Nobody wants a sick or injured horse, however, no matter how conscientious you are as an owner there will most likely be a time when your horse requires medical attention. The best approach to managing your horse health is to have a good understanding of what is considered “normal”. 

A healthy horse will have alert eyes and ears, a shiny coat and an active tail, steady gaits, regular eating habits and be interested in the activity around him. When the eyelid is pulled down the membranes should be moist and pink. His urine and feces should be passed without effort and be free from any blood or pus. Fecal consistency will change with the diet but it should be neither too loose nor too dry. Any deviation from normal should be more closely examined. Normal resting temperature for a horse is 99 to 100.8 F and 38.3 to 38.6 oC, pulse rate 32–44 beats per minute and respiration 8–16 breaths per minute. Being able to measure these and identify when there is a deviation from normal is the first step in good horse health and a 5 minute check when you enter your horses stall will quickly tell you if there is a problem.

Any lameness or health issue that is causing the horse pain should be referred to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. A delay in treatment could mean the difference between a complete and speedy recovery and a more serious long-term problem. Using common sense when handling and caring for a horse will help to prevent most problems.

Every barn should have a first aid kit to deal with any minor cuts and injuries. A basic kit would include: antiseptic spray such as Antisep 2% or iodine spray, wound dressing or gauze, elastic or self adhesive bandagesto wrap legs or hold dressings in place, an ice pack, scissors and a thermometer. This simple kit will help you deal with any problem until a veterinarian can be reached.