You’ve undoubtedly heard the old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Unless you’re a horse-rescue operation, that’s probably bad advice. And it’s definitely bad advice when you’re thinking about acquiring a horse.
Buying a horse is expensive. Assuming ownership of a horse with significant health issues is even more expensive. You won’t get the horse you’ve been hoping for, and the burden of providing care will shift directly onto you.
Experienced and novice horse owners alike hire Del Oeste Equine Hospital for impartial, third-party health, suitability, and temperament evaluations of horses they’re considering.
We will confidentially provide you with information about the horse’s health — information that the seller may not be aware of. This information can help you enter into ownership fully aware and fully prepared.
Del Oeste provides equine pre-purchase examinations that are very thorough. The doctor will look at your horse from head to tail, tailoring the exam to your needs and the horse’s age and apparent condition.
We offer advanced technology, including digital radiography (X-ray), ultrasound imaging and Lameness Locator exams that provide instant results at the time of the evaluation. We can then set up a wellness plan suited to your new horse, beginning the moment they become a member of your family.
Del Oeste’s Pre-purchase Examination includes:
- Thorough physical examination
- Thorough soundness evaluation, including watching the horse move, in hand and on the longe (lunge) line
- Lower and upper limb flexion tests in all four legs
- Palpation of legs and muscles
- Conformation evaluation
- Critical evaluation of all four hooves
- Listening to the heart and lungs
- Examination of skin, ears, eyes, and teeth
- Determine and discuss the horse’s temperament and suitability for discipline and for its new rider
Additional Levels of Pre-Purchase Examination Include:
- Examination with radiographs
- Examination with radiographs and blood work
- Examination with radiographs and blood work with drug screen
- Lameness Locator examination
- Reproductive examination
- Ultrasound examination
- Endoscopic examination
