Conditions of Sale

It is important to be aware of the conditions of sale for each sales company. These conditions usually differ with the age of the horse, use of the horse, and sales company. Sales are weighted in favor of the consignors and conducted with an attitude of caveat emptor. The warranty is limited, with no implied warranty for use or soundness other than those conditions published in the sales catalog. The repository is an area at the sale location set up for viewing radiographs, and videotapes of the upper airway at rest, in selected horses. If veterinarians determine this information is not adequate or satisfactory, it is their responsibility to obtain the desired information. They should examine all available information carefully. If any problem is discovered after the sale that was evident in the repository information, the consignor is not liable. The sales company makes no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of repository information and makes no interpretation of it. Repository information is for the convenience of potential buyers and as a courtesy of the consignors and also decreases the exposure of yearlings to repetitive and stressful examinations. Other information, such as previous surgery, medical problems, eye problems, current medication, vaccination status, Coggins and equine viral arteritis status, and availability of radiographs, may be available from the consignor, if the veterinarian asks.

Presale or Postsale Examination

Currently many persons prefer presale inspection. This eliminates the process of arbitration, places the onus of disclosure on the consignor, and makes the buyer responsible for obtaining all available information before sale. If the buyer does not obtain such information (such as identification of a chip fracture), the buyer has no recourse. With examination after sale the only problems for which a horse may be returned are listed in the catalog as conditions of sale. The veterinarian is responsible for knowing these conditions and the terms under which arbitration can occur. Arbitration usually must be implemented within 24 hours after the sale of the yearling, and the yearling must still be on the sale grounds. Failure to comply with this negates any chance of arbitration.¹⁴ Arbitration usually involves three veterinarians representing the sales company, the consignor, and the buyer respectively.

Clinical Examination

A yearling TB is immature, and its physical appearance may change considerably. Developing the skills to predict how each horse may develop by learning from experienced persons is worthwhile. Assess the general attitude of the horse, its eye, and its presence. Be aware that many yearlings are tranquilized for ease of inspection, so one may not get a true picture of the horse’s attitude, which can be important in training and racing. Evaluate the horse’s conformation (see Chapter 4). Look at the horse’s feet, because the old adage “no foot, no horse” is true. Assess the horse’s shoulder, hip, top line, and length of back and then the lower limbs. A good shoulder and hip can accommodate many conformational defects lower in the limb. In our opinion the following conformational abnormalities may predispose to lameness and should be avoided: back at the knee, tied in behind the knee, offset knees, and exceptionally straight hindlimbs. Carefully evaluate the shoeing and trimming of the feet, because good farriers can make a horse that toes in or out appear to be almost normal, and they are very adept at repairing an abnormal hoof appearance. After examining the horse walking in hand, perform a more detailed examination in the stall, out of sight of the general public, as a courtesy to the consignor. Assess carefully any swellings, and palpate the joints, tendons, and ligaments. Examine the eyes and auscultate the heart. Look for evidence of previous periosteal stripping or other surgery, evident as dermal thickening or white hair in areas where surgery is commonly performed.

Endoscopy, Echocardiography, and Ophthalmology

The veterinarian should ask the consignor or his manager for his assistance and permission to perform an endoscopic, radiographic, and echocardiographic examination of the horse, and should arrange a time to do so. A resting endoscopic examination of the horse’s upper airway should include stimulating the horse to swallow and holding off the horse’s airway. This allows more complete evaluation of the horse’s upper airway function at rest. Echocardiographic examination is not performed routinely but can be used to assess heart size and left ventricular free-wall contractility or to detect abnormalities.¹⁵ A brief eye examination should be conducted, looking carefully, in particular, for corneal scars.

Radiography and Radiology

For many yearlings, radiographs are obtained up to 30 days before the sale and are stored in the repository at the sale. Most states allow only veterinarians licensed in the state to examine these radiographs. The examining veterinarian is responsible for ensuring that all the desired images are present, that the radiographs are properly identified, and that they are of suitable quality. The radiographs should be interpreted carefully. If the radiographs are incomplete, of poor quality, or absent completely, the veterinarian should arrange to have his or her own complete set of radiographs obtained. In our opinion a comprehensive examination consists of 46 images, plus any additional images needed on the basis of clinical examination. These images include the following:

However, the following 36 images are those required by the Keeneland sales repository in 2009:

This provides a comprehensive, but not all-inclusive, picture of the horse’s musculoskeletal system. Other sales companies may have different requirements. The veterinarian is responsible for ascertaining the requirements.

