GingerTrotter
Well-Known Member
Hi Everyone,
Just looking for some thoughts on my mares ongoing breathing problems. I have had vets input this summer and now am going to get a full respiratory work up done when i get a call back from the vets today if they think it is necessary but am wondering if anyone else has had the same issues.
My mare is 5 years old, Welsh D x.
She starting having a slight cough last winter, intermittent.
Then during the summer when the pollen count was higher or if she went to a show and ate hay in the trailer it got worse, this caused a slight chest infection which was treated and her allergies were picked up by the vet. She was then ridden in a nose net, and avoided dusty sand schools and hard work when the pollen count was high or they were turning the straw parks etc as dust.
Her symptoms over the summer were a cough and laboured breathing when she was having an attack but it was manageable. She had a successful pleasure ride endurance season and even did a 30km at the end of the season, so fitness wasnt an issue.
I thought that her symptoms would clear up over the winter as she is now on haylege instead of hay, lives out most of the time (only coming in when the weather is very bad until i can build her a field shelter), however the intermittent cough has gone but if she canters up the field and sticks her head straight in her feed bucket she cannot regulate her breathing very quickly and seems to have very rapid shallow breaths like she is panicing (she is greedy with her food but her breathing is clearly not normal)
She also struggles with her flatwork lessons when she is asked to work harder, this should have improved with practice and age as i am aware she is young and green but her performance has flat lined and i am wondering if she is alway having a breathing problem and when asked to put more effort in she physically cannot do it as it would mean breathing deeper (although i cant feel it, my instructor cant see it so its just a theory)
Any thoughts?
Just looking for some thoughts on my mares ongoing breathing problems. I have had vets input this summer and now am going to get a full respiratory work up done when i get a call back from the vets today if they think it is necessary but am wondering if anyone else has had the same issues.
My mare is 5 years old, Welsh D x.
She starting having a slight cough last winter, intermittent.
Then during the summer when the pollen count was higher or if she went to a show and ate hay in the trailer it got worse, this caused a slight chest infection which was treated and her allergies were picked up by the vet. She was then ridden in a nose net, and avoided dusty sand schools and hard work when the pollen count was high or they were turning the straw parks etc as dust.
Her symptoms over the summer were a cough and laboured breathing when she was having an attack but it was manageable. She had a successful pleasure ride endurance season and even did a 30km at the end of the season, so fitness wasnt an issue.
I thought that her symptoms would clear up over the winter as she is now on haylege instead of hay, lives out most of the time (only coming in when the weather is very bad until i can build her a field shelter), however the intermittent cough has gone but if she canters up the field and sticks her head straight in her feed bucket she cannot regulate her breathing very quickly and seems to have very rapid shallow breaths like she is panicing (she is greedy with her food but her breathing is clearly not normal)
She also struggles with her flatwork lessons when she is asked to work harder, this should have improved with practice and age as i am aware she is young and green but her performance has flat lined and i am wondering if she is alway having a breathing problem and when asked to put more effort in she physically cannot do it as it would mean breathing deeper (although i cant feel it, my instructor cant see it so its just a theory)
Any thoughts?