Four years ago, before putting pen to paper and signing a bill of sale indicating I’d waived my right to have a prepurchase exam performed on a 5-year-old gelding, I hesitated briefly. It wasn’t too late to call the vet out to give Helios a once-over. But impulse got the best of me. I had “vetted” many horses over the years before buying, and none had ever presented with a significant issue. The cost of a full veterinary work-up on this young “failed” dressage horse would nearly equal his purchase price, so I passed. Besides, I had been riding him for six months and he had yet to take a bad step.

Bypassing a prepurchase exam on a jumper prospect led to some unwelcome surprises a few years down the road

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