Heart Murmur

[Bellalily]

My daughter’s pony was diagnosed with a heart murmur August 2020, then a few months later I had the vet out for another reason and he said it was slight and he’d still pass him for endurance. Had their jabs done last week and asked how it was, but vet couldn’t hear it and she said it can vary on a day to day basis. I’m a bit puzzled, surely a murmur is a murmur, period?

 

[ycbm]

Some murmurs come and go with fitness and some are caused by a virus and some just disappear without explanation. It depends what's causing the murmur.
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[Bellalily]

Some murmurs come and go with fitness and some are caused by a virus and some just disappear without explanation. It depends what's causing the murmur.
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Thank you. He was fit when it was first diagnosed, then not so much and now he’s done nothing since last September although that’s about to change on Saturday

 

[Fransurrey]

Heart murmurs are graded (I to IV if I remember correctly). If a lower grade, then the horse is normally safe to ride. I wouldn't be competing at the higher levels, though.

 

[ycbm]

I bought one with a slight leaky valve once and the vet told me he would be happy to send his wife hunting on him. I didn't ask him how much he loved his wife

 

[Sanversera]

I've known a horse who competed in endurance with a heart murmur and years ago at an animal health trust lecture we were told lots of racehorses have them and basically to just ignore it. I wonder if it's something that can happen to very fit horses?

 

[ycbm]

I've known a horse who competed in endurance with a heart murmur and years ago at an animal health trust lecture we were told lots of racehorses have them and basically to just ignore it. I wonder if it's something that can happen to very fit horses?

The trouble is that the word "murmur" is used to describe so many things. The horse I described above had a leaky heart valve. Many TB and TBx have a "missing beat", which fills in once you up the exertion level. This is often described as a murmur but it isn't really, it's an arrhythmia, very common and of no issue if it does go regular under higher loads.
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[Hollylee1989]

Our late horse was diagnosed with a murmur back in 2010, caused by a leaking valve. His improved with work and was worst at rest. Never gave him any issues, we lost him through a suspensory injury.

 

[Bellalily]

Heart murmurs are graded (I to IV if I remember correctly). If a lower grade, then the horse is normally safe to ride. I wouldn't be competing at the higher levels, though.

I’ll let him know, he’s just turned 28. Do they deteriorate further?

 

[Bellalily]

I bought one with a slight leaky valve once and the vet told me he would be happy to send his wife hunting on him. I didn't ask him how much he loved his wife

That’s lovely and roughly what the second vet said to me.