As a responsible owner, you will spend a few minutes each day examining your horse's condition and observing his behavior.  A good weekly routine should consist of monitoring and logging your horse's vital signs.  Adopting this routine will develop your awareness to your horse, and most likely help you to identify warning signs of distress.  When you call your vet he/she will benefit from knowing your horse's normal vitals as compared to his distressed vitals.  If you have never taken your horse's vitals before, ask your trainer or vet to show you how to do this properly.  Below is a chart of normal vital signs for your reference.  You can download a printable log sheet for recording your horse's vital signs by clicking here.