I’m wondering if if would be ok for me to use the nose flairs on my race track reject in jumpers? I know alot of eventers use them cross country, but I’ve never seen any in the jumper ring. However he is a sensitive horse and a heavy breather that was a former bleeder but we’ve got that under control for the most part. I would just like to make him as comfortable as possible as he is a hott horse that reacts to everything better when he is taken care of. Do you think it would be worth it or no?
I don’t have any idea about the actual rules regarding them, but have you had your horse scoped for fungus in his guttural pouch?
I have one who has nosebleeds and was informed by the vet that a potentially fatal fungus in the guttural pouch can be the cause of nosebleeds. Luckily, after being thoroughly scoped we determined this was not the case.
Just thought I’d mention because my old vet (across the country) had never mentioned it and the new vet was surprised we had never scoped.
Sorry not to be of any help on the flares (sp?) though.
I can’t imagine these would make much difference. A jumper round is much shorter than an X-C course, so I don’t think the amount of oxygen limited by a horse’s inability to flair his nostrils for two minutes in a ring is significant.
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[QUOTE=mvp;4625450]
I can’t imagine these would make much difference. A jumper round is much shorter than an X-C course, so I don’t think the amount of oxygen limited by a horse’s inability to flair his nostrils for two minutes in a ring is significant.[/QUOTE]
Well its also not just the warm up. If he’s really a hot horse he could be working himself up and heavy breathing from the second you get on.
I’ve seen it once at a schooling show and it was a local eventing barn. Sorry I cant be much help on the rules. I dont see why it would be a problem. Even if it makes a teeny tiny difference why not go for it?
We haven’t had him scoped but he’s never bled in the time that I’ve owned him, so we are guessing that it was bad conditioning and then racing him. I’ll look into getting him checked out though.
He does get very hott the instant the saddle gets on his back, not anything terrible he just likes to work and gets excited about it. I’ll have to get some and try it out. Anything to keep him happy makes him alot easier to work with.
There is no rule specifically against their use, but you can always check with the show officials at the next show, they are usually happy to answer genuine questions such as this.
In terms of the gluteal pouch infection, the horse would likely already dead if the horse came with the infection and the OP has owned him longer than a couple of weeks or even days. OP, have you ever noticed any swelling of the gluteal pouches? The swelling is quite severe from what I have seen in veterinary texts. However, there are many possibilities (many that are surgically correctable) that can only be identified by scoping. If you have any interest and the funds to do so, I would highly suggest scoping any breathing impaired horse.
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[QUOTE=flyracing;4626707]
In terms of the gluteal pouch infection, wouldn’t that fatal infection have already killed the horse assuming he had it when he was purchased? OP, have you ever noticed any swelling of the gluteal pouches? The swelling is quite severe from what I have seen in veterinary texts. However, there are many possibilities (many that are surgically correctable) that can only be identified by scoping. If you have any interest and the funds to do so, I would highly suggest scoping any breathing impaired horse.[/QUOTE]
I don’t think it would necessarily have already killed the horse as my horse had her first nosebleed about four years ago and my (new) vet still thought it could potentially be the cause. Perhaps it’s progressive?
ETA: Sorry, that sounded a bit callous. I doubt your horse has it, I don’t think it’s particularly common, just thought I’d mention it. And I understand it’s treatable. 
I second the taking a look with a scope if you have the money, even if just for peace of mind. The cause diagnosed in my horse was “varicose” veins that were so close to the surface that they would bleed if she got really worked up, sneezed a lot or had a really hard work out. Thankfully, there’s a spray for that, and now that she’s retired it doesn’t happen often.
Oh, and is it guttural or gluteal? I always thought it was guttural, but I could be completely off base.
as far as i know, theres no rule against it. if your vet says so and it will make horse more comfortable, go for it.
I’ve had him about two years now, and he’s never bled with me let alone anything like a runny nose. The only information we know that he bled is he was pulled off the track for bleeding over their max. limit. When I talked to a track trainer she said it was a common thing for horses that were run in cold weather, and had bad conditioning. We know all these bleedings happened during races in cold weather, so we assumed that was the case. I took my time conditioning him from a 1 on the body scale, to where is now about a 5 or 6. I made sure to bring him slowly back into getting fit. I’ve galloped him before and never noticed any issues. Just trying to keep the boss man as happy as possible (:
[QUOTE=klmck63;4625303]
I don’t have any idea about the actual rules regarding them, but have you had your horse scoped for fungus in his guttural pouch?
