Your lesson horses are perhaps your most valuable asset as a riding instructor. Without them, your whole business model likely falls apart.
This is why lesson horse wellness check-ups are so important. If you don’t keep your school horses healthy, they won’t be able to give your horse business what it needs to thrive.
Lesson horse wellness check-ups are daily, weekly or monthly visits to each school horse. You’ll examine them for signs of illness or injury and essentially make sure they healthy. It’s sort of like taking your infant child to the doctor every so often for well-baby exams.
There are several ways to conduct lesson horse wellness check-ups. The first is to teach your students to do them, and they can check on the horses while they are grooming and tacking up. Another option is to carve out a period of time during which you can conduct them yourself.
A lesson horse wellness check-up should consist of the following:
- Head
Look for scars, bruises or lacerations on the muzzle, forehead, jaw or poll; build-up of fluid or dirt in the nostrils; dirt or parasites in the ears; marks on the sides of the mouth from the bit; contusions or welts on the tongue; discharge from the eyes.
- Legs
Look for scars, bruises or lacerations to the legs from coronet band to elbow; bruises or thrush to the hoof; cuts or build-up of debris between the bulbs; damage to the hoof wall; swelling or heat in any part of the leg.
- Heartgirth
Make sure there are no welts or rub marks in the heartgirth area that might indicate poor saddle fit or improper cinching.
- Back
Check the withers, back, loins and croup for any bruises, contusions or lacerations. Make sure the skin and hair over the withers are free of any marks that might indicate poor saddle fit or improper cinching. Check as well for any sensitivities to pressure on the back and loins.
- Coat
Note the overall quality of the horse’s coat. Check for dullness, patches of hairlessness or any symptom of bacterial or fungal infection.
- Mane & Tail
Note the overall quality of the horse’s mane and tail. Make sure the hair shafts seem healthy and unbroken, and check for any signs of infection near the roots.
- Weight
Check to see if the horse is underweight or overweight (by appearances) Protruding ribs, for example, might indicate a dietary change is needed. Evaluate as well the horse’s overall muscle development and toning.
- Vital Signs
Check the horse’s vital signs (pulse and respiration) to ensure they are within normal limits.
- Attitude
Spend some time with the horse to evaluate his overall attitude. Listlessness or irritability might indicate disease or injury.
This lesson horse wellness check-up can be used for any animal—not just school horses. You can use this to keep up with the health and wellness of any of your horses, from performance animals to trail horses.
If you’d like to print out this lesson horse wellness check-up and use it at your stable, you can download the template below.
Lesson Horse Wellness Check-Up (pdf)
You can also use this template to help educate your students about proper veterinary care of horses. Print out a template for each of your students and incorporate discussions into riding lessons.
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About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Chief Equestrian Officer of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. She believes that any horse business can succeed provided its owner practices smart strategy.
