The 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event drew more than 90,000 equine enthusiasts to the Kentucky Horse Park, and Lexington’s Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (HEMI) used the opportunity to educate horse owners on common health issues affecting the sport horse.

Duncan Peters, DVM, MS, recently onboard as a member of HEMI’s Sporthorse Division, presented “Sport Horse Potpourri–Items of Interest About Your Performance Horse” as part of Hagyard’s weekend educational series. Peters is certified by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as a veterinarian for dressage, eventing, jumping, and reining competition.

Peters reviewed recent studies pertinent to sport horses:

Morning performance–It has been shown that horses actually have swings in performance that have been referred to as “Morning Glory Syndrome.” A recent Italian study looked at the role of hormone levels in the perceived improvement of performance by horses worked in the morning hours as opposed to those worked later in the day. Researchers found that levels of the hormones tryptophan and serotonin, both natural sedatives, were naturally lower in the morning hours and higher in the afternoon