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Buying a horse is thrilling, but for many riders, the excitement often gives way to anxiety during one crucial step: the pre-purchase exam.
According to Dr. Holly Helbig, an FEI-licensed veterinarian and professional trainer, that anxiety usually stems from misunderstanding what a pre-purchase can really tell us. “It is a point in time,” she explained during a recent Plaidcast In Person. “Just like you and I, horses can have good days and bad days.”
Why Your Trainer Shouldn’t Be Your Vet
Helbig’s dual experience gives her a unique perspective, but it also makes her firm about boundaries. “Whenever we’re buying or leasing a horse, I never do that pre-purchase exam,” she said. “I do that for two reasons. Number one, I think it’s a conflict of interest to charge a client for a pre-purchase exam and a commission. And number two, these people become like family. You could maybe not make the best decision.”
She laughed that she doesn’t even treat her own dog. “I could, but I just can’t do it,” she admitted. “Your perception gets skewed sometimes when you’re that close.”
That separation, she believes, protects everyone involved. It helps the veterinarian stay objective, the trainer stay ethical, and the client make an informed choice.
A Snapshot, Not a Guarantee
Host Piper Klemm noted that many buyers still approach pre-purchase exams expecting black-and-white answers—a yes or no guarantee that a horse will hold up. Helbig agreed but reminded the audience that horses, like people, can vary from one day to the next.
“Horses can come out stiff one day and never look back,” she said. “They can look great one day and be stiff the rest of their life. It really is a point in time.”
She encourages clients to treat the exam as a risk evaluation rather than a guarantee. The most telling factor, she added, is the horse’s history. “Past performance is your best indicator of future performance,” she said. “Did that horse have to take a lot of breaks, or has it pretty consistently shown up to do its job?”
The Legal Side of Soundness
Helbig also discussed the intense pressure veterinarians face during the pre-purchase process. “Our liability insurance is about three times that of a small animal veterinarian,” she said. “It almost always has to do with pre-purchase exams.”
That legal risk means equine vets must be meticulous in both recordkeeping and communication. “I make a record of everything—who I talked to, how I sent the report, what day I sent the x-rays,” she explained. “I keep all that communication really well filed.”
She also makes sure to speak directly with both the trainer and the owner. “Some veterinarians only talk to the trainer, but I always call the owner as well,” she said. “It protects everyone and helps ensure that the report is understood.”
During those conversations, Helbig outlines not only the findings but also what each potential issue could mean in practice. “I talk about risks A, B, and C,” she said. “If A happens, what does that mean? What is the cost? What’s the potential time off?”
Helbig noted that many horse purchases happen at shows, where the examining vet may not be the animal’s regular practitioner. Once the horse arrives home, she encourages owners to continue the dialogue. “If you purchase a horse and you have a veterinarian that’s not your regular vet, have your own veterinarian go over the horse,” she said. “See what it looks like that day.”
That follow-up step, she emphasized, helps align care between the horse’s new and previous medical teams and creates a baseline for long-term management.
More Than Mechanics
Although veterinary guidelines often discourage commenting on temperament, Helbig admitted she sometimes does. “If I go to lift a horse’s hind limb and it tries to kick me, I’m going to say something,” she said. “I want to be as thorough as I possibly can.”
Beyond flexions and films, she pays attention to details that reveal the animal’s character like how it stands in the stall, how it behaves on the cross-ties, whether a child could safely handle it. “We’re assessing the whole horse, not just one limb or one set of x-rays,” she said.
Klemm shared a story that underscored the importance of that kind of documentation: another veterinarian she knew had performed several pre-purchases on the same pony over the years and could reference her exact notes from previous exams. Helbig confirmed that level of precision is standard practice. “I literally list everyone who’s there and where it took place,” she said. “I spend hours reviewing x-rays and writing the report. It’s very time-consuming, but it’s part of doing it right.”
Working With Your Vet, Not Against Them
Helbig understands why riders sometimes bristle at the cost or complexity of pre-purchase exams, but she hopes they also recognize the effort behind them. “They’re expensive,” she said. “But we’re also putting our jobs on the line. There’s a lot of hours and energy that go into every exam.”
For riders, she suggests thinking of the vet as a partner in due diligence. Be honest about the horse’s background, ask questions, and allow time for the vet to work carefully. “At the end of the day,” Helbig said, “we’re all trying to make the best decision for the horse.”
Knowledge Over Certainty
Helbig’s advice to buyers is simple but powerful: a pre-purchase exam isn’t about perfection. It’s about information. The goal is to understand the risks, the realities, and the management a horse might require.
“Horses are living, breathing athletes,” she said. “There are always going to be variables. The more we understand those, the better we can care for them.”
Want more insight from Dr. Holly Helbig? Listen to episode 452 of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
