Vettings and X-rays' use in the spotlight in new study

Researchers found more than half of horses undergoing a pre-purchase examination showed signs of lameness

- BECKY MURRAY

PRE-purchase examinations (PPES) have come under the spotlight in new researchalong with the issue of relying on X-rays to identify issues.

Royal Veterinary College (RVC) researchers analysed 133 PPEs from three equine practices and considered factors including whether they were two- or five-stage examinations, if X-rays were taken, the horses' prices and intended use, and outcome.

Among the findings, 57.1% of horses examined had "prejudicial findings", and the most common was lameness at 55.3%. Some 14.5% of horses had diagnostic imaging findings, and 3.9% had cardiac abnormalities.

LIMITED RESEARCH

AN RVC spokesman said there had been "limited research into PPES", and "although PPEs often follow a standardised process, the examination can only result in a recommendation based on the opinion of the veterinary surgeon at an isolated point in time. PPEs are therefore, in large part, a subjective process and often debated in the equine world"