Asthma in racehorses – new video uploaded to AP Video Hub

In the video, Couëti explains how equine asthma can impact a horse’s performance and what can be done to treat it. All videos in the Campus Insights series are free for download and use by all AP members and can be found at apvideohub.ap.org or by doing a general search on the Associated Press site. AP members may use the video or to pull quotes for print article or for broadcast or podcast.

STORYLINE

As spring is under way, bringing allergies and the Kentucky Derby, people may not realize that horses deal with some of the same breathing problems humans do. In a study conducted on an Indiana racetrack, Couëtil found that the greater the degree of airway inflammation, the greater the impact on the racehorse’s performance. This was the first time that equine asthma was linked directly to horse performance, leading the way for further study. Treatment of equine asthma can be done using inhaled drugs, similar to how inhalers are used for humans. Couëtil’s group discovered that the main cause of horse asthma comes from small dust particles that enter horses through the air they breathe and the hay they eat. Other contributors to equine asthma may include pollen, grasses and pollution.