Before buying or choosing a new horse, it is important to check its health. Although it is impossible to be 100% certain that a horse is completely healthy, there are a number of tests which can identify most potential health risks. Following is a checklist.

One begins with the general external appearance. The coat should be even, shinny and lie flat. The body should be well filled out, with well toned muscle. It should not be overweight or underweight. It should stand evenly on all four legs, with all four hooves pointing straight ahead. It is normal to rest a hind leg (but not a front leg), provided that it is not always the same leg which is rested.

Run your hands slowly down each leg, feeling for any swellings, bumps or hot spots. Give special attention to joints and the bottom of the leg. Check that each hoof is smooth, even and crack free.

Lift each foot in turn and carefully check the sole to ensure that it is correctly shaped and has no apparent injury. Both the angle and tilt of all hooves should be correct and uniform. If the horse resists lifting one or more feet, it may just be inadequate training but it could also be due to a reluctance to lift a good hoof and thereby put more weight on a bad one. Unless you are very familiar with hooves, you may wish to ask a professional farrier (blacksmith) to advise you on these various points.

Check the gums. They should be pink, shiny and moist. If they are dry, tacky, pale or any color other than salmon pink, there is a health issue. If one presses gently on the gums (careful with your fingers!), at the point where you are pressing they will turn white but as soon as you remove your finger the color should completely return to pink within two seconds.

Check the teeth (you may want to use the services of a horse dentist) for spurs, unevenness or excessive wear. Try feeding the horse hay and watch how it eats. It should use both sides of its jaw equally and eat steadily. Dropping hay or leaving hay partly chewed indicates a problem either with the teeth or the jaw joints.

Examine the horse's droppings. They should be firm, with a mild and inoffensive odor.

The horse should appear alert, interested in things around it, and happy. It should move its ears in response to noises and hold them in an upright position.

Have the horse taken to an exercise ring and exercised at all gaits (e.g. walk, trot, and gallop). It should take easy, smooth strides of equal length and with the weight evenly spread on all four legs. It should not favor any leg. Circle the horse in both directions (left inside and right inside) to make sure that it performs equally well in both directions.

The horse should not sweat (except during hot weather) or breathe hard until it has been worked at a fast gait. As it speeds up, there should be a gradual but moderate increase in respiration. As it slows down, the respiration should quickly follow. Once its stops, it should quickly return to its resting heart and respiration rate. It should not show any sign of discomfort or limping either before or after vigorous exercise.

Ask the current owner about the horse's medical history. Ask if he will give you permission to talk with the horse's regular vet. Ask to see the medical records and inoculations book for the horse. In particular, ask if the horse has ever had colic, laminitis or any other illness. Be wary of any incomplete or evasive responses. Ask what the horse's normal diet is (horses fed a natural diet of grass, supplemented by hay, are less likely to have digestive problems than horses fed large on grains and feeds). Finally, ask the seller as to what written guarantee they provide in the event that a problem is found after sale, as this is an indication of the confidence they have in the horse's health.

Dr. Doug Stewart is the owner of Horses for Sale and the author of Healthy Horse.

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Written by Doug Stewart using tags: buy horse, equine, equines, horse, horse care, horse health, horses, Pets