by Cindy Beck

Created on: October 23, 2007   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

At first I shied away from this subject thinking "Good grief! How can I write a whole article on the flank?" It is just the area behind the rib cage and in front of the hind legs on a horse. Then I began to think about it over the course of several days and a few ideas crept into my head.

First off the flank is a good spot to check your horse's respiration rate. By counting the movements in and out and timing them you can see if your horse is breathing correctly for the amount of exertion undertaken or if recovery time is too slow. Learn what is normal for the various levels of exertion in your horse and keep track of his recovery rate as you introduce new levels of effort. As he gains fitness recovery rates should improve.

Second the flank is one of the barometers of how a horse is doing. When exerting themselves horses sweat at the flank and chest area to cool themselves. A horse who doesn't sweat when he should be may be suffering from dehydration and in danger of overheating. This can be fatal in a horse so should not be taken lightly. On the other hand if the horse breaks out in a sweat in his flank area for no apparent reason he may be exhibiting signs of colic or some other illness. Take his temperature and observe him. If his temperature is high [100-101* is normal, 102-103* is low grade, 104* and up is high] and/or he shows signs of discomfort, call your veterinarian. The flank is also where you listen for gut sounds and in pregnant mares for that extra little heartbeat. Sometimes you even see a little odd lump poking out there from mama mare's belly.

When grooming your horse you must take into consideration the way the hair grows on the flank. That is one of the spots where the hair whorls upward instead of down and back. Be careful to follow the hair pattern when brushing.

Well there is more to the flank than I initially thought!

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