CHERRY HILL'S HORSEKEEPING NEWSLETTER

October 2003

This newsletter is a personal letter from me to you,
a fellow horse owner and enthusiast.
My goal is to answer some of your questions and send you interesting stories and helpful tips for your
horse care, training, and riding.

Vital Signs Issue

Vital signs measure a horse's body functions and are a good indication of his overall state of health. Learn how to take your horse's temperature, pulse, respiration, capillary refill time, perform the pinch test and become adept with a stethoscope for listening to his heart, lungs, and intestines. Know what is normal for most adult horses. But every horse is different, so know what is normal for each of your horses so you will know when there is a problem. To establish normals, take the vital signs twice a day for three days and average the readings. Choose various times of day but always when the horse is at rest, not when he has just been working or is excited. Write them in your horse's record. Then, when your horse becomes ill, you can take his vital signs and compare them to his normals. This is valuable information to have on hand when you call your veterinarian.

Adapted from Horse Health Care.

Click on a Vital Sign below to change pages

Temperature

Respiration

Pinch Test

Capillary Refill Time

PULSE

You can take your horse's pulse reading just about anywhere you can hear or feel his heartbeat. Choose an artery close to the surface of the skin. Lightly press your fingertips against the artery. Count the beats for 15 seconds and then multiply by four to get the rate per minute. The maxillary artery, on the inside of the jawbone, is one of the easiest places to find a strong pulse, even on a quiet, resting horse. It's best not to let your thumb rest on the horse when you take a pulse as you might possibly pick up a throbbing from your own heartbeat and get a misreading. Another easy-to-find pulse spot is the digital artery located on both the inside and outside of the horse's leg just above the fetlock. Normal resting pulse for an adult horse is 30-40 beats per minutes. Pulse rates are higher with excitement, pain, nervousness, elevated body temperature, shock, infectious disease, and exercise. Pulse rates are lower on fit horses and in cooler weather.

Here's a clip from our DVD, 101 Horsekeeping Tips:

Watch More Horsekeeping Videos

That's it for this month. Don't forget, when you ride, keep your mind in the middle and a leg on each side.

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Don't forget to regularly check the Horse Information Roundup to find information on training, horse care, grooming, health care, hoof care, facilities and more.

Cherry Hill's Horsekeeping Almanac	Horse Health Care	Horse Handling & Grooming	How To Think Like A Horse