian will make specific recommendations including the possibility of utilizing MEC's advanced diagnostic techniques. Advanced Diagnostic Imaging: Our advanced diagnostic imaging equipment gives MEC the leading edge in diagnosing lameness problems. (click here for advanced diagnostic imaging information) 
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