Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Daily routine around the barn
The visual exam
A visual exam is a routine that allows you to assess the overall health and well-being
of your horse. If you see something abnormal, palpate or take vital signs. (For more
information, see Hill,
Horse Health Care
[Storey, 1997].)
OVERALLSTANCEANDATTITUDE
:
Head up and eyes bright, eager for feed or
lethargic, inattentive, or anxious?
LEGS
:
Wounds, swelling, or puffiness?
APPETITE
:
Finished all of his feed from the previous feeding?
WATER
:
Has he taken in a sufficient amount of water?
MANURE
:
Is it well formed yet will break, or is it hard and dry or loose and
sloppy or covered with mucus or parasites or filled with whole grains?
STALL
:
Are there signs of pawing, rubbing, rolling, or thrashing? Or wood chew-
ing?
