Palpation is a procedure performed by a veterinarian who reaches into the rectum with their arm to feel the reproductive organs through the recto-vaginal wall. What do you feel when palpating a mare? If a mare does not return to Read more…
Common symptoms include: Coughing. Wheezing. Nasal discharge. Increased respiratory rate and effort. “Heave” line – this is caused by an increase in respiratory effort, meaning the horse needs to use his abdominal muscles to aid breathing. Reduced tolerance for exercise. Read more…
On an average-size horse, place the stethoscope about 5 inches behind and 7 inches above the elbow (just behind the girth and below the saddle flap on a horse wearing an English saddle). Listen for the gentle blowing sounds of Read more…
For the trot, measure the beat of both front legs. The average warmblood trot is around 150 BPM. A small horse or pony tends to be quicker, up to 160 BPM, and a lofty horse may be 146 to 148 Read more…
What is a Gaited Horse? A gaited horse moves each leg independently, so there is always one foot on the ground. What are gaited horses? Gaited horses are horse breeds that have selective breeding for natural gaited tendencies, that is, Read more…
This may take as long as 2 weeks and abscesses are always much worse. The horse breeds that we work on also affect the outcome. How long does a hoof puncture take to heal? The penetration initially causes bruising and Read more…
When walking out the distance between poles, it is helpful to know what a one-meter (or three-foot) long step looks like for you. A step this size is generally assumed to be equivalent to one trot stride for an average-size Read more…
about 12 feet long. It is generally assumed that the average horse’s canter stride is about 12 feet long. Since a human step is around three feet long, we can determine that four human steps cover roughly the same distance Read more…
As soon as your horse’s front feet strike the ground after the first jump, say, “land.” Then continue with, “one, two, three, four,” and so on, counting out loud in time with your horse’s front feet striking the ground, until Read more…
A two-year-old’s heart beats about 45 to 65 times a minute, and an adult horse has a resting heart rate of around 30 to 50 beats per minute. Walking, trotting, and cantering raise the rate to around 80, 130, and Read more…