Every horse owner should be able to take their horse’s TPR — temperature, pulse, and respiration. These three vital signs are the quickest, most reliable way to spot a problem before it becomes an emergency. Whether you’re noticing your horse is dull in the field or ringing the vet at 2am with suspected colic, knowing the horse’s TPR gives your vet the information they need to advise properly.
This guide explains how to measure each value, what the normal ranges are, what variations mean, and when to call for help. The method is simple, the kit is cheap, and once you’ve practised on a healthy horse a few times you’ll have the baseline you need to recognise when something is genuinely wrong.
Table of Contents
What Is Horse TPR?
Horse TPR stands for Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration. Together, these three vital signs give you a snapshot of a horse’s health. Any meaningful deviation from the horse’s normal range is a signal that something has changed — infection, pain, dehydration, stress, or exertion.
The value of TPR is twofold. It gives you objective numbers to report to your vet (far more useful than “he looks off”), and it establishes a baseline so that you can spot subtle changes later. Every horse has a slightly different resting normal, and the only way to know yours is to take readings while the horse is healthy.
Taking TPR is a core skill on the BHS Horse Owner’s Certificates and is considered fundamental first-aid knowledge for any horse owner or yard manager.
Normal TPR Ranges at a Glance
The following figures are the generally accepted ranges for an adult horse at rest. The adult temperature range is the healthy range the British Horse Society publishes for UK horses — 37.5–38.5 °C. An earlier version of this article gave 37.2–38.3 °C, which is a conversion of the American 99.0–101.0 °F convention; if you learned that range here, work to 37.5–38.5 °C instead. The foal temperature is the 99–102 °F (37.2–38.9 °C) range that Merck Animal Health and Amanda House DVM, DACVIM, of the University of Florida both give for newborn foals. Foals, ponies, and very fit horses may sit at the edges of these ranges, and what matters most is knowing what is normal for your own horse.
| Vital Sign | Adult Horse (Resting) | Foal (Newborn to 1 Month) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 37.5–38.5 °C (99.5–101.3 °F) | 37.2–38.9 °C (99–102 °F) |
| Pulse / Heart Rate | 28–44 beats per minute | 70–120 beats per minute |
| Respiration | 8–16 breaths per minute | 20–40 breaths per minute |
| Capillary Refill | Under 2 seconds | Under 2 seconds |
| Mucous Membranes | Pale pink, moist | Pale pink, moist |
A horse’s own resting normal can fall anywhere within these ranges. Fit competition horses often sit lower (a resting pulse of 28–32 is common in eventers), while ponies and older horses may sit slightly higher. Take your horse’s TPR on a quiet day when they’re well, and write the figures inside the lid of your first-aid kit.
How to Take a Horse’s Temperature
A horse’s temperature is taken rectally. Digital thermometers are cheap, accurate, and far safer than the old glass-mercury type. Keep one in your first-aid kit alongside a small tube of lubricant.
Step by Step
- Stand safely. Stand to one side at the horse’s hindquarters — never directly behind. Have a headcollar and someone at the horse’s head.
- Prepare the thermometer. Shake it down or switch it on, and lubricate the tip with petroleum jelly or saliva.
- Lift the tail. Move the tail gently to one side. Insert the thermometer 5–7 cm into the rectum, angling it slightly downward against the rectal wall so you’re not reading the inside of a faecal ball.
- Hold it in place. Keep a firm grip — don’t let go. A horse that moves can lose the thermometer or break it.
- Wait for the beep. Digital thermometers take 20–60 seconds. Remove, wipe clean, and read.
- Disinfect with surgical spirit or a veterinary disinfectant before storing.
What the Reading Tells You
- 37.5–38.5 °C (normal): No action needed. Log the reading if you are building a baseline for this horse.
- Above 38.5 °C (raised temperature): Treat this as the first sign of infection, not as something to watch. The British Horse Society puts a raised temperature at above 38.5 °C and says it is often the earliest sign of strangles — hence the BHS reminder “hot before snot”, because the temperature climbs before any nasal discharge appears — or of equine influenza. Isolate the horse, stop horses moving on or off the yard, ring your vet the same day, and take the temperature of every horse on the yard twice daily. A significant rise from this horse’s own normal counts even if the thermometer has not reached 38.5 °C.
- 40.0 °C and above (high fever): Veterinary emergency. Call immediately.
- Below 37.5 °C: Below the normal range. A reading below 37.0 °C is an emergency – check for shock, severe dehydration, or late-stage illness. That includes newborn foals: an earlier version of this line exempted them, which was the wrong way round. Sick foals can run cold as well as hot, and any foal reading below the foal range in the table above (37.2 °C) needs your vet. Amanda House DVM, DACVIM, of the University of Florida says a foal temperature outside the normal range should trigger a vet visit, and the Merck Veterinary Manual lists hypothermia among the early signs of sepsis in foals.
