She said an under-saddle exam is a very important part of a prepurchase, as many horses she sees that appear sound in-hand and even on the longe line are significantly lame with a rider. | Photo: iStock

What will your veterinarian evaluate during one of these evaluations? At the 2018 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in San Francisco, California, Melissa Welker, DVM, of John R. Steele & Associates, in Vernon, New York, reviewed what’s involved in her prepurchase exams for upper-level sport horses.

“The equine prepurchase exam has evolved a great deal in recent years,” she said. “As technology advances, so does the level of complication these exams often entail. The value of sport horses has increased dramatically in the last decade, creating a new sense of pressures on the buyer, seller, and veterinary practitioner asked to perform the a prepurchase exam.”

As such, she encouraged veterinarians to find a routine that works for them and stick to it