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• Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage occurred in 26% draft pulling horses. • Recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia occurred in 32% and tracheal mucus in 82%. • Horse and competition factors were not associated with respiratory disease. Respiratory disease is common in the horse population and is often associated with poor performance in equine athletes. Despite their outstanding strength and aerobic capacity, little regard is given to draft horses and the respiratory disorders they may encounter when performing athletic activity. For this reason, the objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the prevalence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), tracheal mucus (TM) and recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia (RLH) in a population of competitive draft pulling horses, and (2) to determine if there was an association between horse weight, height, age, amount pulled, or competition placing with EIPH, TM or RLH in draft pullers. Results of this study identified EIPH in 26% of the study population, RLH in 32% and TM in 82% of participating horses; however, no risk factors were identified for the development of these problems in draft pulling horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inflammatory airway disease has been linked to exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and consequently, we hypothesized that immunomodulation via concentrated equine serum (CES) treatment would reduce EIPH as evidenced by red blood cell (RBC) concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Separate trials were conducted on Thoroughbred horses treated with either CES (n=6) or placebo (0.9% saline; n=4). All horses completed pre-treatment and post-treatment (2 and 4 weeks after initiating treatment) maximal exercise tests on a 10% inclined treadmill (1m/s/min increments to fatigue) over a 10-week period (2−3 weeks between tests), with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) performed 30minutes after exercise. Treatment ensued 10 days after the pre-treatment exercise test, with horses receiving a series of five CES or placebo injections 24hours apart (20mL intratracheal and 10mL intravenously), with subsequent weekly injections for 5 weeks thereafter. After CES treatment, both EIPH (RBC in BALF) and inflammation (white blood cell concentration [WBC] in BALF) were significantly diminished by the 4-week posttreatment run, demonstrating 46±12% and 24±11% decreases, respectively (P < 0.05). In contrast, EIPH was elevated significantly at the 4-week time point, and inflammation remained constant in the placebo trial. In conclusion, these preliminary data suggest that therapeutic intervention involving immunomodulation may represent a viable approach to reducing the severity of EIPH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]