ENGLISH TEXTS
used in the United States before races to reduce pulmonary blood pressure, but its use is prohibited in Europe and raises ethical concerns, as it enhances performance rather than treating the horse.“ We are trying to find blood markers for this condition, but without success so far,” says Éric Richard. Diagnosis relies on two complementary tools: endoscopy performed immediately after exertion( acute phase), or bronchoalveolar lavage, which can detect older bleeding and even estimate its timing. Tanguy Hermange notes that some trainers scope their horses after intense workouts.“ This provides guidance for adjusting training sessions and targeting race entries. We know that repeated intense efforts in close succession worsen hemorrhages.”
The lungs of foals At LABÉO laboratories, researchers also study foals, which are prone to rhodococcosis— a disease causing, among other things, lung abscesses. Only heavy and costly antibiotic treatment can cure clinically affected foals. They may also develop joint forms of the disease and sometimes retain lasting damage.“ We have collected a series of sick foals and others without clinical signs from the same farms. We are searching these populations for markers of resistance or susceptibility to Rhodococcus equi,” says Éric Richard.
Between these various research areas, there is no shortage of work. Even if all the mysteries of asthma, hemorrhages, and rhodococcosis were solved, many unexplored lung diseases in horses would still keep researchers busy for decades.
Figures 66 % of horses consulting a veterinarian for underperformance are found to suffer from moderate asthma 7 kilograms: the average weight of a horse’ s lungs
Boxes The mechanism of respiration When a horse breathes, air enters through its nostrils and travels down the trachea, passing through the bronchi and bronchioles to reach the alveoli. Gas exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs in these alveoli, which resemble small sacs lined with tiny blood vessels called pulmonary capillaries. The alveoli absorb oxygen from the air and transfer it into the bloodstream, which carries it throughout the body, particularly to the muscles. Carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body’ s cells, follows the reverse path: from the blood to the alveoli, before being exhaled. A horse’ s resting respiratory rate is 10 to 12 cycles( one inhalation and one exhalation) per minute. It can rise to nearly 80 cycles after five minutes of galloping. A horse’ s lungs can store around 50 liters of air, com- pared to 3 to 6 liters in humans. Surprisingly, 60 % of this inhaled air is unused— it does not reach the lungs but remains in the nasal cavities, trachea and larynx. This ratio drops to 20 % during intense exercise. While the heart is a muscle that training can transform, the lungs are a“ simple” organ that cannot change through work. However, training enhances the horse’ s overall metabolism: muscles, cardiac efficiency, and the body’ s ability to eliminate waste. The lungs can then transfer oxygen to the blood more quickly. This finely tuned system becomes less efficient as soon as an external factor( virus, respiratory allergy, etc.) disrupts its functioning.
Wind surgery: trend or necessity? In the UK, many NH racehorses undergo“ wind surgery”, a procedure aimed at improving breathing. It involves cauterizing the soft palate to tighten it so that inhaled air flows more efficiently to the lungs. For Dr. Jean-Marc Betsch, scientific evidence supporting this practice remains limited, and the horse’ s welfare may be questioned, especially when it shows no symptoms. In publications like the Racing Post, wind surgery is listed alongside castration or ownership changes, as it must be officially declared. In Great Britain, the procedure is widely accepted, seen as an aid to performance. Trainer Nicky Henderson spoke openly in 2024 about
# 18 170