Anyone involved in the equestrian world will have, or know someone who has a story about going through the process of buying a horse or pony. The journey of searching for a sound and suitable horse/pony is not only time consuming, potentially expensive (fuel costs, advisor fees etc) but most importantly, incredibly emotional!
Over the years I have heard many nightmare stories from my clients where they have either felt pressured or overwhelmed by the vendor or they have felt sorry for the horse. Despite all the time, money and emotion invested in the decision, the result can be a stressful and distressing reality of owning a horse that is neither suitable or sound for the use required of it.
When looking for a horse for myself, it became apparent that a significant proportion of horses / ponies for sale on the various social media platforms were showing varying degrees of lameness in their sales videos. Many of the lamenesses exhibited were mild but still significant. The 25 years of experience as an equine vet and my specific interest in poor performance issues in the competition horse enabled me to identify these more subtle, unsound horses.
It was for this reason that I started looking at sales videos for my clients to advise them whether is was worth viewing the horse/pony or not. This then naturally progressed into clients sending me video footage of horses they had viewed, ridden and liked so I could assess their soundness prior to arranging a Pre Purchase examination.
"Is it Sound" offers a unique service for people looking to purchase either their first or next equine partner. The aim is to minimise the stress, time and cost for the purchaser by identifying the unsuitable or unsound horse/pony before you have even put your key in the ignition!