SPOTLIGHT
ALL ABOUT THE PRE-PURCHASE EXAM Peterson Smith Equine Hospital + Complete Care’s Dr. Tim Lynch demystifies the process WORDS:
CATIE STASZAK
TO BUY or not to buy? When it comes to horse sales, the pre-purchase exam (PPE) is often the determining factor. While a PPE can lead to a yes or no answer, the exam is far from black and white. “Pre-purchase exams are somewhat unfair. The veterinarian only sees the horse for about an hour out of its life with the goal of trying to predict its future, in a way,” says Tim Lynch, DVM, DACVS,
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DACVSMR, of Peterson Smith Equine Hospital + Complete Care, in Ocala, Florida. “The role of a veterinarian is to make sure you have a healthy, safe horse and to evaluate all of the physical systems.” Dr. Lynch has more than 30 years of experience as a veterinarian and more than 20 years of experience as a board certified surgeon. He joined Peterson Smith Equine Hospital + Complete Care in 2002 to head the Sports Medicine Program and became a partner of the practice in 2007. Over the course of his veterinary career, Dr. Lynch has performed countless pre-purchase
exams. He notes that, while buyers and sellers often discuss a PPE with the terms “pass” and “fail,” those words are not utilized by veterinarians. Instead, key phrases like “serviceable” and “not serviceable” for an “intended use” are used. Another important word used by veterinarians during a PPE is “today.” “We have to make judgements based on how the horse is today,” Dr. Lynch says. “If a horse has been showing for three or four weeks in a row, it is likely going to have some stiffness or soreness, or something that might manifest itself, or something that might make [a buyer] hesitate. If a horse is showing and
