Cob Jockey

This is definitely the least I've ever blogged since I started this blog.  That should tell you a lot about what my life is like right now...

Removing wallpaper...

Removing rotten non-original screens...

Clear-cutting the side yard, which we affectionately refer to as The Jungles of Borneo, or just Borneo.

Anyway, this is a horse blog, not a house blog.  If you're interested in the house stuff, my husband and I are co-authoring a blog at www.whiteoakandbrick.com.  I'll keep it to a minimum here.

Where is Connor in all of this?

Still here, still cute.

My rides have been averaging 3 per week instead of 4 since we took possession.  I missed a lesson for the dumbest reason last week:

A windshield wiper came loose and got stuck under the other one in the pouring rain 10 miles into my drive and of course it required a socket set, which by the time that was resolved, I was too late to make it.

And to tie up some loose ends, L. Williams was the only person that completed the TPR challenge, so she wins the $25 RW gift card!  Congratulations!  I'll get that to you this week.

This one can be tricky, depending on your situation and your horse.

Step 1: Find a quiet, low-traffic area where your horse won't get distracted or excited.

Quiet horse, quiet barn.

Step 2: Stand at the horse's shoulder, facing the rear.

Step 3: Watch the horse's flank rise and fall as he breathes to learn to identify his breaths.  If he's looking around or excited, it might be hard to identify.

I usually try to look at the region where the blue circle is.

Step 4: When you're confident that you can count his breaths accurately, start your timer for 30 seconds.  Double that number for the breaths per minute measurement, and record it.

All right, is everyone ready?  The blog hop will open on June 1!

There are two easy methods to taking a horse's pulse: one that involves a stethoscope, and one that doesn't.  We'll start with the stethoscope method first, even though it is not the one I normally use:

Step 1: Make sure the stethoscope ear pieces are snugly fitted in your ears!

I'm either turning into my mother or my little brother, not sure which.

Step 2: Stand on the horse's left side, facing the hind end.

Step 3: Place the stethoscope a few inches behind the elbow on the horse's side.

This region, closer to the elbow.  Move  the stethoscope around til you find it.

Step 4: Listen for and identify the horse's heart sounds.  It should be a two beat "dub-dub" sound.  Being awesome cardiovascular athletes, horses' heart rates are naturally pretty slow, so be patient if you don't hear it immediately.

Step 5: When you're sure you have it, start a timer for 30 seconds, and double that for the Beats Per Minute (BPM).  Note: For humans you can set the timer for 10 seconds, because our heart rate is much faster than horses.  30 seconds will give a more accurate reading for a horse.  Record the BPM.


Step 1: Find the maxillary artery by cupping your hand around one side of your horse's jawbone, under the cheek.  Move your hand around until you find it.  It is about the diameter of a wooden pencil, and rolls around on the bone like a big piece of spaghetti.  You can't miss it!

This is where I found Connor's.  It's underneath my index finger on the jawbone.

Step 2: Keep your fingers lightly pressed against it until you get a good feel for the rhythm.

Step 3: Start your timer for 30 seconds, counting the number of beats.  Double that number to get the Beats Per Minute (BPM).

This one's pretty simple!  If you've never taken your horse's temperature before, have a friend hold them instead of crosstying them - like shots, some don't notice but some don't like it.

Step 1: Flip the cap of the lube up, and stick the thermometer into the bottle.  Squeeze the tube gently so that lube coats the end of the thermometer.

I would normally do this with two hands, but, you know, picture taking.

Step 2: While standing off to the side, move the tail out of the way with one hand, and insert the thermometer with the other.  Either hold onto the thermometer, or use an alligator clip and string to attach it to the tail - it's more of a concern with the old mercury thermometers than the larger digital plastic ones, but they CAN suck it inside them!

Old mercury thermometer showing the alligator clip and string used to attach it to the horse's tail...for "safekeeping."... This is actually what I used in college.  They are so hard to read!

Step 3: Wait until it beeps, remove the thermometer, and wash it before storing it.


Step 4: Record the reading on your TPR sheet.

In college, one of the first things we had to do freshman year was take our assigned school horse's vitals for an entire week, average them, and put that information into his health chart.  It was imposed on us early that your horse's normal resting vital signs are a really important piece of information you need to know.  Knowing whether your horse "runs hot", for example, can help you understand how significant his fever really is, and knowing his normal heart rate can help you keep tabs on his exertion rate during conditioning.

Me and my senior year stable management horse, Bandit.  I'm wearing my backpack because I had to bring him in from turnout so he'd be ready for his class, while I was on the way to a class of my own.  Equine college was great.

Unfortunately, if you don't already have them before you need them (illness, exercise, etc), you just have to go off of what's normal for the average horse, which is:

Temperature: 99-101 F
Pulse: 28-44 beats per minute
Respiration: 10-24 breaths per minute

Seattle, my first stable management horse freshman year.  Jockey Club: Seattle Flashdance

Of course, I don't practice what I preach and haven't written any of it down for Connor yet, but that's changing now and I want you to do it with me!  Who's up for a Blogger TPR Challenge?  Everyone who successfully takes their horse's average vitals will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Riding Warehouse gift certificate!  (And really, everyone wins, since you'll have your horse's TPRs at the end.)

Here's how it will work.  Over the next week, I'm going to do posts on how to get the TPR readings.  You'll also need to gather some equipment. Then, we'll get five days of resting readings - so don't take them if your horse is high as a kite, or sick, or anticipating the feed cart, or just finished a tough workout.

The days don't have to be consecutive, since a lot of us boarders can't make it out five days in a row.

Another of my stable management charges over the years, Pass.  Jockey Club and USEA: Passing Approval.

To enter, take five days of readings, then write one blog post afterward containing your horse's five readings, as well as the average (which is the number we're looking for), and add that post to the blog hop when it opens.  The challenge will start on June 1 and close on June 15.

You'll need to buy a digital thermometer ($7.95 at Smartpak), and lube (KY Jelly works great for both temperature taking and sheath cleaning!).  Optionally, you can buy a stethoscope ($9.95 at Smartpak) for more accurate heart rate measurements, but it's not 100% necessary.  I like having it on hand to listen to gut sounds too.

This is going to be fun!