When evaluating a horse's health status, its vital signs should be taken, assessed, and recorded. Evaluation should occur when the horse is healthy to establish baseline measurements and monitor the overall health and when the horse appears sick to determine if there is a deviation.
Regularly taking vital signs can help you become comfortable with the tasks and desensitize your horse. Temperature, pulse, and respiration, or TPR, are three key vital signs that should be assessed. In addition, the horse's gums should be evaluated to assess dehydration and tissue blow flow.
The values listed are for adult horses at rest. Horses recently exercised would have higher values. Additionally, rate may vary based on the horse's size, with larger horses often having lower rates and smaller horses often having higher rates. Always assess the individual horse, establishing what that horse's averages are before illness is suspected.
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