can an over tightened girth cause collapse?

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cm2581

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We went to a training session yesterday and 5 mins into warm up my horse collapsed. I walked round the field once, trotted up the hill thinking horse felt great, then popped into canter. After about 50 yards or so, horse stopped abruptlt, walked a few steps then keeled over without warning. She floundered for a bit then sort of gave up. She was a bit caught up in her reins and someone undid then but she only got up when encouraged, but without problems. She stood there looking very shocked and dazed. She then seemed fine and tucked into the grass.

I phoned vet who said considering her age (24) most likely something 'went wrong' with her heart but if she was up and seemed fine was ok to travel her home and do a full check beg of week, unless anything else happened.

The only other thing that was different was the girth she had on was a bit small and was pretty rammed onto her to get to first hole and it was elasticated. Obviously the vet is coming to do a full check and there is def a possibility of the beginnings of heart failure or something of the like. If this were the case she most def won't be getting ridden again for both our sakes!! But if nothing is evident does anyone know if it could have been the girth?
 
Poor old lady and poor you too!

I have heard of problems caused by girths being too tight or hitting the wrong spot but before you pin your hopes on that wait to see what the vet has to say.
 
Properly positioned the girth should lie in the sternum groove, on the sternum, this is a bone that does not expand with the ribs so can't cause problems with restriction of breathing if the girth is tight. If the girth is in the wrong place like back far enough to be on the ribs that do expand whilst breathing, then yes this will impede breathing and could cause problems, sometimes even if the rider positions the girth correctly it can slip back.
Oz
 
I originally thought a neuro prob such as a stroke but vet thought this quite unlikely as they usually show before and after signs. Hence the most likely cause being cardiovascular. It was very much as if she stopped as she felt funny then fainted(dunno if horses actually can 'faint'!). But she def seemed very shocked and disorentated for a bit. Poor girlie. Will be phoning vets 1st thing in morn to get her checked out.

I just wondered about the girth but on thinking further I doubt she could have been sufficiently restricted to cause the issue with the tiny amount of exertion. She will remain as a very pretty field ornament as long as she's happy to do that. Thanks for peoples help.
 
Ditto Cuffey. A family horse, and more recently an old horse belonging to one of my liveries, collapsed pretty much without warning, while being gently ridden. In both cases heart problems were diagnosed, and they were not ridden again.

In the case of the family horse, it was being ridden by my father and we were hacking side by side. I had just told him that Dragon's eye (obviously the one I could see) had gone dim and out of focus. Within 30 seconds the horse was on the ground. He got up, very disorientated, and after treatment at the roadsie from the vet was able to be walked the 400 yards home.

I suppose it could be the girth but fear a heart problem is smore likely. If it's any comfort, both these horses lived on in happy retirement, and never showed another sign a a problem!!!

I will be thinking of you and your girl. Please keep us posted.
 
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