Medical Disclosures
The Sales Integrity Program recommends that sales companies encourage owners selling horses at public auction to disclose known and material medical information regarding the offered horse through the veterinary repositories maintained by the sales companies. Keeneland and Fasig Tipton maintain repositories. Ocala Breeders' Sales maintains an information center.
Medical Conditions/Procedures That Must Be Disclosed
- All horses that are cribbers
- Any horse sold after July 1 of his yearling year that is a cryporchid (ridgling) or a gelding must be so announced at time of sale.
- Horses that possess any deviation from the norm in the eyes
- Horses that are "wobblers"
- Horses that are two years of age or less and have undergone invasive joint surgery (does not include conformation-altering procedures)*
- Horses that have had surgical intervention of the upper respiratory tract
- Horses that have undergone abdominal surgery of any type that occurred in the last two calendar years preceding the day of sale
- Horses that have had any resection of an abdominal organ (partial or complete) at any time except to repair a ruptured bladder in a newborn foal
- Horses that have been nerved, must be so disclosed by placing a veterinary certificate in the Repository on a timely basis as required by the sales company
The Sales Integrity Program recommends the disclosure of conformation-altering procedures however it is not mandatory. A potential buyer should always ask the seller if the horse has undergone such a procedure.
*Ocala Breeders' Sales does not require the disclosure of invasive joint surgeries.
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