Reference intervals for the horse — biochemistry, haematology, urinalysis and specialised tests, in one place, with the provenance of every value stated.
Hover any value to see its source and how to check it. The symbol tells you what kind of evidence it is.
- 🔗 102 — Online source — click and verify
- ✎ 1 — Citation key on file — full details on request
102 of 103 values (99%) can be checked by anyone, today, without asking us.
Biochemistry
Serum and plasma biochemistry, blood gases and acid–base — 33 values, every one cited; 1 further entry states that no interval has been established.
Haematology
Complete blood count, red cell indices, reticulocytes and platelet fractions — 21 values, every one cited.
Urinalysis
Urine concentration, protein and tubular injury markers — 3 values, every one cited.
| Marker | Reference interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PH | 7.5-8.5 | Awanui/Gribbles Veterinary |
| Specific gravity | 1.020-1.050 | IDEXX Reference Laboratories — SDMA reference |
| UPC | 0.02-0.18 (indicative range) | Kovarikova S et al. Urine protein-to-creatinin |
Coagulation and viscoelastic testing
Clotting times, inhibitors, fibrinolysis and whole-blood viscoelastic testing — 5 values, every one cited.
| Marker | Reference interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| APTT | 35.0-46.1 s | UC Davis VMTH Clinical Chemistry Reference Int |
| Antithrombin | 85-130 % | Cornell AHDC / eClinPath — Coagulation referen |
| Fibrin degradation products | baseline <5 µg/mL (interpretive bands) | UC Davis VMTH Clinical Chemistry Reference Int |
| Haptoglobin | 0.29-2.26 g/L | Haptoglobin in clinically normal horses |
| PT | 10.7-12.0 s | UC Davis VMTH Clinical Chemistry Reference Int |
Endocrine and reproductive assays
Adrenal, thyroid, pancreatic and gonadal hormones, including stimulation-test values — 14 values, every one cited.
| Marker | Reference interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25-hydroxyvitamin D | 13-40 nmol/L | Michigan State University VDL Endocrinology |
| ACTH endogenous | 1.90-9.00 pmol/L | UC Davis VMTH Clinical Chemistry Reference Int |
| Anti-Müllerian hormone | mare non pregnant normal 0.1-6.9 mare marginally elevated 7.0-7.9 mare gct consistent >8.0 male cryptorchid >0.15 ng/mL (interpretive bands) | UC Davis Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory |
| Cortisol basal | 30-70 ng/mL | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Equine lh pmsg | 0.1-55.4 mIU/mL | UC Davis Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory |
| Estrone sulfate | standard mare from day 45 – not consistent with pregnancy 0.1-6.0 standard mare from day 45 – borderline 6.1-10 standard mare from day 45 – consistent with pregnancy >10 miniature mare from day 80 – not consistent with pregnancy 0.1-60.0 miniature mare from day 80 – consistent with pregnancy >60.0 male gelding <0.1 male cryptorchid 35-60 male stallion 140-200 ng/mL (interpretive bands) | UC Davis Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory |
| Free T3 | 1.1-7.2 pmol/L | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Free T4 | 9.0-44.9 pmol/L | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Inhibin b | mare non pregnant normal 2-60 mare approaching upper normal 60.1-100 mare tumor estrus indicative >100 stallion 50-300 pg/mL (interpretive bands) | UC Davis Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory |
| Insulin | <20 uIU/mL | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Progesterone | anestrus estrus 0.6-2 luteal phase 13-48 nmol/L (interpretive bands) | Michigan State University VDL Endocrinology |
| T3 | 25-180 ng/dL | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Testosterone | stallion baseline 0.7-3.4 stallion 30 min post-hCG 3.8-6.1 stallion 12 h post-hCG 5.1-8.1 castrate female <0.7 nmol/L (interpretive bands) | Michigan State University VDL Endocrinology |
| Total T4 | 1.3-4.1 µg/dL | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
Trace elements, vitamins and amino acids
Micronutrient status, vitamin metabolites, plasma amino acids and toxic metals — 9 values, every one cited.
| Marker | Reference interval | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cobalt | adults >0.25 ppb (interpretive bands) | Prairie Diagnostic Services — Trace Minerals & |
| Copper | 0.85-2.00 ppm | UPEI Veterinary Diagnostic Services |
| Iron | 17.9-64.5 µmol/L | LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama ref |
| Manganese | 0.0005-0.002 ppm | Prairie Diagnostic Services — Trace Minerals & |
| Molybdenum | 0.0012-0.030 ppm | Prairie Diagnostic Services — Trace Minerals & |
| Selenium | 130-160 ng/mL | Stowe HD |
| Vitamin a | 0.2-0.35 ppm | Prairie Diagnostic Services — Trace Minerals & |
| Vitamin e | deficient <1 marginal 1-2 (subclinical effects possible) normal 2-4 µg/mL (interpretive bands) | Finno CJ |
| Zinc | 0.60-1.70 ppm | UPEI Veterinary Diagnostic Services |
Other specialised assays
Pancreatic and inflammatory markers, cardiac and renal function tests, cerebrospinal fluid and therapeutic drug monitoring — 18 values, every one cited.
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Sources
All 27 sources behind the values on this page. The number after each value points here. Nothing here comes from anywhere else.
