Certificates of Examination of Horse Prior to Sale by Auction

Dear Member,

Increasingly, we are being consulted by members who have been requested by clients to provide a 'Certificate of Veterinary Examination of a Horse Prior to Sale at Auction' in respect of a horse that is intended to be sold by an online auction.

Certificates of Veterinary Examination of a Horse Prior to Sale at Auction are published by VDS, for equine members that have selected cover for pre-purchase examinations (PPE), but they are authorised for use within the terms of the Veterinary Defence Society Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy only if the horse is to be offered for sale at a specifically named sale and where the sale conditions require that:

1. the horse has undergone a veterinary examination, substantially in accordance with the standard procedure recommended by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons / Veterinary Council of Ireland / British Equine Veterinary Association / Veterinary Ireland Guidance Notes on the Examination of a Horse on Behalf of a Prospective Purchaser (2018), and;
2. a certificate describing and reporting the examination referred to in 1) above is to be presented to the Auction Company in advance of the sale, and;
3. the successful bidder has the right to cancel the purchase having had the horse examined post-auction by a veterinary surgeon who has found the horse to be unsuitable for purchase.

In circumstances where the Terms and Conditions of the Auction do not allow the successful bidder the right to cancel the purchase having had the horse examined by a veterinary surgeon instructed on their behalf, after the fall of the hammer, the VDS Certificate of Veterinary Examination of a Horse Prior to Sale at Auction is not authorised by the VDS. Members will not be indemnified by their VDS Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy for claims made by any purchaser seeking to rely upon the Certificate of Veterinary Examination of a Horse Prior to Sale at Auction unless the horse was purchased at a sale where all three of the above conditions are satisfied.

Further information can be obtained from the VDS website under the PPE resources tab.

Yours sincerely,

The Veterinary Defence Society