Optimizing Horse Health: How to Give an Equine Physical Exam

You care about your horse’s health. You want them to be happy, healthy, and thriving. That’s why it is so important to know how to properly perform a comprehensive equine physical exam.

When assessing your horse’s health, it is important to know their health history. You should know when and with what they were vaccinated and dewormed, as well as past injuries and illnesses. Try keeping a record for each horse to reference as necessary.

Once you are aware of your horse’s health history, you can start performing physical exams and taking note of the results. Read on to find out what things to examine.

Parts of a Physical Exam

There are two different sections of a physical exam: objective and subjective.

The objective part of the exam is based on observations that are fact based. These include:

The subjective part of the exam is based on observations that are influenced by personal opinions. These include:

Let’s start with the objective exam.

Objective Equine Physical Exam

Temperature

First on the list is taking your horse’s body temperature. For a healthy, mature horse the range is typically 99-100°F (37.2° – 38.3°C). For foals, 100-102°F (37.8° – 38.9°C).

To learn how to take your horse’s temperature, check out this resource from The American Association of Equine Practitioners. I like to use an inexpensive digital thermometer, like this one. Be sure to mark it as the horse thermometer, though 😉

Now let’s say you take your horse’s temperature and you notice it is a little high. It is important to determine if a variation is expected at that time.

You can expect variation in your horse’s temperature during exercise (increase), weather (based on temperature outside), illness (increase), trauma, stress, and age.

It is also key to understand that horse’s are individuals and what is normal for one horse may be abnormal for another. The key is to take consistent measurements to determine what is normal for YOUR horse.

Heart Rate

A healthy, mature horse will have a heart rate (pulse) of 28 to 44 beats per minute. As for foals and newborns, their heart rate will be 60 to 80 beats per minute and 80 to 100 beats per minute respectively. These horses have higher heart rates simply because growth requires energy and their bodies are working harder.

You can take your horse’s pulse in a few different locations. The three common arteries are the facial/mandibular artery (located on the underside of the jaw), the ocular artery (located near the eye), and the digital artery (located on the lower leg).

Please note that a strong pulse near the digital artery can be a sign of inflammation. Evaluate your horse’s heart rate when they are healthy to ensure correct baseline measurements.

So, how do you measure the pulse? You can place 2 fingers to palpate any of the arteries listed and count the beats for 6 seconds (multiply by 10 to get the beats per minute). Simply placing a stethoscope behind the left elbow and listening to the heart directly works great as well.

Respiratory Rate

In a mature, healthy horse, the respiratory rate will be about 10-24 breaths per minute. Foals and newborns will have a rate of 20-40 bpm and 80-100 bpm, respectively. This is because juvenile horses’ lungs have decreased capacity and metabolize faster than older horses’ lungs.

To measure the respiratory rate, simply watch the flank/ribcage or nostrils and count each breath. Remember, one inhale and one exhale equates to one breath. If you find this method a little difficult, you can also place your hand in front of the horse’s nostrils and count each time they exhale on your hand.

For both methods, count the number of breaths for 6 seconds and then multiply by 10 to get the total breaths per minute.

Capillary Refill Time

The definition of capillary refill time (CRT) is the time required for the distal capillary bed (gums) to regain its color after pressure is applied, typically by a person’s thumb.

Capillary refill time is a great measure for dehydration in horses. In a healthy horse, the gums will regain their color in less than 2 seconds. In a dehydrated horse, it will take more than 2 seconds.

To measure, lift your horse’s top lip and press your thumb firmly but gently on their gums. Note how long it takes for them to return to their original color.

Skin Pinch Test

The skin pinch test measures skin turgor and elasticity. The results of the test are meant to determine whether or not your horse is dehydrated.

In a healthy horse, the skin should return to normal in less than 2 seconds. Dehydrated horses will have a reading of 2 to 4 seconds and a severely dehydrated horse will be over 4 seconds.

To perform a skin pinch test, pinch the skin at the base of the neck with the pads of your fingers and measure the time it takes for the skin to return to normal.

Body Weight

Keeping track of your horse’s body weight is another key component of monitoring their health. A sudden unexplained increase or decrease in weight can indicate numerous health issues and should be addressed by your veterinarian.

There are a few different methods of measuring your horse’s body weight. First off, something many people use, we have the weight tape. To learn how to properly use a weight tape, check out this post from Kentucky Equine Research. The weight tape is typically not the most accurate measure of body weight and should only be used for a general idea.

Secondly, you can use a weight equation to determine your horse’s weight. SmartPak has a great estimator tool that is free to use. Again, this just gives you an idea of how much your horse weighs.

I will note that this estimator seems to be most accurate for standard size horses. Minis and smaller horses may get inaccurate answers.

Finally, the most accurate way to get your horse’s body weight is by using a digital scale. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to these scales and they can be pretty pricey.

Subjective Equine Physical Exam

When performing the subjective part of the equine physical exam, you will need to use your best judgment to decide what is abnormal.

Hair Coat

Your horse’s hair coat should be even, shiny, and glossy. An abnormal coat will be dull, patchy, and scaly. You may also notice that the coat is lumpy, bumpy, covered in scabs, showing signs of fungal infection, or hives. Address any abnormal coat changes with your veterinarian.

