Normal values

Normal Temperature, Heart Rate & Respiratory Rate of Horses (Adults & Foals)

Q: What is a normal resting heart rate for a horse?

28–40 beats per minute in the MSD table and in Virginia Cooperative Extension; the UC Davis chart lists 28–44.

Updated 1 Nov 20265 sources

Reference ranges for the vital signs of the horse from the MSD Veterinary Manual tables, adapted from Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals ^[1]^[2]^[3], compared with Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4] and the UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team ^[5], including foals.

Reference ranges

Parameter	Horse	Source
Rectal temperature — mare	37.3–38.2 °C (99.1–100.8 °F)	^[1]
Rectal temperature — stallion	37.2–38.1 °C (99.0–100.6 °F)	^[1]
Resting heart rate	28–40 beats/min	^[2]
Resting respiratory rate	10–14 breaths/min	^[3]

How the references compare

Published reference ranges differ between sources. Each range below is printed as its source gives it; °C values marked * are converted from the source's °F.

Parameter	MSD Veterinary Manual ^[1]^[2]^[3]	Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4]	UC Davis CVET ^[5]
Temperature, adult	Mare 37.3–38.2 °C; stallion 37.2–38.1 °C	99.5–101.3 °F (37.5–38.5 °C*)	99–101.5 °F (37.2–38.6 °C*)
Heart rate, adult (beats/min)	28–40	28–40	28–44
Respiratory rate, adult (breaths/min)	10–14	8–16	8–15

Foals

Parameter	Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4]	UC Davis CVET ^[5]
Heart rate (beats/min)	100 for newborn foals; 45–60 for weanlings and yearlings	50–70
Respiratory rate (breaths/min)	—	20–40
Temperature	99.5–102.2 °F (37.5–39.0 °C*) — printed "99.5.0-102.2" in the source	99–102 °F (37.2–38.9 °C*)

Measuring

Temperature: a veterinary thermometer in the rectum, removed after 2 to 3 minutes or after the interval recommended by the manufacturer ^[4].
Pulse: the external maxillary artery, which crosses the lower edge of the jaw just in front of the masseter (cheek) muscle; in the horse the pulse can also be taken on the left side of the chest, just under the elbow ^[4].
Respiration: count flank movements or breaths at the nostrils for one minute at rest ^[4]; respiration rate is influenced by stress, exercise, temperature and other factors ^[4].
The UC Davis chart lists gut sounds in all four quadrants as normal ^[5].

Frequently asked questions

What is the normal temperature of a horse?

The MSD Veterinary Manual table gives 37.3–38.2 °C (99.1–100.8 °F) for mares and 37.2–38.1 °C (99.0–100.6 °F) for stallions ^[1].

What is a normal resting heart rate for a horse?

28–40 beats per minute in the MSD table ^[2] and in Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4]; the UC Davis chart lists 28–44 ^[5].

What is a normal heart rate for a foal?

Virginia Cooperative Extension gives 100 beats per minute for newborn foals and 45–60 for weanlings and yearlings ^[4]; the UC Davis chart lists 50–70 for foals ^[5].

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References

Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Robertshaw D (temperature regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Resting Heart Rates (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Detweiler DK, Erickson HH (heart regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Resting Respiratory Rates (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Reece WO (respiration chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Monitoring Livestock Vital SignsVirginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech and Virginia State University) · 2020 · Values credited by the source to LeViness EA, University of Arizona (BCH-3000); respiration table adapted from Cattle Producer's Library CL610
Normal Vital Signs (vitals chart)California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), University of California, Davis · June 2024

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