This article used to publish a different ladder, and it was wrong in the way that matters most. It called 38.4–38.9 °C a “low-grade fever” needing only a recheck in an hour, and put the vet call at 39.0 °C. That is the exact band in which strangles and flu are most infectious and most treatable, and an hour of waiting is an hour of the rest of the yard being exposed. If you have been working to those numbers, the line to work to is above 38.5 °C, same day.
After hard work, a horse’s temperature can rise to 39.5 °C and higher. It should return to normal within 30–60 minutes of proper cooling down. A temperature that doesn’t drop after exercise warrants a vet call.
How to Take a Horse’s Pulse
The resting pulse (or heart rate) of an adult horse is 28–44 beats per minute. You can take it with a stethoscope against the chest wall, or by palpating any of several superficial arteries. Palpation is the skill worth practising — you can check a pulse in a field with no equipment at all.
Where to Feel the Pulse
- Facial artery — on the inside of the lower jaw, where it crosses the bony ridge. This is the most commonly used site.
- Digital artery — at the back of the fetlock, either side. Used to check for laminitis (a “bounding digital pulse” is a red flag).
- Transverse facial artery — just below the eye, at the base of the cheekbone.
- Chest wall — place a stethoscope just behind the left elbow, low on the chest, to hear the heart directly.
Step by Step
- Use the first two fingers (not your thumb, which has its own pulse) to press gently over the artery.
- Once you feel the beat clearly, count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, or count for a full minute for accuracy.
- Note the rhythm as well as the rate. The pulse should be steady and regular.
What the Reading Tells You
- Under 28 bpm: Unusual in a resting horse. Very fit competition horses can sit at 26–28; otherwise investigate.
- 28–44 bpm: Normal adult resting range.
- 45–60 bpm: Mild elevation. Excitement, mild pain, fever, or early dehydration.
- 60–80 bpm: Significant elevation. Commonly seen in moderate colic, fever, pain, or substantial dehydration. Ring the vet now: a resting pulse over 60 bpm is on the emergency list below, and Horse & Hound’s vet adviser Karen Coumbe MRCVS says a pulse that stays this high means something is seriously wrong.
- Above 80 bpm: Serious. Severe pain, shock, or cardiovascular compromise. Emergency vet call.
A bounding digital pulse — one you can feel strongly at the fetlock — is one of the classic early warning signs of laminitis. In a healthy horse, the digital pulse is difficult to find; if you can feel it easily, check the hoof for heat and call the vet.
How to Measure Horse Respiration
A horse at rest breathes 8–16 times per minute. Respiration is the easiest vital sign to measure because you don’t need to touch the horse.
Step by Step
- Stand a little way back so the horse is relaxed.
- Watch the flank or the nostrils. Each in-and-out movement is one breath.
- Count for 30 seconds and multiply by two, or for a full minute.
- Note any effort — is breathing smooth or laboured? Are the nostrils flared? Is there a cough?
On a cold morning you can also watch the horse’s breath condense in the air, which makes counting straightforward.
What the Reading Tells You
- 8–16 breaths/min: Normal.
- 17–25 breaths/min: Mild elevation. May indicate excitement, heat, or pain.
- 26–40 breaths/min: Significant elevation. Fever, respiratory disease, pain, or heat stress.
- Above 40 breaths/min at rest: Emergency. Possible respiratory distress, severe asthma episode, or advanced heat stress.
- Pulse higher than respiration: Always expect pulse > respiration. If respiration matches or exceeds pulse, the horse is in serious trouble (this is known as the “inversion” and is a red flag).
Post-exercise respiration rises quickly but should drop within 10–15 minutes of a proper cool-down. Persistently laboured breathing after work can indicate equine asthma, exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), or other respiratory issues.
Capillary Refill and Mucous Membranes
TPR is often taught alongside two related checks: capillary refill time (CRT) and mucous membrane colour. Together these give you a picture of circulation and hydration.
Mucous Membranes
Lift the horse’s upper lip and look at the gum above the incisors. A healthy horse has gums that are pale pink and moist.
- Pale pink: Normal.
- Very pale or white: Shock, severe blood loss, or anaemia.
- Brick red or dark pink: Fever, toxic shock (e.g. in advanced colic), septicaemia.
- Yellow: Liver disease (jaundice).
- Blue/purple: Severe oxygen shortage. Emergency.
- Dry or tacky: Dehydration.
Capillary Refill Time
Press your thumb firmly on the gum for two seconds, release, and time how long it takes for the pale spot to refill with pink colour. A healthy CRT is under 2 seconds. A CRT over 3 seconds indicates poor perfusion — commonly shock, severe dehydration, or advanced colic.
The Skin Pinch Test
Pinch the skin on the point of the shoulder or the neck and let go. In a hydrated horse it snaps back instantly. If the “tent” of skin stays up for 2 seconds or more, the horse is dehydrated. Combined with CRT and pulse, this helps you quickly assess a horse suspected of colic, dehydration, heat stress, or post-transport stress.
