Many Horses With Arrhythmias Return to Racing

Many Horses With Arrhythmias Return to Racing

Exercise-associated rhythm disturbances are common Horses being exercised on a treadmill were 2.6 times in poorly performing Thoroughbreds, but their pres- more likely to have rhythm disturbances than those ence was not associated with return to racing, and a exercised over ground, and National Hunt racehorses high proportion of horses raced again. were 2.7 times more likely to have complex arrhyth-

This retrospective study done at the Rossdale Di- mias than horses engaged in flat racing. agnostic Center in England examined exercising Exercise-associated upper respiratory tract (URT) electrocardiogram recordings for 245 Thoroughbred obstruction was associated with the presence of rhythm racehorses presenting with poor performance and/ disturbances. Horses with URT obstruction at exercise or respiratory noise at exercise. In total, 158 horses were twice as likely to have a rhythm disturbance than (64.5%) had abnormal rhythms; 110 (44.9%) of these those with normal airway function. had isolated premature depolarisations and 48 (19.6%) Overall, 82% of horses raced again. There were no horses had complex tachydysrhythmias. Rhythm dis- significant differences in the number of horses that returbances were most common during recovery from turned to racing in the normal rhythm, isolated premaexercise (50% of horses). ture depolarisations or complex rhythm groups. MeV

For more information:

Marr CM, Franklin S, Garrod G, et al. Exercise associated rhythm disturbances in poorly performing Thoroughbreds: Risk factors and association with racing performance. Equine Vet J. 2020 Sept. 26 [Epub ahead of print].

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evj.13354

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