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Wellbeing & First Aid

Care for your horse's welfare with top tips and hot topics from professionals. 

Understanding how to take care of your horses wellbeing is a vital piece of information not only for their general health but it is important to keep a track of for physio, vet and farrier visits. Improve your knowledge of horse health and welfare by watching these short videos.

How to condition score your horse

Knowing a horse’s bodyweight is useful for calculating their nutrient requirements, however, since there are currently no defined methods for calculating the ‘correct’ weight for a particular horse, bodyweight is of little use in assessing the current physical status of an animal ie. whether the horse over or underweight. For this reason, monitoring condition may be considered a more useful tool as it can give an immediate indication of the current physical state of an animal, which is more practically useful for the management of feeding and exercise regimes. Find out more on how to condition score your horse below.

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Horse weight management

When it comes to horses, maintaining a healthy weight is key to overall wellbeing. Being over or underweight can cause a whole range of problems from issues with your horse's hooves to problems with their hearts so it's essential to keep an eye on your horse's weight. Petplan Equine has provided some tips on how to assess and measure your horse's weight as well as preventative steps you can take to keep your horse happy and healthy.

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Worming your horse

Controlling worm burdens in horses is an important part of every owner's horse care routine. Petplan Equine veterinary experts Gil Riley and Juliette Edmonds discuss why worms can be dangerous and how best to manage them.

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A guide to leg protection

Lameness is one of the most common reasons why your horse might need to see a vet. To help prevent this problem in the first place, Petplan Equine spoke to veterinary physiotherapist Hayley Marsh shares her practical tips on caring for your horse’s limbs.

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How to weight a horse using a weight tape

Dengie nutritionists Katie Williams and Claire Akers talk you through weigh taping a horse including how to position the weigh tape correctly.

Equine First Aid

Petplan Equine veterinary expert Gil Riley explains how you can help your horse in a crisis, before the vet arrives. No matter how well you manage your horse, accidents can still happen. So, it is important that you feel prepared and know how to provide equine first aid in a crisis. 

Being able to identify certain problems and provide adequate equine first aid while awaiting the vet can help minimise suffering for both you and your horse. It will also reduce the likelihood of any complications that could result from delay. Learn more about what to look in your 'normal' horses behaviour, horse’s temperature, heart rate, respiration, how to dress a wound, deal with an injury to the foot, how to spot colic and what you should have in your first aid kit.

FIRST AID HUB

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Horse Care Learning Zone

How to take a horses temperature

You should take your horse’s temperature weekly and regularly to establish normal range and to get your horse used to it. After you have travelled and have concerns about your horse’s health or if other horses on the yard are showing signs of disease.

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An increased temperature is often the first sign something is amiss, and being able to tell your vet what your horse’s temperature is and how abnormal that is for them can be a really useful indicator of the severity of the situation. A normal horse temperature is 37.5–38.5°C (99–102°F) and knowing how to take your horse’s temperature is essential.

How to check your horses respiratory rate

You should take your horse’s respiratory rate weekly to establish normal range and at the same time of day choosing a time when the heart rate will be normal. If you have concerns about your horse’s health.

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Taking your horse’s pulse will tell you their resting heart rate, and the easiest place to do this is under the jaw. Normal heart rates can vary from 24 to 40 beats per minute. Usually ponies tend to have higher heart rates than larger horses.

How to assess your horse’s respiration
Respiratory rate and effort can change with allergic responses, pain or an increased temperature where it is an effort to help cool the horse down.

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A horse's respiratory rate is normally between eight and 12 breaths per minute. You can assess your horse’s respiratory rate and effort by watching their chest and nostrils.