Do you notice these problems while working?
Your horse seems fine but suddenly starts
Your racehorse reaches the 3/4 mile mark (6 furlongs) at the
head of the pack, then hits a wall, struggling for the finish line
Click here to see
video of a racehorse showing signs of SAID
COMMON SIGNS OF SAID
Mucus in the airways
Changes in Performance
Riders complain that their horse is more
"lethargic", "less responsive", "sluggish", "slowing
down", or "exercise intolerant."
Exercise intolerance develops over days to weeks
and gets progressively worse without treatment. Racehorses drop a class or two and finish
poorly. Typically, the horses race well until the 3/4 mile (6 furlongs) when they
"hit a wall."
The heat really knocks out horses with SAID. This
might relate to the role of the respiratory tract in cooling, lack of oxygen, or decreased
fitness. Either way, a horse with SAID has a tendency to work poorly in the heat.
SAID is recognized earlier in horses doing the
most aerobic work and recognized later in horses that are not pushing the full range of
their aerobic capacities. Many jumpers and dressage horses can work for years with SAID
until it becomes severe. Eventers, endurance competition horses, and racers can not.
Coughing is often reported in SAID. The typical
cough is intermittent, deep, and productive (e.g. some horses are seen 'smacking their
lips' after coughing spells). Some horses cough in a series of spasms, seemingly unable to
dislodge mucus from their airways.
Lung sounds are usually normal, but in more
advanced cases there can be crackles or wheezes heard throughout the lung fields. A
rebreathing bag should be used to stimulate deeper breathing for auscultation.
When scoped, horses with SAID have small white to
gray globs or clear to white streams of mucus visible in their windpipe. After exercise,
this is more readily seen.
All the signs tend to be worse in the spring and
summer, suggesting an allergic or atmospheric cause in most. Dust sensitive horses may
also show signs in the winter, when they are stabled for long hours.
SAID can be distinguished from contagious/
infectious causes of cough by the lack of fever, normal blood work, and an otherwise
healthy looking horse.
Signs that Your Horse's Condition Has Progressed to
- Acute attacks of labored breathing, severe coughing, nasal flaring, distressed
appearance, and 'heaving' of the abdomen
- Development of heave lines
- Difficulty on expiration
If this sounds like your horse, remove him/her from the
proximity of hay, which can harbor mold spores that precipitate the attacks. Call your
Pronounced nasal flaring in a "heavy" horse
Left: Right-click for close-up video of horse's
abdomen, showing heave line during respiration