A number of common radiological findings may eliminate a horse from further consideration.¹⁶ Fractures of the carpus, distal phalanx, tarsus, proximal sesamoid bones, and the second or fourth metacarpal (metatarsal) bones generally are considered unacceptable, whereas small osteochondral fragments on the dorsal aspect of a fetlock joint may be acceptable. Osteoarthritis (OA) of the carpus, fetlock, or proximal interphalangeal joint is not acceptable. However, small osteophytes on the dorsoproximal aspect of the third metatarsal bone (MtIII) do not necessarily preclude a successful athletic career.

The relevance of osteochondrosis depends on the location of the lesion, its size and severity, the presence or absence of OA, and the prognosis for racing after surgical treatment. A yearling with a small fragment may be amenable to surgical treatment and should be discussed with the buyer. If a fragment has been removed previously and no evidence of OA exists, the horse may be a reasonable risk for purchase. Horses with osteochondral fragmentation of the cranial aspect of the intermediate ridge of the tibia or small lesions of the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur usually are treated successfully by surgical removal. Horses with osteochondral fragments on the proximoplantar aspect of the proximal phalanx in the hindlimbs (which may actually be traumatic in origin) represent a reasonable risk.

If an osseous cystlike lesion is identified, especially one involving the stifle or fetlock, the horse generally should be considered at high risk for developing lameness. Other radiological abnormalities that may preclude purchase include sesamoiditis, laminitis, and active splints.

Few objective studies detailing the relevance of radiological changes and race performance are available for review. In a study to determine prevalence of radiological changes in the repository radiographs of 1162 TB yearlings selling in Kentucky, fragmentation of the dorsal proximal aspect of the proximal phalanx in the forelimb (1.6%) was more common than that of the palmar aspect (0.5%), whereas in the hindlimb fragmentation of the proximal plantar aspect of the proximal phalanx (5.9%) was more common than that of the dorsal aspect (3.3%).⁵ Radiolucent defects, bony fragments, and loose osseous fragments of the distal aspect of the third metacarpal bone (McIII, 2.8%) and the MtIII (3.2%) were found, and most yearlings (98%) had radiologically apparent vascular channels of the proximal sesamoid bones. Irregular channels (>2 mm wide or with nonparallel sides) were more common (79%) than were regular vascular channels (56%). The cranial aspect of the intermediate ridge of the tibia (4.4%) was the most common site of osteochondral fragmentation in the tarsus.⁵ The authors concluded that although some radiological changes were common, others such as fragmentation and radiolucent defects were uncommon, and if rare, the effect of radiological changes on race performance would be difficult to study.⁵ In a second study race performance of these yearlings was evaluated, and overall 81% started a race as a 2- or 3-year-old.⁶ Fourteen of 24 horses (58%) with moderate or severe palmar supracondylar lysis of the McIII, 8 of 14 (57%) of those with enthesophyte formation of the proximal sesamoid bones, and 19 of 30 (63%) with radiological changes of the dorsomedial aspect of the middle carpal joint started a race.⁶ The odds of starting a race with these three radiological changes were three times lower than the overall population, a result that was statistically significant.⁶ Twenty-five of 36 (69%) of yearlings with fragmentation of the dorsoproximal aspect of the proximal phalanx in a hindlimb raced, a percentage that was lower than in the overall population but not statistically significant.⁶ Yearlings with enthesophyte formation of the proximal sesamoid bones in the hindlimbs placed in a significantly smaller percentage of starts and earned significantly less money per start.⁶

Drug Screening for Anabolic Steroids and Other Prohibited Practices

In 2008, Keeneland instituted a policy stating that “a limited warranty provides that any yearling entered at the Keeneland Fall Yearling Sale shall not have been administered any exogenous anabolic steroids within 45 days of the date of the sale.” A prospective purchaser may have the horse tested for the presence of exogenous anabolic steroids. If the blood is found to be positive, the buyer has the right to rescind the sale and return the horse to the seller.

