How to Hear a Heartbeat of a Foal

Horses that are less than a year old are called foals.The rate of a foal's heartbeat is an important measurement to determine the animal's health status right after birth. The normal rate should be in a range of 40 to 90 beats per minute immediately after birth. A rate of 70 to 200 beats per minute is considered normal until the first hour after birth. The heartbeat should then settle at a rate of 70 to 120 beats per minute during the first 48 hours after birth. After about three months, the heartbeat should hold steady at about 46 beats per minute. There are several ways to measure a foal's heartbeat.

Things You'll Need

• Stethoscope

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Touch the foal's skin by placing the palm of your hand under the lowest point of the jawbone right beneath the cheek on either side of the head. You can also do this just above the fetlock on either front leg or next to the dock. Feel the heartbeat of the foal. It is impossible to feel the heartbeat of an unborn foal.

   • 2

     Leave the palm of your hand in the same place on the foal's skin. After feeling the foal's pulse, count the number of heartbeats in a time span of 20 seconds. Multiply the number of heartbeats by three. This will give you an accurate count per minute.

   • 3

     Place the chest piece of a stethoscope on the foal's underbelly next to its left leg at the nearest point to its heart. Count the number of heartbeats over a time span of 20 seconds and multiply the measured number by three. This method can be used if no heartbeat is detectable by hand. An unborn foal´s heartbeat can sometimes be determined by using a stethoscope as well, particularly when the mare carries the foal forward. The foal's heartbeat should be about 20 beats faster than the mare's and sound slightly lighter.