A horse that makes an abnormal respiratory noise at exercise can be doing so for a variety of reasons, and endoscopy performed during exercise is a key tool for accurate diagnosis of respiratory disorders (‘wind problems’).
During exercise, a horse breathes much faster and with more force than when standing quietly, and this induces collapse of structures which may look completely normal at rest.
Equine Surgical Referrals offers a mobile overground endoscopy service for all kinds of horses, including racehorses, showjumpers, eventers, hunters, dressage horses and more.
Often, the horse’s head position (flexed or extended) can make a difference to dynamic collapse and this is one of the advantages of ridden exercising endoscopy.
The horse should be exercised under the conditions which cause it to make the abnormal noise, and this may be on the gallops or ridden in a school. A small endoscope is placed up the horse’s nose and allows a video to be recorded of the larynx and pharynx. This video is recorded on a laptop computer placed in the saddlebag.
Safia has an international reputation for interpretation of exercising endoscopic examinations and has published many papers and textbook chapters on the subject. When examining a clinical case, the abnormalities seen, clinical history and the aspirations of the owner/trainer will be combined to make the best medical or surgical plan for that particular patient.