The Hands-On Exam: Heart, Lungs, Gut, and Eyes
A routine wellness check for a Clydesdale starts with the veterinarian's hands and stethoscope rather than with tests. The vet listens to the heart and lungs on both sides, then moves the stethoscope along the belly to hear gut sounds in each quadrant, because a working draft horse's digestion should be audibly active. Temperature, pulse, and breathing rate are taken and compared with what is normal for a horse at rest. Eyes are checked for clarity and discharge, the gums and capillary refill are assessed, and the vet runs hands over the body feeling for lumps, heat, swelling, or sore spots the coat hides. On a horse this size, the exam also covers the sheath on geldings and the skin under the mane and tail head.
Under the Feathers: Legs and Hooves on a Draft Horse
A Clydesdale's signature leg feathers look magnificent and conceal a great deal, so a thorough wellness check parts them deliberately. The vet examines the skin on the pasterns and heels for crusting, scabs, thickening, or sores that flourish in the warm, protected space under the hair, and asks whether the horse stamps or rubs its legs. Hooves get equal attention: the vet assesses balance, cracks, sole condition, and how the shoes (if worn) are holding, since a Clydesdale's weight makes hoof problems consequential fast. Expect the horse to be walked and possibly trotted in hand so the vet can watch how those large feet land and whether the gait is even on both sides.
Teeth, Weight, and the Working Body
The dental check matters enormously for a Clydesdale that must hold condition on forage. The vet examines the mouth for sharp points, hooks, loose or broken teeth, and signs the horse is not chewing evenly, and may recommend floating or further dental work based on what is found. Body condition is scored by palpating ribs, neck, and hindquarters under the heavy frame, and weight is estimated with a tape or scale so feed changes can be tracked between visits. The vet will ask about workload, appetite, water intake, and droppings, because a draft horse dropping condition often shows it in chew efficiency and manure consistency before it shows it on the ribs.
Vaccines, Parasite Control, and Age-Based Screening
The preventive review is the administrative heart of a Clydesdale wellness check. The vet confirms which vaccinations are current, which are due, and whether the horse's travel, showing, or boarding situation calls for additions, and parasite control is reviewed against fecal testing and the farm's rotation rather than habit alone. For a senior Clydesdale, the vet may suggest baseline bloodwork or hormone screening so future changes have something to be measured against, and any long-term management (joint support, hoof care intervals, dental frequency) is adjusted on the findings. This is also the moment to raise small things you have noticed: a new lump, slower recovery after work, or a change in how the horse chews its hay.
Leaving With a Record That Builds Year Over Year
A wellness check earns its keep when its findings stay findable, because next year's exam is only useful measured against this year's baselines. Ask for the body-condition score, dental findings, vaccine dates, and any skin notes about the feathered legs in writing before the vet leaves the yard. A Clydesdale's slow-building issues (pastern skin that crusts a little more each season, teeth that wear unevenly) are exactly the ones a written trend catches early. Storing each visit's summary in your Clydesdale's KinsLe Pet Passport keeps the whole record in one portable packet, ready to hand to a new vet, a farrier, or a buyer without reassembling it from memory.