Equine Vet Services - Vetting

The pre-purchase examination (vetting): the purchase of any horse involves you in the taking of a risk. No horse is risk free and at best, we aim to identify, assess and attempt to quantify that risk for you so that you can come to an informed decision as to whether or not to proceed with the purchase of the horse or pony. By the time that you have a pre-purchase examination (vetting) carried out you should already have chosen that particular horse. In other words, considered colour, type, age, height, temperament and experience for the task will have been decided and you should have already concluded that the horse would be suitable for you, providing it is also suitable from a veterinary viewpoint. If you have doubts as to the horse's suitability for your equestrian needs then you should consult your trainer or riding adviser (we can advise you of suitable trainers in the Highland area). The choice of vet is a personal one but as a rule it is better to instruct an experienced equine vet, who may also be a horseman, rather than a horseman who may also be a vet. Kessock Equine Vets performs two types of vetting: the full 5-stage vetting and a mini-vetting. The first type includes an exercise phase and a blood sample for medicines; it also comes with a full written report and the examination takes between 1 and 2 hours to complete. The mini-vetting does not come with a written report and takes about half an hour; for indemnity reasons you must sign a disclaimer in advance of a mini-vetting, please contact our office for details.

If you are considering having a horse vetted download a copy of our information sheet HERE

*the downloads are pdf documents so you will require Adobe Reader installed to view

We can also recommend a vet in the UK and in Ireland, if you are purchasing out with the Highlands.

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