do you know your horses normal heart rate?

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XxCoriexX

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My horse had colic last weekend and the vet obviously took her heart rate......it was 26!! which is very very low apparently. when he asked if this was normal I had to admit that I had no idea! how many of you know what your horse normal heart rate is?

I have now sourced a stethoscope and will monitor it for a while to figure out what is normal for her. the vet wasn't concerned but I am now very curious! do you know your horses heart rate and what is it?
 
I have a laminated A4 in the stable of the horse with side, head shot, microchip details, my details and resting heart rate/normal temp.
I have missing signs too but if someone else needs them in an emergency they're there.

Mine vary between 30-40 bpm. 17hh Ex-competition horse had the lowest at 30. He was part TB.

Make sure you have a listen to his digestion too with your stethoscope. It's good to know what sounds normal at different points in case you make a colic call and can say "it does not sound normal".
 
One of my boys has a slight heart murmur at complete rest - he misses every 4th beat! The minute he moves even if it's shifting from one leg to another, the "missing" beat comes back... I've been assured this is actually not a problem as long as it doesn't occur during activity... he's obviously conserving his energy hehe

Agree 100% with Bakewell with keeping a chart of "normal" bpm, breathing rate, temperature etc and I take all my lots once a fornight to make sure everything is all OK. I also have bloods taken every 6 months so I know what a "normal" reading is - then if they are off at all and we think it might be a possible virus, we can compare to normal bloods and work out if something is up
 
BeingKate said:
One of my boys has a slight heart murmur at complete rest - he misses every 4th beat! The minute he moves even if it's shifting from one leg to another, the "missing" beat comes back... I've been assured this is actually not a problem as long as it doesn't occur during activity... he's obviously conserving his energy hehe
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Y'know heart murmurs are considered totally normal in athletically trained dogs (say track whippets). It's thought their heart is even more efficient during exertion because of this, it being almost an adaptation rather than a fault! (I do not know if this is the same in horses and of course not all murmurs are the same)
 
bakewell said:
Y'know heart murmurs are considered totally normal in athletically trained dogs (say track whippets). It's thought their heart is even more efficient during exertion because of this, it being almost an adaptation rather than a fault! (I do not know if this is the same in horses and of course not all murmurs are the same)
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I was told that too - I was all concerned and the vet was like, no it's good it means he's super fit and his muscles are "trained" to be efficient... Pleased as my friends horse had to be retired with a heart murmur and I got really worried! :)
 
I do - I've got one with a serious heart condition, so I check hers regularly, and keep an eye on the other two as well, as they always try and muscle in on the stethoscope action!
 
I know all the resting rates of all my horses. It can tell you so much about how things are.

I often will ride or even lunge with a heart rate monitor on. This again gives me an idea of fitness and health. I will also keep an eye on their weight.
 
thanks everyone! have any of you had a horse with a resting rate of 26? vet seemed genuinely surprised at how low it was! she is a big girl at about 16.3 and is relatively fit. not really worried but more curious!
 
Yes, but then as a retired endurance rider, it is something we just do. Average is 35-45, but there are always individuals that will fall outside that. I have two that sit around 28.

Also learning what your horses normal gut sounds sound like is useful and how much water they normally drink.

Edited to add: there are another couple of things that are done in endurance vetting that are also really useful, and I do them at home: knowing the colour of your horses mucous membranes (gums); capillary refill - press the gum and see how long it takes to return to it's normal colour; skin recoil - pinch up a fold of skin on the neck or shoulder and see how long it takes to return to normal.

Really, quick easy checks, with no equipment required.
 
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