These are not true jugular pulses and are normal. The jugular veins should not be distended and should fill readily when occluded. Thoracic auscultation is an important tool in the cardiovascular examination. The lung fields should be carefully evaluating, paying attention to the expected normal size. There is normally an area of dullness over the heart.
Lung sounds are usually easier to hear in the foal than the adult horse.
Remember that absence of sound can be as significant as loud sounds, since lack of sound can correspond to areas of consolidation or atelectasis. Crackles may indicate primary lung pathology or heart failure and pulmonary congestion. A working knowledge of cardiac anatomy will aid in the location of heart murmurs. The apex beat radiates more widely in the foal than in the adult, because their chest walls are thing and the heart is located closer to the thoracic wall. The equine ehart is rotated so that the right heart is generally cranial to the left.