The following practices are prohibited once a horse has entered the sale ground:

Monitoring and Sale Selection

Most higher-class farms that offer yearlings regularly monitor the growth rates, weights, and conformation of the young stock. Such monitoring often is done with veterinary help and is conducted in close cooperation with the farrier. This should ensure that any corrective farriery is undertaken as early as possible, thus gaining maximum benefit and not leaving correction until too late in the growth of the animal. The second growth spurt, from 9 to 12 months of age, is an important window of opportunity in which to make substantial changes through corrective techniques. Regular veterinary inspections also help to detect disease, such as acquired deformities or developmental orthopedic disease, early enough to allow successful remedial measures to be undertaken. As in the United States, selection of the sale at which the yearling is to be offered is made in the spring, usually April. A few consignors conduct radiological surveys at this time to help with this selection and to deal with potential problems such as bone chips and osteochondrosis.

Preparation

Yearlings are brought in from pasture 6 to 8 weeks before sale for increasingly intensive preparation. This involves walking exercise with the horse led by hand, sometimes using uphill work, or using a walker. Treadmills were once used commonly, but they have fallen from favor because they tend to give a horse a goose-stepping type of action. Lunging is introduced later in preparation, particularly for the heavier or fatter yearlings, and this will be short and at a sharp trot and canter, on both reins and often twice daily. Lunging is more important to sale preparation in Europe because most yearlings, particularly the more expensive, will undergo respiratory examination at the canter by the purchaser’s veterinary surgeon immediately after sale. Education and fitness are important if this postsale test is to be conducted safely and satisfactorily. A substantial risk of injury exists during lunging if the exercise is not conducted carefully and on a suitable surface. Interference injuries, such as brushing or overreach wounds, can be prevented by using protective boots, farriery, and careful buildup of speed and fitness and particularly by using a sympathetic surface. Surfaces such as deep sand or dry wood chips may become too deep or slide away under the horse. Paddock turf can be too firm and slippery to be safe. Modern surfaces, such as Fibresand (Fibresand UK, Mansfield Sand, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom) or Polytrack (Martin Collins Enterprises, Hungerford, United Kingdom) on a slight camber are safer. Some of the more successful vendors place more emphasis on lunging to achieve fitness and muscle condition than on walking. Excessive walking usually makes the person leading the yearling fitter and leaves the yearling bored and slovenly.

Yearlings usually come up from summer grazing in good, perhaps heavy, body condition. Converting the fat yearling into a well-muscled potential athlete by judicious feeding and exercise is an art. Overfeeding the leaner yearling may lead to physitis (see Chapter 57). As the weather starts to cool, most yearlings will be rugged (blanket applied) in the stable to ensure that they do not start changing to a winter coat. This change in management means that less energy is required in the diet.

Using medication to promote growth or body condition is much less common nowadays, partly because certain vendors became renowned for these practices and suffered in the long term. Anabolic steroids are not licensed for use in the horse, now deemed in mainland Europe to be a food animal. Several years ago Tattersalls, the important Bloodstock Auctioneers, conducted a pilot program of drug testing yearlings for steroids at their premier sale to assess for steroid use. Although the results were never published, the effect of this exercise was salutary.

During the preparation period, front shoes will be fitted, and some changes can be made to hoof trimming and balance to conceal slighter conformation faults, fill horn defects, and ensure that hoof wear during exercise is not excessive. Few yearlings will be fitted with hind shoes. It is important that the final shoeing not be too close to the sale date, so that tight nails or other shoeing problems do not cause lameness.

Orthopedic problems encountered in the yearling year can include physitis—mainly at the distal radial physis, but occasionally also the distal tibial physis—splints, sesamoiditis and strain of suspensory ligament branches, osteochondrosis, or bone cysts or osseous cystlike lesions. Horses with bone cysts often have clinical lameness when forced exercise commences, as in sale preparation, or breaking in immediately after sale. Managing orthopedic problems in the months before the sale not only requires the ideal veterinary measures according to the disease, but also requires giving consideration to the importance that potential purchasers place on the problem (little perhaps in yearlings with small settled splints) and to alternative strategy if the chosen sale has to be missed. If, for example, a yearling develops a bog spavin that requires surgical removal of osteochondral fragments 3 months before sale, having the joint back to normal, the clipped hair regrown, and the yearling adequately fit to offer for auction would be a close race to run. The ethics of offering such a yearling also have to be considered.

