Vital Signs
September 4, 2008
Learn how to check your horse’s vital signs and make sure he’s healthy.
A normal temperature for a horse is between 99.5 and 101.5 F.
Here’s how to check your horse’s temperature:
- Lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly.
- Attach a string to the end of your thermometer if it should fall into your horse’s bedding.
- Tie a clothespin to the other end of the string so you can attach it to your horse’s tail while you’re taking his temperature.
- Approach the horse from the side, and do not stand directly behind him.
- Raise your horse’s tail and insert the thermometer into his rectum.
- Wait at least 1 minute, then read the thermometer.
Learn more practical ways to keep your horse healthy and happy. Become an AQHA or AQHYA member and receive America’s Horse magazine 10 times a year. It’s packed with great horse health information.
Find the Pulse
A normal horse’s heartbeat is between 32 and 36 beats per minute.
- Use your fingers or a stethoscope to find your horse’s pulse under his chin or on the left side of his barrel, just behind his left elbow.
- Each “lub-dub” is considered one beat.
- Record the rate for 15 seconds and multiply by four to get your horse’s heart rate.
Check Breaths
A normal horse exhibits 8-12 breaths per minute.
- Watch your horse’s chest move in and out, or cup your hand over his nostril and feel the air come out.
- Use your stethoscope to listen to the breaths as the air travels across the trachea when he inhales and exhales. it should sound clear and consistent.
- Note the characteristics of your horse’s breathing. Are the breaths shallow or deep? Are there any abnormal sounds like squeaking or roaring?
Did You Know?
A horse’s daily water requirement varies from 5 to 20 gallons, depending on environmental temperature, workload, production state and feed intake. Providing clean, fresh water is a top priority for horse owners.
Learn more about horses’ health, including nutritional requirements, in America’s Horse magazine. America’s Horse is the official member publication of AQHA.
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September 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Just wanted to say, it’s maybe worth remembering the respiration/heart rates given above are for a resting horse – and even walking in the stall to check them can send them up, let alone producing a stethoscope. So, it’s all relative.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
My mare got terrible hives right after my other horse passed away She grew up with him so i know she is stressed out from him passing She doesn’t like the goats we got for her to keep her company she goes after them very aggresively so we put them in a pen right next to hers so she could just hang out with out getting at them as they are babies
I am giving her benadryl 2x a day Childrens Benadryl and my vet said i can give her 10X the amount that is on there for kids however i only give her 16 tsp/day now i was giving her 24 tsp/day it is helping but new ones pop up i also put cortizone creme on her to help with the itching.
and bath her with an ani-fungus shampoo the vet gave me 2x week.
is there anything else i can do for her? thank you so much these hives were huge and filled with fluid they have gone down now and are not that long, they were very long and when they broke open it left raw skin and the dead skin was scaley like a fish.
September 29th, 2010 at 4:01 am
[...] studies each horse daily, checking temperatures and looking for signs of a traveling [...]
September 30th, 2010 at 4:02 am
[...] wave where it needs to go. The flatter the head, the deeper it goes. The more conical heads focus shallowly, allowing the veterinarian to pinpoint where the wave goes for the greatest level of effect. [...]