The Horse Vetting Checklist: What You Need To Know

You have spent weeks searching, sat through viewings that were not quite right and finally found the one. Before any money changes hands there is one more job to do: the horse vetting. A vetting puts an independent vet between you and the seller for the length of one examination, and it is the best chance you will get to find out what you cannot see for yourself.

This guide walks through the horse vetting process stage by stage, explains the difference between a two-stage and a five-stage vetting, sets out what it costs and what insurers ask for, and finishes with a practical checklist for buyers in the UK and South Africa. Where a number appears, it comes from a named source: the BEVA/RCVS guidance notes on the pre-purchase examination, the British Horse Society, Horse & Hound’s vet library or a published study.

What Is a Horse Vetting?

A horse vetting is a pre-purchase examination (PPE): a standardised clinical examination carried out by a vet on behalf of a prospective buyer. The guidance notes written jointly by the British Equine Veterinary Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons describe its aim as identifying and assessing “factors of a veterinary nature that could prejudice the horse’s suitability for its intended use”. Each examination is done for a specific buyer and a specific purpose, which is why a certificate cannot be handed on to the next purchaser.

It is not a guarantee. The RCVS supporting guidance calls the PPE “an indication, not a guarantee, of a horse’s suitability for intended use”, and the BHS reminds buyers that the vet can only assess the horse on the day. What the vetting does well is flag the problems an owner would probably miss at a viewing: subtle lameness, an eye defect, an abnormal heart rhythm or a wind noise under exertion.

Why the Vet Needs to Know Your Plans

Tell the vet exactly what you want the horse for before the day. A finding that is an acceptable risk in a happy hacker can be a serious one in a horse bought to event, and the opinion on the certificate is always given against the use you name. Be specific: “Riding Club dressage and hacking” produces a different opinion from “affiliated British Eventing”.

Equally, the vet is not there to judge whether the horse suits you as a rider. Horse & Hound’s guide, edited by H&H veterinary adviser Karen Coumbe MRCVS, is clear that advice on temperament, type and ability should come from a trainer or other equestrian professional before the vetting.

Choosing an Independent Vet

Arrange the vetting yourself and use your own vet or an independent equine vet. The BHS strongly advises against using the seller’s vet. The BEVA/RCVS notes set out what happens if the seller is already a client of the practice: the vet must declare that to you in advance, must get the seller’s permission to disclose any relevant history, and should decline the examination if that permission is refused or if they cannot act wholly in your interests. In areas served by a single equine practice that may be your only option, and H&H points out that it can even work in your favour, because the seller’s own vet should only take the job if they can reveal the horse’s full history.

2-Stage vs 5-Stage Vetting: Which Do You Need?

There are two recognised formats in the UK. The BEVA/RCVS notes describe the five-stage examination as the standard; a two-stage vetting is the same examination stopped after stage two, at the buyer’s request.

The Five-Stage Vetting

The five-stage vetting adds the exercise phase, the recovery period and a second trot-up. That is where wind problems, heart rhythms under load, and stiffness or lameness that only appears after work have a chance to show themselves. For a horse you intend to ride, compete or insure for vet fees, it is the examination the profession treats as standard.

The Two-Stage Vetting

A two-stage vetting is quicker and cheaper because the horse is never worked hard. It can make sense for an unbacked youngster, a broodmare or a companion. But be clear about what you are giving up. In the BEVA/RCVS wording, a limited two-stage examination “may not detect important clinical factors that could otherwise influence their decision to purchase the horse”, and the opinion covers only the stages that were completed. The guidance sets no purchase price below which a two-stage vetting is enough, so do not choose it on price alone.

The difference shows up in the numbers. In a study of 133 UK vetting certificates from three first-opinion practices (Shelton, Tupper and Bolt, Equine Veterinary Journal, 2025, PMID 38233362), prejudicial findings were recorded in 61 of 89 horses (68.5%) given a five-stage vetting but in 15 of 44 (34.1%) given a two-stage one. The authors note that the dearer horses were more likely to get the full examination, so this is not a clean comparison, but it is a reminder that a shorter examination has fewer chances to find anything.

What Happens at Each Stage of a Horse Vetting

Before stage one, the vet identifies the horse. The BEVA/RCVS notes ask for the markings to be recorded as a diagram and written description, a scan for a microchip and a check of any documents; the diagram can be skipped if a scanned microchip and a matching passport confirm the horse. In England a horse without a microchip is a problem for the buyer: GOV.UK warns that owners can be fined if the horse is not microchipped.

