Horse&Rider Magazine: Taking a digital pulse

Your horse's pulse should be between 36-42 beats per minute. The pulse is most often felt on the jawline, but it is possible to check it on the fetlock.

Normally you would feel for your horse's pulse in its lower limb if you were concerned about a digital problem such as suspected laminitis or pus in the foot.

It is normal to feel a pulse in this area if there were no pulse, it would suggest no blood was reaching the digit! But when there is an abnormality in the foot the pulse becomes more bounding, and therefore much easier to feel.

As a horses owner or carer, you need to establish what is normal for your horse, and whether you can find his digital pulse day-to-day.

If you cant normally find his digital pulse, but when he is lame you can feel it, it may be that the digit is the site of the lameness.

You should pass this information on to your vet as details like this can help during further examination.

Here, veterinarian Jo Dudney of the Liphook Equine Hospital, shares her tried and tested methods for checking your horses fetlock pulse.

How to check

• You feel for this pulse at the back of the pastern.

• Place your thumb on one side and two fingers on the other side just below the fetlock

• Slide your hand down until you are just above the heel and can feel the digital pulse. This is really quite difficult to feel in a normal horse particularly if your horse is a heavier type, or has feathers

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horse
• horse and rider
• digital pulse
• laminitis
• locating digital pulse
• veterinarian
• veterinary attention
• healthy horse
• sick horse
• common horse disease

[Hunnytre]

I have had the vets out twice to see to my horse. She keeps laying down & gets lame. They have tried to take her pulse, but they cannot get one. They say it is because she has a lot of feather.

Is there anyway I can try to take it even though she as a lot of feather?

Thank you for this video. I will try to take her pulse, but I am worried I won't do it right!