- 🔗 Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph — Biochemistry reference intervals (accessed 2026-08-09) — https://www.uoguelph.ca/ahl/biochemistry-reference-intervals
- 🔗 Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph — Hematology reference intervals (accessed 2026-08-09) — https://www.uoguelph.ca/ahl/content/hematology-reference-intervals
- ✎ Awanui/Gribbles Veterinary (NZ) — Urinalysis SG & dipstick reference, by species — Citation key on file — full bibliographic details on request
- 🔗 Cornell AHDC / eClinPath (Cobas c501 chem, Advia 2120 heme; >=120 healthy adults) — https://eclinpath.com/test-basics/reference-intervals/
- 🔗 Cornell AHDC / eClinPath — Coagulation reference intervals — https://eclinpath.com/test-basics/reference-intervals/
- 🔗 Cornell AHDC — Clinical Pathology, Chemistry (Cobas c501) reference intervals, serum only — https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/laboratories/clinical-pathology/reference-intervals/chemistry-cobas
- 🔗 Cornell AHDC — Haematology reference intervals, Advia 2120 (absolute and percentage differential tables) — https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/laboratories/clinical-pathology/reference-intervals/hematology-advia-2120
- 🔗 DGGR-lipase severity classification in horses after Johnson et al. 2019 (normal 1–20, mild 21–49, moderate 50–199, marked >200 U/L); reproduced in independent 2022 studies — https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023322001022
- 🔗 eClinPath (Cornell AHDC) — Nucleated RBC test page — https://eclinpath.com/hematology/tests/nucleated-rbc/
- 🔗 eClinPath (Cornell) — Serum Amyloid A reference concentrations — https://eclinpath.com/chemistry/proteins/acute-phase-proteins/
- 🔗 Finno CJ, Valberg SJ. A comparative review of vitamin E and associated equine disorders. J Vet Intern Med 2012 — progi alfa-tokoferolu — https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2012.00994.x
- 🔗 Foreman JH, Tennent-Brown BS, Oyama MA, et al. Plasma Cardiac Troponin-I Concentration in Normal Horses and in Horses with Cardiac Abnormalities. Animals (Basel). 2025;15(1) — doi:10.3390/ani15010092
- 🔗 Haptoglobin in clinically normal horses, J Equine Vet Sci 2013 (S073708061300381X) — https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073708061300381X
- 🔗 IDEXX Reference Laboratories — SDMA reference interval — https://www.idexx.com/en/veterinary/reference-laboratories/sdma/
- 🔗 Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory — Clinical Pathology Reference Intervals (February 2011) — https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vpath/services/diagnostic-services/clinical-pathology-diagnostic-and-research-services/testing-and-fees/reference-intervals/
- 🔗 Knowles EJ, Menzies-Gow NJ, Mair TS. Plasma fructosamine concentrations in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction with and without laminitis. Equine Vet J. 2014;46(2):249-51 — doi:10.1111/evj.12090 · PMID 23663105
- 🔗 Kovarikova S, Blahova J, Steffenova V, et al. Exploratory Study of the Urine Protein-to-Creatinine Ratio in Apparently Healthy Horses. Vet Sci. 2025;12(8) — doi:10.3390/vetsci12080783
- 🔗 LABOKLIN — Horse / Donkey / Alpaca / Llama reference table (October 2022) — https://laboklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Bestell-Poster_HORSE-DONKEY-ALPACA-LLAMA_web.pdf
- 🔗 Merck Veterinary Manual — Hematologic Reference Ranges — https://www.merckvetmanual.com/special-subjects/reference-guides/hematologic-reference-ranges
- 🔗 Merck Veterinary Manual — Serum Biochemical Reference Ranges — https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/serum-biochemical-analysis-reference-ranges
- 🔗 Michigan State University VDL Endocrinology (2025-06-26) — https://cvm.msu.edu/assets/documents/VDL/Endocrinology-Reference-Ranges.pdf
- 🔗 Prairie Diagnostic Services — Trace Minerals & Vitamin Reference Intervals (ovine vitamin E; the page states ppm = mg/L for fluids) — https://pdsinc.ca/materials/trace-minerals-vitamin-reference-intervals/
- 🔗 Sekisui Diagnostics SDH Assay (2023) — https://sekisuidiagnostics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IN74025-2.pdf
- 🔗 Stowe HD, Herdt TH. Clinical assessment of selenium status of livestock. J Anim Sci. 1992;70(12):3928-33 — doi:10.2527/1992.70123928x · PMID 1474029
- 🔗 UC Davis Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory (2025-07) — https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files/inline-files/2025-Sample-Handling-Instructions-Reference-Ranges.pdf
- 🔗 UC Davis VMTH Clinical Chemistry Reference Intervals, Rev 6/2025 (multi-species table; column-verified) — https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk491/files/inline-files/Chemistry_Reference_Intervals_6.2025_0.pdf
- 🔗 UPEI Veterinary Diagnostic Services (Atlantic Veterinary College) — Reference intervals for trace elements in serum — https://diagnosticservices.avc.upei.ca/reference-guide/reference-intervals/
Method
Evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) only. This page follows the principles of evidence-based veterinary medicine: every value is traceable to a named source, and where the evidence does not exist we say so. A value appears here solely when it can be traced to a named source: a laboratory reference document, an established veterinary clinical pathology reference, or peer-reviewed literature. There is no category of “commonly quoted” or “textbook approximate” value on this site.
Gaps stay gaps. Where an interval has not been established, the entry is absent. We do not substitute a value from a related species and we do not average across sources. 0 values held internally are withheld from these pages because their provenance is not recorded.
One dataset. Every number here is the number our articles use, with the same source attached.
Derived values are labelled. Where an interval was calculated from a published mean and standard deviation rather than formally established, the source entry says so explicitly.
Marcin Siedlecki. Horse Blood Test Reference Ranges. VetBlood, 2026. https://vetblood.io/veterinary-reference-ranges/horse/
Quote or reference it, in whole or in part, with attribution and a link back.
Compiled by Marcin Siedlecki. Last reviewed 2026-08-12. Corrections are welcome at vetblood@vetblood.io — if a value here disagrees with a source you trust, tell us and we will check it.