The vet will also want the horse’s history. The BEVA seller declaration, developed with the BHS, asks whether the horse has had any medication in the past 30 days, any joint (intra-articular) medication in the last 12 months, any lameness, surgery, colic or reproductive problems, and any stable vices or behavioural quirks. Ask the seller to complete it before the vetting is booked.

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination at Rest

This is a thorough external examination of the horse at rest by sight, touch and manipulation. The BEVA/RCVS notes list the incisor teeth, the eyes in a darkened area (without dilating the pupil), and the heart and lungs with a stethoscope. H&H adds that the vet should look over and preferably feel every inch of skin, including under the belly, noting lumps that might be sarcoids, old injuries and conformation defects such as those covered in our guide to horse conformation. A thick winter coat or an ungroomed horse makes this harder, so ask for the horse to be presented clean.

Some things are not included as standard: the inside of the sheath (prepuce), a detailed mouth examination with a speculum, a height measurement and a pregnancy check. If any of those matter, ask for them in advance. H&H notes that a vetting will not verify height, so if height matters for showing, get an official measurement.

Stage 2: Walk and Trot in Hand

The horse is walked and trotted in hand, ideally on firm, level ground, then turned sharply each way and backed for a few paces. The BEVA/RCVS notes say flexion tests of all four limbs and trotting in a circle on a firm surface “may be carried out if the examining veterinary surgeon considers it safe and appropriate to do so”, and the BHS describes lungeing on hard and soft ground where safe. Tight turns and backing up also help the vet pick up neurological signs such as ataxia.

Stage 3: Exercise Phase

The horse is given enough exercise to raise its breathing and heart rate and to let the vet watch it at walk, trot, canter and, if appropriate, gallop. It is usually ridden; an unbacked or young horse can be lunged or loose-schooled instead, and the certificate should say which. The vet listens for abnormal respiratory noise during the work, such as the noise made by a horse with laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring).

Who rides matters. H&H points out that a good rider can present a horse more favourably, so it may be sensible for the buyer to ride this stage. A 2026 study by Sue Dyson of 25 sports horses vetted with ridden gait assessment (Animals, 2026, PMID 42450812) starts from the observation that lameness and canter dysfunction may only be apparent during ridden exercise; of the twelve high-risk horses that were ridden, six showed overt lameness under saddle. That is a good argument for not skipping the ridden work when the horse is backed.

Stage 4: Rest and Re-examination

The horse stands quietly for a period while the vet monitors the heart and breathing as they return to resting levels. H&H notes this is often when the passport and paperwork are checked. Any stiffness the work has caused has time to develop.

Stage 5: Second Trot-Up

The horse is trotted up in hand again to look for strains or injuries brought out by the exercise and rest. Some vets repeat the flexion tests, lunge on a hard surface again, or back and turn the horse in tight circles.

Flexion Tests: What a Positive Result Means

In a flexion test, the vet holds a limb flexed and then watches the horse trot away immediately. Hetty Hill MRCVS, speaking to Horse & Hound, explains that most vets hold the limb for between 30 seconds and a minute, that there is no agreed time, and that a positive result generally means lameness persisting for more than three to five strides, judged subjectively by the vet.

Interpret a positive flexion with care. In Busschers and van Weeren’s study of 100 clinically sound horses (J Vet Med A, 2001, PMID 11599679), over 60% had a positive distal forelimb flexion test; responses increased with age and were higher in mares than geldings, and repeating the test at short intervals made the response worse. The authors questioned its value as a predictor of future joint problems. A mild response is therefore weighed against the horse’s age and work; a marked response, or one limb reacting very differently from its partner, is a reason to look further.

The Blood Sample

The BEVA/RCVS notes say a blood sample may be taken and stored, usually for six months, so it can be analysed later for anything in the horse’s system on the day that might have masked a problem. If no sample is taken, the reason should be recorded on the certificate. The BHS describes the sample as usually stored for six months and tested only if a complaint arises.

The value is easiest to see in a bad case. If a horse that trotted up sound at the vetting is lame a few weeks later, the stored sample is how you find out whether pain relief or sedation was on board on the day. You can also ask for the sample to be analysed straight away; ask the practice what that costs.

Optional Extras: X-Rays, Scans and Endoscopy

X-rays are not part of a standard two-stage or five-stage vetting. The BHS lists them as an optional extra to consider in light of the horse’s price and your plans; H&H adds neck and back X-rays and tendon scans as common requests, each at significant extra cost. Some buyers also ask for a blood test for exposure to strangles, because livery yards increasingly ask for proof before a new horse arrives.

