AAEP Focus on Horse Health News

The athletic prowess of a horse is dependent on inborn talent and excellent function of the musculoskeletal system. However, this system’s performance, especially in high-speed events, is affected by a horse’s ability to fuel the muscles with oxygen. And this is dependent on the capacity of air that is bellowed through the lungs.

The equine athlete must be sound in body and sound in wind. Training and fitness develop strength and stamina, and emphasis is placed on these strategies in preparing an athlete for the intended task. Yet, ironically, it is the 20-plus hours a day that a horse stands idle that are likely to have a significant impact on his "soundness of wind."

Horses that are stabled indoors experience the greatest challenges to the respiratory tract. But the good news is that as owner, trainer, or breeder, you have the ability to influence your horse’s environment in ways that promote his respiratory health or, at the very least, do not detract from it.

AIRWAY HEALTH

To sufficiently change your horse’s environment, first it is helpful to understand what exactly might be plaguing the airways. Dr. Susan Holcombe, a veterinary specialist in surgery and equine critical care who also holds a PhD in nasopharyngeal function/dysfunction, is actively involved in the Equine Pulmonary Laboratory at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She is well-versed in equine airway physiology and environmental effects on airway health.

Holcombe describes two common lower respiratory syndromes that occur in horses: heaves (also called recurrent airway obstruction or RAO) and inflammatory airway disease (IAD).

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