Conditions of Sale

Conditions of sale for yearlings at the main European auction houses do not include orthopedic conditions or surgery, with the exception of denerving at Doncaster (United Kingdom) and Goffs (Ireland). The latter auction house also deems wobblers to be returnable. Purchaser power and the example from the United States have introduced more presale radiographic examinations at premier sales. These now mostly are conducted by the vendor, and films of standard images of the carpi, the hocks, all fetlocks, and the stifle joints are available for examination by purchasers’ veterinary surgeons. No official repository exists, but viewing facilities are available at the sale paddocks.

Radiographs are not essential to a profitable sale, because some of the most successful vendors at Tattersalls have not allowed presale radiography or endoscopy. They stand by their yearling on orthopedic matters and rely on the auctioneer’s condition of sale regarding wind conditions. The latter is more stringent than in the United States regarding laryngeal hemiplegia but does not include other upper respiratory disorders that are considered intermittent, treatable, or so rare (e.g., rostral displacement of the palatine arch has been detected three times in 17 years) as to be dealt with on a single-case basis. Conditions of sale for English and Irish yearlings state that a horse is returnable if it is found to make a characteristic abnormal inspiratory sound when actively exercised (a roar or whistle at the canter) and to have endoscopic evidence of laryngeal hemiplegia that was not declared before sale. Horses are lunged for this examination soon after sale and before they leave the sale paddocks.

Orthopedic Conditions

The most commonly found orthopedic condition to cause difficulty after sale is a subchondral bone cyst in the medial femoral condyle (see Chapter 46). Characteristically, lameness occurs soon after the horse starts lunging exercise for breaking in. Clinicians experienced with yearlings always obtain radiographs of a yearling’s stifles if lameness develops in a hindlimb under these circumstances, with no obvious clinical sign of origin of pain. Vendors usually are approached with a view to taking the horse back, particularly if the money has not changed hands, but not all will do so. No case has yet come to court, and it must be admitted that after conservative or surgical treatment some such horses have gone on to race satisfactorily, but not as 2-year-olds.

Conditions commonly found during prepurchase veterinary examination include the following:

Fig. 99-1 Dorsolateral-palmaromedial oblique radiographic image of a metacarpophalangeal joint. Irregularity and enthesophyte formation on the abaxial margin of the lateral proximal sesamoid bone reflect sesamoiditis.

(Courtesy I.M. Wright, Newmarket, England.)

Ultrasonographic Examinations

Ultrasonographic examinations have been introduced by some purchasers. Ultrasonography has been used mainly to measure dimensions of the cardiac chambers, but some horses that have had injuries or other soft tissue anomalies may be offered with ultrasonographic images provided by the vendor or, with the vendor’s permission, may be examined by ultrasonography by a purchaser’s veterinarian. Conditions that may warrant such an examination to give purchasers confidence include thickening of suspensory ligament branches or fleshy superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs). The former is seen distally where the suspensory ligament branch attaches to the proximal sesamoid bone and usually results from a mild strain. Whatever the fiber pattern appearance in these horses, they often need considerable patience in training as 2-year-olds but ultimately can stand racing. Fleshy tendons are a thickening or bowing of the SDFT in the forelimbs that is seen in yearlings or 2-year-olds in training. They show minimal or no soreness on digital pressure and on ultrasonographic examination have an increased cross-sectional area of the middle third of the tendon and a coarseness of fiber pattern, but no core lesion or accumulation of fluid (Figure 99-2). These horses do well if they are shown patience in training (horses with mild lesions are capable of light cantering exercise but not galloping) and are not given aggressive veterinary treatment. With regular monitoring the tendon(s) usually thins and straightens to normal during the summer months, and many horses can be raced as 2-year-olds. This condition is probably an adaptive mild inflammation, because it occurs in yearlings that have had no managed exercise and in 2-year-olds in early training. Fleshy tendons should not be considered in the same serious manner that a strain or core lesion would demand in an older horse and pose only a slightly greater risk of tendonitis later in the racing career. Local antiinflammatory medication or counterirritation is sometimes applied, but the efficacy is dubious.

