Articles on Horses | Topics: horses, horse, equestrian
by Ismael Young
Some horse owners have many concerns about their horse. For many, the main concern is keeping their companions healthy and thriving. As long as the horse is well kept in clean conditions and feed a regular nutritional diet, then the chances of an illness raising its ugly little head are slim. But in some cases, disease does happen despite your efforts. What you need to know is how to differentiate a healthy horse from a sick one. Basically, a healthy horse will have a good appetite, and a glossy coat and he will be very alert to his surroundings.
You will need to learn the signs of a healthy horse to:
1. Avoid buying a sick horse.
2. To catch the signs early enough to treat and to prevent to the horse from becoming any sicker.
3. To be able to give the veterinarian an accurate description of any abnormalities.
4. To separate the horse from others to minimize the risk of spreading a contagious disease.
Observing horses at events is also a good way to establish a standard for what is normal and what is not. There are many signs to determine the health status of a horse. Listed here are some specific indicators of health you should become familiar with so you can determine when the horse is healthy and when you should consult a veterinarian.
Hair or coat: A healthy horse will have a glossy and shiny coat that is reflective of adequate nutrition and that can be improved by regular grooming.
Eyes: The horse's eyes should appear bright and clear and fully open. There should be no discharge or a dull, glazed appearance.
Hooves: Every normal, healthy horse has healthy wall tissues in the hooves. The hooves should be smooth and clean with no cracks. When viewing the hoof from the side, there should be a straight line with the front of the pastern.
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Attitude: A healthy horse will appear bright and active. He should be alert, attentive and inquisitive. The horse should not have a dull, sluggish look that can indicate an illness, overuse or over-training. Horses will normally try to stay in a group when they are in a lot, paddock or a pasture. Afflicted horses will keep to themselves and stand away from the group. Healthy horses will show an enthusiasm for eating and will chew evenly with both sides of their mouth.
Hydration: A water balance is extremely important to a horse's health. You can test hydration by doing a simple skin fold test, by pinching a fold of skin and pulling it out. Observe how many seconds it takes the skin to fall back into place. A hydrated horse would have its skin falls nicely back into place, whereas a dehydrated horse's skin would stay up longer and slowly fall back into place.
Urine: Healthy urine should be a straw-wheat color. Cloudy or dark red urine indicates a problem.
Manure: Horse stools should appear as firm clumps. Stool that is watery, loose or containing undigested grains indicates a problem.
Mucous membrane: The mucous membranes of a horse's lips and gums should be pink in color. You can assess a horse's circulation by gently pressing a finger against the gums and watching to see how long it takes for the color to come back into the gums once the finger is removed. It should only take one or two seconds. Any dark red, deep purple, yellow or pale white colors should be cause for concern.
Heart rate: The normal heart rate of a healthy mid-sized adult horse in a resting position is 40 to 45 beats per minute (bpm) and 25 to 30 bpm for a heavier adult horse. These heart rates can vary slightly all depending on the horse's age, temperature, humidity and even the excitement and exercise levels.
Respiratory rate: The normal respiratory rate for a healthy adult horse in a resting position is 8 to 16 breaths per minute. This rate can be greatly increased by exercise, temperature, humidity, pain, distress, anxiety and even fever.
Body temperature: The normal body temperature of a healthy horse is 98 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature can become increased by a few degrees by the horse being in a hot and humid environment or by exercise, dehydration or fever.
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