Recognizing a Healthy Horse

Horses urinate about 7–10 times per day. Their urine should be a yellowish, tan color and is generally clear or slightly cloudy. Any color changes, such as brown or red tints, could indicate internal illness or strain on an organ system, so contact a veterinarian immediately if this should occur. If your horse keeps stretching out to urinate but does not, this could also be a sign of discomfort and you should consult a veterinarian.

Weight and Body Condition

Measuring your horse’s body weight (BW) and evaluating their body condition score (BCS) is important to incorporate in your equine health care and management. Knowing your horse's BW and BCS helps guide nutrition decisions and can help you determine treatment dosages for dewormers and other medications. Sick horses may slowly or dramatically lose weight or body condition. For some illnesses, this may be your first or only clue that something is wrong. For example, weight loss is one of the key signs seen when a horse is experiencing internal parasite infestation.

Measuring Body Weight

Multiple tools are available to measure your horse's body weight. The most accurate tool is a large livestock scale designed for horses and other livestock on which to stand. Scales are often found at equine veterinary clinics and training facilities, but few horse owners have these on personal farms due to the cost, upkeep, and space requirements.

A more common and popular tool is a weight tape. Weight tapes are designed to wrap around the horse's heart girth and give an estimated BW based on the circumference. These tapes are easy to find and are relatively inexpensive. They are not extremely accurate, as they only take one measurement into account, but they do provide a general idea of the horse's BW and are a viable option for monitoring trends in weight over time. A more precise method to measure body weight is by using a household measuring tape or a string. The string is used to wrap around the horse's heart girth and then the amount of string used is laid beside the measuring tape to determine the inches. The string is then used in the same manner to measure the horse's body length, from the point of the shoulder to the end of the rump. You could also simply use the measuring tape (Figures 3, 4).