WHAT CAN AFFECT A “SKIN PINCH”

Most of us are familiar with the simple skin-pinch test to check a horse for dehydration: Pinch an area of skin and pull it away from the horse, then release the skin and count how long it takes for it to flatten again. Anything more than three seconds can indicate dehydration.

Less well known, however, are factors other than hydration that can affect the test results. For example, skin elasticity varies depending on the