Know their normal: the idea behind everything we teach

Normal belongs to one horse

Books and charts can tell you what's typical for horses in general. They can't tell you what's typical for the one in your barn. Some horses always leave a little hay. Some always stand resting a hind leg. Some have a lump on a shin that's been there for years and means nothing. Some are quiet in the stall and lit up the moment they hit the shedrow.

None of that is a problem. It's just him. The trouble starts when you don't know it, because then you can't tell an old habit from something new.

What to write down

You don't need special equipment. You need a pen, a page and the same routine every day. Start with these:

• At the stall door. How he greets you. Ears, eyes, interest. Does he come to the front, or wait in the back?
• Feed and water. How fast he eats, whether he cleans up, and roughly how much water is gone overnight.
• Manure and urine. How much, what it looks like, and where in the stall.
• How he stands and rests. Which leg he rests, whether he lies down, where he likes to stand.
• Legs. Run a hand down each one. Note which are always cold and tight, which carry a little filling overnight, and any old bumps or scars so they never surprise you later.
• Feet. Temperature, how the shoes look, and how they feel when you pick them out.
• First steps out. Does he walk out loose, or stiff for the first few minutes?
• Temperature, pulse and breathing at rest. Ask your vet to show you how to take them, and write down his own numbers on a quiet day.

Give it a couple of weeks

One good look isn't a baseline. Watch for a week or two, and try to see him on hot days and cold ones, after work and on days off. Normal often has a range: a horse that drinks a bucket overnight in summer might drink half that in winter. Write the range down, not just one day.

A change is the signal. A horse that always cleans up and leaves half his grain is telling you more than any single number on a chart.

What to do when something is different

When something doesn't match his normal, write it down and look again later. A lot of small changes go back to normal on their own, and now you'll know that too. If it doesn't, or you notice more than one thing at once, call your vet and tell them exactly what you've seen and when it started. Your notes make that call faster and more useful.

Some things shouldn't wait for a second look. A horse that won't eat and is pawing, rolling or looking at his belly, won't put weight on a leg, or has a high temperature needs a vet now.

Start tomorrow morning

The free 3-Minute Daily Horse Check puts all of this on one page you can print and hang by the stall. When you're ready to go deeper, Know Your Horse walks you through building a full baseline, with the worksheets and trackers to keep it.

To add: a story or a line from Derek, in his own words, about a horse where knowing its normal made the difference.