Re: RC: pre-purchase exams-flex tests

[Wayne/Elaine Delbeke <delbekew@sprynet.com>]

They (flexion tests) are valuable but it would be dangerous (imho) to
fail every horse on the basis of this test alone.

We have had vets say: "do you want this horse or not?" just before doing
the test.

We have a 17 year old Arab gelding with close to 4000 endurance miles on
him and several times that in off season riding (Canadian winters limit
our normal ride season to four or 5 months) that would never have passed
a flexion test to some people's satisfaction; and another old boy (16)
who has done the Tevis, the Outlaw trail, the Pan Am preride and a lot
of other miles including multi-days - who normally takes about one to
200 hundred feet to work off a flexion test. Our vet said don't buy him
if you want a lot of years out of him, but he went well for several
years just the same ... with appropriate care and speed.

Conversely, we did not pay a whole lot for these boys, but they have
given us a lot of good miles.  The first one won top point horse, top
milage horse, and best conditioned horse in Alberta this year ... but he
would never pass a flexion test.


Wayne & Elaine Delbeke