Recognizing a Healthy Horse Lesson Plan

As Healthy as a Horse!
Recognizing a Healthy Horse
Lesson Plan
Grade: 10-12

Objectives

Students will be able to

recognize a horse that is
showing signs of illness
Students will learn how to
properly care for an ill horse
and what to do if horse is
becoming too ill
Students will learn common
diseases in horses and proper
care
Students will learn how to
properly score the body
condition of a horse

Resources
Procedure

PowerPoint Presentation
Body Condition Scoring in Horses
By Dr. Preston Buff, Assistant
Extension Professor, Animal and
Dairy Sciences.
In class worksheet
Field Trip to local large animal
hospital and equestrian farm to
view body conditions and ill
horses
Explanation/Discussion
Begin with PowerPoint
Presentation on recognizing a
healthy horse explaining how to
determine if the horse is ill and
the vital signs

Adopted from: Sam Houston State University Agricultural Curriculum Equine

Science http://www.shsu.edu/~agr_www/Centennial
%20Celebration/EquineScience.htm
- Recognizing the Healthy Horse Power Point

Recognizing a Healthy Horse Lesson Plan

List common signs of an ill horse

Discuss how to properly take a
temperature of the horse and
what is considered to be a fever in
a horse
Discuss other things to examine in
the ill horse (i.e. feces and urine)
Explain Body Condition Scoring
and why it is important
Demonstration
Show students examples of the
signs of a sick horse
Show students signs of certain
diseases a horse could have
Read Body Condition Scoring in
Horses By Dr. Preston Buff,
Assistant Extension Professor,
Animal and Dairy Sciences.
Students will be going on a field
trip to the local large animal
hospital to see what a live ill horse
looks like along with going to a
local equestrian farm where
students will have the opportunity
to score the body condition of a
couple sets or horses
Group Practice
Allow students to break into
groups and give them a certain
disease and they are to list the
signs, how to manage and the
cure
Break students into more groups
and give them sets of horses with
different body conditions and
score them the way they deem fit.
Individual Practice
Given a take home packet with
various scenarios, body conditions
and diseases. Students will be
allowed to use internet resources,
text books or whatever other
Adopted from: Sam Houston State University Agricultural Curriculum Equine
Science http://www.shsu.edu/~agr_www/Centennial
%20Celebration/EquineScience.htm
- Recognizing the Healthy Horse Power Point

Recognizing a Healthy Horse Lesson Plan

Assessment
Indiana State
Standards

resources they have access to

that will help complete the
homework.
Test students at the end of the
lesson over signs of illness,
diseases and body condition
scoring
Standards Fulfilled
AS-3.1 Explain methods of
determining animal health and
disorders
AS-3.2 Perform simple healthcheck evaluations on animals
AS-3.3 Identify common diseases,
parasites and physiological
disorders that affect animals

Adopted from: Sam Houston State University Agricultural Curriculum Equine

Science http://www.shsu.edu/~agr_www/Centennial
%20Celebration/EquineScience.htm
- Recognizing the Healthy Horse Power Point