Outrider
20th Feb 2001, 07:00 PM
I'm sure many of you have had an experience when a horse you were trying to saddle seemed to almost fall asleep when you tightened the girth and then seemed to stumble awake. I foung an interesting short article on this in the February issue of Horse and Rider magazine. It was in the form of a response to a letter about health problems that someone was asking and a vet responded. Dr. Elizabet Kilgallon, DVM of Bedford Hills, New York, said that this is a common thing, especially in Thourobreds and TB crosses. She said, "It is caused by pressure on the VAGUS NERVE, which works with other nerves to regulate a horse's heartbeat. This long nerve runs all the way from a horse's brain, down the length of his neck, to the base of his heart(located more or less in the cinch area). When you tightenthe cinch on your horse (especially if you tighten it quickly), you squeeze his chest and put pressure on his Vagus Nerve.This causes the nerve to increase its rate of sending slow-down impulses to the heart. As his hearbeat slows, his blood pressure drops, causing the horse to black out. It isn't dangerous to the horse's health unless he actually falls over and hurts himself on something." Dr. Kilgallon recommended that you tighten the cinch in small increments, avoiding the "big squeeze" that triggers the "slow down" signal caused by cinch pressure. My horse, which is an Appendix, does this sometimes. Now I know what it is and what to do to prevent it. Just thought I would pass this on. Happy Trails!