X-rays can answer a question, such as whether a joint that looked full at stage one has changes inside, or find something silent, such as an OCD lesion in a young horse. The difficulty is interpretation. At the 2026 BEVA congress, Jane Boswell of the Veterinary Defence Society told delegates that “identifying a radiographic change does not necessarily mean it’s clinically relevant” (Horse & Hound, September 2026). A worldwide survey of 211 vets shown the same radiographs (Esselman et al., Equine Veterinary Journal, 2025, PMID 38194693) found their level of concern varied widely at every grade of change. Agree in advance which views will be taken, and ask the vet to explain any finding in the context of the horse in front of you.

Ultrasound of tendons and ligaments and endoscopy of the upper airway are the other common add-ons. They are most useful when stage one or stage three has raised a specific question, for example a thickened tendon or a noise at exercise.

Your Horse Vetting Checklist

Use this as a working list. It pulls together the BHS buyer and seller tips, the BEVA/RCVS guidance and the H&H vet library.

Before You Book

• Watch the horse do everything you want it to do before you book the vet (BHS).
• Ask the seller to complete the BEVA seller declaration covering medication, lameness, surgery, vices and routine care.
• If the horse has recently been vetted and the sale fell through, ask why (BHS).
• Choose your own or an independent vet, and tell them about any finding you would treat as a deal breaker, such as sarcoids or a heart murmur (BHS).
• Decide on five-stage or two-stage, and whether you want X-rays or other extras.
• Contact your intended insurer before the vetting and ask what it requires (KBIS, via H&H).
• Agree in writing with the seller what happens to any deposit if the vet raises concerns.

On the Day

• The BHS asks sellers to rest the horse for around three hours beforehand, not to exercise it that day, and to present it groomed with feet picked out.
• The passport must be available; the microchip should match it.
• The yard needs a dark area for the eye examination, a firm, level surface for trotting up, hard and soft ground for lungeing, and somewhere to ride.
• Someone competent must be available to ride, or ride the horse yourself.
• Attend if you can. H&H recommends buyers do, so they can see and discuss findings as they arise.

After the Vetting

• Read the certificate in full and ask the vet to explain every finding, however small.
• Send the certificate (and any X-rays) to your insurer before you commit, and check for exclusions.
• Get a receipt and a written transfer of ownership.
• Contact the Passport Issuing Organisation within 30 days to update ownership details (GOV.UK).
• Insure from the day you buy (see below).

How Much Does a Horse Vetting Cost?

The buyer pays. The BHS guide puts a two-stage vetting at £250 to £300 and a five-stage vetting at £350 to over £450, often before travel or visit fees, with prices varying by practice, region and the vet’s experience. X-rays, scans, endoscopy and blood analysis are charged on top. Our guide to the cost of owning a horse puts the vetting in context against a year of keep.

South African practices do not publish a common price list, and we could not find a reliable published range in rand, so ask two or three equine vets for a written quote that states what is included, whether travel is extra, and what each X-ray view or blood test will cost.

Horse Vetting and Insurance

The BHS says insurers will often ask for a two-stage or five-stage vetting depending on the purchase price, and usually want the certificate within a specific timeframe of the policy starting. H&H’s vet library notes the vetting is often required to be no more than 14 days before the policy is taken out, but stresses there are no set rules, so check with the insurer before you book the vet. Our guide to horse insurance cover and exclusions goes into more detail.

Two practical points. First, anything noted on the certificate is likely to be excluded from cover, so share the certificate with the insurer before you agree to buy (H&H). Second, some policies begin with a limitation period in which only accidental injury is covered. NFU Mutual’s horse insurance, for example, does not cover a new illness that first appears in the first 14 days. Guy Prest of KBIS told Horse & Hound that at KBIS, a horse bought within seven days and vetted within 14 days of the policy starting has no limitation period at all. That is the strongest reason to insure the day you buy rather than a week later.

Understanding the Vetting Certificate

Vets do not “pass” or “fail” a horse. The certificate records the findings and closes with an opinion in a set form of words given in the BEVA/RCVS notes: “In my opinion, on the balance of probabilities, the conditions reported above do / do not prejudice this horse’s suitability for purchase to be used for …”. If the history suggests a greater than normal risk of future problems, the vet should say so, and the horse may still be suitable on a risk-benefit view.