Fig. 99-2 A, Transverse (on the left) and longitudinal ultrasonographic images of the midmetacarpal region of a 2-year-old Thoroughbred with fleshy tendons. Subcutaneous edema and enlargement of the superficial flexor tendon are present. B, Enlarged transverse image of horse shown in A. The entire cross-sectional area of the tendon has a diffuse reduction in echogenicity.

Location and Time of Major Sales

The major sales take place in the fall in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, with smaller sales elsewhere. Small consignors may sell directly through the sales company, but large breeding farms or well-known agents sell most STB sales yearlings. Separate dispersal sales of broodmares, sucklings, and weanlings occur with the yearling sales or at a later date. Horses of racing age sell at various sales across North America, but no specific sales occur for 2-year-old horses in training.

Conditions of Sale

All STB sales yearlings sell as is, meaning that when the hammer falls, the buyer owns the yearling in the condition in which it was sold and must pay according to the conditions of sale. The sales companies are not responsible for determining the suitability of the horse for racing or for unsoundness discovered after the sale. The sales company announces the yearling’s sex and reproductive changes or abnormalities (gelding, spayed, ridgeling, cryptorchid), if the yearling was conceived by embryo transfer, and if the horse has been “nerved.” Consignors sign a contract with the sales company that includes details about remediation if a dispute regarding soundness occurs, but the legal responsibility is with the consignor, not the sales company. Arbitration, according to the laws of the state in which the yearling was sold, is used if a suitable arrangement cannot be made.

Consignors, usually large farms acting as agents or independent sales agents, have a separate contract with individual owners to represent them at a sale. Owners are required to give information about neurological status, cribbing, fractures, neurectomy, or unsoundness of sight or wind at least 30 days before sale. The consignor determines if information regarding these conditions is announced at the sale, but no contract stipulates that known conditions, such as lameness or previous surgery, be announced at the sale. To prevent disputes and to preserve their integrity, consignors may request that surgical procedures, such as arthroscopy to remove osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) fragments, or other pertinent information be announced. Verbal announcements and the availability of presale radiographs and surgical reports may be detrimental to the sale price, despite resolution of the condition, although removal of tarsocrural OCD fragments is usually acceptable. Philosophical differences exist among consignors, and only some provide presale information. Thus little incentive exists to disclose information or to investigate problems before sale. Many owners prefer that problems not be investigated so that the yearling may be consigned without disclosure.

Resolution of Disputes

The consignor is primarily responsible for adjudicating conflicts about STB sales yearlings. Because sales companies stipulate yearlings are sold as is and arbitration is the final remedy for disputes, consignors often are forced to provide flexible remediation when disputes arise. If consignors are owners, they deal with problems directly with buyers. If consignors are agents for owners, they become the intermediary. In most instances consignor and buyer attempt to avoid arbitration. Problems arise when a condition is found after the sale, usually on postsale radiographs, that is judged to be detrimental to the yearling’s future potential as a racehorse. The buyer refuses to pay and contacts the consignor. Influential large buyers can often stand their ground, and the consignors may refund money, give credit to the buyer for the future purchase of a yearling, pay for surgery if necessary, or lower the sale price. If agreement cannot be reached, arbitration ensues. The high prevalence of OCD fragments means that most disputes concerning these are judged in favor of the consignor. Disputes regarding carpal chip or other fractures, osseous cystlike lesions, extensive radiolucency of the proximal sesamoid bones, or unusual OCD or traumatic conditions often are resolved in favor of the buyer. Fractures are considered important, and the term should be avoided if a condition is known by most to be a manifestation of OCD. Failure to disclose a condition is most difficult to prove but often is suspected by disgruntled owners.

Role of the Veterinarian

Because repository radiographs are not available, the veterinary presence at major sales is minimal. Veterinarians are sometimes asked to accompany buyers to farms before sale, or to the sale itself, but are handicapped by not having the ability to review radiographs. Influential buyers may be able to convince consignors to allow radiographic and endoscopic examinations and may otherwise threaten not to bid on horses. Veterinarians often are asked to judge conformation and interpret what effect abnormalities may have on future race performance. They may be asked to review pedigrees, but in general, trainers and owners are extremely knowledgeable. Veterinarians are usually prohibited from performing radiographic and endoscopic examinations at a sale or, if they are allowed to do so, must perform the examinations after normal sale hours. However, these examinations usually are allowed for horses of racing age.

