VITAL signs measure a horse's body functions and are a good indication of his overall state of health.

Learn how to take your horse's temperature, pulse, respiration, capillary refill time, perform the pinch test and become adept with a stethoscope for listening to his heart, lungs and intestines.

Know what is normal for most adult horses, but since every horse is different, it is essential that you know what is usual for your horse so you will know when there is a problem.

To establish what is normal, take the vital signs twice a day for three days and average the readings.

Choose various times of the day, but always perform the tests when your horse is at rest not when he has just been working and is excited.

Write them in you horse's record and then when he becomes ill, you can take his vital signs and compare them with his normals. This is valuable information to have on hand when you call your vet.

You can begin by taking your horse's temperature with an animal thermometer and inserting it under his tail. After two minutes, take a reading.

The range of average resting temperatures for adult horses is 99-100 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature increases with exertion, excitement, illness and hot, humid weather.

Temperatures decrease with shock and can be a few degrees lower in very cold weather.

You can take your horse's pulse just about anywhere you can hear or feel his heartbeat.

Choose an artery close to the surface of the skin. Lightly press your fingertips against the artery.

Count the beats for 15 seconds and then multiply by four to get the rate per minute. The maxillary artery on the inside of the jawbone is one of the easiest places to find a strong pulse, even on a quiet resting horse.

It's best not to let your thumb rest on a horse when you take a pulse as you might pick up the throbbing from your own heartbeat and get a misreading. Another pulse spot is the digital artery located on both sides of the horse's leg, just above the fetlock.

Normal resting pulse for an adult horse is 30 to 40 beats per minute.

Pulse rates are higher with excitement, pain, nervousness, elevated body temperature, shock, infectious disease and exercise.

Pulse rates are lower on fit horses and in cooler weather.

A horse's normal resting respiration rate is usually between 12 and 25 breaths per minute. One breath is measured as one inhalation and one exhalation.

The ratio of the pulse to the respiration rate is often a more significant measure of stress than each of the actual figures.

Depending on a horse's age, his normal resting pulse to respiration ratio should range from 4:1 to 2:1.

If the ration becomes 1:1 or 1:2, the horse is suffering oxygen deprivation which indicates serious stress.

When a horse is exercising heavily it is easy to measure his respiration rate by watching his nostrils dilate and relax (each cycle counts as one breath), or by watching his ribs move.

However, this is very hard to detect in a resting horse so the best way to determine a respiration rate is to use a stethoscope on the trachea. With the ear pieces in your ears and facing forwards, press the bell firmly into the underside of the horse's neck, about four inches below the throatlach.

Count the breaths for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Alternatively, you can try to obtain a respiration rate by listening to his lungs, but it takes more practice and experience this way.

Place the stethoscope midway down the heart girth on the left side. You will hear the quality of breathing process in his lungs but might not be able to identify definite breaths.

The pinch test is a quick and easy subjective way to evaluate the skin and measure dehydration.

The best indication that your horse is properly hydrated is to know that he is drinking plenty of fresh, clean water and that his manure is moist.

To perform the pinch test, pick up a fold of skin in the neck or shoulder area and pull it away from the horse's body.

When you release the fold of skin, it should return almost immediately to its normal flat position. If the skin remains markedly peaked for two to three seconds, it probably indicates a degree of fluid loss.

A "standing tent" of skin for five to 10 seconds duration indicates moderate to severe dehydration which might require a visit from the vet.

Another way to get additional information on your horse's overall health and function of his circulatory system is by inspecting the mucous membranes around his eyes and gums for a bright pink colour.

If the membranes are very pale or white, the horse is suffering from blood loss or circulatory impairment. Bright red gums indicate a toxic poison condition. If they are a greyish blue colour, the horse is probably in shock.

With your horse haltered and an assistant holding him, roll back his upper lip.

With your right hand over the lower jaw, exert thumb pressure on the gum above the upper incisors for about two seconds. This will blanch (squeeze the blood) temporarily out of the capillaries as a spot on the gum.

When you remove your thumb, a circular white spot will remain.

Within one second, the spot should return to normal.

This is the capillary refill time. If it takes five to 10 seconds, your horse is showing signs of circulatory impairment.