"roarers"

[Debby Stai <rstai@socket.net>]

We looked at a horse for our daughter a few years back, a TB for
dressage.  When worked at the trot and the canter, anything but a walk,
you could hear him really breathing.  We had the dressage instructor
come out and give her a lesson on him, she noticed it and advised us to
vet check him before buying, which we did.  The vet pronounced him a
roarer.  He inserted some kind of device, sorry its been a few years
ago, and we could see that one of the flaps would not close like it was
supposed to.  We didn't buy him as the owners having insurance and
finding out it would pay for it, took him to Texas A & M and had the
surgery done.  From what I understand he came through it just fine but
we'd already found another so didn't buy this one.  Don't know that I
would have though as I'm not sure the longterm results of surgery.
There is a noise that some horses make when they canter that is normal,
kind of sounds a little like grunting, that could be what yours is
doing, only way to know is have the vet look at him.  Good luck.  Debby