Checking Your Horse’s Vital Signs

Respiratory Rate

Count this first while the horse is at rest and not stirred up. Simple excitement will alter the rate, try to take the count when the horse is unaware of your presence. Watch the flanks for inward and outward movement.
A normal rate is 8-16 breaths per minute while at rest.

Rectal Temperature

Temperature can be taken with a glass mercury thermometer or an electronic thermometer. Lubricate the thermometer prior to insertion and hold the thermometer in a manner that insures contact with the internal rectal wall. Hold it in place for 2 minutes when using a glass thermometer. Always check to see that the thermometer is working, as they often lose accuracy when stored in hot areas.

Normal temperatures range from 98-101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

A horse’s normal temp will vary several degrees during the day.  If your thermometer reads greater than 101.5 cool it down in the water trough, recheck the reading, and retake the temperature to avoid getting a faulty reading from a defective thermometer.

Pulse

The pulse rate is how many times the heart beats per minute. It takes practice to get an accurate reading. Using a watch and stethoscope, count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four to get the beats per minute.  Stand on the left side of your horse and find the point of the elbow.  The heart can be heard by placing the stethoscope on the chest wall just behind the elbow. Always check the  stethoscope before trying to locate the heart by gently tapping the bell of the scope with your finger.  If you don’t hear anything readjust the ear pieces so that the sound waves can be transmitted into your ear canal.
The normal horse’s pulse varies between 32-52 beats per minute at rest.
As with the respiratory rate, the pulse will go up with excitement.