You may grumble that your schedule is already heavier than a John Deere tractor and tracking your horse's health baseline will overload your time engine. Think again about keeping this resolution. Your horse's health depends on it.
Starting a baseline health chart is easy and it takes less time then filling your truck's tank with gas.
If you don't all ready have the following information in a handy notebook or on your computer, take a couple extra minutes to record: your horse's name, age, breed registration number, date purchased and from whom you bought it. Next, your veterinarian's name address, phone and a back-up veterinarian or 24-hour emergency veterinarian hospital number, your shoer's name and number and back-up shoer plus your trainer's name and number. If you board your horse, record the stable owner's name and number, ranch manager's name and number.
Next, record the date of your horse's annual shots and the formal names of the injections. Record the date of your horse's teeth floating. Make sure you note if a tranquilizer was used and the type. Latest sheath cleaning and the date of the last shoeing or trim. Finally, record the last date the horse was wormed and the type of wormer used.
Now you're ready to go check on Trigger and record his vital signs baseline. Mornings are best after feeding before the horse is worked or riled up by his buddies in the pasture. If this is the first time you've recorded your horse's baseline ask your veterinarian to help, trainer or knowledgeable horse friend.
TOOLS YOU'LL NEED:
Weight and height equine tape.
Stethoscope.
Equine thermometer attached with a 1-2 foot bright colored string tied to a clothespin or alligator clip.
Petroleum jelly
Pen and paper
First, measure your horse's weight and height using your horse tape. Record in notebook.
TEMPERATURE:
An adult horse's temperature is between 37.7 to 38.6 Celsius according to A-Z of Horse Diseases & Health Problems by Tim Hawcroft B.V.Sc (Hons), M.A.C.V.Sc. Fahrenheit degrees the range is 99-101 with the average temperature around 100. Younger horses may have evaluated temperatures compared to their older counterparts. If your horse is 3-4 degrees above normal call your vet. Early detection of diseases and sickness is how to keep your horse healthy. Have your knowledgeable friend, trainer or vet show you the proper way to take a horse's temperature. Take your horse's temperature 3-5 days in a row to find the average for his vital signs health baseline chart.
