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The 15 things to check for
In the Horse and Fitness Inspection list
These 15 items are strong indications of a horse’s health. These traits and steps are a great way to evaluate your horse and how they may be feeling.
 Stethoscope, Watch, Rectal Thermometer.
1.) Your horse is alert with their ears moving back and forth.
2.) Their coat is a nice glossy look to it and the hair is lying flat on their body.
3.) When you run your hand over their body, their skin is loose and supple and moving easily over the underlying bones.
4.) Their eyes are open and bright. When you check under the lids and into the linings of their nostrils you find a nice pink color to the tissue.
5.) When your horse is at rest, they don’t appear to be overheated or sweating. (This of course isn’t a good test in really hot weather.)
6.) There eating well, (their normal intake of food) and they are chewing normally. (This is based on their normal habits)
7.) After you check out the Body Conditioning chart they fall between 5 and 7. They’re filled out and smooth.
8.) Their legs are smooth, (no swelling) and cool. (No hot swollen areas.) Using an analogy, think of injuries that you have received where you were bruised and think about the swelling and how hot that area became.
9.) Make sure when they are at rest they are not favoring a leg. This leg could be sprained or otherwise injured. Please note resting on of their hind legs is normal but it is not normal if they rest a front leg. This is certainly a sign of injury.
10.) Another indication of a sprain or injury can be noticed when they walk.
It is important to see a smooth, natural gait that does not favor any one leg
11.) Internal injuries may be noticed during urination. Urine must be light yellow or colorless and will be fairly thick. (If its brite yellow, you need to make sure they have enough water.) They should be urinating several times a day.
12.) Their manure should also be occurring a number of times per day. The color will vary based on what they are eating and is to be expected The manure should not have an offensive odor to it and be relatively firm.
13.) When your horse is at rest and relaxing, their breathing rate should be between 8- 12 breaths a minute. This is a general number as it also depends on the fitness of the horse. It becomes an issue when it is grossly higher or lower. The same holds true for their heart rate.
14.) Their pulse should be 36-42 beats per minute.
15.) Temperature (which is taken rectally) is 38 degree Celsius or 100-101 Fahrenheit.
Please note; care and diet, including conditioning play a very important role in horse health and fitness.
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