How to Check a Horse's Digital Pulse

Checking the digital pulse helps evaluate pain and inflammation in foot and hoof. Finding the pulse at your horse's foot takes experience and expertise, but most people can learn the basics with some practice.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Local Horse Magazines
• National Horse Magazines
• Horse Brushes
• Horse Reins

1. Ask your veterinarian to locate and point out your horse's digital arteries, which are on the inside and outside of each leg at the level of the fetlock and pastern.

2. Palpate on the inside and outside of each leg, toward the back of the midpastern or fetlock at the level of the sesamoid bones.

3. Note how strong the pulse is. A normal horse should have a pulse that is very slight or difficult to feel.

4. Compare findings among all four feet to judge if one foot in particular is abnormal.

5. Know that if the pulses of more than one foot are increased, it could indicate a systemic and not a localized problem.

6. Contact your veterinarian if you detect a strong digital pulse.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the digital pulse when your horse is healthy to determine what's normal for her; you'll then be able to recognize abnormalities.
• The case for foals (young horses) is the opposite of that for adult horses - the digital pulse of a foal should be easily palpable and a weak pulse should be of concern.
• A strong digital pulse can indicate pain associated with a foot abscess, bruise, laminitis or lameness.

Who Can Help Sponsored

on 11/22/2005 If you are having trouble feeling the digital pulse, go to the left side of the horse (talk to him so he doesn't startle). Place your ear or a stethoscope right behind the horse's elbow, just in front of where the girth would be. You will hear the heart beat clearly. Remember that a horse's normal pulse is slower than ours (35-50 beats per minute).

on 11/22/2005 Always make sure that your horse's feet are square on the ground when you feel for the pulse. If they aren't, then the leg that the horse is leaning on more will have more of a pulse. Also, sometimes when you kneel down to feel the pulse, you have to wait a few seconds if the horse is skittish about having his leg touched, because if he's all jumpy, his pulse will be, too. I've had a lot of experience with getting a horse's digital pulse.