Critical Equine Veterinary Prepurchase Exam (PPE) Mistakes
A prepurchase exam is one of the most important steps when buying a horse. To ensure a smooth buying experience, do not make these PPE mistakes.


By Rachel Kosmal McCart
At Equine Legal Solutions, many of our legal consultations are with unhappy horse buyers. Many have made one or more of the following horse-buying mistakes.
1. Not Getting a Prepurchase Exam
One of the first questions we ask is, “Did you get a prepurchase exam (PPE)?” Often, the answer is “no.” The buyer regretfully explains they thought it would be “too expensive” to get a PPE, or they “really trusted” the seller. But now, they now own a horse they never would have bought if they knew its true physical condition. Frequently, the horse has a chronic lameness issue or other physical condition that will make it nearly impossible to resell (or even give away), creating a frustrating and expensive situation for the buyer. In hindsight, the buyer would have happily spent $1,000 or more on a prepurchase exam and avoided the considerably higher expense of diagnosing and treating the horse’s problems.
2. Using the Seller’s Vet
Often, horse buyers use the seller’s vet to perform a prepurchase exam, particularly in situations where the horse is located in another city, state or even country. This situation presents a conflict of interest for the vet, to the point where some equine veterinarians have a strict policy of not performing prepurchase exams on clients’ horses. Vets willing to perform a prepurchase exam on a client’s horse might be very forthcoming with the potential horse buyer, disclosing they have a business relationship with the seller and getting the seller’s consent to disclose all records and information to the buyer. Others might be more ethically challenged in the face of a one-time transaction with a stranger vs. a long-term client relationship. Why take a chance? Rather than use the seller’s vet, horse buyers should ask their trusted local vet to recommend another vet in the seller’s area. And if the buyer’s local vet doesn’t have a recommendation, the buyer can contact the American Association of Equine Practitioners to obtain a list of equine veterinarians in the seller’s area.
3. Not Attending the Exam
If at all possible, the buyer should attend the prepurchase vet exam in person, along with the buyer’s trainer (if they have one). By attending in person, the buyer can see and hear all parts of the exam firsthand, and the veterinarian and buyer can have a real-time dialogue about the vet’s findings. The buyer can also make an informed decision about whether to proceed with any radiographs or other diagnostic imaging the vet might recommend. Also, some nuances might be vitally important to the buyer but would not appear in the written prepurchase exam report. For example, when the prepurchase vet asks the seller if the horse has received any medication, the seller might respond “no,” but do so in a tone of voice or manner that indicates potential dishonesty. If the buyer is right there to hear it, the buyer might opt for a drug screen or even decide not to purchase the horse. But if the buyer does not attend the exam, the only data they will have is that the seller stated the horse was not on medication.
4. Not Getting a Drug Screen
In most instances, veterinarians will recommend buyers include a drug screening as part of the prepurchase exam. Why? Because many, many horse sellers administer drugs to mask lameness or temperament issues. Other horse sellers routinely give their horses “maintenance” medications or supplements and are less than forthcoming about it because they don’t want to risk a potential sale. As one equine veterinarian we know observed, “When I tell the seller I’m going to perform a drug screen, it’s like truth serum. They suddenly remember they gave Dobbin bute earlier that day.”
5. Not Following the Vet’s Recommendations
Based on what the prepurchase vet observes during the exam, he or she might recommend taking X-rays, performing ultrasound or otherwise expanding the scope of the exam. Typically, the prepurchase vet makes such recommendations because they see something of potential concern and need more information to determine if there is an issue. So if the buyer elects not to follow the prepurchase vet’s recommendations, the buyer takes a significant risk of buying a potentially expensive problem.
6. Not Getting the Seller to Release All Vet Records
More often than not, horse buyers neglect to ask the seller to release the horse’s veterinary records. This is a critical mistake. Many vet clinics do not charge to email out records and, even if they do, it’s generally a very small investment. The horse’s vet records might contain information that is a deal-breaker for the buyer, such as a previous colic surgery or suspensory injury. Having that information can allow the buyer to make a decision without incurring the expense of a prepurchase exam. And if the buyer decides to proceed, providing the horse’s records to the prepurchase vet allows him or her to focus the exam on potential problems.
7. Not Following the Prepurchase Vet’s Advice
Although prepurchase veterinary exams are not “pass/fail,” many prepurchase vets will advise the buyer about the horse’s physical suitability for their intended use based on what the vet observes during the exam. Sometimes, the advice is not what the buyer wants to hear, as they already have their heart set on buying the horse. But the prepurchase vet’s job is to provide the buyer with data so the buyer can make a rational purchase decision. The smart horse buyer pays for objective professional advice and then listens to it.
8. Not Waiting for the Prepurchase Exam Report and Lab Results
Frequently, horse buyers make their purchase decision without waiting for the written prepurchase exam report or the results of drug screening or other lab tests. Instead, they talk to the prepurchase vet on the phone (or their trainer does) and hear only the positive findings, mentally discounting any negative data the vet might relay. Excited and happy, the buyer moves ahead with the purchase and brings the horse home. Two weeks later, the horse is lame, and the buyer finally gets around to reading the prepurchase exam report, which notes the horse was 2/5 lame in both front limbs on the day of the exam, and the drug screen came back positive for two anti-inflammatory drugs. Now, the buyer is faced with trying to convince the seller to rescind the purchase, and the seller might very well refuse to do so, noting the buyer had a thorough prepurchase vet exam.
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Written by: Rachel Kosmal McCart
Rachel Kosmal McCart is a lifelong horsewoman and the founder of Equine Legal Solutions, PC, an equine law firm based in the Portland, Oregon area. Rachel is a member of the New York, California, Oregon and Washington State bars and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Rachel currently competes in three-day eventing.