It Is Normal For A Lion To Do This. But If A Horse Does It, He May Require Surgery.
Horses normally breathe harder during periods of exercise. Nothing abnormal there. But if they make this sound when they do it, it could alert you to a medical problem that only an equine veterinarian can handle. The sound is called “roaring,” and if your horse does it, you need to get him checked out. Here’s why…
Your horse’s windpipe (or “trachea”) is the tube running from his larynx to his lungs. During exercise, your horse needs more air flowing through his windpipe than he does when he’s at rest. Thankfully, God created a mechanism for him to do just that.
The left recurrent laryngeal nerve lives in the larynx (throat). It detects when your horse exercises and sends a message to the to the larynx to expand the diameter of the windpipe so your horse can take in more air. When it’s working properly, your horse can run and breathe with no problem.
But if the left recurrent laryngeal nerve isn’t doing it’s job, the airway won’t expand. And if this nerve becomes totally degenerated, the entire left side of the airway may collapse. When it does, your horse will make a loud noises when breathing.
We call this noise “roaring.” The correct veterinary term is left recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia (just say “roaring.” It’s a lot easier and your vet will know what you mean).
If you notice your horse taking a sudden aversion to exercise, this could be why. It’s not that he’s lazy. He just can’t get enough air to his lungs, and he knows it. So to protect himself, he avoids situations that might require him to breathe harder.
Your vet will most likely want to do something called an endoscopic examination. If he finds that your horse does have left recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia, he’ll most likely ask you if you want him to treat it. The question you need to answer is ‘does this condition prevent my horse from doing his job?’
If the answer is no, doing nothing is a OK. If your horse is never required to run, it probably won’t be an issue. But if the answer is yes, your vet will probably tell you that your horse needs surgery. And the procedure he’ll perform is called prosthetic laryngoplasty, otherwise known as a “tie-back.”
It’s called a tie-back because your vet will literally tie the airway open with surgical sutures (stitches). This will pull his vocal cord to the side, keeping his airway open permanently.
So if you notice your horse breathing hard and making odd noises, it may be roaring. Or it may not be. So the best thing you can do is call your equine vet for an examination. The benefit to your horse will be a clearer airway, making breathing a lot easier.
Yours For Better Horse Health,
Sierra Lynch
P.S. As you know, for every rule, there is an exception. Your horse may, indeed, roar but still likes to exercise anyway. In this case, he may not have left recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia. He may just have some congenital defect that has caused one of his tracheal rings to protrude into his airway. It doesn’t cause a breathing problem. It just makes a noise. Still, it pays to get him checked out. -scl
equine vet horse horse disease roaringTags: Horse Diseases, Horse Riding
