
A horse’s pulse and temperature are two barometers of health. As a horse owner, it’s important that you know your horse’s “normal” temperature and its normal resting pulse rate/respiration rate as then you have a baseline for recognizing possible illness or distress. Certainly one of the first things my vet asks me when I call to say my horse seems “off” is whether or not he has a temperature.
There are a range of “normal” readings so you should plan on checking your horse over a period of several days to determine his baseline readings.
- Normal pulse range: 28 to 45 beats (count the double ‘lub dub’ as one full beat) per minute. Note that on the second video they show four different ways to check your horse’s pulse.
- Normal respiration range: 12 to 20 breaths per minute
- Normal temperature range for a horse: 98.5F to 101F (36.9C to 38.3C). A horse has a 3-degree range in temperature which is influenced by warm weather, stress or exercise. A higher temperature than this can indicate an infection. If your horse has a temperature higher than 102F, you should call your vet. Horses’ temperatures are taken rectally. To avoid losing the thermometer (yes, it happens), tie a string to the end. You can use digital thermometers but keep in mind that when using the newer ones, which show a temperature in 15-30 seconds, you will get a more accurate reading if you cycle the thermometer two or three times. When my horse was sick last fall I used a digital thermometer and incorrectly thought his temperature was lower than it actually was.
Here are three excellent videos that show you how to check your horse’s vital signs.
Another video with a vet describing how to check your horse’s vital signs.
http://horse-clips.co.uk/2013/10/video-how-to-check-horse-vital-signs/