03/06/2025
The Equine Pulse
Brian S. Burks DVM
Diplomate, ABVP
Board-Certified Equine Specialist
Horse owners should know how to evaluate the basic health parameters of their animals, including temperature, pulse (heart rate), and respiration, better known by the acronym TPR. They also should know how to evaluate capillary refill time to judge the horse’s circulatory health. Checking your horse’s heart rate is an important skill that is often done with a stethoscope. Sometimes a stethoscope may not be readily available when needing to check the pulse rate, or there may be another reason for wanting to check your horse’s pulse. When checking the TPR and pulses, the horse should be at rest and relaxed.
If you have a stethoscope, place it just above the elbow and push under the triceps muscle. One heart-beat has two parts “lub-dub”- so do not double count.
The normal resting heart rate for an adult horse is 28 to 44 beats per minute (bpm). Neonatal foals will be 80-120 bpm. To calculate find the pulse or heartbeat and count for 15 seconds, then multiply by four to get the number of heartbeats each minute. Listening for at least one minute helps determine if the heart rhythm is regular or irregular, or if a murmur is present.
Heart rate and pulse are generally the same (there are a couple of exceptions) so either can be used. The facial artery can be palpated under the jaw, just on the inside of the bone. Either right or left may be used. A rope-like rubbery structure is the facial artery and the pulse can be felt with a light touch. Use your fingers, not your thumb, so that you do not measure your own pulse by mistake.
A pulse is the rhythmic expansion of an artery that can be felt with the fingertips during physical examination. A horse’s pulse can be felt or seen in several places: the facial artery, the radial artery on the inside of the carpus, the jugular pulse, and the digital pulse.
A jugular pulse in the lower neck can be noted in healthy animals, but excessive pulsing or distension of the jugular vein can be seen in horses with heart failure. A pulse may be absent, increased (strong), or decreased (weak)—each of which may indicate a specific type of heart disease or defect.
All horses have a digital pulse, though some people cannot feel it in some horses when it is cold or the horse is relaxed. A “bounding” digital pulse is a sign of increased blood flow to the foot, indicating pain or inflammation in the foot. Generally, an increased pulse in one hoof can indicate a localized problem, like an abscess or a bruise in response to an injury. It may accompany lameness or tenderness. The horse may stand with little weight on the affected limb. The hoof wall may feel warm.
If you find stronger or bounding pulses in two or four hooves, laminitis is a possibility. In fact, bounding digital pulses and hoof pain are often the first signs of laminitis. The horse may shift his weight from foot to foot, or lie down more than normal.
If you are familiar with the feel of the pulse in a normal horse, then you will recognize a bounding pulse–you will feel the blood pump harder and firmer against your thumb and fingers.
Digital pulses can be felt on the lower leg of your horse in the fetlock and pastern area. The pulse comes from the blood flowing through the artery to the hoof. The artery will pulse with each beat of your horse’s heart.
The vein, artery and nerve (VAN) run together in the space between the suspensory ligament and the flexor tendons above the fetlock. The VAN continue distally over the back of the fetlock and into the pastern. As the digital artery crosses over the back and towards the side of the fetlock, you may also be able to feel the pulse at the bulge of the fetlock joint. At this point, the branches of the digital artery are close to the surface and may be easy to feel.
Over the pastern, the extensor branches of the suspensory ligament reach from either side the fetlock down towards the front of the hoof, on a diagonal; they can be seen and felt. The vein, artery and nerve travel in the groove behind these firm ligament structures.
Practice feeling your horse’s pulses when he is happy and healthy, rather than waiting until he is sick. You will be more familiar with what is normal and more easily detect the pulses when it counts. When feeling for the pulse, try different pressures. If you press too lightly you may not be able to detect a pulse. With too much pressure, you may restrict the blood flow and therefore the pulse.
It is important to consider digital pulses in context of the whole horse. A complete physical examination that includes TPR, signs of injury, illness, lameness, or distress.
Check the digital pulse on each leg. This will allow you to notice any differences between limbs, which could indicate a potential issue. This is why it is important to check your horse’s digital pulses when he is well, so you will know what the normal pulse in your horse feels like. Keep in mind that some variation is normal. If your horse exhibits lameness, call your equine veterinarian.
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