Q&A Recording: Pre-purchase Exams and the 24 Behaviors Checklist

“I want to see the the horse on 10 meter circles in rising trot, and I want to see them do multiple transitions. Because what tends to happen is that the seller shows the horse doing lots of easy movements, but you want to see the horse do its full repertoire of movements put together in such a way that it may highlight if there is a problem. And you should do the same thing when you ride the horse so don’t feel intimidated…Then, if at all possible, don’t just ride the horse in the arena. Take the horse out to see how it reacts to different environments.” - Dr. Sue Dyson

"While imaging has a role, I will hold my hand up and say that I’ve never acquired x-rays of any horse I’ve bought for myself, because I think the clinical examination is the most important thing. We did do a review of 150 pre-purchase examinations and we found that there was only 1 in 100 cases where the imaging findings ultimately resulted in the horse not being purchased.” - Dr. Sue Dyson

Want more information about Dr. Dyson’s recommendations about what to include in a pre-purchase exam? Download a free copy of the form she developed here.