How to Check a Horse's Heart Rate

Check heart rate to evaluate your horse's physical condition. An increase in heart rate can be associated with pain, dehydration, fever and other problems.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stethoscopes
• Watches With Second Hands
• Local Horse Magazines
• National Horse Magazines
• Horse Comb/brush Set
• Stopwatches

1. Place a stethoscope against your horse's chest, behind the elbow (the topmost joint in your horse's foreleg).

2. Listen until you hear a strong, steady heartbeat.

3. Grab a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand.

4. Count the number of heartbeats you hear for 15 seconds.

5. Multiply that number by 4 to obtain the horse's heartbeats per minute.

6. Know that a normal resting heart rate for an adult horse is about 30 to 40 heartbeats per minute.

7. Contact your veterinarian if you determine a problem.

Tips & Warnings

• Some athletic horses may have resting heart rates as low as 24 beats per minute; get to know your horse.

on 11/22/2005 If you don't have a stethoscope, feel just under the jaw. Do not use your thumb - use your index and middle fingers. Feel around until you get the pulse.