The Young Horse Upper Airway

It has become commonplace for an upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy to be performed at pre- and post-sale examinations of young horses–especially at Thoroughbred sales. To address what is normal and what is abnormal, Rolf M. Embertson, DVM

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It has become commonplace for an upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy to be performed at pre- and post-sale examinations of young horses–especially at Thoroughbred sales. To address what is normal and what is abnormal, Rolf M. Embertson, DVM, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexing-ton, Ky., studied Thoroughbred weanlings and yearlings and compared those findings to URTs of adult horses, those over two years of age. According to Embert-son, “It’s important to realize during upper respiratory tract (URT) evaluation of the weanling and yearling that there are subtle differences when compared to the adult horse. It can be difficult to predict future pharyngeal and laryngeal function based on one endoscopic exam of the URT of the weanling and yearling.”


Basing his study on Thoroughbreds, Embertson added that young horses’ throats change with age. He said many young horses with questionable looking throats end up performing fine as racehorses, while others which have normal-looking throats end up with problems on the track.


Embertson said, “When compared to the mature horse, the immature horse generally has a higher grade of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH); a shorter, narrower, and more flaccid epiglottis; and an increased incidence of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) when the URT is stressed by nasal occlusion. The immature horse occasionally will have a row of small raised bumps on dorsal midline of the epiglottis. The younger the horse, the more often this is seen.”


Embertson believes this variation falls within what is considered normal. He added, “arytenoid movement is not as consistent and repeatable in the immature horse. Most of the subtle differences between immature and mature horses gradually disappear with age

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Written by:

Tim Brockhoff was Staff Writer of The Horse:Your Guide to Equine Health Care from 1995 to 1999. His degree is in Agricultural Communications from the University of Kentucky, and his equine experience is with American Saddlebreds.

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