What the Numbers Mean Together
No single TPR reading tells the full story. It’s the combination that points to the likely problem.
| Pattern | Likely Cause |
|---|---|
| Raised temp, raised pulse, raised respiration | Infection, fever (e.g. strangles, influenza) |
| Normal temp, raised pulse, normal respiration | Pain (e.g. colic, lameness), excitement, stress |
| Normal temp, raised pulse and respiration, dry gums, slow CRT | Dehydration or shock — vet immediately |
| Bounding digital pulse, warm hoof, shifting weight | Laminitis — vet immediately |
| Low temp, pale gums, rapid weak pulse | Severe shock or advanced systemic illness — emergency |
| Raised temp, coughing, raised respiration | Respiratory infection or equine asthma |
The inversion — respiration rate equal to or higher than pulse — is a critical sign in an exhausted horse (common after an endurance ride or in severe heat) and demands immediate veterinary attention.
When to Call the Vet
You should phone your vet whenever TPR sits clearly outside the normal range and there’s no obvious reason (such as recent exercise). For temperature that means a same-day call for anything above 38.5 °C. The following warrant an immediate emergency call:
- Temperature above 40 °C or below 37 °C
- Pulse above 60 bpm at rest
- Respiration above 40 breaths/min at rest
- Pulse/respiration inversion
- CRT over 3 seconds
- Gums pale, brick red, yellow, or blue/purple
- Bounding digital pulse with a hot hoof
- Any sign of colic (rolling, pawing, flank-watching), whatever the TPR. An earlier version of this list only counted colic signs “with any TPR abnormality”, but normal readings do not rule out a serious colic: the BHS REACT advice is to call your vet immediately on the signs alone, and B&W Equine Vets tell owners not to waste time taking readings before calling.
When you phone, tell the vet the exact figures, when you took them, and any other observations. Accurate TPR information often determines how quickly the vet attends and what they bring.
Building a TPR Habit
The best way to use TPR is to make it routine. Once a month, at the same time of day, take all three readings on a healthy horse and log them. It takes five minutes and gives you:
- A personal baseline — so you know what “normal” looks like for your horse, not just a textbook range.
- Practice — so you can do it calmly at 2am if you need to.
- A horse that accepts it — younger horses need to be taught to stand for rectal temperature-taking. Better to do it on a quiet day than when the horse is ill.
Keep a small laminated card in your first-aid kit listing your horse’s resting figures and the emergency thresholds above. A basic equine first-aid kit should also include a digital thermometer, petroleum jelly, a stethoscope (optional but useful), a clock or phone with a second hand, and your vet’s number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal temperature for a horse in Celsius?
The normal resting rectal temperature for an adult horse is 37.5–38.5 °C (99.5–101.3 °F), the healthy range the British Horse Society publishes. Newborn foals run slightly warmer, up to 38.9 °C (102 °F). Anything above 38.5 °C in an adult at rest is a raised temperature and a same-day vet call — not something to recheck in an hour — and so is a significant rise from that particular horse’s own normal. Above 40.0 °C, ring the vet immediately. An earlier version of this answer gave 37.2–38.3 °C and put the vet call at 39.0 °C.
What is a normal pulse rate for a horse?
An adult horse at rest has a heart rate of 28–44 beats per minute. Fit competition horses may sit at the lower end (26–32 bpm). Foals run considerably faster — 70–120 bpm in the first month, settling towards adult levels by one year.
How can I take my horse’s pulse without a stethoscope?
Use two fingers (not your thumb) on the facial artery, which runs across the inside of the lower jaw. Press gently until you feel a clear beat, count for 15 seconds and multiply by four. With practice this takes about 20 seconds. You can also use the digital artery at the back of the fetlock, though it’s harder to find in a healthy horse.
What is a normal respiration rate for a horse?
A resting adult horse breathes 8–16 times per minute. Foals breathe faster (20–40 per minute). Respiration above 25 breaths/min at rest is cause for investigation, and above 40 breaths/min is a veterinary emergency.
Why is my horse’s digital pulse bounding?
A strong, easily felt pulse at the fetlock — the “bounding digital pulse” — is an early indicator of laminitis. Combined with a warm hoof, reluctance to move, or a sawhorse stance, it is a veterinary emergency, so phone the vet immediately. This answer used to say simply “remove the horse from grass”, but the BHS warns that forcing a laminitic horse to walk when it is reluctant can cause more damage. If it walks willingly, bring it off the grass onto a deep, soft bed; if not, keep it where it is, stop it grazing and wait for your vet’s advice.
How often should I check my horse’s TPR?
Monthly for a baseline, and any time the horse looks or behaves differently. If your horse is unwell, your vet will often ask you to monitor TPR every two to four hours and report trends. Keep a written log — memory is not reliable under stress.
