Are You Buying an OTTB?Veterinary Resources for Pre-Purchase Exams
Veterinary Resources
PLEASE NOTE: As with ANY equine purchase, CANTER strongly encourages that you have a horse vetted prior to purchasing. CANTER has NOT verified statements by trainers and owners as to the soundness of horses listed, nor have we done pre-purchase exams.
Determining suitability through a PPE will help you to select the most suitable horse for your needs and ensure that the horse can do the job you'll be asking of it.
For
a complete list of the veterinarians practicing at
Suffolk Downs, please call the Suffolk Downs main
number - 617-567-3900 - and ask to be connected to
the vets' office.
If you find a horse you would like to have vetted, be sure to ask the horse's trainer which track vet typically does his or her vet work. You will want to use a different track vet, to avoid a conflict of interest. You can then call the Suffolk Downs main number, ask to be connected to the vets' office, and speak with a track vet who can do the exam.
When you are speaking with a track vet to set up a pre-purchase, please be prepared to give the following information:
- The horse's name
- The trainer's name
- The barn and stall number the horse is stabled in at the track (if you are buying long-distance, you can obtain this information from the trainer)
- What discipline you intend to use the horse for, and how in-depth an exam you are requesting (this can range from a simple visual exam and flexion test, to full X-rays)
- Your billing address/payment information
Some important things to note about pre-purchase exams on horses stabled at the track:
- Not all vets practicing at the track are comfortable doing pre-purchase exams for CANTER buyers; please respect this.
- Vets cannot typically do "same day" exams - they have their days booked, as do all vets in private practice, particularly on racing days. Please try to leave lead time to make an appointment: this will generally mean 2-3 days.
- If you are coming in from a distance, or are buying the horse sight-unseen and having it shipped, please try to speak to a track vet well before you plan to ship the horse, so that you have sufficient time to arrange a pre-purchase vet exam, vaccinations, health certificate and so forth.
- If you cannot get a track vet to do the exam for you, you may wish to visit www.equinesite.com and look at the listings under "Veterinarians"; you may have some luck getting an off-track vet to do the exam for you.
- Please be courteous: do not call the veterinarians outside of business hours to try and arrange vetting.
