ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: missing heart beats

Re: missing heart beats

Luke Steele (luke.steele@fujitsu.com.au)
Thu, 01 May 1997 12:18:06 +1000

At 09:57 30/04/97 GMT+1, Sue wrote:
>How common is it for endurance horses to miss heart beats and why do
>they do it?
>
Having TPRed at many endurance rides I have come across a number of horses
that have various arrythmias. I have discussed this subject in detail with
a number of endurance vets I have learned that there are regular
irregularities and irregular irregularities.
Regular irregularities are often heard in endurance horses at the pre-ride
check. The heart drops every nth beat, for example every 5th beat, at rest.
This usually disappears with work and is normally not a problem.
An irregular irregularity means that beats are dropped randomly, no
pattern. This is a cause for concern. Examples of this are atrial
fibrillation, which I have seen twice only in 7 years. The atria and
ventricles of the heart are out of sync. A vet will pull the horse if this
is detected. In both cases (one my own horse) the horse looked ok, but I
heard alarming sounds in my stethoscope. This may have been caused by
electrolyte imbalances. In both cases the horses returned to competition
shortly after with no after effects.
Have a talk with your vet about cardiac arrythmias in horses. You should be
able to work out whether the situation with your horse is ok or serious. It
may warrant further tests.

PS: I was instructed to only count the actual heart beats when counting
heart-rate, i.e., not add the missing ones. The heart is not pumping blood
when it is not beating.

Regards,

Luke

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