When we perform a 5 stage Pre-purchase Examination, it is on behalf of the purchaser.  It is performed in the established manner as laid out by The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association (revised 1985).  This is therefore a general routine of examination, designed to detect clinical signs of disease and injury.  The examination is performed in 5 stages as set out by the above ruling bodies and if any stage is not possible to be performed, it is stated so on the certificate and that any opinions as to the suitability of the horse is based on this restricted examination.

The 5 stages are as follow :-

Stage 1 – Preliminary Examination
This stage is usually carried out in a stable.  The resting heart is auscultated (listened to with a stethoscope) to detect any abnormalities and so it may be compared to that after exercise.  The teeth are examined and the animal’s age assessed, either by the teeth or by any registered documentation of the horses’s date of birth.  The eyes are examined with an ophthalmoscope, in a darkened box.  The animal’s general appearance and condition are assessed and the Veterinarian should be able to inspect every part of the animal’s anatomy, checking for abnormalities and lesions.  Each of the feet  

are picked up and examined and each joint flexed to detect any pain or limitation of movement.

The horse is then taken outside and inspected from all sides in daylight.

Stage 2 – Trotting Up
The animal is then walked and trotted on hard, level round.  The horse should be led so that there is no interference with its free action or the Veterinarian’s view.  Flexion tests may or may not be performed at this stage. If at any stage, during these first two stages, the animal is thought not to be fit enough to be exercised, the examination will be stopped (ie through lameness, illness or any other reason)

Stage 3 – Strenuous Exercise
This stage is to exert the animal, not exhaust it.  The animal should be given sufficient exercise to 1) make it breathe deeply and rapidly to ensure any abnormal breathing sounds are heard; 2) increase the heart’s action so that abnormalities may be detected; and 3) to make any strains, injuries more detectable after a period of rest.  Riding horses should be ridden at the canter on both reins, close to the Veterinarian, until the horse is seen to be blowing.  Untrained animals and those too small or too young should be lunged.

Stage 4 – A Period of Rest
The horse is returned to the stable and allowed to stand quietly, loose.  During this time the horse’s breathing is observed, together with any atypical behaviour.  At this stage the Veterinary pre-purchase examination form is filled in.  The heart beat is checked for return to normality.