Looking after your horse's heart

The health of your horse’s heart can be affected by pathogens, worm load or toxins, says Dr Mac.

- Dr Mac

Heart disease in horses recently hit the news when Hickstead, a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood showjumper, suddenly dropped dead after completing in a Grand Prix event in Verona, Italy. The cause of death was later determined to be an aortic rupture.

Like the human heart, the equine heart has four chambers (right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle), with heart valves above and below each chamber. Blood is pumped from the veins into the lungs, where it is oxygenated, then back through the heart and aortic artery to the body. Any damage to the muscles or valves of the heart has a direct effect on the health and performance of the horse.