Demeanor

A healthy horse’s demeanor (attitude) should be bright, alert, and curious (depending on the breed). When examining your horse’s demeanor, you can perform some tests to see their reaction to stimuli.

First, the pupillary light reflex test is performed by shining a light in your horse’s eye. Their eye should contract in the light and dilate when the light is removed.

Second, the menace response test is performed by waving your hand side to side in front of your horse’s eye. They should have some sort of response to the movement. If there is no response, this may be a sign of blindness in the horse.

Third, the panniculus reflex test is performed by lightly touching your horse’s body and seeing if they shake/wiggle their skin (much like if a fly were to land on them).

If your horse were to fail any of these tests during the physical exam, be sure to consult your veterinarian as they may be showing signs of neurological problems.

Behavior

When examining your horse’s behavior for an equine physical exam, it is important to look at both individual and interactive behaviors.

Individual behaviors include digestive and excretory behaviors. Pay attention to the consistency and color of your horse’s stool as well as the presence of any parasites. Check out more about things to look for in your horse’s poop here.

Interactive behaviors include reproductive and reactions within a herd. Your horse should be interacting with their herd and displaying normal submissive and dominant behaviors. Sudden changes in behavior should be noted and discussed with your veterinarian.

Body Condition Score (BCS)

A key part of the equine physical exam is the body condition score. The body condition score allows one to access if the horse is too thin, too fat, or about right. The scale ranges from 1 to 9 with 1 being severely emaciated and 9 being extremely fat. The healthy horse range has been determined to be 4 to 6.

When assessing BCS, you will examine six different areas on the horse’s body.

Palpate each area firmly to determine how much fat is present in each area. Read the detailed descriptions of each score here.

Gait

The main purpose of assessing the horse’s gait is to determine if any lameness is present. The ideal walk is rhythmic and relaxed, with the head and neck moving together. To better understand how each gait should appear, check out this resource here.

When prominent lameness is present in a back leg, your horse will likely hike up their hip and drop their head low when that leg is weight bearing. They will do everything they can to get the weight off that leg.

Lameness in a front leg will be slightly different. The horse may still try to lift up that leg but they are more than likely going to be raising their head in the air in order to get more weight off that leg.

This is just a brief introduction to a lameness exam and lameness (like many other issues in this post) should be addressed with a veterinarian.

Teeth

When examining horse teeth, you should look for any abnormalities such as hooks or waves. Here’s a more comprehensive list of common abnormalities.

You can also examine if the horse has an overbite (parrot mouth), and an underbite (monkey mouth). It is important to note these irregularities and plan your dental care accordingly since the teeth will wear unevenly.

When teeth abnormalities are left unchecked, they can lead to pain and discomfort for the horse. It is important to address any dental issues with your veterinarian to resolve them as quickly as possible.

Gums

To assess the health of your horse by their gums, you need to look at what color they are. Changes in gum color can indicate numerous issues and should be addressed quickly.

Healthy, normal gums should always be moist and a salmon pink color.

When gums are yellowish-brown, this is indicative of liver problems such as an inflamed liver. However, if you feed a lot of carrots and notice that your horse’s gums have a light yellow tint, do not be too worried. An increase in carotene (found in carrots) can cause this color change as well.

Gums that are pale pink/white, this is a sign of decreased circulation in the horse’s body. This could be a sign of fever, anemia (caused by parasites, internal/external bleeding, or stress), or systemic shock.

Grayish/bluish white colored gums are indicative of low oxygen levels and poor circulation. This is also a sign of systemic shock and major upper respiratory issues.

If your horse has brick red gums, this a sign of severe dehydration and/or endotoxemia (laminitis). It is indicative of disrupted blood flow in the body. This and all other abnormal colors should be treated as an emergency and a veterinarian should be involved immediately.

Reference this article for gum pictures and other possible causes of discolored gums.

Eyes

Healthy horse eyes should be bright, alert, and clear without any cloudiness or tearing.

Some common eye problems include:

• Redness – indicating inflammation
• Cloudiness – indicating fluid or scarring within the tissue of the cornea
• Watering – abnormal or blocked tear ducts; allergies
• Squinting – indicating pain
• Abnormal growths – sarcoids, melanomas, and squamous cell carcinomas (all of which can be benign or malignant)

It is important not to self treat eyes and get a veterinarian involved for the more serious issues.

Daily interaction and keen observation can help prevent small issues with your horse from turning into larger problems. Take a few minutes each time you see your horse to assess their overall health and well-being.

---

Thank you so much for reading about how to perform an equine physical exam and things to watch out for when assessing horse health. Your horse appreciates you taking the time to learn more about them.

We post new content every Thursday!

Cited articles and bonus reading material

• How to Take Your Horse’s Temperature
• Kentucky Equine Research – Using Weight Tapes on Horses
• The Brooke – Animal Health Mucous Membranes
• Texas Equine Dental Care – Common Equine Dental Problems
• Horse Sport – Keeping Horses Eyes Healthy
• Iowa State University – The Body Condition Score
• Horse Health Products – 5 Things to Look for in Your Horse’s Manure