Respiratory system

[Sarah6]

Hey - anyone know anything about the horses respiratory system? they dont breathe in or out of their mouth do they?
any of you know how this helps or hinders the horse?
help please!

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Yes they can only normally breathe through their nostrils (in very extreme cases they can breathe through their mouth). Generally this system works fine though during intense exercise it limits the horse's air intake as it can only open it's nostrils so wide, nasal strips help a bit, the nasal passages cause 50% of total airway resistance (blocking of air), due to their limited size.