I have one who has nosebleeds and was informed by the vet that a potentially fatal fungus in the guttural pouch can be the cause of nosebleeds. Luckily, after being thoroughly scoped we determined this was not the case.
Just thought I’d mention because my old vet (across the country) had never mentioned it and the new vet was surprised we had never scoped.
Sorry not to be of any help on the flares (sp?) though.[/QUOTE]
I am so glad you posted this. My 30yo has been haing nose bleeds, and my vet is thinking the same things about the gutteral pouch. I am really worried about him. The vet said I have to wait til the next bleed to scope him and find out where it is coming from. What did it turn out to be with your horse. I can’t find anything else that causes these nose bleeds. They are pretty severe bleeds, and I am scared. I know that he is an old man, but I don’t want to find that he has bled out in his stall one morning.
[QUOTE=klmck63;4626719]
Oh, and is it guttural or gluteal? I always thought it was guttural, but I could be completely off base.[/QUOTE]
It is gutteral. Gluteals are muscles on the hind end of the horse :).
And OP, the flair strips are unlikely to help if he’s bleeding in his lungs due to the way that bleeding interferes with breathing (also unlikely to prevent the bleeding if it’s occuring), since the problem is not that they can’t get enough air past their nostrils. However, if you’re worried about bleeding, I would recommend getting him scoped after a hard ride to see if there’s any evidence of that in his lungs. And if you want to try the flair strips just to see if you think they help, there’s no rule I know of prohibiting them! I would check the rulebook yourself though, rather than relying on what other people remember from it.
I don’t think the OP is worried horsie is bleeding anymore. She hasn’t had a problem with bleeding since horse left the track. I am assuming he is a bit like my TB, and once he gets excited, he starts to breathe heavily and loudly-- the ENTIRE ride. I know exactly what you are describing. Not sure if the nasal flairs would help-- why don’t you try one at home and see if it seems to make a difference. If so, I don’t see why you couldn’t use one in the show ring. I’ve seen them on jumpers before.
And please, it is hot. There is no extra T.
I have not used them in the jumper ring but I have used them on paces/ X country. Nothing is wrong medically with my horse but if I can use it to open up his pipes a bit for a long ride why not!
[QUOTE=Pandora1087;4627476]
I am so glad you posted this. My 30yo has been haing nose bleeds, and my vet is thinking the same things about the gutteral pouch. I am really worried about him. The vet said I have to wait til the next bleed to scope him and find out where it is coming from. What did it turn out to be with your horse. I can’t find anything else that causes these nose bleeds. They are pretty severe bleeds, and I am scared. I know that he is an old man, but I don’t want to find that he has bled out in his stall one morning.[/QUOTE]
My horse (who is 20, almost 21) wound up having veins in one nostril (the one all the blood was coming out of) that were very pronounced and close to the surface. They looked like varicose veins in humans. The vet said that whenever she got really worked up or excited or started breathing really heavily (or sneezed a several times in a row) that they were close enough to the surface that one could rupture and bleed for a bit out of her nose until they clotted.
I was lucky because my vet lives on site. She coliced one night and the heavy breathing before she was given banamine was likely what set off her nose, but since he was right there with all the equipment we decided to scope right then.
If the scope is being used to check for fungus, I’m not sure why you would have to wait until the horse is bleeding? The vet let me look in the scope and showed me pictures and it was pretty obvious even though the bleeding had stopped that there was no fungus. If it turns out not to be fungus then you have to wait for bleeding to follow it to the source. This is just how I understood it, anyways. Beware that when you scope there is the potential for the vet to nick something and cause a big bleed which isn’t fatal or anything, but he warned me it might be scary and gross.
Good luck with your horse! Sorry to hijack the thread…
Hello,
Your horse with a varicose vein, does he have any other symptoms or odd behaviors? How did you treat?
My horse has on on his pharynx. I know this post is old but looking for help or experience, vets have never seen it before.
Thanks!
The flair strips only become effective when the nasal tissues relax and compress the passages after an extended period of heavy AEROBIC effort such as racing or XC. They do not have any effect in short term, ANAEROBIC efforts such as stadium jumping. Even when your horse is breathing heavy they are still operating ANAEROBICALLY. Horses have to be in the actual rhythm of breathing in the stride (when the movement of the legs drives the lungs to breathe to full capacity) to operate AEROBICALLY. That is something that doesn’t happen in an arena. The nasal passages are still open as they would be in the stall or pasture.
But as a track vet once told me, “They aren’t very effective except for extreme cases and in no way improves a horse that already can’t outrun a fat man in a raincoat.”
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