Let’s face it, we put a lot of trust in our horse’s bodies when we get on their backs. Muscles and bones are important but it’s easy to forget about the organ that supplies energy to everything – the heart! It’s much harder to understand how a horse’s heart is working by just looking at the outside of the horse. Here are some things you should be doing to know that your equine athlete’s heart is up to snuff.
Learn to take a heart rate
One of the first signs of trouble for many horses is an increased heart rate, known medically as “tachycardia.” This can occur when a horse is exercising or stressed, but if your horse has a high heart rate while resting it may indicate that the horse is in pain, sick, or that its heart is having trouble keeping up with the needs of the body. A heart rate can be taken by using a stethoscope – it doesn’t have to be an expensive one, even a $10-15 model should be sufficient to confidently take a heart rate. Place the bell of the stethoscope 3-4 inches behind your horse’s left elbow and count the number of beats that occur in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by 4 and you’ve got the “beats per minute.” A normal horse should have a heart rate anywhere between 28-48 beats per minute while at rest. Every horse is likely to be a little different – get to know what your horse’s “normal” is so that when trouble strikes you will know if their heart rate has changed.
No stethoscope? No problem. A heart rate can also be taken by feeling the arteries that course under the horse’s jaw. Place your fingers just on the inside of the lower jaw and feel for a “ropey” structure. This is the facial artery. Gently place your fingers over this structure to feel a pulse. A fainter pulse can also be felt in the digital arteries of the foot and on the underside of the tail head.
Several products exist that can continuously monitor your horse’s heart rate during exercise. These can even be used while riding and will send readings to your cell phone so you can monitor on the move. Particularly while trying to improve your athlete’s fitness, this can be a great way to monitor their progress and get a better idea of how hard their body is working at any given time.
Watch for signs of heart problems
Horses often don’t show obvious signs of heart problems until very late in the course of disease. Early signs of a problem may be subtle. For example, your horse may not be as forward as usual during exercise or may not come up for grain first as usual. If you notice these signs, it might be a good time to check their heart rate and rule out other possible causes of trouble.
Later in the course of disease, horses will display more obvious signs of heart problems. Your horse may develop a new cough, visible pulsation of the jugular veins near the top of the neck (jugular pulses at the bottom of the neck are often normal), and in the worst of cases, foamy white-pink nasal discharge known as “pulmonary edema.” Any of these signs, especially when paired with an increased heart rate constitute an emergency and warrant evaluation by your veterinarian.
Have an expert listen
Sometimes more subtle findings can be identified when listening to your horse’s heart. A trained veterinarian will be able to identify both murmurs (sounds associated with turbulent blood flow through the heart) and arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythms) that may indicate early signs of heart disease. Have your veterinarian listen to your horse’s heart every 6 months to one year to ensure that there is no early evidence of disease.
Among the many problems that horses deal with, the heart often gets put on the back burner, but with careful monitoring, you can ensure that your equine partner’s ticker will be healthy and safe for all your many adventures.
If after following these tips you’re concerned about your horse’s heart health, contact our experts at the Johnson Family Equine Hospital to schedule an appointment.