Streptococcus equi, also known as “strangles,” is a bacterial infection that can result in severe enlargement of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes. This type of swelling may be seen and felt just behind the mandible. Horses with strangles will run a Read more…
Hoof rings, also called growth rings, are generally the result of seasonal diet changes, especially in horses with a forage-heavy diet. As the nutrient content in grass increases, cellular production shifts and causes slight color variations in the hoof wall. Read more…
28 to 40 beats per minute. Normal adult horses have a heart rate of 28 to 40 beats per minute. What is a horse’s heart rate at rest? The HR of an adult horse at rest averages 36-48 beats per Read more…
To find the horse’s pulse you can either feel under the jaw or behind the left elbow. A common mistake when taking a horse’s pulse is to double count (lub – dub is only one beat). Practice taking your horse’s Read more…
The distal equine limb is mostly bone with some tendons, ligaments and neurovascular structures between the skin and bone. Most soft tissue structures can be palpated by pressing them against the bone. With tendons and ligaments you should press fairly Read more…
Using ten muscles, a horse can rotate each ear independently, up to 180 degrees, to locate, funnel, and magnify sounds. This allows the horse to position itself towards the sound that is making the noise. Horses hear sounds over a Read more…
Inside a horse’s ear The middle ear includes the eardrum and a small, air-filled chamber that contains 3 tiny bones: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. How many muscles are in a horse’s ear? ten musclesUsing ten muscles, a horse can Read more…
Sometimes you will see horses doze off when they are enjoying a wonderful grooming session or they seem to be lying in their field for dead. Like all animals, horses need rest and sleep so that the brain and the Read more…
between 28 and 44 beats per minute. A horse’s heart rate at rest is normally between 28 and 44 beats per minute. What is the resting heartbeat of a horse? 28 to 40 beats per minuteNormal adult horses have a Read more…
Hand gallop means the horse is still “in hand” or in control. Lengthening the stride and slightly increasing the speed is what you’re shooting for. “Look at it this way,” Todd says. “A canter is 10 mph. The hand gallop Read more…