A few things the certificate cannot tell you. Without records from foalhood, age cannot be confirmed accurately; the notes say a horse judged over 15 with no documents may be described as “aged”. Vices may not show during the visit. Height is not the vet’s concern. And the vet does not confirm that the seller owns the horse. For anything that rests on the seller’s word, such as history, freedom from vices or no drugs before the examination, the BEVA/RCVS notes suggest a written warranty from the seller.

How Many Horses Pass a 5-Stage Vetting?

Because there is no pass or fail, the better question is how often the vet records a finding that counts against the horse for its intended use. In the Shelton study, 76 of 133 horses (57.1%) had a prejudicial finding: 68.5% of those given a five-stage vetting and 34.1% of those given a two-stage one. Horses with a higher purchase price were more likely to have a five-stage vetting, more likely to be X-rayed and more likely to have a prejudicial finding. Among racehorses, a study of 13,603 National Hunt store horses at sale (Barrett and Arkins, Equine Veterinary Journal, 2020, PMID 31418917) recorded an abnormality in 73.6%, but one likely to prejudice racing use in only 12.0%. A finding on the certificate is common; a finding that matters for your plans is the real question.

Findings That Most Often Count Against a Horse

In the Shelton study the primary prejudicial findings, in order, were:

• Lameness: 42 of the 76 horses, most seen at stage 2 or 3, and in 7 visible only on the lunge.
• Diagnostic imaging findings: 11 horses, including impinging spinous processes (see our guide to kissing spine).
• Respiratory findings: 5 horses, three with left-sided laryngeal hemiplegia on endoscopy.
• Skin: 4 horses, three with suspected sarcoids.
• Pain on palpation, eye abnormalities (including a cataract) and heart murmurs: 3 horses each.

Heart Murmurs and Irregular Rhythms

A heart finding sounds alarming, but most are not. Reef’s review of cardiac assessment at pre-purchase and insurance examinations (Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 2019, PMID 30871830) states that most horses with arrhythmias and murmurs have a normal performance career and life expectancy and are insurable. It advises that an irregular rhythm heard at a vetting should be confirmed with an ECG, and that an echocardiogram is needed for a grade 3/6 or louder mid-to-late systolic, holosystolic or pansystolic murmur, or any holodiastolic decrescendo murmur.

Rhythm problems range from the common to the serious. Atrial fibrillation, where the upper chambers quiver instead of contracting, can be well tolerated at rest but matter in work, which is exactly what the exercise phase is designed to expose. Ventricular tachycardia belongs to a different group: ventricular arrhythmias are often incidental, but a review by Navas de Solis (Veterinary Journal, 2020, PMID 32741491) names them the most likely cause of many sudden cardiac deaths in horses. That is why a vet who hears something irregular will usually want an ECG, sometimes during exercise, before giving an opinion.

What to Do If the Vet Has Concerns

You have three options: negotiate on price, ask for further tests, or walk away. H&H cautions that the vetting is not the place for a full diagnostic investigation; that is for the seller to pursue with their own vet. A horse unsuitable for one job may still suit a lighter one, and a vetting that turns up lameness in a horse you wanted to event may leave a perfectly good hack. Whatever you decide, agree the terms with the seller before the vet arrives, not after.

Buying a Horse in South Africa: Vetting Notes

The BEVA/RCVS format is a UK and Irish standard, and South African vets are not bound by it. Before booking, ask the vet which format they follow, what the certificate covers, and whether a blood sample is stored. The South African Equine Veterinary Association’s find-a-vet directory lists equine practitioners by area, which helps if you are buying far from home and want a vet independent of the seller.

Do not skimp on the eye examination. A University of Pretoria survey of 104 Warmbloods in South Africa (Allen and Goodhead, Equine Veterinary Journal, 2025, PMID 39535442) found ocular pathology in 79 horses (76%), mostly chorioretinal lesions, with cataracts in 13 horses (12.5%); lesions and cataracts became more common with age. The authors say the finding underlines the importance of the eye examination during pre-purchase examinations. Our guide to equine cataracts explains what a vet may find.

Is a Horse Vetting Worth It?

For almost every buyer, yes. The BHS puts it plainly: a vetting can seem a big extra cost, especially on a modestly priced horse, but caring for a horse with an underlying health problem can cost far more. A vetting will not predict the future, but it replaces hope with an independent, documented opinion, and it gives you a baseline record of the horse on the day you bought it. If you are earlier in the process, our beginner’s guide to buying a horse covers viewings, questions for the seller and paperwork.

Frequently Asked Questions