Before you buy a trail horse, consider arranging a veterinary examination first.

When buying a new horse there are several pre-purchase exams you must conduct. Are you looking for a trail riding horse? a horse for endurance or horseracing? or a horse for team roping? Read our tips before you purchase a new horse, such as arranging a veterinary exam.

First, decide how much you’re willing to pay for the new horse. You can save time by looking only at horses in your price range. Next, list the things you want and the things you don’t, and put them in order of importance.

For example, you’ll probably want a horse that trailer loads easily and safely, doesn’t have certain bad habits that hinder a good trail ride (such as being herd bound), and will tolerate hoof trimming and/or shoeing. You might also want a particular color, gender, size, and age. Make your list, then look only at horses that fit your list, and score each prospect. To determine score, rate each horse on a scale from one to five for each item on the list. Knowing which horses are top scorers will help you make a final decision.

Once you find a horse that meets your criteria, perform a thorough health and soundness evaluation. Here’s what to check:

Eyes. Make sure that the horse can see out of both eyes by doing a flinch test in front of each one. Be careful that the wind from your hand doesn’t cause the flinch. Look for any differences between the eyes.

Mouth and lips. Check for lesions or sores. Check that the teeth are normal and aligned. If possible, watch the horse eat and check for normal chewing.

Ears. Look for excess accumulation of ear wax or excess sensitivity when you touch the ears.

Head, neck, and chest. Look for symmetry of the head, and check the neck and chest for muscle and balance. Check freedom of movement of the head and neck.

Feet. Pick up all four feet. Look — and feel — for any swelling. Flex and/or extend all the joints, and look for any pain responses, such as resistance or lifting of the head. Swelling can be fine as long as the horse doesn’t exhibit pain when you feel or manipulate the area.

Anus. Look for good tone, and any signs of diarrhea or other discharges.

Lameness. Have someone trot the horse out and back, in medium circles in both directions, and in a figure eight. Watch for irregular head bobbing, hip hiking, or just sloppy movement that can indicate pain.

If the horse looks good to you, ride on a trail, if possible. Make sure the horse has stamina, and is alert and not excessively nervous. Try to do this without a riding partner.

If you find any problems, either walk away or discuss a conditional purchase based on a pre-purchase exam by a veterinarian. Conditional purchases are common and fair. You may have to pay a nonrefundable deposit, but it’s often better than buying a dud. (Note that some trail horses are priced so low that a professional pre-purchase exam isn’t economically practical. You may ask the seller to absorb some of the cost.)

The vet you choose to do the exam should be yours or a neutral party — not the seller’s vet. (No dishonesty implied; it’s just that unbiased opinions are helpful.) He or she will be able to pick up on some things you did not. He or she can also do a parasite check, a Coggins test for equine infectious anemia, and general health profiles. He or she can look deep into the horse’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Keep in mind that the vet doesn’t guarantee your new horse is completely healthy and sound. He or she will just tell you either that the horse appears to be okay at the time of the exam, of if anything is wrong. Then he or she will make a prognosis. You’ll still be the decision maker.

Barney Fleming, DVM, vets more than 60 endurance rides per year, gives endurance clinics and workshops, and is a professional lecturer on the sport of endurance riding and other equine subjects. He and his wife, Linda, own Spirit Horse Escape, a horse camp and bed-and-barn in Custer, South Dakota (www.spirithorseescape.com), and an overnight horse facility in Deming, New Mexico (www.equinedoc.com).