Conformation

A definite relationship between conformation and the development of certain lameness conditions exists in the STB sales yearling (see Chapter 108). A difference in the relevance of abnormal conformation exists between a trotter and pacer. Sickle-hocked conformation is acceptable in a pacer, unless severe, but in a trotter this conformation leads to lameness. A sickle-hocked trotter is usually fast but lame. Mild sickle-hocked conformation is considered by some to be desirable in a pacer, but in horses of either gait, this abnormality predisposes to curb, osteoarthritis of the distal hock joints, and fracture of the central or third tarsal bones (see Chapters 44 and 78). In-at-the-hock conformation is undesirable in a trotter and a pacer. Calf-knee or back-at-the-knee conformation is prevalent in STB yearlings, and if mild and in a pacer the conformation is acceptable, but in a trotter this abnormality should be avoided. Any conformational abnormality of the carpus in a trotter should be considered carefully. Bench-knee or offset-knee conformation is undesirable in a trotter or pacer (see Chapter 38). Tied-in below the knee leads to superficial digital flexor tendonitis, especially in a pacer (see Chapter 69). I believe TB racehorses can tolerate clubfoot conformation better than STBs, and this abnormality should be avoided. Metacarpal and metatarsal exostoses are common, but usually of little concern, unless large or proximally located near the carpus or tarsus, respectively.

Videotapes of yearlings in action (loose exercise in paddocks or jogging on the track) are usually available and are thought to be much more informative in trotters than in pacers. Desirable characteristics of trotters include a wide gait behind and a narrow gait in front. An acceptable trotter can be base narrow and toed out in front, because hindlimbs often land lateral to the forelimbs (called passing gaited), and interference injury is minimal. Base-narrow, toed-out conformation predisposes a pacer to considerable interference injury. In pacers, base-wide forelimb conformation is acceptable, whereas in a trotter this predisposes to interference. Toed-in conformation, if mild, is acceptable in a pacer but not in a trotter, because interference injury and lateral branch suspensory desmitis are problems.

Radiography and Radiology

Because no repository for radiographs is provided and many consignors actively discourage presale radiography, radiographs are usually unavailable. However, some farms examine all STB sales yearlings radiologically before the sale, remove OCD fragments, and have radiographs available on request. Because OCD fragments of the tarsocrural joint generally cause effusion in late weanlings and early yearlings, these often are removed surgically before sale, but this may not be announced. Radiographs may be available for other types of injuries, such as lumps or bumps in the metacarpal or metatarsal region or elsewhere, to demonstrate that the injury is unlikely to affect future race performance.

Radiographs commonly are obtained after sale and may lead to questions about future soundness and, in some horses, arbitration. In general, radiological changes that affect racing performance are radiolucent defects of the proximal sesamoid bones (sesamoiditis and osseous cystlike lesions), large conglomerate OCD fragments involving the plantar processes of the proximal phalanges (intraarticular and extraarticular fragments) in trotters, osseous cystlike lesions of the distal aspect of the proximal phalanx and middle and distal phalanges, large OCD lesions of the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur and subchondral bone cysts in the medial femoral condyle, single or multiple fragments located in the distal sesamoidean ligaments (rare form of fragmentation seen in the forelimb, thought to be a manifestation of OCD), carpal chip fractures, and various forms of osteoarthritis. The mere presence of OCD fragments does not necessarily affect sale price if the condition is known before the sale, and certainly in most yearlings does not preclude future soundness and successful racing. The most common sites of OCD involve the tarsocrural joint and the metatarsophalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints. Once discovered, these fragments are often removed prophylactically before training begins. Management of STBs with fragments in the metatarsophalangeal joint is discussed elsewhere (see Chapter 42).

Future Direction

Many disputes occur between buyers and consignors concerning abnormalities in postsale radiographs, lameness, or neurological disease. Determination of when a lesion developed, if a true fracture exists, real or perceived effects on prognosis, and chain of custody (in whose care the yearling was when the problem was noticed) complicate final payment. These issues generally are resolved between the consignor and buyer (see the previous discussion), but occasionally arbitration is necessary and usually favors the consignor. Availability of presale radiographs in a repository would be preferable and a strong forward step for the STB industry, and although this change is not yet well accepted, mandatory radiographic examination is gaining support from some of the most influential owners and agents.