Question: What Should I Know About Soundness?
Answer: Ideally you should buy a horse that is in perfect health and soundness. But many horses have slight unsoundnesses. Should you buy it anyway? That will depend on your goals. Many horses are retired from competitive sports because of a slight soundness (health) issue that would get worse with the workload. With light riding the soundness issue may not be as important.
Side bones, slight joint degeneration, or a bowed tendon might mean the end of an intense cross country or race career but would not be a problem for light showing on the flat and trail riding. As long as you are willing to consider the needs of a horse with a slight problem these horses have a lot to teach a new rider in exchange for a little extra care. This is where a prepurchase exam is useful. A veterinarian should be able to give you an idea of the capabilities of the horse you are considering. If the problem is small perhaps regular exercise or treatment may be all it takes to keep your horse comfortable and useful. Of course, you don't want to end up riding a horse who has a chronic condition that causes it constant pain. That is unfair to the horse and will be hard on both your heart and purse strings.
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