CANTER Owned horses are available for purchase after a requisite rest and evaluation period.  They are housed at private facilities and shown by volunteers in their spare time.  For this reason, appointments must be made in advance to see available horses.

CANTER Mid Atlantic no longer sells horses "out of the field" as we feel a month of retraining provides valuable insight into what discipline individual horses would like to move into.

To arrange for a visit of CANTER horses, please email canterhorses@gmail.com

Pre-Purchases of CANTER Owned Horses

Taking the Next Step toward a CANTER Horse Purchase

First, Congratulations! Not only will you be giving a deserving thoroughbred a happy new life, but you will be creating space for one or more additional horses to be accepted into the program!  For each horse sold, CANTER accepts another horse into the program from the racetrack.

First things first, notify a CANTER representative that you would like to either purchase the particular horse, or notify the representative that you would like to arrange a Pre-Purchase Examination.

CANTER does not accept deposits on horses, but will stop showing a horse for sale once a vetting is arranged, or in the event that a vetting will not occur, a check for the full purchase price with signed Bill of Sale is received.

After vetting and payment, horses need to be moved from the CANTER facility within 3 days.  Day rate of 17$ a day applies after that time.

Pre-Purchase Examinations

CANTER Mid Atlantic encourages all parties interested in purchasing a CANTER-owned horse to have a Pre-Purchase Examination (Vetting) performed to ensure the selected horse is suitable for their use.  CANTER does not perform pre-vettings on any horse in the program, but will fully disclose any issue reported about the horse that we have knowledge of.

Vettings can range from 2-5 hours in length, depending both on the attending Veterinarian, and the requested depth of exam.  We encourage buyers to attend the exam to observe and understand the subsequent results.  A CANTER representative must be present for vettings, so please work with them to find a date that works.  Because all of the CANTER volunteers have full time jobs, it is a good idea to arrange vettings late in the afternoon (after 3:00) so that they do not deplete their individual vacation time.

It is important to remember that Pre-Purchase Examinations are subjective and examining a horse that particular day, and that CANTER horses are not a “finished product”.  Many times it takes upwards of a year for a racehorse to fully rid the body of soreness, and the new work we are asking them to do affects their bodies much in the way beginning a running regimen would affect yours.  Pre-Purchase Examinations should be performed with this in mind.

A note about lameness exams from the AAEP:

http://www.aaep.org/health_articles_view.php?id=280

Flexions are an integral part of any Pre-Purchase exam, however they should be used as an indication of a *possible* problem, not as the determining factor for soundness.  A positive flexion does not always indicate an acute lameness, and should be used to narrow down which joints to X-ray should you choose to do limited x-rays rather than a “full set”.

Many horses will flex positively one day, then flex cleanly a month later as they further adjust to their new life. Additionally, many horses will flex positively on a joint and never display a lameness in their life.  It is rare that a racehorse freshly off the track (under 6 months) will flex perfectly on every joint.  Being prepared for this scenario and how you will choose to handle it is important and you should discuss this with your veterinarian.  CANTER recommends reading this paper published by the AAEP regarding flexions:

http://www.aaep.org/health_articles_view.php?print_friendly=true&id=88

Veterinarians for Pre-Purchase Examinations:

North Carolina:

Dr. Fred McCashin

Carolina Equine Clinic, PLLC
2243 Youngs Rd.
P.O. Drawer 450
Southern Pines, NC 28388
Phone: 910.692.8680

Dr. Jim Hassinger

Aberdeen, NC 28315

910-281-4845

Dr. Mitch Byrd/Dr. Celeste Barker

Southern Pines, NC 28387 -0000

(910) 692-1030

Dr. Tom Daniels/Dr. Jim Hamilton

Southern Pines Equine Associates*

Southern Pines, NC 28388
Phone: 910-692-8640

*Please note that Southern Pines Equine is CANTER’s Primary vet in North Carolina

Maryland (Damascus/Adamstown):

Dr. Javier Donatelli

Poolesville, MD

240-676-1990

Dr. Lisa Wagner

Gaithersburg, MD

301-525-5024

Drs. O'Halloran, Forfa, and Megaro

Monocacy Equine

P.O. Box 155
Beallsville, MD 20839

Phone: 301-607-4025

Damascus Equine Associates

1941 Long Corner Road, Mount Airy, MD 21771

Phone: (301) 253-5510

M. Elizabeth Reese, D.V.M., CO.

9417 Falls Road - Potomac, MD 20854

(301) 299-7664

Dr. Haley Kostinas*

Horizon Equine, Adamstown, MD

301-874-4600

*Please note that Horizon Equine is CANTER’s Primary vet for the Damascus/Adamstown Horses