The Netherlands has a good standardized prepurchase examination. Prepurchase examination (PPE) is advisable when buying a horse in the Netherlands. The advice provided by the certified PPE veterinarian will be accepted by the insurance companies without further examination. The introduction of the “certified PPE veterinarian” in the Netherlands is intended to improved the quality of the examination of horses, thus enabling the Purchaser to decide properly on the sale of the horse. Beware that a Seller may recommend an vet who is involved with the Seller and/or a particular horse. This may be solved if the seller agrees that all relevant information on the horse can be divulged by the vet to the Purchaser of the horse.
Standard of care of Dutch veterinarian
Although the pre-purchase examination may give a positive picture of the horse, the purchasers may still be unhappy with the horse. Incidentally disagreement about the quality of the horse leads to a court case, between seller and purchaser or even the examining veterinarian. The purchaser can select a veterinarian to perform the prepurchase examination. The purchaser should choose a veterinarian to examine the horse form the official register of “certified prepurchase examination veterinarians”. The vet’s report of the examination by the certified PPE veterinarian will be accepted by the insurance companies without further examination. The Purchaser who is not satisfied with the performance of the veterinarian can file a complaint with the The Veterinary Disciplinary Board (VDB; het Veterinair Tuchtcollege), the official body dealing with faults and negligence of vets in the Netherlands in accordance with the Veterinary Practice Act. The Purchaser can also file a claim in Court against the Seller. Read also: sale of horse with injury.
Standard form on Prepurchase examination report
The prepurchase examination should be performed according to the handbook ‘De veterinaire keuring van het paard’ issue 2007 as a guidance”. The examination report of the horse should be completed fully. The conclusion of a prepurchase examination should state all abnormal findings and give a qualified opinion and motivated risk assessment based on up-to-date veterinary knowledge. The conclusion of the examination is not a guarantee as to whether the horse is suitable for a particular rider or a specific use like sporting purposes like dressage or showjumping unless this requirement was clearly agreed before the start of the prepurchase examination. The Purchaser should specifically ask the for a sports test if he’s purchasing a sporthorse. If the purchaser considers the horse to be ‘non-conforming’ to terms or expectations of agreement, then the first necessary step is the statutory duty to complain to the vendor of the horse. If this does not lead to a proper settlement then the Purchaser can take the vendor of the horse to court case because of non-conformity and/or breach of default of the Seller.