Question for breeders who do their own pre-sale xrays

[Home Again Farm]

I have a couple of young horses that I plan to put under saddle before selling. I plan to have them xrayed and looked over by my vet as they would be examined in a PPE. For those of you who do your own pre-sale screenings, what specific xrays do you do?

[Hillside H Ranch]

Well, I mostly do "screening" x-rays on my young horses (when they are 2, if I haven't sold by then) for my own knowledge. At that time I do hocks, stifles and fetlocks, but I'm looking for OCD mostly (haven't had that problem, thankfully). If I were selling a horse that was under saddle or a little older I would probably add feet (navicular) rads to that list. It is a common view that a lot of purchasers like to see. I take basic views of the fetlocks, hocks and stifles (laterals, etc) and I don't do anything funky like sky-line views of the stifles, or any type of flexed views that some purchasers request.

[Lesley Feakins]

It is a good idea. The one trainer I use now requires x rays on all the young horses that are sent to her if they are for sale. It really makes sense not to spend all that money in training before you know if they will pass a pre purchase exam.

[siegi b.]

I'm with Hillside.... ankles, hocks and stifles and only a couple of views per.... It gives you a good enough picture of what to expect during the real PPE. Besides, you know the horse and if it had been lame you would know what to pay attention to.

[Home Again Farm]

Many thanks for the replies. I agree that it makes sense to have some inkling before spending major $$$ on training. I plan to do both my coming 3 yr olds and my coming 2 yr old (she's over 18 months, so I expect I won't get any false readings?).

[Hillside H Ranch]

Many thanks for the replies. I agree that it makes sense to have some inkling before spending major $$$ on training. I plan to do both my coming 3 yr olds and my coming 2 yr old (she's over 18 months, so I expect I won't get any false readings?).

You might be safe with the 18 month old, but if anything comes up "funny" I would retake them later in her two year old year. I have been told by some very good veterinarians in the field of orthopedics that what you see as a two year old is what you get. Again this is mostly pertaining to growth issues, OCD, etc., not known injuries. For OCD if the chip or lesion is there as a two year old, it is likely going to stay. Whether it will cause problems or not is another issue. If you take x-rays prior to 2 years and you see an OCD issue there is a chance (if the horse is asymptomatic) that the "problem" can resolve on its own. I have seen this happen. A client brought in a 15 month old warmblood for hock, stifle and fetlock x-rays. This horse ended up with a tiny chip in the stifle, not symptomatic and all other joints were clean. We consulted a very good orthopedist for a reccomendation and she said to give the horse a course of adequan and re-check it as a two year old. Lo and behold, the client did this and the x-rays (even digitals) were completely clean as a two year old. Anyway, to make a long story short I don't x-ray prior to 2 years b/c of the above, unless there is something else going on (lameness, known injury, filling in the joint, etc.).

[Rubs Not Pats]

I send all rads to a radiologist. I use Wright at CSU. I then hand the report to the veterinarian. I have buyer agree up front that should ANYTHING come back on rads I have full access and will send them at my cost to a radiologist. I have found when the vet has a report in hand from someone with more initials, they feel a little more freedom with respect to liability and have to have a pretty compelling case to disagree. Now this being said, rads can't be ancient.

I do the babies if there is anything that looks out of whack, when I find it. I have a big horse who carries a bit more windpuffieniess in her ankles, I did her as a yearling. She went off mildly and I did her all the way around, hocks, stifles, feet etc. She just had some mild body soreness and was fine shortly thereafter. What I have found is that in the babies, I have not found anything that didn't corrolate with an abnormal gait or lameness or effusion of some type. I have since stopped taking survey rads unless the horse is a bigger dollar sale horse and then digitals right before I advertise. I then price accordingly with the cost of the rads built back into the price.

[MagicRoseFarm]

I haul mine at 2 1/2 or so and take a minimal set of digitals..., I also offer access to those to anyone doing a prepurchase at a later date.

[Home Again Farm]

Very good info all! Many thanks. :yes:

[CatchaDreamFarm]

I do knees, hocks, fetlocks and feet and do 3 views of all joints as 2 year olds before training starts. In ny really big babies I do them earlier. That way if I sell or decide to insure there are base xrays. It also helps that my husband is a vet.

[Kareen]

My screening programme involves random views on each toe, hocks and stifles plus (if the horse is older than 2 oxspring views (which are ap views to show the navicular border)).

[EASY RIDER STABLE]

I've been sending horses lately to a friends Sale Barn and we do have them fully x-ray'd prior to going. A few reasons...firstly it gives me a "heads-up" to what is going on currently with the horse, secondly, at the time of purchase at that point if the xray's are fairly current most of the time they're not taken again and only a physical for PPE and the sale goes quickly. Sadly, I've had Vets do xrays and find a crap load of things and vets looking at the same set of xrays and see NOTHING. So, I prefer to have it done prior to selling instead of the "nailbiting wait" There are alot of people who use their findings of the xrays from their vets PPE to negotiate (even when theres nothing there) which is why I have'm done prior to offering the horse for sale.