How to Take Your Horse's Pulse

Knowing your horse's baseline temperature, pulse and respiration (TPR)
will help you in assessing his conditioning program, in monitoring
his general health and in recognizing signs of distress or illness.

Difficulty Level: Easy
Time Required: Five minutes

Here's How:

1. Either secure your horse, or have someone hold him.

2. Select which site you will use to take the pulse - either under the jaw,
the side of the foot or underneath the dock of the tail.

3. Place two fingers lightly across one of these points to feel the pulse.

4. Use a watch to time 15 seconds, while counting the beats.
Multiply this figure by 4 to give the per minute rate.

5. At the same time, feel the force of the pulse as excessively strong
or weak pulses can be indicative of health problems.

Tips:

1. A horse at rest will usually have a pulse between 38-40 beats per minute.

2. While horses that are exerting themselves can have pulse rates up to 180,
anything over 80 beats per minute is considered
a sign of trouble in a non-exercising horse.

3.How quickly a horse's pulse returns to within normal limits
following exercise is one of the best indicators of his fitness level.


HORSE CARE INDEX