Teeth, mouth and the business of chewing
Dental checks sit at the heart of the annual review for both species. Horses' and donkeys' teeth erupt throughout life and wear into sharp enamel points that can cut the cheeks and tongue, so the vet will open the mouth with a gag, look and feel along the arcades, and check for loose, broken or missing teeth, gaps where food packs, and any smell that suggests decay. In ponies, especially older ones, worn or missing teeth change what the animal can chew at all. In donkeys, dental disease is a well-known quiet problem precisely because donkeys so rarely complain. The outcome of this part of the visit is practical: whether rasping is needed, whether the diet needs softening, and whether weight loss you had blamed on age is actually a mouth that hurts.
Weight and body condition, honestly scored
A hands-on condition score is the second pillar. The vet will feel over the neck, ribs, back and quarters rather than judging by eye, because a thick coat hides a great deal. Ponies are typically scored with an eye to laminitis risk and an honest conversation about grazing. Donkeys need handling differently: they lay fat down in distinct pads along the crest of the neck, over the ribs and on the quarters, and those pads can stay plump even when the animal underneath is losing condition, so a vet familiar with donkeys scores several areas separately and may use a weight tape and photographs as a baseline. Either way, the number matters most as a comparison — this year's score against last year's tells you the direction of travel.
Hooves, legs and a short trot-up
The review usually includes feet and movement even when the farrier trims regularly. The vet will look at hoof balance, heel height and any cracks or thrush, feel the legs for heat, swelling or windgalls, and watch the animal walk and trot on a firm surface, ideally turning both ways. Stiffness that only shows in the first few strides, a pony that has started refusing to go forward, or a donkey that has become reluctant to walk to the far end of the paddock can all surface here. For older animals this is also where joint comfort, workload and the coming winter get discussed honestly, before the animal is struggling rather than after.
Worming, vaccination and blood tests
Rather than treating by habit, most vets now build the year's parasite plan around faecal worm egg counts taken at intervals, reserving wormers for the animals and seasons the counts point to — a pattern that protects both the animals and the grazing. The annual visit is when that plan gets set, and when vaccination cover is reviewed and boosters given, with tetanus protection the one vets are least willing to let lapse in animals that live outdoors around soil and fencing. Blood tests are not routine for every young, thriving pony, but vets commonly suggest them for older donkeys and ponies, for animals whose condition has changed without explanation, and as a baseline before any planned procedure. The findings from all of it — scores, counts, dates, teeth notes — are worth far more kept together than scattered across invoices, and storing them in each animal's KinsLe Pet Passport means next year's vet, even a different one, starts from the whole story.